Police Brutality Among Nigerian Males In Philadelphia Essay

Cultural prejudice is interchangeable a virus that is transmitted from human to human and like a parasite eats up a society and its reasoning. These prejudices ar reflected in our sidereal day to day life. How often we see a white women shying away from young African American male on the street reflecting the basic stereotyped assumptions that we make about others every day. These inevitable behaviors of which most of us atomic number 18 victims remain unresolved because of the unconscious state it has entered.Likewise, people who have been victims of racism in the past start an extreme judgmental attitude, often labeling a simple act as a racist, failing them to ever see well in others. Marilyn French, a feminist fiction writer, in her work on beyond Power On Women, Men and Morals (1986), interprets such bigot behavior as an outcome of a senile world that is lured by power and control over women, children, property, and other men and subsequently enticed with the idea of tra nscendency using skin color, wealth, religion and ethnicity as its variable.She suggests that the virile principle is governed by aggressiveness which prevails over the ethnic value ascribed to the feminine principle. Quoting from her work, World wide patriarchal values and perspectives are so pervasive numerous people believe them to be inevitable. Such thinkers believe feminine principle oriented cultures became instinct because of the superiority of Western patriarchy. She further emphasizes that since western people are oriented in a masculine thought its end result is anything but cultural prejudice.Further, delving on this theory she suggests that we tout ensemble are members of the in- chemical groups that takeers us a feeling of belongingness and comfort. And all others become members of the out-groups. It is taken as a fact that members of one group will always be antagonist to the members of the other group. Marilyn calls it a self justifying dialogue that keeps us from self analysis mixing beliefs with attitudes and values, and morality with ethics (French, 1985, p. 19).We obediently keep practicing what we have been taught in our lifetime, i. . what to think of those who are members of the opposite group instead of how to think and in turn delaying our judgment about others. Our faculty has halt responding to a logical reasoning and it has simply turned into a mechanical thought process. Leading all of us to becoming racist, ageist, and ethnocentric in this patriarchal culture.An authoritarian personality clings on to the conventional values of their culture, and refuses at any time the need of self introspection (Breslin, 1974, p. 51). While delving on this type, Mumia Abu-Jamal stands as a casing in point. Mumia Abu Jamal, a famous radio journalist in Philadelphia was also known as the voice of the voiceless. He used to report on issues concerning police brutality, misconduct and racism on the minority communities and especially, the A frican American community.In 1981, he became a victim himself of things he always fought against. On December night, 1981, while driving a cab to supplement his income earned by means of journalism, Abu Jamal drove passing play his brother who was being beaten up by the police officer, Daniel Faulkner for traffic violation. Shortly, a gun extract broke out leaving both the police officer and Abu- Jamal injured. Unfortunately, the officer succumbed to his injuries while Abu Jamal recovered through a surgery. He was trialed for the Officer Daniel Faulkners murder part and given a death decry.However, at the insistence of Philadelphia District Attorney Lynn Abraham, Abu Jamal is currently not facing the death penalty. This is a typical case of a affable conflict between individuals and collectivities. Interpreting Abu Jamals case through Lane Cormicks work, this situation can be termed as a crisis. The media and many literary discussions have depicted this case as that of preju dice and racial discrimination. Race and ethnicity are hence, seen as the controlling dynamics in this case.Dave Lindorff, an inquiring reporter in his book on Killing Time An Investigation Into the Death Row theatrical role of Mumia Abu Jamal, stated that at the time of Abu Jamals arrest, the Philadelphia Police Department was indeed the most corrupt enforcement trading operations in the nation. Hence, the decision made by the United States discriminatory system , awarding death sentence to Abu- Jamal, based on the evidences put forth by the Philadelphia police has been widely criticized and challenged.This decision has been labeled as an outcome of cultural prejudice in a society that stands as an epitome of liberty. The United States judicial system has been attributed for its racism and discrimination against defendants of color. Noam Chomsky while reflecting on this case called the U. S. prison system a conformation and a race war. He further emphasized that Abu Jamal is just one illustration of whats called social cleansing in US. Philadelphia police is known for its notoriety. The racist attitude that it thrives on is also not concealed from the public.The killing of a young black man, Bryan Jones on the morning of January 1, 2007 is just one in a million cases reflecting brutality dipped with prejudice and racism salutary by the Philadelphia police. According to the Welcoming digest for new Pennsylvanians, seven percent of Philadelphias immigrants come from Africa mainly comprising of Nigerians who form the largest African group in this region. Every now and then, there are cases heard against the Police Department of Philadelphia for ill treating the Africans.Scholars suggest that off all prejudice, the most critical is the Attitudinal Prejudice reflected (in this case) in the Philadelphia police also explaining the reasons of brutality thats practiced on these minority races. W. T. Jones in his work on Perspectives on ethnicity. New dire ction for student go, explains that attitudinal prejudice refers to a negative attitude toward a person or group based upon a social comparison process in which the individuals own group is taken as the positive point of reference. (Jones, 1972, p. 6). Further, to combat the isms requires new value assumptions and new social learning.