SSCI CH 1

What do the following terms refer to: prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes, ideological racism, institutionalized discrimination mean?

prejudice- negative attitudes (cognition, thoughts) applied to an entire category of people; attached to groups that are defined as being inferior; stereotypes discrimination-treating individuals unequally based on their perceived group membership (and a persons thoughts about that group) stereotypes-generalizations that are applied to all members of a group;competition between groups likely leads to prejudice (rather than prejudice leading to competition); rationalizing inequities in societies ideological racism- a belief system or a set of ideas - asserts that a particular group is inferior - used to legitimize or rationalize the inferior status of the group - Incorporated into the culture of society and can be passed on from generation to generation. institutionalized discrimination- Patterns of unequal treatment based on group membership and built into the institutions and daily operations of society. - Can be obvious and overt, but usually operate in more hidden and unintended ways. - Individual level prejudice and discrimination, and group level racism and institutional discrimination reinforce each other. *thinking& feeling: prejudice & ideological racism doing: discrimination & institutional discrimination

minority group (subordinate)

reduces access to power, resources, authority, privilege

How does stratification impact a person's life chances and life choices?

stratification due to differential access to wealth, income — (wealth - accrued over time - has greater impact) — (income - amount earned within a set period of time, often a year) - a person's status (minority, majority) impact that person's life chances, health, wealth opportunities, potential success

What is stratification?

unequal distribution of valued goods and services

What did Marx mean by 'means of production?' How did Marx feel about the economy? What were the 2 classes that Marx described? Can we see evidence of these classes in the US today? How?

— means of production (materials, tools, resources, organizations a society uses to produce, distribute (usually unequally) goods & services) -Marx wrote that the basis of inequality is related to the economy -Proletariat=working class who sold labor for substance wages. Bourgeoisie=elite class who owned means of production.

Why can the 'age of exploration' also be referred to as the 'age of exploitation'?

- as exploration, colonization increase, the importance of race increases — when areas are colonized, the peoples in those areas are considered inferior (it helps to justify exploitation) — essentially, another, more appropriate name for the age of exploration is the age of exploitation - racism used to justify military conquest, genocide, exploitation, slavery

What does income refer to? What does wealth refer to? Which has a greater impact? Why?

- income - amount earned within a set period of time; usually 1 year) - wealth - accumulated over time - one person's lifetime or through generations of a family — wealth has a greater impact; can help us and others in a downturn; income tends to be unstable

What are social classes? How do they relate to minority status?

- individuals in minority status groups have reduced access to income, wealth, success - though these is a correlation between minority status and social class, they each measure different things - conflict between dominant/majority group and minority group occurs due to the struggle over access to valued goods and services

What is the distinction between racial minorities and ethnic minorities? Are these mutually exclusive?

- racial minority groups: perceived physical characteristics (skin color, hair color, hair texture, stature, facial features) - ethnic minority groups (set apart due to perceived cultural differences such as language, religion etc) - these 2 groups overlap

Did Weber agree totally with Marx? What did Weber add to our understanding of stratification?

-Weber did agree that the economy is important when examining inequality; however, he said it was more complicated -He added ownership, prestige, power

What does Patricia Hill Collins add to our understanding of stratification?

-adds concept of intersectionality - intersection of race, class, gender (not look at them separately but recognize they are)

What does 'pattern of inequality' refer to? Do members of a majority group and members of a minority group have the same perspective of inequalities in a society?

-patterns of inequalities: most defining aspect of minority / subordinate groups -No. Inequalities are not recognized by members of a majority group because they haven't experienced it.

- What concept did Lenski add to our understanding of stratification? What is subsistence technology? Does it change over time? What is the relationship between subsistence technology and inequality?

-that to understand stratification, we need to consider societal evolution (level of development) - nature of inequality related to subsistence technology - how a society satisfies basic needs (food, water, shelter) — subsistence technology impacts degree of inequality & criteria of inequality

What does 'matrix of domination' refer to?

-there are many cross systems of domination and subordination -does not end with race, class, gender — other factors such as disability, sexual preference, religion, age, national origin, being homeless

What are the 5 characteristics (markers) of minority groups? Be able to define inequality, visibility, awareness, ascription and intimate relationships.

1. inequality - members experience patterns of disadvantage - disadvantage can be relatively minor (being left handed in a right handed world) or be significant (genocide: intentionally killing all people in a group), ongoing exploitation, slavery 2. visibility - visible trait or characteristic that sets members of the group apart from dominant / majority group - can include: physical characteristics like skin color or cultural characteristics like language, religion, dress, grooming 3. awareness - group members are aware of how the dominant group differentiates them and of their shared disadvantages 4. ascription (ascribed status: involuntary, usually acquired at birth, difficult to change) - achieved characteristics - gained through an effort such as educational attainment 5. intimate relations - tendency to marry within group (endogamous) - sometimes voluntary by minority group; sometimes enforced by dominant group - prior to 1967 many states in the US had laws forbidding 2 people of different races from marrying

Why is it important to understand that race is a social construct and therefore, the consequences are social?

It continues to be seen as as a significant way of differentiating among people. Consequences are social because affects: where to live, type of employment, educational attainment, access to appropriate nutrition, neighborhood safety, etc.

Why does our text book use these specific labels to refer to groups? How are labels problematic?

Labels become problematic when the categories are placed along a hierarchy with some groups having greater access to power, etc and other groups having reduced access to power.

Are markers of minority group status innately significant? How does society use these markers?

Markers are used to allow the dominant group members to wasily identify minority status individuals and treat them differently. Through characteristics such as skin color, religion, etc. -they are not, by themselves, significant

- Is there any scientific proof that humans should be categorized into distinct races?

N O

How have we defined race in this class? - ethnicity?

Race: perceived characteristics (skin color, hair color, hair texture, stature, facial features) Ethnicity: perceived cultural differences (language, religion, etc)

What does the statement "racial and ethnic groups are social constructions" mean? What are social consequences

Society determined what the groups are, where the boundaries are, what the hierarchies are. Therefore consequences are social.

According to Marx, is conflict good? Why? How are inequality, competition and conflict related?

a person's status is based on what that person's relationship is to the means of production (do they own the means of production, or do they sell their labor for subsistence wages) - this system creates inequality, which leads to competition, which leads to conflict — Marx perceived conflict as good since it can bring about needed social change

- Which is more problematic: acknowledging differences in groups or assigning a hierarchy to different groups? Why?

assigning a hierarchy to different groups is more problematic since it raises racism & stereotypes

- Which is more likely: 1) competition leads to prejudice or 2) prejudice leads to competition?

competition leads to prejudice;between groups can lead to prejudice — more likely that prejudice is a result of competition

Do discrimination and prejudice always go together?

discrimination and prejudice often go together, but not always - some very prejudiced people don't act on their thoughts (may want to be politically correct) - or some non-prejudiced people may discriminate (better to treat 'others' poorly than to be the scapegoat yourself)

majority group (dominant/core)

greater access to power, resources, privilege

Are power relationships static? Why? What does this mean?

how individuals are ranked to each other re: power is not static - a man working at a low income, low prestige job will have low power at work - when that same man goes home, his power is likely to increase, especially if the household is based on more patriarchal principles