While reading chapter five of Nancy Foner’s From Ellis Island to JFK, one of the things that surprised me was the fact that Jews and Italians used to be considered “probationary whites” and “in-between peoples” (Foner 143). It’s so hard to imagine that being the case, when today, Jews and Italians are part of the umbrella term “white.” Today, people from so many nationalities are considered to be white, and although many cultural groups still face prejudice, our society is considered to be much more accepting of other cultures, especially in view of the fact that Jews and Italians are no longer socially acknowledged as “not yet white ethnics” (143).
Despite this, I can’t help but wonder if the incidence of racism and prejudice has decreased, or if people have just found a way to be sneakier about it. As Foner writes, “instead of egregious epithets or slurs, “code words” are now used to refer to negative characteristics of minorities” (166). In addition, published works such as The Bell Curve use “scientific” evidence to give racist views “an aura of respectability” (166). Statistics may be important, but they might not take into account the factors that influence the numbers or show the big picture, not to mention the of individuals that make up those statistics.
As opposed to a few decades ago, today the problem of prejudice seems to be with other ethnic groups, particularly blacks, Hispanics and Asians. Although many people say that New York City is a melting pot where everyone is accepted no matter their culture or beliefs, these communities still face prejudice on a grand scale. According to Foner, “in 1996, almost 80 percent of police-misconduct complaints to New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board were made by blacks, Hispanics, and Asians,” and another report “found a pattern of ill-treatment of suspects, deaths in custody, and unjustified shootings by officers, with most abuses” in the same groups (166). This is completely unacceptable. I’m not sure if there are any other factors that should be included in these statistics, but nonwhite immigrants should not face police brutality and ill-treatment because of their ethnicity. This is something that should not even be an issue in New York City’s melting pot. So, has prejudice in New York City really diminished, or has it just morphed into something more that’s secretive and affects more cultural groups?
