Sociology of Racism - Test 2
arguments for racist speech
"all speech should be protected" first amendment democracy only exists where freedom of expression is allowed to flourish greater harm is giving the govt power to censor our speech usually yes stance is taken by ppl that are rarely on receiving end
Origins of the Ghetto
- "Great Migration" of blacks from South to North - federal law perimitted and encouraged racial segregation - Neighborhoods exclude blacks - "White flight" to suburbs
Consequences of Segregation
- directly reproduces racialized poverty. disadvantage breeds disadvantage - black homeowner reside in neighborhoods that are more segregated and less prosperous than black renter - uses address to determine race of person interviewing for job - living conditions - politics. nonwhites clustered in one space makes it easier for politicians to ignore their voices - school performance - makes it seem like racial segregation and divisions are real - deep emotional costs
white backlash
- from the left: thought race based policies would decrease support so they opted for race-neutral policies - from the right: used coded language to justify targeting ppl of color
Why are homicide rates so high in America?
- media (tv, music, video games) not much evidence backing this - americans own a lot of guns? yuh. 7/10 homicides, guns are murder weapon
Segregation in America
- most americans live in segregated neighborhoods - segregation rates of AA are higher than those of hispanics or asians
Personal Choice as Cause of Residential Segregation
- no - majority of blacks prefer to live in racially diverse neighborhood, majority of whites do not prefer this. - personal choice is influenced by historical and social forces. personal choices are deeply influenced
Economic Factors as Cause of Residential Segregation
- not a big factor - regardless of income, segregation rates are still high btwn whites and blacks - black making minimum wage are just as segregated as those making $50,000 a year
Housing practices that led to residential segregation
- redlining (refused to offer mortgages and home loans in nonwhite areas) - covenants (restricted purchase of land or property to certain religious or racial groups) - Federal Housing Association (denied loans to many nonwhites, regardless of financial or veteran standing) integrated housing would drive price value down - real estate brokers refused to show nonwhites homes outside of designated areas
White Fight
- spoke about nonwhites coming into their neighborhoods like it was a war "taken over, invaded, etc" - intimidation tactics, protests, violence - neighborhood homeowner's association = political vehicles for them to defend their property - would picket houses, carry signs, and shout racial slurs, when a nonwhite moved into the area
New sentencing strategies (prison boom)
- three strike laws. possibility of life sentence for three time offenders - anti drug abuse campaigns = tougher/longer sentences for crack cocaine Nixon war on crime. - Reagan war on drugs (helped feed prison-industrial complex, bring about prison boom, and wreak devastation in African American communities
White Flight
- working and middle-class white people move away from racial-minority suburbs or inner-city neighborhoods to white suburbs and exurbs. - blockbusting agents took advantage by stirring up whites fear of integration to make profit.
Housing Discrimination as Cause of Residential Segregation
- yes - blacks are always told no properties are available in one chicago-based study - realtors show nonwhites homes only located in nonwhite areas = steering - subtle snubs = never returning calls, too busy to schedule meetings, quote higher prices etc - bank and loan companies
Great Migration
1.5 million and then 3.5 million African Americans traveled north btwn 1910-1930 and then 1940-1960. from rural south to urban north. result of job shortages (cotton prices fell), and WW reduced European immigration creating a need for jobs in growing midwest metropolises (Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Detroit). lived in Slums - overcrowded, crime, disease, poverty
so why did prison boom happen?
88% of prison boom was caused by changes in sentencing policies. "tough on crime" stance. way crime was punished change
Professor Darity's take on reparations (ARC)
Acknowledgement (acknowledge that it happened, someone needs to apologize), Redress (fix the problem you created, wealth gap tied directly to past), Closure (once we do this, healing can actually begin)
Attitudes about crime
American's fear of crime is more about blackness than crime itself. population of blacks in community, rather than actual crime rates, were better predictors of whites fear of crime in that neighborhood
other movements
Arab Americans - depicted as violent and malicious in media Mexican American - pressing problems of farm workers American Indians - struggles of indigenous Americans and resulted in a cultural revival Asian American - additional support of underrepresent students and faculty, and an ethnic studies college
Frames of Color-Blind Racism (Bonilla-Silva) BMAN
Biologization Minimization of Race Abstract Liberalism Naturalization
Legislation/Laws Passed
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin Voting Rights Act of 1965 - literacy tests and voter discrimination illegal
Prison boom --> million dollar industry
Corrections Connection - sells everything from barbed wire, cell padding, handcuffs etc - estimated that inmates generate a billion dollars in revenue - over half the states rely on for-profit prisons
Freedom Summer (1964)
Effort by civil rights groups in Mississippi (SNCC) to register black voters during the summer of 1964. also taught at freedom schools so ppl could pass freedom tests
coded language
Indirect allusions to physical appearance, class upbringing, or sexual attractiveness; code words that give voice to dormant racialized dispositions (such as "welfare queen," "urban unrest," "illegal immigrants," "Islamic terrorists" ).
