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