Disguised DiscriminationIn Michelle Alexander's discussion of her book The New Jim Crow, she vividly describes past forms of overt oppression of minority groups, particularly Latinos, and even more so of African American men. Such political systems as slavery and Jim Crow laws were discussed as government-intended repression of African Americans. The war on drugs is then accused of unfairly targeting minorities, resulting in staggering rates of arrests of blacks and Hispanics. He then relates the direct forms of discrimination of the past to the indirect forms of today and informs his audience about how our current political system has a very similar effect to Jim Crow laws. I feel he effectively and convincingly states his argument using clear and concise language. Alexander effectively examined and explained the racial casteism that our country has instilled in African Americans in the past, through targeted discrimination. Even before Jim Crow laws, black men and women had very few, if any, rights to work, land ownership, or equal opportunity in general. Before these, however, there was a much worse form of dehumanization, it was the atrocity of slavery. This persistently prejudicial justice system has undoubtedly imprinted a persistent lie of racial inferiority that is difficult to overcome. While I wasn't sure what this "racial caste system" Alexander was referring to meant, it was later explained as a social structure that intentionally divides and belittles individuals because of their ethnicity. I found Michelle Alexander's discussion of the “War on Drugs” particularly interesting. He explained in depth how, even though the laws claim to be indiscriminate, their enforcement tends to focus heavily on minorities, particularly… middle of paper… basic and concise. It helped me better understand the reality of the American justice system and the underlying biases that exist in the policies and laws of many nations. His arguments on mass incarceration were very convincing and well organized, as was his description of the “War on Drugs.” He also effectively connected former Jim Crow Las to our justice system today. This speech is closely related to the information we have discussed because it provides insight into the reality of mass incarceration. This epic confinement of a growing population has made penitentiaries a business and made prison cells the homes of millions of people. More than ever, the United States is focused on law enforcement, prisons, and the justice system as a whole. Michelle Alexander called for the nation to shift its focus from incarceration to restoration.