key actors in civil rights movement
NAACP - legal action based Black soldiers - victory at home, victory abroad campaign black churches youth and students (Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee) - greensboro sit in
gated communities
Restricted neighborhoods or subdivisions, often literally fenced in, where entry is limited to residents and their guests. Although predominantly high-income based, in North America gated communities are increasingly a middle-class phenomenon.
underground economy
The combined forms of enterprise classified as criminal under current law. employs btwn 15 and 25% of US labor force
advanced marginality
The severe spatial and social segregation of the ghetto's residents, marked by their amputation from America's economic prosperity, national security, collective imagination and memory, and state services. defining characteristic of the ghetto
Threat Hypothesis
Whites who live near nonwhites are more likely to develop racist attitudes about nonwhite people leads to these whites having higher voter turnout and voting against policies to help minorities bc they feel threatened
Neoliberalism
a modified form of liberalism tending to favor free-market capitalism. dynamics of market are given priority over other concerns
gentrification
a process of neighborhood change by which relatively affluent people move into an area populated by poorer residents. not motivated by gov't. results in poor nonwhites being displaced by privileged white residents
prison-industrial complex
a set of bureaucratic, political, and economic interests that encourage increased spending on imprisonment, regardless of actual need
Tribal Termination
advance programs of assimilation and tribal dissolution of Native Americans. relocated them to urban centers w hopes that they would prosper from economic uplift.
superficial vs substantive representation
appointing nonwhites to political representations that are removed from needs of ppl and don't use their political standing to trump racial domination = superficial
suburban ghettos
areas w extremely high poverty and unemployment rates detached from social services and employment opportunities
Prison boom
around 1975 prison population skyrocketed and continued to do so in 2000s, even tho prison system was beginning to take a lot of criticism as expensive, unhealthy. and racist.
immigration assimilation and (housing)
as 20th century progressed, European immigrants were able to assimilate into the white American mainstream, moved out of slums. made racial contrast btwn white and nonwhite more stark. italians, irish, hungarians all assimilated into white culture, making ethnic distinctions less salient. but those w "badge of otherness" (eg: skincolor that clearly distinguishes them) were forbidden from living elsewhere
voting trend
as size of nonwhite population increases, so does white voter turnout. bc white threat hypothesis
three common tendencies in construction of race (herbert gans) BER
biological construction ethnicity as racial racial tolerance
racial solidarity (women)
black women being faced w choice of either speaking out on abuse by black men and further perpetuating negative narratives of black men, or suffering in silence for the sake of racial solidarity
Homicide rates (black communities)
black youth 14 times more likely to be murdered than white youth and 3.5 times than hispanic.
men of color in prison
blacks and hispanics are about 28% of population but 66% of all prisoners. very disproportionate. one of three black male dropouts were behind bards
partisanship
blacks loyal to democrats whites mostly republican, but when nonwhite is republican choice, they switch loyalty
consequences of colorblind racism
can not enact change for something that 'does not exist'
Modern Civil Rights Movement
collection of american ppl and organizations fighting to deconstruct white power system
Biolgical construction
constructing race as something that is biological rather than social
unjust sentencing
criminalization of crack cocaine (typical of minority communities, and often used publicly) vs powder cocaine (used by whites in private) death penalty sentencing - ppl accused of killing whites are 4 times as likely to get death penalty
biologization of culture
cultural practices are reasons why racial inequality exists
Reasons for gang membership
economy opportunity way of life/identity assimilation/acceptance
informal social control
encourages neighbors to watch out for one another and to be mindful of criminal activity. accepted as part of civic duty in immigrant populations
ethnic community thesis
ethnic enclaves are sought out by immigrants who could afford to live elsewhere
racial segregation
ethnic groups of immigrants are vicitimized by housing discrimination at alarming rates
bipolar discursive frame
exaggerated way of thinking that relies on two paired opposites ex: soft on crime and tough on crime
women in pridon
fastest-growing segment of prison population. only 6% of prison tho
Selma March
from selma to montgomery trial 1 = unsuccessful, bloody sunday trial 3 = 20,000 ppl, MLK call to action, ppl from all across country
arguments against racist speech
harmful emotionally, psychologically, and physically discourages others from speaking out which is main goal of first amendment. when targeted w racial slur, options are silence or violence actually not all kinds of speech (eg: slander, defamation, bomb threats) is protected
ethnicity as racial
identifying ethnic and national differences as racial. due to lack of education
Immigrants and Crime
immigrants do not increase crime but many think so. if anything, they make america safer. studies show youth of mexican descent commit far less violent violent crimes than do white or black youth. sizeable portion of crime drop in 1990s is attributed to swelling immigrant population
racial tolerance
increasing white tolerance for racial differences except w blacks
abstract liberalism
involves using liberal ideas such as equality of opportunity or freedom of choice to explain or justify racial inequality. meritocract
Felon Disenfranchisement
laws that either temporarily or permanently restrict the voting rights of convicted felony offenders. similar to jim crow era bc restricts white of minorities, esp w high incarceration rates of blacks.
segregation trends
levels in major cities during 19th century were less than half of what they are today. America is more racially segregated today than it was at the conclusion of the Civil War
urban development projects
like gentrification but government based. destroyed entire nonwhite communities w mass eviction orders. called it "urban renewal" govt had right to seize an individuals property for reassignment to another individual,
after fall of slavery - two juridical institutions
lynch mob - sometimes w law enforcement other times they overpowered law enforcement. tortured black prisoners to death the prison - drafted new laws to target poor blacks.
