The Perpetuation of Racial Stereotypes
Racial discrimination and injustices are prevalent in today’s world as well as the world of the past. Acts of racial discrimination can include a person from a different racial group being treated more favorably in similar circumstances, a rule or policy set by an employer places people from certain racial groups at a disadvantage, or insulting remarks or behaviour due to one’s racial identity. Racial discrimination may also occur when someone is treated unfairly because they associate with people of another race. Though our world today is not perfect and there exists several cases of racial discrimination, this phenomenon was far more common when Doctorow wrote Ragtime . The heavy presence and occurrence of racial injustice was an influential and invisible hand guiding the plot of this story, allowing Doctorow to incorporate narratives regarding these racial biases. On the second page alone, he writes, “There were no [N-word]. There were no immigrants,” depicting the family's d...