For centuries, racism has become the universal embodiment of culture, despite the efforts of various civilizations, such as that of the West and Europe, to combat these indifferences between peoples. A race is a specific social group that can be differentiated in a variety of ways, from facial features and hair texture, to the social norms and habits that constitute that group. These differences contribute to our uniqueness and humanity. Because people can be grouped according to many differences, man, guided by his ignorance, perpetuated this problem once social hierarchies began to develop, dividing society into its various groups. As a result, social disparity related to education has become a common tendency to look down upon or look down on people of other cultures, skin colors or nationalities. Discrimination and unjust social practices affect humanity today. Rick Bragg's memoir, All Over But the Shoutin, explores his journey to find his identity in the Deep South. Raised in Piedmont, Alabama, Bragg grew up poor. Bragg's mother picked cotton for pennies while his father eventually became a chronic alcoholic, often abandoning him several times during his childhood. His mother sold everything she could find to provide for Bragg and his siblings, going "eighteen years without a new dress so that her sons could have school clothes." (Bragg xii) At one point, on the verge of starvation, his family ate the leftover corn of their street neighbors – who were black – at a time when most black people were already starving. The first part of his memoir describes the first half of his youth, confronting society as a poor rural white man with a sense of "false pride" (Bragg 42). As a child, Bragg spent time scavenging the local dump...... middle of paper ......., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Cable News Network, February 16, 2012. Web. February 20, 2012. .Pelofsky, Jeremy. “Instances of Muslim discrimination are disproportionately high in the United States” Editorial. Ed. Philippe Barbara. Latest news and opinions from the Huffington Post. America Online, March 29, 2011. Web. February 20, 2012. What Would You Do: American Muslim Father Threatens Daughter Over Her Clothes - ABC News. By C. Michael Kim. Prod. John Quinones.ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Breaking News and Best Video Videos - ABC News. American Broadcasting Company, November 5, 2010. Web. February 20. 2012. .