Most of us are familiar with overt acts of racism such as the use of words like nigger, spic, wop, chink, wetback, and polack to describe a member of another race of peoples. There is however, another type of racism that is hardly noticeable to America's majority. This covert form of racism permeates our society in such a way, that it has become almost acceptable in everyday life. This should come as no surprise, because it is common knowledge that racism is a large part of the American experience. Despite the fact that North Carolina is made up of many races, one can walk into any Wal-Mart, on any given day, and not find an Indian, Oriental, or Hispanic doll for their child to play with. Often times, you may not even be able to find an African-American doll. On the other hand, if your child happens to be Caucasian, you are in luck! You can go to any retail store in the United States, and purchase a Caucasian doll for your child. Many minorities are forced to do the very same thing because of the racial insensitivity of America's retail stores.
Similarly, television programming on both the local and national levels quietly reinforces racist attitudes in their programming choices. For instance, the city of Mooresville, North Carolina has a large Spanish-speaking population, however, the local cable company refuses to add a Spanish language channel. In addressing their lack of programming diversity, representatives from Adelphia Cable Company argue that there is limited funding for "that kind" of programming. .
Perhaps this is the case, but recently added stations such as the Game Show Network makes one wonder about Adelphia's sincerity. Likewise, network television also seems to cloak their programming choices in hidden racism. Isn't it funny, how we "don't see" any minorities on NBCs "Must See TV" lineup? Unfortunately, this has been the case in the long history of American television, which reflects the attitudes of American society.
