Chapter 10 Race and Ethnicity

Race Since ancient times, people have attempted to group human beings into racial categories based on physical characteristics, such as skin color, hair texture, and body structure. Race: Categories of people who share inherited physical characteristics and whom others see as being a distinct group.

Race For sociologists, the important issue is not that a person has a specific color of skin or hair of a certain texture. Sociologists are concerned with how people react to these physical characteristics and how these reactions affect individuals in society.

Race Scholars have placed people into 3 racial groups: Caucasoid (Whites)- fair skin and straight or wavy hair. Mongoloids (Asians)- yellowish or brownish skin and folds on eyelids. Negroids (Blacks)- dark skin and tightly curled hair. There are NO Biologically pure races.

Ethnicity Ethnicity is a cultural characteristic. The set of cultural characteristics that distinguishes one group from one another is called ethnicity. Ethnicity is based on cultural considerations whereas race is based on physical considerations.

Ethnic Groups An ethnic group is a group of people who share a common cultural background and a common sense of identity. EX. Whites: Irish, Polish, Russian, Americans Ethnicity is generally based on such cultural characteristics as national origin, religion, language, customs, and values.

Minority Group No particular skin color, physical frame, or ethnic background is superior or inferior by nature. However, sociologists agree that those who hold power may place a value on specific characteristics.

Minority Group Those who hold power- Majority Those who don’t hold power- Minority Not necessarily based on numbers of people like other areas (voting, etc.)

Conflict Theory in Ethnicity and Race From the conflict perspective, many sociologists have concluded that a dominant group’s position of power allows them to enjoy certain privileges, such as better housing, better schools, and higher incomes.

Louis Wirth Identified a minority group as a group of people who, because of their physical characteristics and/or cultural perspectives- are singled out and unequally treated.

Minority Group Characteristics Identifiable physical/cultural characteristics which are different from dominant group. Victims of unfair/unequal treatment. Membership in group is ascribed (born into). Members share a strong bond and a sense of group loyalty. Members tend to practice endogamy- marriage within the group.

Discrimination and Prejudice Often these two words are used interchangeably, but they do not mean the same thing. Discrimination- The denial of equal treatment to individuals based on their group membership. Prejudice- An unsupported generalization about a category of people.

Blue Eyes v. Brown Eyes http://vod.nort2h.com/SAFARI/mon tage/play.php?keyindex=5557&chapter skeyindex=-1&keyconceptskeyindex=- 1&sceneclipskeyindex=- 1&location=local

Discrimination Found on an individual or societal level. Between 1882 and 1970 more than 1,170 African Americans were lynched by white mobs in the U.S. Most of the time these people were attempting to vote, use the same public facilities, or had become too successful.

White Privilege White privilege refers to any advantage, opportunity, benefit, head start, or general protection from negative societal mistreatment, which persons deemed white will typically enjoy, but which others will generally not enjoy.

White Privilege These benefits can be: material (such as greater opportunity in the labor market, or greater net worth, due to a history in which whites had the ability to accumulate wealth to a greater extent than persons of color) social (such as presumptions of competence, creditworthiness, law-abidingness, intelligence, etc.)

White Privilege psychological (such as not having to worry about triggering negative stereotypes, rarely having to feel out of place, not having to worry about racial profiling, etc.).

Societal Discrimination Appears in one of two forms Legal discrimination- upheld by law. Institutionalized discrimination- an outgrowth of the structure of society. What are some examples of legal discrimination throughout history? What are some examples of institutionalized discrimination today?

Legal Discrimination Minors- Drinking age (21) Smoking age (18) Voting age (18) Marriage age (in Ohio, 16 with parental approval, 18 without parental approval)

Legal Discrimination Marriage In the state of Ohio, it must be between a man and a woman. Apartheid Laws to keep the races separate in S. Africa until early 1990s. Apartments No pets, no children, no one under 55

Institutionalized Discrimination Overtime, unequal access to the resources of society pushes some minority groups into less-powerful positions. When this occurs, it is no longer necessary for the dominant group to consciously discriminate against the minority group to maintain a system of inequality.

