Subtle Racism and the Problems It Poses

When some people hear the word racism, the subtle forms of bigotry known as racial microaggressions dont come to mind. Instead, they imagine a man in a white hood or a burning cross on a lawn. In reality, most people of color will never encounter a Klansman or be casualties of a lynch mob. They wont even be killed by police, although blacks and Latinos are frequent targets of police violence. Members of racial minority groups are much more likely to be the victims of subtle racism, also known as everyday racism, covert racism or racial microaggressions. This sort of racism has a damaging effect on its targets, many of whom struggle to see it for what it is. So just what is subtle racism? Defining Everyday Racism A study conducted by San Francisco State Universitys (SFSU) Professor Alvin Alvarez identified everyday racism as subtle, commonplace forms of discrimination, such as being ignored, ridiculed or treated differently. Explains Alvarez, a counseling professor, These are incidents that may seem innocent and small, but cumulatively they can have a powerful impact on an individuals mental health. Annie Barnes further illuminates the matter in her book Everyday Racism: A Book for All Americans. She identifies such racism as a virus of sorts exhibited in the body language, speech and isolating attitude of racists, among other behaviors. Due to the covertness of such behaviors, victims of this form of racism may struggle to determine for certain if bigotry is at play. Examples of Racial Microaggressions In Everyday Racism, Barnes tells the story of Daniel, a black college student whose apartment building manager asked him not to listen to music on his earphones while strolling the premises. Supposedly other residents found it distracting. The problem? Daniel observed that a white youth in his complex had a similar radio with earphones and that the supervisor never complained about him. Based on their fears or stereotypes of black men, Daniels neighbors found the image of him listening to earphones off-putting but made no objections to his white counterpart doing the same thing. This gave Daniel the message that someone with his skin color must adhere to a different set of standards, a revelation that made him uneasy. While Daniel acknowledged that racial discrimination was to blame for why the manager treated him differently, some victims of everyday racism fail to make this connection. These people only invoke the word racism when someone blatantly commits a racist act such as using a slur. But they may want to rethink their reluctance to identify something as racist. Although the notion that talking about racism too much makes matters worse is widespread, the SFSU study found the opposite to be true. Trying to ignore these insidious incidents could become taxing and debilitating over time, chipping away at a persons spirit, Alvarez explained. Ignoring Certain Racial Groups Ignoring people of certain races is another example of subtle racism. Say a Mexican American woman enters a store waiting to be served, but the employees behave as if shes not there, continuing to rifle through store shelves or sorting through papers. Soon afterward, a white woman enters the store, and the employees immediately wait on her. They help the Mexican American woman only after they wait on her white counterpart. The covert message sent to the Mexican-American customer? Youre not as worthy of attention and customer service as a white person is. Sometimes people of color are ignored in a strictly social sense. Say a Chinese American man visits a mostly white church for a few weeks but each Sunday no one talks to him. Moreover, few people even bother to greet him. Meanwhile, a white visitor to the church is invited out to lunch during his very first visit. Churchgoers not only talk to him but supply him with their phone numbers and email addresses. In a matter of weeks, hes thoroughly enmeshed in the churchs social network. The church members may be surprised to learn that the Chinese American man believes he was the victim of racial exclusion. After all, they just felt a connection with the white visitor that they lacked with the Chinese American man. Later, when the topic of increasing diversity at the church comes up, everyone shrugs when asked how to attract more parishioners of color. They fail to connect how their coldness to the people of color who do occasionally visit makes their religious institution unwelcoming to them. Ridiculing Based on Race Subtle racism not only takes the form of ignoring people of color or treating them differently but of ridiculing them. But how can ridicule from race be covert? Gossip writer  Kitty Kelleys unauthorized biography  Oprah  is a case in point. In the book, the talk show queens  looks  are excoriated—but in a particularly racialized way. Kelley quotes a source who says: Oprah without hair and makeup is a pretty scary sight. But once her prep people do their magic, she becomes super glam. They narrow her nose and thin her lips with three different liners†¦and her hair. Well, I cant even begin to describe the wonders they perform with her hair. Why does this description reek of  subtle racism? Well, the source isnt just saying she finds Oprah unattractive without the help of a hair and makeup team but criticizing the blackness of Oprahs features. Her nose is too wide, her lips are too big, and her hair is unmanageable, the source asserts. Such features are all commonly associated with  African Americans. In short, the source suggests that Oprah is mainly unattractive because shes black. How else are people subtly ridiculed based on race or national origin? Say an immigrant speaks English fluently but has a slight accent. The immigrant may encounter Americans