Unit 3: Social Inequalities Chapter 9: Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity 1) Objectives: describe / define race, ethnicity, minority; discuss patterns of racial / ethnic relations; discuss difference between prejudice and discrimination; explain the three major sociological perspectives view on race; compare racial minorities to white majority in U.S. 2) Section One: Minority, Race, Ethnicity a) Minority: a group of people with physical or cultural traits different from those of the dominant group in the society i) ii) iii) iv) v) distinctive physical/cultural characteristics that can be used to separate it from the majority majority dominates minority minority traits are often believed by the majority to be inferior members of minority have a common sense of identity and strong group loyalty majority determines who belongs to minority through ascribed status b) Race: people sharing certain inherited physical characteristics that are considered important within a society; i.e. skin color, hair color/texture, facial features, head form, eye color, even height! i) Little scientific basis (if any) to biological race: sociologists more interested in social factors ii) NO evidence of innate differences in intelligence or athleticism iii) More difference (genetically) within race (for instance, tall or short) then between race c) Ethnicity: Greek "people;" ethnic minority: group identified by cultural, religious, or national characteristics i) Subculture defined by language, religion, values, beliefs, norms, customs ii) Exist / work within larger, majority culture iii) Ethnocentrism (Ch. 3): negative attitudes towards other ethnicities because of judgments based in relation to one's own cultural standards 3) Section Two: Racial and Ethnic Relations a) Assimilation: minority groups blending or fusing into the dominant society i) Anglo-conformity: prevalent pattern in U.S. of minorities adopting W.A.S.P. customs, values ii) Melting Pot v. Tossed Salad: ethnic and racial minorities voluntarily blending together v. cultures and traditions existing separately but side by side in the same "bowl" of society; Is U.S. now a Tossed Salad? (probably) (1) Cultural Pluralism: desire of a group to maintain some sense of identity separate from the dominant group (2) Accommodation: Extreme form of cultural pluralism; minority maintains its own culturally unique way of life b) Conflict: Genocide – systematic effort to destroy an entire population (rape of Nanking, Holocaust, Rwanda, Sudan) c) Population Transfer: minority forced to relocate (Native Americans) d) Subjugation (most common conflict pattern): minority denied equal access to culture and lifestyle of larger society i) De Jure Segregation: subjugation based upon law ii) De Facto Segregation: subjugation based upon everyday practice (customs) 4) Section Three: Theories of Prejudice and Discrimination a) Prejudice: widely held negative attitudes toward a group and its individual members b) Stereotype: simplified, standardized conceptions of groups based upon some prior assumptions; labeling; positive or negative c) Racism: extreme form of prejudice that assumes superiority of one group over others d) Discrimination: treating people differently based upon ethnicity, race, religion or culture (behavior based upon prejudice) e) Hate crimes: criminal act motivated by prejudice f) Sociological perspectives on prejudice, stereotype, racism, discrimination, and hate crime: functionalism – determines that the dysfunctional behavior costs society and puts safety and stability of society at risk, but the function of the behavior is for members of groups bolster their own sense of identity by attacking others ii) conflict – determines that majority uses prejudice and discrimination to control victims / minority as they are threatening the aggressors interests iii) symbolic interactionism – language, tradition surrounding demeaning behavior to justify stereotypes is learned (1) pregeneralized learning period: children learn language but don't understand racial / ethnic differences (2) total rejection stage: use physical cues to lump all members into groups and label them i) g) Self-fulfilling Prophecy: an expectation that leads to behavior that causes the expectation to become a reality i) (Discrimination based upon negative stereotypes also leads to learned helplessness for minorities) h) Section Four: Minority Groups in the U.S. i) Institutionalized Discrimination: unfair practices that grow out of common behaviors and attitudes that are a part of the structure of a society; eg. – urban schools / minorities v. suburban schools / whites wasn't accidental! know your history! ii) African Americans: (1) Barriers to Assimilation: negative stereotypes rooted in early American history (2) Avg. Income: 62% of white; hold 20% of wealth relative to whites (3) Hidden Unemployment: not counted in traditional unemployment (stopped looking for work, part time desire full) (4) Employment: blue collar more likely than white collar; unemployment double that of whites; worse in teenage pop. (5) Advances? Graduation gap – only 17% complete 4 yr degree; 25% professional/managerial jobs and business ownership on the rise (a) Two classes? affluent v. the underclass (poor/unemployed across multiple generations) (b) Increased political power, but still under represented iii) Latinos: Latin Americans; fastest growing minority in U.S.; outnumber African Americans; may be 25% by 2050 (1) 67% of Latinos are of Mexican descent; 9% Puerto Ricans (2) Education: Only 57% have completed high school; Cubans highest educated Latinos (3) Median income only 75% of whites; higher incomes than Af. Am.; blue collar / agricultural work (4) Political power growing; business ownership still far behind whites iv) Native Americans: 4 million population, over 500 separate tribes (1) 24% live below poverty line; lowest graduation rate of any minority; only one member of Congress (2) Gaming: 200 tribes operate 367 casinos; leads to higher per capita income and lowered unemployment (3) Life on Reservation: marked by violence, lack of education, addiction, little hope v) Asian Americans: 4% of population, 12 million total; China, Philippines, Japan, India, Korea, Vietnam (1) Chinese: brought over by gold rush, railroads – victimized by discrimination, violence; Exclusion Act (1882) (a) Improved after 1940 – education as the key to success (many continue to come over for education) (2) Japanese: began coming after 1885 (Chinese exclusion, ironically) and suffered similar discrimination (a) Alien Land Bill (CA, 1912) kept Japanese from agricultural opportunities; Gentlemen's Agreement (1924) stopped all immigration (b) Post Pearl Harbor: Executive Order 9066 and segregation (camps); most "successful" minority post WWII (3) Whites: Eastern / South (Central) Europeans (Italians, Poles, Slavs, etc) (a) Undeserved reputation of "hardhats" – silent majority; actually, many were (are?) left politically (b) Their ethnic "roots" movement helped to inspire the tossed salad analogy as they assert their ethnic pride.
