And Is Not We Americans, in our hope of becoming tolerant and prejudice-free, often falsely accuse people of racism. Anyone showing racial preference, for any reason, risks being labeled a racist. However, many people feel we take this too far, or that people of other races are crying wolf. Deciding what racism is or is not, however, can be complex and controversial. Regardless of difficulty, though, we must address the issue if we hope to reduce racial tension.
Racism is an attitude or activity motivated by beliefs that value one race over another.
Racism amounts to intolerance based on skin color or racial background. Sometimes people are labeled racist if they don t like a person of another race. Sarah, a Caucasian girl, attends a predominantly white high school. In psychology class she sits beside Carrie, a Vietnamese classmate. Sarah often sees Carrie cheating on quizzes in class.