who always ask that he repeat himself, talk to him loudly or interrupt him when he tries to engage them in a discussion. These are racial microaggressions that send a message to the immigrant that hes unworthy of their conversation. Before long, the immigrant may develop a complex about his accent, even though he speaks fluent English, and withdraw from conversations before hes rejected. How to Cope With Subtle Racism If you have proof or a strong hunch that youre being treated differently, ignored or ridiculed based on race, make it an issue. According to Alvarez study, which appears in the April 2010 issue of the  Journal of Counseling Psychology, men who reported incidents of subtle racism or confronted those responsible, lowered amounts of personal distress while boosting self-esteem. On the other hand, the study found that women who disregarded incidents of subtle racism developed increased levels of stress. In short, speak out about racism in all its forms for your mental health. The Cost of Disregarding Everyday Racism When we think of racism only in extremes, we allow subtle racism to continue wreaking havoc in peoples lives. In an  essay  called Everyday Racism, White Liberals and the Limits of Tolerance, anti-racist activist Tim Wise explains: Since hardly anyone will admit to  racial prejudice  of any type, focusing on bigotry, hatred, and acts of intolerance only solidifies the belief that racism is something out there, a problem for others, but not me, or anyone I know.   Wise argues that because everyday racism is much more prevalent than extreme racism, the former reaches more peoples lives and does more lasting damage. Thats why its important to make an issue out of racial microaggressions. More than racial extremists, Im more concerned about the 44 percent (of Americans) who still believe its all right for white homeowners to discriminate against black renters or buyers, or the fact that less than half of all whites think the government should have any laws to ensure equal opportunity in employment, than I am about guys running around in the woods with guns, or lighting birthday cakes to Hitler every April 20th, Wise says. While racial extremists are no doubt dangerous, they are largely isolated from most of society. Why not focus on tackling the pernicious forms of racism that affect Americans regularly? If awareness about subtle racism is raised, more people will recognize how they contribute to the problem and work to change. The result? Race relations will improve for the better.

Use accounting templates Example

Essays on Use accounting templates Essay Entities prepare journals to record the transactions entered into during a particular period. In all the transactions, the double entry requirements must be adhered to. After recording the entries in the journal, the entries are then posted to the trial balance before preparing the final financial statements (Dyckman, Magee Pfeiffer, 2011). From the income statements, a firm’s net profit is calculated whole the balance sheets shows the assets and liabilities of the firms. Date Transaction Debit (Dhs) Credit (Dhs) January 1 cash 180000 capital 180000 (to record amount cash invested In business) 3 Prepaid rent 12000 cash 12000 To record rent paid 4 equipment 20000 cash 20000 To record purchase of equipment 5 Prepaid insurance 15000 Cash 15000 Payment of insurance in advance 6 furniture 10000 Creditors(Cartin) 10000 Acquisition of furniture on credit 7 Supplies 30000 Cash 30000 To record payment of supplies 9 advertisement 20000 Creditors (Gulf newspaper) 20000 Records amount owed to gulf newspaper 10 Cash 40000 Creditors(Alsafa) 40000 Record prepaid audit income 11 Debtors 60000 Audit income 60000 Records audit income owing 12 Creditors (Catrin) 50000 Cash 50000 Records cash payment to Catrin 18 Creditors(Gulf newspaper) 15000 Cash 15000 Records advertisement cost paid to Gulf newspaper) 25 Cash 80000 Consulting income 80000 To record amount earned for consulting services 26 capital 20000 cash 20000 To record amount withdrawn from business 28 Creditors (Al Safa) 40000 Auditing income 40000 To record audit income earned 29 Utility expense 12000 cash 12000 To record amount incurred on utility 30 salaries 8000 cash 8000 To record salary payment 31 rent 1000 Prepaid rent 1000 To record rent expense 31 Insurance 1250 Prepaid insurance 1250 To record insurance expense General ledgers Trial balance as at 31th January 2010 Particulars Debit ( Dhs) Credit (Dhs) Cash 118,000 Capital 160,000 Salaries 8,000 Prepaid Rent 11000 Rent Expense 1000 Equipment 20,000 Prepaid Insurance 15,000 Insurance Expense 13750 Creditors (35000) Supplies 10,000 Furniture 10,000 Supplies expense 20000 Advertisements 30,000 Debtors 60,000 Audit income 100,000 Consulting income 80,000 Utility Expense 12,000 Suspense 10000 Total 315,000 315,000 Income statement for the month ended 31st January 2010 Particulars (Dhs) (Dhs) income Audit income 100000 Consulting income 80000 180000 Expenses rent 1000 insurance 1250 advertisement 30000 supplies 20000 Utility expense 12000 salaries 8000 Total expenses 72250 Net profit 107750 Balance sheet as at 31 January 2010 Noncurrent assets Furniture 10000 Equipment 20000 Current assets 30000 Prepaid rent 11000 Prepaid insurance 13750 debtors 60000 supplies 10000 Cash 118000 Total current assets 212750 Total Assets 242750 equity 160000 Net profit 107750 Current liabilities Creditors (35000) Suspense 10000 242750 In summary, the firm recorded a profit in the year. The financial statements of the business must be prepared to show the financial performance to the stakeholders who are interested in the determination of the firm’s success. Reference Dyckman, TR, Magee, RP Pfeiffer, GM 2011, Financial accounting (3rd ed.), Cambridge: Business Publishers, Westmont.

