Theories of Prejudice and Discrimination

1. Theories of Prejudice and Discrimination • Prejudice, Racism, and discrimination • Prejudice – widely held negative attitudes toward a group (minority or majority) and its individual members • Involves a generalization based on biased or insufficient information • Based on strong emotions, therefore they are difficult to change • Ex. – Asians being good at Math • Racism – an extreme form of prejudice that assumes superiority of one group over others • Discrimination – treating people differently based on ethnicity, race, religion, or culture • Ex. – avoiding social contact, denying positions, blocking access, killing

2. Hate Crimes • Hate crime – a criminal act motivated by prejudice • Functionalists – members of a group are bolstering their sense of unity against a common enemy • Conflict – the victim is somehow threatening the person’s livelihood or self-interest • Symbolic – labeling

3. Stereotypes • Stereotype – a distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified image applied to a category of people • Ex – all brawn, no brain

4. Functionalist Perspective • By fostering prejudice, a dominant group can create a feeling of superiority over minority groups. • This can strengthen its members’ own self-concepts. • For the majority culture, functionalists can see positive aspects of discrimination

5. Conflict Perspective • Majority uses prejudice and discrimination as weapons of power to control a minority. • Different minorities tend to view one another as competitors rather than as allies in their struggle against the majority

6. Symbolic InteractionistPerspctive • Gordon Allport’s 2 stages of learning prejudice • Pregeneralized learning period – children overhear parents make racist or prejudiced statements, but they have not yet learned to separate people by race or ethnic group • Total rejection stage – children are able to use physical clues to sort people into groups. If children repeatedly hear parents malign a minority, they will reject all members of the group • Language can reflect prejudices • In Anglo culture, many terms that include black are negative • Blackball, blacklist, black market, black eye • Self-fulfilling prophecy - an expectation that leads to behavior that causes the expectation to become reality • Ex. – kids being told they are smart or stupid continually, child being told all you will ever be is a criminal

7. Minority Groups in the United States • Institutionalized Discrimination – unfair practices that grow out of common behaviors and attitudes and that are a part of the structure of society • Ex – public school’s with large numbers of minority students are more likely to be located in large urban areas, not wealthier suburbs. • Hidden Unemployment – unemployment that includes people not counted in the traditional unemployment categories

8. African American • Largest racial minority group in America • Barriers to African American assimilation • Skin color and physical features • Limited upward social mobility for many generations • Barely 50 years of constitutional equality • Average income levels • About 64% of that of whites • The average African American family holds less than ¼ of the wealth of the average white family • Job market • Almost twice as likely as whites to work in low-level service jobs • Jobless rates are double those of whites • About 1/3 teenagers are unsuccessfully looking for work • Advances • Professional and technical occupations have increased 128% since 1960s • 2 times the managers or officials since 1960 • Increase in government representation

9. Latinos • One of the fastest growing minorities in the U.S. • Largest minority group in U.S. • Over 60% of Latinos in America are of Mexican decent • Each group came to the U.S. under different circumstances • Education • Over 50% have completed high school • Average income is greater than African Americans, but lower than non-Latino whites

10. Native Americans • Just over 2,000,000 in total population • Fewer Native Americans graduate from high school than any other major minority group • Lowest annual income of any minority group • About ¼ live on reservations • Gaming facilities are helping improve life • Asian Americans • About 4 % of total U.S. population • Face severe persecution early on • Have became successful by using the education system for upward mobility