Racial and Ethnic Inequality

1. Racial and Ethnic Inequality Alysa Feliciano

2. Sociologist have the frequently distinguish Between different groups of people • Racial group: a group that is set apart from others because of physical differences that have taken on social significance (skin color, hair color, etc.) • Ethnic group: set apart from others primarily because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns • Minority group: a subordinate group whose member have significantly less control or power over their own lives than the majority groups. (Any group who makes up less than 50%)

3. Basic properties of a minority group • Unequal treatment • Physical or cultural traits • Ascribed status • Solidarity • In-group marriage

4. Recognition of Multiple Identities • There is much social pressure put on many people, specifically young adults, to label themselves with a specific identity • One way to force people to identify themselves was the “one-drop rule”. If you had a single drop of “black blood” you were considered Black. This also showed how labeling races was important to government legislators to identify black from other races.

5. In every situation, people create an idea about others based on how they were affected . By these ideas stereotypes are created. • Stereotypes are unreliable generalizations about all members of a group. Theses generalizations do not recognize the individuals of that group. • There are stereotypes for different races, ethnicities, gender, and sexual orientations.

6. Discuss: What are some stereotypes that are commonly heard?

7. What is Prejudice? • Prejudice is a negative attitude toward an entire category of people. Often these attitudes are towards different racial and ethnic groups. • Prejudice is present when you immediately associate a stereotype with a person due to either their race, ethnicity or religion. • These attitudes sometimes occur from a person’s tendency to assume their own culture is superior. This is called ethnocentrism, this can be something learned from young, or developed over time through experiences.

8. Racism is a form of prejudice, it’s the belief one race is supreme and all others are inferior. • Hate crime exist due to racism. A hate crime is a criminal offense committed because of the offender’s bias against a race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. • In 2005 more than7400 hate crimes were reported, half of them involving racial bias against people. • After September 11th, hate crimes against Asian Americans and Muslim Americans increased.

9. Discrimination • Prejudice leads to discrimination, the denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups. • One can be prejudice without discriminating against others, and one can discriminate against another without being prejudice. • “glass ceiling” is a term that refers to the invisible barrier that prevents people from being promoted based on their gender, race or ethnicity

10. Discuss: What are ways we unknowingly discriminate against others?

11. IAT – Implicit association test • Detects any favoritism or discrimination against a person, kid of person, or idea. • people may not say what's on their minds either because they are unwilling or because they are unable to do so. • The unwilling-unable distinction is like the difference between purposely hiding something from others and unconsciously hiding something from yourself. • The Implicit Association Test makes it possible to penetrate both of these types of hiding.

12. Affirmative Action Programs • Due to past discrimination, programs have been created to give opportunities to those discriminated against. These are Affirmative Action programs. • These programs will give African Americans priority in admissions to schools • These programs are debated upon because it is believed that they are only shifting the discrimination to the other side.

13. Functionalist Perspective • Although looked down upon, discrimination has positive outcomes for the dominant group. • Anthropologist Manning Nash identified 3 functions of discrimination to the dominant group • - Racist view provide moral justification for the unequal society • - Racist belief guarantee the presence of a minority group • - Racial Myths suggest major societal change would bring greater poverty to the minority.

14. Sociologist Arnold Rose outlined 4 dysfunctions associated with discrimination: • Discrimination limits the use of the resources of all its individuals • It Aggravates social problems. • A good deal of time and money are spent defending its barriers to full participation of all members • It often undercuts goodwill and friendly diplomatic relations between nations

15. Interactionalist Perspective • The Contact Hypothesis states that extended interracial contact between equal individuals will lead them to see each other as individuals. Through time they grow respect for one another’s strengths and weaknesses and they each become less prejudice

16. Discuss: • When you’re place in different situations, are your prejudice opinions different? (ex: at home vs. at school)

17. Conflict Perspective • Conflict theorist agree with Arnold Rose when stating that racial prejudice and discrimination have harmful consequences • This perspective uses the exploitation theory to explain the basis of racial subordination in the US. This theory explains how racism keeps minorities in the lower paying jobs, leaving the higher paying jobs to the dominant group • Racial profiling is any arbitrary action initiated by an authority based on race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than behavior.

18. Intergroup Relations Four patterns of relations: • Amalgamation • Assimiliation • Segregation • Pluralism

19. Amalgamation • This occurs when a majority group an a minority group combine to form a new group • A + B + C D - A, B, and C represent different groups, D is the new group formed • U.S. considered the Melting Pot

20. Assimilation • This is the process through which one forsakes his or her own cultural tradition to become part of a different culture • This usually occurs when a member of a minority group wants to conform to the culture of the dominant group. • People conform by changing their names, religious affiliations, and dropping their native language. • A + B + C  A – A is the dominant group and B and C are considered minorities conforming.

21. Segregation • This is the physical separation of two groups in terms of residence, workplace and social events. This usually occurs due to the preference of the dominant group • This occurred in South Africa under the apartheid. This system created separate homelands for the blacks and allowed little intergroup relations. • In the United states residential segregation still exist. Neighborhoods are divided and usually have a dominant race.

22. Pluralism • This is the mutual respect for one another’s cultures. • With these kid of relations, minority groups are allowed to express its own culture without be discriminated or judged by society. • A + B + C  A + B + C • All the groups are able to coexist in a society peacefully.