Misconception Against Racism - Paper Example

Being among the few black soccer athletes in Europe, Mario Balotelli has not only faced numerous racial abuses but also had to deal with the burden of myths and misconceptions that people, especially from Europe, have against the people of color. In most parts of Europe for instance, throwing bananas at black athletes are regarded as racism. Why bananas? The answer to this question will unveil the most common myth which most racists have against Black people. Racist people believe that throwing bananas to the black players is synonymous with treating them like monkeys or apes. In my opinion, this is completely ridiculous, comparing a fellow human being to a monkey just because he has a different skin color is a disgrace to humanity and a punishable offense.

People of color are usually seen by the community as needy individuals, and most people believe that majority of them are criminals (Hines, 2010). In the United States, for instance, there have been a lot of incidences where white police officers have been shooting at black men because they fear them and see them as gangs. The convention of the black man as a physically powerful person, the aggressor and an unpredictable product of poverty have been held by the society for a long time now. According to Bryant-Davis (2013), Men with darker skin and more stereotypical facial characteristics are anticipated to elicit biased size opinions; this is because most people tend to think that black individuals are heavier and taller. This ideology allows me to justify the argument that the misperceptions of black mens size might be one contributor to police officers decisions to shoot. There is also another misconception that most individuals in the society have against black people, they believe that people of color are intellectually mediocre. This is a myth and a distorted view of the society on the black people which is extremely offensive and completely unacceptable (Bryant-Davis, 2013).

While the scope of racism is widespread in our society today, I am impressed with the progress the society is making towards the eradication of this menace. In Balotellis case, for example, we have seen the initiation of football bodies that govern football and protects players against racism. In fact, a special disciplinary body has been set aside which is responsible for setting rules against racism and enforcing them. In a recent event, where Mario Balotelli was racially abused by a section of fans from the opponent team in France. The FIFA disciplinary body intervened and consequently punished the whole team for allowing its fans to abuse a player racially. It is fair to state that the society is making significant attempts towards protection of football players such as Mario Balotelli against racism.

Balotelli was thrilled with the intervention of the FIFA disciplinary body, and in his recent twitter post he appreciated their efforts and urge them to take the claims of racism seriously since racism was still deeply rooted in the society. He also adds that these acts of racism do not occur to him only in the football pitch but also when he is on the streets. However, he also appreciates the efforts of the French authorities (since he lives in France) for setting up appropriate measures that protect people of color from racist individuals. He concludes by stating since the intervention of FIFA disciplinary body and the French authorities racial abuses towards him have reduced significantly and he can now live comfortably.

References

Bryant-Davis, T. (2013). The United Nations and APA Continue Working to Eliminate Racism. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e491192006-016

Hines, P. M. (2010). Beyond the Myths about Black Marriages. PsycCRITIQUES, 30(2). doi:10.1037/023570