Whether two individuals consider themselves as of the same or of different races depends not on the degree of similarity of their genetic make up but on whether history, tradition, and personal training and experiences have brought them to think of themselves as belonging to the same group or to different groups (Spickard, Fong and Ewalt, 1995).
Prejudices, stereotypes, insults, pejorative labels and other things are usually articulated in racist communications. Explicit racism helps to legitimize individual and collective action that creates and sustains inequality and oppression between social groups. The history of mankind provides thousands of examples of racist violence: genocide, colonialism, repressive immigration policies and all kinds of discriminatory behavior. This kind of racism is explicit and visible. Unfortunately, racism can also be invisible. Racism is totally embedded in the social structures and in the social representation of the world and, as a consequence of this, minority groups are still discriminated against even in countries where civil rights are recognized. Statistical data shows systematically that minority groups throughout the world have difficulty gaining access to education, health, income, wealth, good jobs, political representation and mass media (Health Studies' Unintended Effects against Minority Groups, 2007).
In spite of the historical and contemporary proof of racism as an invasive and difficult reality in Canada, citizens and institutions function in a state of collective denial. In recent years, racism has received increased attention. Racial turbulence in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax and demands of racial minority communities for greater...
Anthony Giddens defines prejudice as "the holding of preconceived ideas about an individual or group, ideas that are resistant to change even in the face of new information." Examples of the worst form of prejudice include American slavery during the first two centuries of this country and the extermination of millions of Jewish people by the Nazis during World War II. In both of these cases, the blacks and Jews
Some feminists argue that all pornography is bad for women because it is degrading to women (Peterson, 1998). The "victims" need protection, they claim, which, ironically, they say comes in the form of laws restricting what women legally can and cannot do with their own bodies. While it can be argued that pornography reinforces negative male attitudes towards women in society and it increases the incidence of sex crimes, these are
That would be nice to think about, anyway, because the alternative, a future filled with vapid, self-centered, and spoiled "princesses" is difficult to comprehend or hope for. Celebrity Culture If there is one aspect of American culture that is difficult to comprehend, it is America's fascination with celebrity. The little girls who are growing up wanting to be princesses are seeing that lifestyle right before their eyes in the celebrities who
The Continuum of Globalization Discourse on globalization has flourished in contemporary scholarship, even though the actual forces and phenomena shaping patterns of world trade and the interchange of ideas and culture have extended deep into human history. Technology has invariably shaped the new wave of globalization, with public policy and international interdependency creating formal, legal pathways of global integration. Even as information sharing and intercultural communication have created the means by
The South district of my town is primarily comprised of African-Americans with a white/black ratio of 15% 85%. The area is known for the highest level of crime as compared to any other area in and around the city. This enables the oppressive motive behind those who empower such ignorance as they base their final opinions, which dictate their actions, on the entire culture or population of African-Americans in
Sociology: Changing Societies in a Diverse World (Fourth Edition) George J. Bryjak & Michael P. Soroka Chapter One Summary of Key Concepts Sociology is the field of study which seeks to "describe, explain, and predict human social patterns" from a scientific perspective. And though Sociology is part of the social sciences (such as psychology and anthropology), it is quite set apart from the other disciplines in social science; that is because it emphasizes
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