Soc 1- Ch 8
Code-Switching
-Adjusting one's behavior in accordance w/ the norms and expectations of the dominant grp, particularly whites -Can include changing appearance, gestures, and language
How does race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status shape family life?
-African Americans are more likely to never marry b/c they believe that a legal bond will not substantially improve their lot in life -African American teenage girls see fewer opportunities for education & work & choose motherhood instead
Pros of Interacting Online
-Embodied characteristics are not available online -Can transcend real-world physical traits associated w/ categories like race, gender, or age that normally define us
How does race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status affect health?
-High levels of racially differentiated stressors affect Black individuals more intensely than whites & lead to higher levels of chronic disease & lower life expectancies -Racial & ethnic minorities are often disproportionately exposed to other factors that affect life span, such as dangers in workplace, toxins in environment, & violence
How does race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status affect education?
-Hispanics had highest dropout rate of all racial groups -Students can be labeled as "bad," which can stigmatize them within the school system & they can be more likely to be punished or criminalized -Asians & white Americans enjoy more success overall in education system -Students from lower-income families are less likely to go to college
How has the war on drugs increased the risk of driving while black?
-Law enforcement began searching more cars & targeted nonwhite motorists -Increased "pretext stops," where the violation cited as justifying the traffic stop is just a pretext to investigate the ppl in the car
Cons of Interacting Online
-Online spaces offer more anonymity, which can allow for unmasked racism -Easier for participants to express racist ideas
Functionalism & Prejudice & Discrimination
-Positive feelings about one's group are strong ties that bind people together -At same time, this cohesiveness can lead members to see others, especially those of other races or ethnicities in an unfavorable light
How does race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status affect work and income?
-Ppl of color carry burden of society's most difficult jobs -In part due to segregation of ppl of color in low-wage occupations, we see enduring income gaps btwn white workers & Black & Hispanic workers & they are more likely to live in poverty
Why are larger proportions of Black and Hispanic Americans in prison?
-Practice of racial profiling in policing -Higher unemployment rates among minority grps, as well as higher dropout rates
Rank the racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. from largest to smallest
1) Non-Hispanic white 2) Hispanic 3) Black 4) Asian 5) American Indian
Pluralism
A cultural pattern of intergroup relations that encourages racial and ethnic variation and acceptance within a society -Multiculturalism (ex: Canada's ideals)
Assimilation
A pattern of relations between ethnic or racial groups in which the minority group is absorbed into the mainstream or dominant group, making society more homogenous -Ex: America's "melting pot"
Affirmative Action
A policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities
Racism
A set of beliefs about the claimed superiority of one racial or ethnic group; used to justify inequality and often rooted in the assumption that differences among groups are genetic
Minority Group
A social group that is systematically denied the same access to power and resources available to society's dominant groups though they are not necessarily fewer in number than the dominant groups -It is possible to be the numerical majority & still have minority status w/ regard to power & opportunity
Ethnicity
A socially defined category based on common language, religion, nationality, history, or another cultural factor
Race
A socially defined category based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people
Situational Ethnicity
An ethnic identity that can be either displayed or concealed depending on its usefulness in a given situation -Cost-benefit analysis: we need to appraise each situation to determine if it favors our ethnicity
Symbolic Ethnicity
An ethnic identity that is only relevant on specific occasions and does not significantly impact everyday life -Ex: MostIrish Americans have been so fully assimilated for multiple generations that their Irish ancestry may not matter much on a daily basis, but on St. Patrick's Day they display their Irish identity
Prejudice
An idea about the characteristics of a group that is applied to all members of that group and is unlikely to change regardless of the evidence against it -Inflexible attitude -Possible for members of a nondominant or minority group to hold negative stereotypes about the dominant group or to be prejudiced against themselves or their own group Ex: "All Asians are good at math"
Race Consciousness
An ideology that acknowledges race as a powerful social construct that shapes our individual and social experiences -An alternative to color-blindness
Color-Blind Racism
An ideology that removes race as an explanation for any form of unequal treatment
Implicit Bias
Attitudes or stereotypes that are embedded at an unconscious level and may influence our perceptions, decisions, and actions -Ex: Students of color are disciplined more harshly & more often than white students
What is one of the most effective ways that white people can challenge racism?
By working with other white people to help them gain a greater awareness of how racism works & what they can do about it
Individual Discrimination
Discrimination carried out by one person against another
Institutional Discrimination
Discrimination carried out systematically by institutions (political, economic, educational, and others) that affect all members of a group who come into contact with it
Microaggressions
Everyday uses of subtle verbal and nonverbal communications that convey denigrating or dismissive messages to members of certain social groups
How is structural functionalism less successful in explaining the persistence of racial divisions and why other races and ethnicities continue to maintain their distinct identities alongside the white-majority?