Christianity and Buddhism Free Essays

Two different faiths; Christianity and Buddhism. These two religions that have pillars centered on Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha respectively. Christianity has had a wide influence, stretching across the world and with leading figures like President George Bush (USA), Senator Hillary Clinton, and even the Pope, a spiritual leader of the Catholic Church and head of the Vatican sate. We will write a custom essay sample on Christianity and Buddhism or any similar topic only for you Order Now Buddhism, though mostly predominant in the orient world, has penetrated the Western cultures, Hollywood’s Richard Gere, Tina Turner, and L. A Lakers coach, Phil Jackson have identified with the Buddhists Faith through its spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. These two faiths have parallels. In contrast or comparison the two faiths meet and also depart at the foundational level of the very pillars of Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha. The Differences At the very moment of birth Jesus Christ was born in a manger in the midst of want and desolation. According to biblical scriptures he was born among the poor. Gautama Buddha on the other hand, was born in a palace where his father who was the ruler of a region within present day Nepal, made sure that he lived within the pleasures and wealth of his empire. In addition, Buddha lived as a prince, as royalty whereas Christ was born into a family where the father figure was a carpenter and he had to learn the skills of carpentry. The divinity of Jesus Christ has a divergence from that of Buddha. Jesus Christ claimed that he was the only Son of God. The bible in many of its texts reaffirms this divinity; to a tune of calling Jesus Christ, the â€Å"presence of God† as man. Buddha However, claimed no divinity in person. Only that about 700 years after Buddha passed on, Mahayana Buddhism attached divinity to the character of Gautama. . Buddha worked out no miracles, signs or wonders. The bible however, in the New Testament is wrought with events of miracles of Jesus Christ. From the beginning of the synoptic Gospel or Matthew, through Mark, Luke and John, the Lord Jesus Christ healed the afflicted stopped and calmed a raging sea among other miracles. Jesus Christ, speaking on the mount espoused and blessed â€Å"those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied†. He encouraged his followers to â€Å"seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things would be added unto them (who believed)†. However Buddha saw the need of eliminating craving and desire and as such attains enlightment. Jesus Christ said â€Å"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life†. Buddha however, took the role of a guide, a religious â€Å"Way Shower†. Buddha had a means to the nirvana for the believer, but each believer had to find his or her own path Buddha is buried in the Himalaya Mountains, at Kusinara. He never resurrected. After crucifixion and death, Christ resurrected on the third day triumphing over death and sin. The Similarities The Buddhist scriptures tell of Buddha’s mother, Mahamaya, being made to carry child Buddha in her womb through the power of the â€Å"holy Spirit†. Also a â€Å"heavenly messenger’ informed Mahamaya of the way she was to bear the â€Å"son of the highest kings. † Many other events followed the birth of Buddha like the appearance of the â€Å"flower Star† in the East, and also a group of angelic messengers celebrated the birth of Buddha. The birth of Christ is foretold in the scriptures of the bible as the mother Mary was made to conceive through the â€Å"immaculate conception† of the Holy Spirit. Angels also ministered unto Mary telling her that she would bear a son who would redeem the world. In addition the star of the east shone bright and did guide the three Magi to see and proclaim the birth of the â€Å"king of Kings†At the birth of Jesus Christ King Herod set out to kill all the male firstborns with a view of eliminating any possible challenger to his throne. Not forgetting that Virgin Mary Mother of Jesus had to run and hide the kid Jesus from the executioners. For the case of Buddha he was born of a Virgin called Maya. King Bimbasara wanted him dead as he thought that Buddha would one day ascend the throne. Buddha amazed the wizened old men and priests of the temple just as Jesus Christ did to the Pharisees and teachers of the Mosaic Law; both achieved this at the age of 12. James Hastings, in the book encyclopedia of religion and ethics page 883 tells of Buddha demanding of his disciples that they renounce all forms of worldly possessions. â€Å"The number of the disciples increased rapidly, and Gautama sent forth his monks on missionary tours hither and thither, bidding them wonder everywhere, preaching the doctrine, and teaching them to order their lives with self restraints, simplicity and charity†. On the other hand Jesus Christ called â€Å"to himself the twelve disciples sending them out two by two. So they went out and preached