Institutionalized Discrimination Redlining- Coined by John McKnight. It marks the practice of marking a red line on the map to delineate the area where banks would later not invest. NFL- Rooney Rule Interviewing minority coaches in the league

Institutionalized Discrimination Airlines Restrictions on overweight fliers http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/ 17/earlyshow/living/travel/main4952134.sht ml Sin Tax Taxing things like tobacco and alcohol as well as soft drinks, candy, coffee, gambling or prostitution.

Hank Williams Hank Williams Jr.’s song All My Rowdy Friends has been the opening to the NFL’s Monday Night Football since 1991. The NFL pulled the song before the Colts v. Dolphins game on October 3rd because of remarks that Williams made to Fox News. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eF6vCv13bw&safety_m ode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active Since the remarks, Williams has apologized, but the NFL has permanently pulled Williams song and said they will not use it any longer.

Prejudice Prejudice is an unsupported generalization. Does not always have to be about race or ethnicity It is an attitude Can be positive (for) or negative (against) Sociology focuses on the negative Generally, someone who is prejudiced also discriminates.

Stereotyping An oversimplified, exaggerated, or unfavorable generalization about a group of people. An individual forms an image of a particular group and then applies that image to all members of the group. If individuals are found to differ from the stereotyped image, they are thought to be exceptions to the rule, rather than proof that the stereotype is wrong.

Stereotyping “ If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.” W.I. Thomas, American sociologist Self-fulfilling prophecy: A prediction that results in behavior that makes the prediction become true.

Racism Belief that one’s own race or ethnicity’s group or religion is superior to all others. When an individual or group believes they are innately superior, it justifies their mistreatment of others. Ex. Hitler and the Nazis, Slave masters and slaves Prejudice and discrimination are related, but they do not always go hand-in-hand. http://thefw.com/lost-disney- characters/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergn et_41253

Racism in Disney Movies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHyzAbV6nuM&safety_mo de=true&safe=active&persist_safety_mode=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSYAY1nv6tg&safety_mode =true&safe=active&persist_safety_mode=1

Robert K. Merton’s Patterns of Prejudice and Discrimination Yes No Timid Bigot: Prejudiced person who does not discriminate All-Weather Liberal: Non prejudiced person who does not discriminate Active Bigot: Prejudiced person who discriminates Fair-Weather Liberal: Non-prejudiced person who discriminates No Discrimination Yes

Sociological Explanations Most sociological explanations of prejudice and discrimination focus on social environment. Often a learned behavior (comes from home). Embedded in social norms (socialization). People often become prejudice to maintain their place in a group (peer pressure).

Psychological Explanations Theodor Adorno- Came up with common characteristics among people studied who were prejudice. Strongly conformist Great respect for authority and tendency to follow orders of those in authority Great deal of anger and are likely to blame their problems on others.

Psychological Explanations Prejudice might be the product of anger and frustration. Scapegoating- The practice of placing the blame of one’s troubles on an innocent individual or group. Anyone know where the term ‘scapegoat” comes from?

Psychological Explanations Minority groups become scapegoats because of their distinctive appearance, language, style of dress, religious practices. They tend to lack power in society Tend to be concentrated in one geographic region.

Cultural Pluralism Cultural pluralism is a policy that allows each group within society to keep its unique cultural identity. Good example- Switzerland: 3 official languages, French, German and Italian. Extremely loyal to Switzerland and live peacefully.

Assimilation Assimilation is the blending of culturally distinct groups into a single group with a common culture. Good example- America: the idea that various groups can be blended into a single people with a common, homogeneous culture. “Melting pot”

Segregation Segregation is the act of using policies to separate a minority group from the dominant group. Two types of segregation De jure segregation- based on laws De facto segregation- based on informal norms

Genocide is the intentional extermination of a targeted population. This kind of extermination has been attempted many times, and sometimes achieved, throughout history.