Violence against women
more isolated you are from community, greater chances of abuse. race is not correlated w domestic abuse rates. abusers of white women face more time/harsher punishment than abusers of women of color
spatial assimilation thesis
new immigrants self-segregate in enclaves and rely on the enclave economy for their start
Does prison make us safer
no -deterrence doesnt work. ppl dont weight costs and losses before committing crime - prison breeds more criminals
Increasing crime rates as explantion for boom?
no. homicide rates increased (doubled) but most ppl were incarcerated for nonviolent offenses. overall crime rates remained the same or even decreased during prison boom. only 12% of prison boom can be accounted for increase in crime rates
White Collar Crimes
offenses committed in the business world. usually by affluent. not punished as severely even though they are just as harmful. has increased over last 30 yrs
Mexican Movement
opportunities in manufacturing and agriculture (beet and sugar farming) inspired mexican families to move north. whites started blaming mexicans for widespread unemployment and economic scarcity
middle-class black families and housing
oscillate btwn black and white communities, navigating racial boundaries. eg; working in white corporate but going to black church
vagabond laws
outlawed begging and loitering (poor --> criminal)
public housing
played huge role in creation of ghetto. reinforced and reproduced conditions of advanced marginality. american public housing consist of inner city projects, lacking basic necessities
Environmental racism
policy practice or directive that disproportionately disadvantages nonwhite communities. eg: targets nonwhite communities as sites for radioactive waste dump - some of the worst air and water pollution are on American Indian reservations. poor rural black communities too
implicit racial appeals
politicians hoping to get white voters by play the race card wish to avoid violating norm of racial equality and face incentives to mobilize racially resentful whites
racial uprisings/ Red Summer
race riots. recurrent feature of first half of 20th century Red Summer - black teen swam to white part of pool, killed w rocks by white swimmers, sparked week-long uprising, killing 38 ppl, injuring 500, and leaving 1,000 homeless
Necessities for Gans Theory
residuals - left over group shaped by race and category multiracial - interracial marriage needs to increase regional variation - some areas may be unchanged, areas w/o new immigrants?
black churches
served as institutional hub for movement. was isolated from white power structures, safe space for blacks to voice concerns, and they were financially independent
Colonias (Border Towns)
sprung up around fields where migrant workers toil. low-cost housing, or in some cases lines of shacks
racial disparities in murder rates
structural disadvantage. - concentrated overlapping and mutually reinforcing social problems in single residential area. crime ridden streets bred a spirit of fear and distrust in neighborhoods, breaking down systems of informal social control. to adapt to structural disadvantages, black youth develop cultural dispositions and attitudes that promote and normalize violent crime (code of the street). create their own ways of getting respect and honor. code of street endorsed by pop culture, but bc lack of strucutral disadvantage white youth dont ascribe to code
naturalization
suggest that racial phenomenon is natural occurence
consequences of prison
suicide or insanity produces more criminals ex-offenders are denied social services that could help them back on their feet so they often resort back to criminal activity wreaks havoc on family voting/political, takes away an entire demographic that could have swayed elections
Mexican Repatriation Programs
thousands of Mexican families were rounded up and sent via train back to Mexico. did not differentiate btwn Mexican Americans and Mexican nationals (more than half ppl sent back were US citizens)
civil rights mvmt shift
tried to expose who members of NAACP were. resulted in a shift from legal action to one based on direct action
Mvmt of ppl to Metropolises
twentieth century rise of industrialism --> rise of cities --> attracted immigrants, blacks, mexicans, whites, asians, everyone, thousands of ppl to metropolises ethnic groups clustered in neighborhoods (crowded slums)
George Wallace taught poiticians?
use coded language and support white supremacy but not in an open manner
Bush vs Dukakis
used Willie Horton (black guy that escaped prison one weekend on a furlough) to target Dukakis campaign. called him "soft on crime." framed it as a story about crime and liberal policy but really it was about race. use of racial imagery connect w radicalized dispositions of white voters
urban street gangs
vital members of underground economy . many americans associate them w drug trafficiking
Herbert Gans theory
we will soon move to a dual hierarchy society, with blacks and nonblacks. blacks will still remain at bottom.
principle-implementation gap
white Americans accept the principle of racial inclusion but reject any policy measures to carry out/implement
why did CRM end?
white backlash emergence of coded language (were able to target blacks w/o being blatantly racist) liberals: gave policies to everyone, bc feared losing support of their white supporters
minimization of race
white ppl believing that discrimination is just about done away with
why does principle implementation persist?
whites commit to idea of individualism (social problems and achievements can be explained by examining individual-level characteristics)
