Racism: A Controversial Topic?

Racism, politics, and religion are all topics that are known not to be a smart topic of discussion. Racism is among the top of that list since everyone has their own strong opinions on the matter. I feel that the discussion of racism becomes a "blame game" because peope get defensive and immediately feel that their race is being attacked. Most people don't want their race to be seen as "racist" so they start to blame someone or something else. The movie Crash is an excellent example of this. Throughout the movies the different races crash into one another and their is a "blame game" on which race is a fault. For instance, the Persian man in the movie felt that the Hispanic guy wasn't fixing his locks on purpose. The "blame game" is evident throughout the movie. Instead of movies, Viv Bulluck explains the NAACP's view on diversity in television. While there has been improvement over the years, a lot still needs to be done. "One very disconcerting favt is that, with the cancellation of the Bernie Mac Show, for the first time in recent history, there is not a comedy with an Africa-American lead character left on the big four networks" (Bulluck 459). Bulluck brings up a very good point and shows a different perspective. Clint C. Wilson and Felix Gutierrez chose to research racism in advertising. How has it changed over the years? Wilson and Gutierrez feel that stereotypes are evident in advertising. "These processed portrayals largely mirrored the stereotypic images of minorities in the entertaiment media that, in turn, were designed to reflect the perceived values and norms of the white majority" (Wilson and Gutierrez 386). This is definitely a different perspective on advertising. Racism is obviously a controversial topic that causes debates and heated discussions. I feel that conversations about race expose a dynamic of guilt and a sense of obligation to defend one's race. Like I stated before, people usually feel that their race is being attacked, and they want to defend it. There are pros and cons to this. Since some people have racial guilt, it brings awareness of the problem and, hopefully, people are more conscious of what they do and say. On the other hand, racial guilt can cause arguments and fights. By defending your race or feeling that your race is under attack, you might get too defensive. Racial pride is also something that can be very tricky. While it is very good to be proud of your race and where you come from, there is such a thing of being too "proud." Some may think that their race is the best and put down others since they have so much "racial pride." I feel that racism has continued to be a controversial topic that can't easily be discussed between anyone. How do you feel about racism as a topic of discussion? Do you think that it's easier to talk about now then it was 40 or 50 years ago?