There are two points on racism that most Americans would agree on. First, it's an ugly thing, and second, it's an ugly thing to be accused of unfairly. With Martin Luther King Day approaching this Monday, it has become a topic of conversation. What is the present condition of racism in the United States?
Ironically, part of the problem when answering this question is that while there's agreement among most that racism is wrong, there's not agreement on what racism is. Racism is often confused with prejudice. While the two may be connected, it's actually possible to be racist without being prejudiced as it is possible to be prejudiced without being racist.
The basic difference is that prejudice assumes behavior about a person based on race. Racism assumes superiority based on race. So, for example to use a trite reference, a white person may assume a black person is a better dancer or jumper because he's black. That's prejudiced. However, he may not think that that he's worth more than the black. That would be racist.
Then there is also a dif...
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