Functionalism sees any kind of persistent social phenomenon through the lens of its contributions to social stability: If it exists/persists, it must be necessary and functional for social order, & that goes for racial inequality as well
What can physical differences between groups be due to?
Geographic adaptations -Ppl living closer to the equator have more melanin
Why is color blindness a problem?
It implies that race should be both invisible and inconsequential, which it is not -Race does matter and racism still exists
How is race socially constructed?
Physical characteristics are granted importance by society, and often categorized into distinct subgroups despite little to no genetic evidence for doing so -No physical trait will accurately identify what race someone belongs to -We read others through myriad cues & in turn make ourselves readable to others by our own self-presentations
Timid Bigots
Prejudiced but afraid to show it
Passing
Presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group you belong to -Involves manufacturing or maintaining a new identity that is more beneficial than one's real identity
What are the goals of affirmative action?
Promote diversity and inclusion, provide equal access, and reduce effects of historical discrimination
Symbolic Interactionism & Race
Race and ethnicity are part of our identity as displayed through our presentation of self. Some individuals have the option to conceal their race or ethnicity in situations where it might be advantageous to do so. This may allow them to escape effects of racial inequality but does not erase it from society
Structural Functionalism & Race
Racial and ethnic differences are a necessary part of society. Even racial inequality has functions that help maintain social order, such as the creation of social cohesion within both the dominant and minority grps
Conflict Theory & Race
Racial and ethnic differences create intergroup conflict; minority and majority groups have different interests and may find themselves at odds as they attempt to secure and protect their interests
White Privilege
Rights or immunities granted to people as a particular benefit or favor simply because they are white -Most whites are largely unaware of the unequal benefits they possess
Miscegenation
Romantic, sexual, or marital relationships between people of different races
Cultural Appropriation
The adoption of cultural elements belonging to an oppressed group by members of the dominant group, without permission and often for the dominant group's gain -Can take the form of postmodern cultural imperialism when the dominant group takes the oppressed group's cultural symbols and turns them into a commodity for profit
White Nationalism
The belief that the nation should be built around a white identity that is reflected in religion, politics, economics, and culture
Reverse Racism
The claim by whites that they suffer discrimination based upon their race and, therefore, experience social disadvantages -Racism against whites is not supported by society's social structure or major social institutions
Genocide
The deliberate and systematic extermination of a racial, ethnic, national, or cultural group
Settler Colonialism
The economic and political subjugation of the minority group by the dominant group within a nation -Takes form of economic exploitation and physical segregation
Population Transfer
The forcible removal of a group of people from the territory they have occupied
Internalized Racism
The internalization by people of racist attitudes towards members of their own ethnic group, including themselves
Segregation
The physical and legal separation of groups by race or ethnicity
Racial Assimilation
The process by which racial minority groups are absorbed into the dominant group through intermarriage
Cultural Assimilation
The process by which racial or ethnic groups are absorbed into the dominant group by adopting the dominant group's culture
Critical Race Theory
The study of the relationship among race, racism, and power -An outgrowth of conflict theory -Racism permeates social institutions -Focus on intersectionality -Committed to challenging racist laws and policies & promoting social justice
Functionalist Theory & Ethnic Groups
Theory provided a useful lens for analyzing how certain ethnic groups, mainly European immigrants (such as Irish and Italians) eventually became assimilated into larger society
Embodied Identity
Those elements of identity that are generated through others' perceptions of our physical traits -Historically been used as the basis for discrimination
How did biologists group humans in the 19th century?
Three races: 1) Negroid (black) 2) Mongoloid (Asian) 3) Caucasoid (white) -Believed each race was characterized by its own biological makeup
True or False: Hispanics have the highest life expectancy
True
True or False: Neither situational nor symbolic ethnicity is available to those who are visibly nonmainstream
True -Nonwhite ppl do not have a choice about whether to display their group membership
True or False: There is more genetic diversity within racial populations than between them
True Ex: Within Asian population, ppl might differ more from each other (like Koreans and Chinese) than they do from white ppl
True or False: There is no race chromosome in our DNA
True -Race is not genetic
Privilege
Unearned advantage accorded to members of dominant social groups (males, whites, heterosexuals, the physically able, etc.)
Discrimination
Unequal treatment of individuals based on their membership in a social group; usually motivated by prejudice -Ex: Person is turned down from a job promotion or home loan b/c they are Black or Hispanic -Possible, but less likely, for a person to be prejudiced & still not discriminate against others
Double-Consciousness
W.E.B. Du Bois's term for the divided identity experienced by Black people in America -Du Bois asked whether one could be Black & at the same time claim one's rights as an American -More advantageous to appear as white as possible
Antiracist Allies
Whites and others working toward the goal of ending racial injustice