(NAME)
[NAME]
[PROFESSOR NAME]
[SUBJECT]
11th November, 2022
Colorism
WHAT IS COLORISM AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR DAILY LIVES?
Colorism is discrimination based on ones skin tone. It is the superior treatment of light-skinned people within a racial group at the expense of their dark-skinned colleagues (Viglione et al. 251). Fergus (as cited in Knight n.pag), conducted a study on colorism using high school males of Puerto Rican and Mexican (Latino) origin. The study established that although the boys were all Latinos, those with white-looking skin received more favourable treatment both at the family and school level as they were perceived as white, while their dark-skinned counterparts often suffered discrimination (Knight, n.pag). colorism is manifested when people of the same ethnic group face different outcomes and realities and different expectations based on their skin tone.
Like racism, colorism disadvantages dark-skinned people, limiting their life chances and access to greater privileges A study by Viglione et al. (256) on the effects of colorism in the criminal justice system found that dark-skinned black women were twice more likely to receive the death penalty for crimes against white victims and that generally, darker-skinned people received longer prison sentences than their light-skinned counterparts. Darker-skinned men are also more likely to be labeled as criminals, more likely to be associated with aggression and violence, and more likely to be victims of discrimination than their light-skinned counterparts (Viglione et al., 251). At the workplace, dark-skinned individuals are less likely to get ahead and will often earn less than their light-skinned counterparts (Viglione et al. 251). Studies have also shown that colorism affects marriage and romantic relationships. Dark-skinned women have a 15 percent higher possibility of remaining unmarried than their light-skinned peers because society associates fair skin with status and beauty (Hamilton et al. 46).
WHAT SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE BEST ANALYSES COLORISM?
The conflict sociological approach best theorizes colorism. The...
…of teaching the children and youth that being black or Latino is something to celebrate and that regardless of where one lies in the skin tone spectrum; no skin tone is superior to the other. The first step in ending colorism is creating a home environment where children feel equal and understand that by accepting to be divided along skin tone lines, they are perpetuating the very inequalities, against which they should be fighting. It is prudent to correct divisive language at the family level and ensure that children receive equal treatment and privileges regardless of their skin tone. This will help bring healing and consensus within individuals, families, and ethnic minority communities before policymakers can begin moving their effort towards macro policies. At the macro level, communities could engage successful dark-skinned people as champions to serve as role models and educate their communities that success is not limited to skin color and that…
Works Cited
Hamilton, Darrick, Goldsmith Arthur, and Darity William. “Shedding Light on Marriage: The Influence of Skin Shade on Marriage for Black Females.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, vol. 72, no. 1, 2009, pp. 30-50.
Knight, David. “What’s Colorism?” Learning for Justice, no. 51. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/fall-2015/whats-colorism Accessed 11 November. 2022.
Nickerson, Charlotte. “Conflict Theory.” Psychology.Org. https://www.simplypsychology.org/conflict-theory.html (Accessed 11 November, 2022)Nittle, Nadra. “The Rots of Colorism or Skin Tone Discrimination.” Thought Co. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-colorism-2834952#citation-4, Accessed 11 November, 2022.
Viglione, Jill, Hannon Lance, and DeFina Robert. “The Impact of Light Skin on Prison Time for Black Female Offenders.” Social Science Journal, vol. 48, no. 1, 2011, pp. 250-58.
At first, intermixing between slave and master was undoubtedly met with shame, humiliation, and rage, since such children were the result of rape. However, since the percentage of men who will knowingly commit incest is lower than the percentage of men who will commit rape of any female, the female products of these rapes may have seen an improvement in their circumstances, when compared to other enslaved females. Therefore, the
The History of Colorism/Skin Color, Gender and the Media The history of colorism in the U.S. and its prevalence in the media is basically the history of the U.S. and its approach to legitimate representation of race in the media. As Hunter notes, “Colorism, or skin color stratification, is a process that privileges light?skinned people of color over dark in areas such as income, education, housing, and the marriage market” (237).
Racism, colorism, prejudice, discrimination, and/or implicit bias are all strategies for devaluing a particular group of individuals. Racism is a social concept that most adults learn as they grow. Looking at children one can see that they do not perceive race or colorism in any way. This implies that society teaches us that not all skin colors are similar and some should be superior from others. which causes discrimination. Discrimination
Racism in professional sports has been documented for decades. However, only in recent years has it been more noticeable. The recent ‘Take the Knee’ Movement ahs sparked outrage on both sides as people fight for equality and others fight for patriotism. However, this is just one symptom of a much larger disease that is institutionalized racism and how it crossed over into sports. Certain theories like critical race theory and
Though the color boundaries were frequently blurred and the circumstances for all were divergent and difficult, there was a clear sense of the morality of the eras not completely dictating the events and eventualities. In a sense the Jim Crow era sprang from this clouded moral code. Jim Crow was an attempt by whites, in both the south and the north to reassert the color lines. Even though years
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now