Redesigned Racism

      As time has progressed, numerous people have argued that racism in America has died because of black success stories and new opportunities that have become available to black people. But is racism really dead or are we just blind to the new racism in modern day society ? Racism is not dead, it has simply been born into a new form.

     When most people think of racism, they think about the Ku Klux Klan, slavery, and segregation because they are blind to how racism has developed and adapted to the new era. In an article from CNN, John Blake states "The more we assume that the problem of racism is limited to the Ku Klux Klan, the birthers, the tea party or to the Republican party, the less we understand that racial domination is a collective process and we are all in this game." Racism has evolved and it is felt but it fails to be noticed. Racism is exposed and justified through different means that keep it hidden so as Americans, we don't necessarily understand that we are living in a racist society. For instance, the alarming amount of incarcerated Americans is not seen as racism because it is justified through laws and the criminal justice system. Out of the 2.3 million incarcerated in America, African Americans constitute nearly 1 million of the population. However, according to NAACP about 14 million whites and 2.6 million African Americans report using an illicit drug. If these are the facts, then why are there more incarcerated African Americans than incarcerated whites ? This evidence clearly shows that there are more white criminals that blacks.

     Although there are successful black figures, we still live an era of colorblindness. The America we live in chooses to believe that everyone is truly equal because of people like Obama and Oprah. Not every black person in this country is an Obama or Oprah Winfrey. No caste system in the United States has ever governed all black people and there have always been black people who have been oppressed, discriminated against, and deprived of civil rights. Therefore, it is safe to say that America is still racist, just different from the ways in the past. Take Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin for example. The officers in these cases were both white males who killed unarmed black men. The killing of these black men were justified through laws and the officers supposedly "fearing for their lives". The reasoning behind the officers' actions was not because they were doing their job, it was because they immediately assumed that since Eric and Trayvon were black, they were criminals. This is a silent racism that is hidden under a blanket of justifications. Racism is legal because black people are seen as criminals so it's acceptable for them to be treated as such and feared when walking around in a neighborhood with a hoodie on.

     Racism still exists in America but the society we live in makes it seem as it has become obsolete. We simply have racism without racists. By this I mean that there is still racial discrimination but no one believes that they are racist because they only believe what they want to believe. For instance, in the incidents involving police brutality against African Americans, most people have said that the crime has nothing to do with color. Yet, it has everything to do with color. If Trayvon Martin was white, we all know the situation would not have ended the same and if the roles were reversed, justice would have been served for the little white boy who was shot and killed by a black police officer. We see white privilege and we say oppression of blacks but we chose to ignore it. So again I say, racism is not dead; the new racism is denying that racism exists.

Senior-itis

      You wake up and get to school with no energy from staying up late the night before. Once you're in class you're trying to stop your head from laying on the table and trying to keep your eyes from shutting. You sit through ninety minute classes and try to find time to relax in your forty five minute lunch break but it's nearly impossible. Your spare time consist of filling out college applications and scholarships while trying to enjoy a meal. Mentally drained, you go home expecting to take a break from everything that consumed your time at school. However, you get home and you realize how much more needs to be done. You have homework for three classes, a project for another class, more college applications that need to be completed, and you need to be at work by six o'clock. By the time you get home all you're focused on is getting rest and preparing for the next day. Instead you push yourself to do more work. After getting everything accomplished you look at the clock, see that it's 1 a.m. and you realize you have to wake up in five hours. You finally go to bed to get your five hours of rest and then the cycle repeats.

      Senior year is the year in our high school experience where we should be able to prepare for college while still being able to enjoy our last few months of being a kid. We know that by the fall of next year, we'll be inserted into the real world and forced to grow up. "The last two years in high school have been the most stressful for me and my friends. We have to do everything and be perfect for colleges and we have a big workload." says 17 year old Hannah Sturgill from Portsmouth Ohio. According to a survey from USA Today, 27% of teens say they experience extreme stress during the school year and 34% expect that stress to increase in the next school year. Sturgill also states "All me and my friends talk about is how stressed we are." Seniors are so consumed with the responsibilities coming at them from left and right, that they don't have time to relieve stress. The pressure to get into a good college has taken a toll on students' social lives. UCLA's annual survey of college freshman show that only 18% of students spent 16 hours or more with their friends each week of heir senior year, which is compared to 37.9% of students in 1987. This decrease may not necessarily be a negative statistic because it shows that students have become more focused. However, it also reveals that not many students get a break from the stress of their senior year. 

      In addition to the short term weariness from the stress that senior year brings, there are also long term effects that come along with that stress. According to a survey from the American Psychological Association, findings on more than 1,000 teens and 2,000 adults suggest that unhealthy behaviors associated with stress may start early and continue through adulthood. The survey shows that teenagers suffering from stress from high school and more specifically, senior year are potentially setting themselves up for a future of chronic stress and chronic illness. Stress is corrupting the mental health in teens and researchers have begun to compare that stress to adult stress habits. Research shows that teens are more likely than adults to has a slight or no impact on their physical health or mental health. "It is alarming that the teen stress experience is so similar to that of adults. It is even more concerning that they seem to underestimate the potential impact that stress has on their physical and mental health." says APA CEO and Executive Vice President, Norman B. Anderson, in response to the findings from the research. 

      Senior year is crucial when it comes to planning your future, so you're expected to work hard to get into the right college. However, working too hard becomes and issue when you are juggling a variety of other responsibilities on top of college applications. The stress that seniors face goes further than weariness and staying up too late from studying. Being overwhelmed with so many responsibilities can cause future health and stress problems. Therefore, senior-itis is more than just a made up word. It is a representation of all of the struggles that come along with senior year. Senior year is now something that is feared, and not something to be excited about. After 3 years of hard work to make the perfect resume for colleges, it is only fair that seniors are greeted with a less competitive and stressful environment as they enter their last year of childhood.