By: Genesis Figueroa

Racism is an issue that is deeply prominent around the world. But, has heavily affected communities in the United States because the foundation of this country has basically been built on racism. The discrimination based on race has persisted throughout history. The Native Americans were treated horribly and many were killed off from their homeland by the european settlers. Also, the Africans were chained up and brought to America to serve as slaves. The slaves were beaten, forced to do labor, separated from their families, and sold as if they were merchandise. History continuously repeats itself even in current times. African Americans suffer racism at the hands of law enforcement and the cases of police brutality continue to surge because the color of their skin is seen as a weapon. The system justification theory suggests that people will defend this corrupt system regardless of who it’s affecting because they are gaining from it.

Currently, African Americans are still being oppressed and discriminated against even in this modern society. The cases of police brutality against African Americans have risen tremendously. A factor that is promoting this racist behavior is the system justification theory. It is simply stated that “given that the stability and predictability of existing systems guarantees the benefits (or interests) of the privileged, it is cognitively straightforward for society’s advantage to support societal systems that ensures their privileged position” (Caricati et al., 2020). Hence, the people who are benefitting from a corrupt system will not make any efforts to change it. Law enforcement would constantly stop and frisk African Americans because they seem suspicious even if they were not doing anything unlawful. Even today, African Americans are arrested without any motive because the police need to fill a quota. The police support the system they work for and the system supports them. Hence, the only people who are being heavily disadvantaged are the minorities.

There are countless cases of police brutality where law enforcement uses excessive force on African Americans. Studies show that “Blacks are significantly more likely to experience police brutality than are Whites, and whiteness affords protection against police use of force” (Alang et al., 2017). Currently this year of 2020, has been a year to remember. Aside from the widespread pandemic, the black lives matter movement gained a lot of support and attention throughout this year. As the year progressed, there were many instances of police brutality that caused widespread revolts across the United States. The murder of George Floyd by a white police officer sparked outrage. The officer pinned Floyd down on the floor to the point of suffocation where he died. People witnessed and recorded this murder in broad daylight and were outrage. The video spread throughout social media and people began to protest because they wanted justice. The officers were taken into custody, however, they were released on bail. This proves how the officers trust the law and the law supports these types of actions even if they display racism. There are many officers who justify the officers action and believe that it was fair for the law to let them off on bail. They are willing to put their morality aside to support the corrupt system because they are benefiting economically. The police force is funded by billions of dollars. Though there are officers that recognize the racism that is embedded in the force, there are many officers who will not open their eyes because they are receiving money. Thus, the racism in the police force continues to persist because as the system justification theory suggests, those who benefit from the system, will not challenge it. 

In the Netflix miniseries called “When They See Us” directed by Ava Duvernay and produced by Oprah, they reenacted the case of the central park five, recently changed to the exonerated five. Though this was a show with actors, this actually occurred to five African Americans in the 1980’s. Five African American and latino teenagers were falsely accused of raping a white woman who was jogging in central park. In the series, the show demonstrates how the kids were randomly taken off the street by white police men and were taken into custody for interrogation. A white prosecutor by the name of Linda Fairstein made it her goal to convict these innocent colored children. They spent years in prison for a crime they did not commit because they were a minority and due to the corrupt system, they allowed this to happen. The racist system during this time did not question the manufactured evidence against these kids. The police, the prosecutor and the judge believed the evidence even if it didn’t coincide with where the kids actually were. The interrogators manipulated the children into confessing something they did not do. It was in the law’s benefit to find someone to blame for this crime. So they directed their efforts to the most vulnerable community because it was easy to accuse helpless African American children who basically had the entire system against them. 

All in all, the case of George Floyd is only one case of many regarding the racism that is embedded in the justice system. The system justification theory shows how change does not occur because the officers themselves do not take action against the racism that is occurring within the system they work for. The system will remain corrupt if those who benefit from it, do not acknowledge it. This concept of the system justification theory is explained in social psychology as being prevalent in many instances. Examples include sexism where women are not given equal opportunities as men and men support this system because they are benefitting from it. Social psychology displays many areas regarding this topic. However, there are some who criticize this theory and state that whether or not others justify the system, this will not change the system or affect it. However, as explained, a system will uphold if those who are gaining from it, support it. Thus, racism is a serious issue that affects minorities on a daily basis and justifying this racist system will not lead to change. 

                                                             Works-Cited

Alang, S., McAlpine, D., McCreedy, E., & Hardeman, R. (2017). Police Brutality and Black Health: Setting the Agenda for Public Health Scholars. American journal of public health, 107(5), 662–665. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303691

Caricati, L., Owuamalam C. (2020). “System Justification Among the Disadvantaged: A Triadic Social Stratification Perspective”. Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00040/full