Isabel Cervantes
12/03//23
SOCI 4540-Race and Ethnic Minorities Discussion
They and We by Pete Rose: Module 4
In the book “They And We Racial and Ethnic Relations in the United States” written by
Peter I. Rose we learn about race, prejudice, and injustices within racial ethnic minorities. For as
long as we can remember there has been a sense of inferiority between white people. These last
few chapters we learn how discrimination within minorities is very much still present.
In chapter 10 (Social Physics) the author states how the idea that every action has an equal
and opposite response is one of the fundamental principles of physics. In comparison Society's
laws are not so straightforward. Although, it is reasonable to conclude that there are many
examples of changes causing reactions in "social physics," as Auguste Comte, the "father" of
sociology, intended to call his new field. When know that when it comes to racial and ethnic
relations this is undoubtedly the case. It was clear from nativist reactions to the growing number
of immigrants entering "their" nation. It is seen today in the responses given to what some have
dubbed the "declarations of independence" by individuals who still experience racism as an
institutional barrier. It is a big reminder to Americans that racism remains a problem on
our government of democracy and that much work remains to be done in order to stop it.
In chapter 11 (E Pluribus Unum or E Pluribus Plures?) The author states how migrating
and living in America had so much pride. It states that in 1992, Ellis Island's century-old
immigration center was rededicated following ten years of renovations. European, African,
Asian, and Latino Americans flocked to New York to honor all those things that were thought to
be symbolized by that doorway to America: opportunity, justice, liberty, and refuge. One after
another proclaimed the benefits of "the oldest democracy in the world," "our haven in a stormy
sea," "the land of the free," and "the only truly multicultural society in the world." The content
was intense, with vivid images that instills pride in being an American.
In chapter 12 (Perspectives on “Others” at Home and Abroad) the author states that there
was a significant time where segregation showed us society strengths and weaknesses. When
segregation was still legal in 1939, the media was dominated by "America Firster" sloganeering,
and white supremacist ideologies were pervasive in the country, outside observers would have
seen a contradiction. The author states that all the shouting and hollering about "real" Americans
being white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants and so, the United States was already very special among
the world's nations. It was obviously "a nation of many nations," as Walt Whitman had so
eloquently described it, a civilization "of every hue and caste... of every rank and religion" was
represented. People felt very prideful to be American and in this country.
Resources:
Rose, P. I. (2014). They and we: Racial and ethnic relations in the United States. McGraw-Hill