that men should repent Mark 6:7-12†. According to the book of Mathew 28:19, Jesus Christ was part of a trinity. The Chinese (1836) alludes to the fact that Buddha is part of trinity. Indeed the two are part of trinities expressed in both religions. At birth Buddha was declared divine as was Jesus Christ. The book of Mathew, tells of the Magi who came to present Jesus with gifts and worshipping him as divine. On the other hand the divinity of Buddha was bestowed on him according to the Buddhist faith. The book of Matthew 2:2 has an angel announcing the birth of Jesus Christ. Buddha’s birth was also foretold by a celestial body. They both claimed to be royal descent. Jesus Christ traced his bloodline to that of King David. Buddha, whose father is Sodhodana, has the royalty also traced to the first dynasty of Maha Sammata. At the birth Christ was presented with gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold. On the other hand, Buddha received precious substances and priceless Jewels. The synoptic gospel of Matthew tails of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ on the mountain. For Buddha, it also happened on a mountain where â€Å"A flame of light engulfed his head, shining as the sun or moon†. The scriptures tell of the â€Å"angels† praising in heaven at their birth. For Jesus, the bible records, â€Å"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill among men†. For Buddha it is written â€Å"Today, Bodhisattva is born on earth, to give joy and peace to men and Devas (angels), to shed light on the dark places, and to give sight to the blind†. De Bunsen, in page 45 notes that Buddha was baptized in the presence of the spirit of God. Jesus Christ in Matthew 3:16 is baptized in the presence of the spirit of God. According to Max. Muller in the book ‘Introduction to the Science of Religion’, two very similar incidences happened in the lives of Jesus and Buddha. Muller explains â€Å"Ananda, the disciple of Buddha, after a long walk in the country, meets with Matangi, a woman of the low caste of the Kandalas, near a well and asks her for some waters. She tells him what she is and that she must not come near him. Ananda replies â€Å"my sister, I ask not for your caste or family, I ask only for a drought of water. She afterwards becomes a disciple of Buddha. † The bible on the other hand tells the story of the Samaritan woman. According to the book of John 4:7-9 â€Å"there came a woman of Samaria to draw water Jesus said to her; â€Å"give me a drink† for his disciples had gone to the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him â€Å"how is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria? † for Jews have no dealing with Samaritans, They launched their careers at an almost similar age. It’s at age 29 that Buddha â€Å"went to the garden, saw a monk who was calm, tranquil, self possessed, serene and dignified. The prince, (Buddha, determined to become such a monk†. The Christian book says â€Å"Jesus, when he begun his ministry, was about 30 years of age†. Both were tempted by the devil. In Matthew 4:10, â€Å"All these I will give you if you worship me† Christ was told. And Buddha was told† go not forth to adopt a religious life but return to your kingdom and in seven days you shall become emperor of the world, riding over four continents†. Both celebrated overcoming evil, for Jesus, according to Matthew 4:11 the â€Å"angels come and ministered to him†. For Buddha, â€Å"The skies rained flowers, as delicious odors prevailed in the air† EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Perhaps the best conclusion to these differences and similarities are the actions made in the lives and times of these men. And this has to do with expressing faith where skepticism abounds. So another similarity among the two men is; â€Å"come†, so Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus, but when he saw the wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out. â€Å"Lord, save me! † as shown in Matthew 14:29-30. Buddha showed skeptical villagers his disciple walking across a river without sinking†. In addition some incidences attest to the similarity of their situation like the time that Buddha took a purifying birth in the river Nerajara, just as Christ Jesus too was baptized in the river Jordan. The bible recounts the journey of Christ riding on a donkey with fronds of palm spread out for him on the way. Though slightly different the story of Buddha is centered on his riding a horse, with flowers being tossed by angels. Jesus Christ was poor, lacking in earthly possessions and encouraging the wealthy to â€Å"sell all they had and follow him. † Buddha was no different; he took an oath of embracing poverty and even wondered home Less, advising his disciples, who were 12 as those of Jesus, â€Å"to travel without money, trusting to the aid of providence†. 1. http://www. probe. org 2. http://www. lucidcafe. com 3. http://www. encyclopedia. farlex. com/buddhist. 4. http://www. moonpointer. com 5. http://www. songha. org/index. html How to cite Christianity and Buddhism, Papers