sociology ch. 9 terms

non prejudiced nondiscriminators (all-weather liberals)

people who accept the creed of equal opportunity, and their conduct conforms to that creed. they not only believe in equal opportunity but also take action against discrimination.

non prejudiced discriminators (fair weather liberals)

people who believe in equal opportunity but discriminate because doing so gives them an advantage or because they simply fail to consider the discriminatory consequences of their actions.

prejudiced nondiscriminators (timid bigots)

people who reject the creed of equal opportunity but refrain from discrimination, primarily because they fear possible sanctions or being labeled a racist

ethnic group

people within a larger society who possess a group consciousness because they share or believe they share a common ancestry, place of birth, history, key experience, or some other distinctive social traits they have defined as the "essence of their peoplehood"

stigma

a physical trait or other attribute that is deeply discrediting. it can be physically evident or something feared will be uncovered. it is discrediting because it focuses everyones attention on one "tainted" status

assimilation

a process by which ethnic and racial distinctions between groups disappear because one group is absorbed into another groups culture or because two cultures blend to form a new culture

selective forgetting

a process by which people forget, dismiss, or fail to pass on an ethnic heritage

absorption assimilation

a process by which racial and ethnic minorities adapt to the point where they are completely "absorbed" into the dominant culture

hidden ethnicity

a sense of self that is based on little to no awareness of an ethnic identity because its cultured is considered normative or mainstream

race

human-constructed categories that assume great social importance. categories are typically based on physical traits and geographic origin believed to distinguish one race from another

prejudiced discriminators (active bigots)

people who reject the notion of equal opportunity and profess a right, even a duty, to discriminate. they express with deep conviction that anyone from the in-group is superior to any members of the out group

ethnicity

people who share, believe they share, or are believed by others to share a national origin; a common ancestry; a place of birth; distinctive concrete social traits; or socially important physical characteristics

prejudice

rigid and usually unfavorable judgement about an out group that does not change in the face of contradictory evidence and that applies to anyone who shares the distinguishing characteristics of the out group

racial common sense

shared ideas believed to be so obvious or natural about racial groups that they need not be questioned

stereotypes

simplistic generalizations about categories that are applied to anyone in those categories

mixed contacts

social encounters involving stigmatized people and so called "normals"

chance

something not subject to human will, choice, or effort

scientific racism

the use of faulty science to support systems of racial rankings and theories of social and cultural progress that placed whites in the most advance ranks and stage of human evolution

ethnic renewal

this occurs when someone discovers an ethnic identity, as when an adopted child learns about and identifies with newly found biological relatives or a person learns about and revives lost traditions

reify

treating labels and categories as if they are real snd meaningful and to forget that they are made up

involuntary ethnicity

when a government or other dominant group creates an umbrella ethnic category and assigns people from many different cultures and countries to it

spatial segregation

a de facto or de sure situation in which racial or ethnic groups attend different schools, live in different neighborhoods, use different public facilities, or occupy the same facility but sit, work, or eat on different floors, in different rooms, or at separate tables.

discrimination

an intentional or unintentional act of unequal treatment of individuals or groups based on attributes unrelated to merit, ability, or past performance. discrimination denies people equal opportunities to achieve socially valued goals such as getting an education, finding employment, accessing health care, and living a long life. it is a behavior, not an attitude.

individual discrimination

any individual or overt action aimed at someone in an out-group that depreciates, denies opportunities, or does violence to life or property.

melting pot assimilation

cultural blending in which groups accept many new behaviors and values from one another. this exchange produces a new cultural system, which is a blend of the previously separate systems

involuntary minorities

ethnic or racial groups that were forced to become a part of a country by slavery, conquest or colonization

minority groups

subgroups within a society that can be distinguished from members of the dominant group by visible identifying characteristics, including physical and cultural attributes. these subgroups are systematically excluded, whether consciously or unconsciously, from full participation in society and are denied equal access to positions of power, privilege and wealth.

choice

the act of choosing from a range of possible behaviors or appearances

institutionalized discrimination

the established, customary way of doing things in society- the unchallenged rules, policies, and day-to-day practices established by advantaged groups that impeded or limit the opportunities and achievements of those in disadvantaged groups

dominant ethnic group

the most advantaged ethnic group in a society; it is the ethnic group that possesses the greatest access to valued resources, including the power to create and maintain the system that gives it these advantages

segregation

the physical and/or social separation of people according to their race or ethnicity

selective perception

the process in which prejudiced people notice only those supposed facts their stereotypes

context

the social setting in which racial and ethnic categories are recognized, created and challenged