Race and Ethnicity

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Race and Ethnicity
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Race vs. Ethnicity

• Race
• physical characteristics
• ascribed status
• distinct group
• 3 racial categories
• Caucasoid
• Mongoloid
• Negroid
• Racial pure people do NOT exist

• Ethnicity
• share cultural background
• usually ascribed status
• common sense of identity
• 1,000s of ethnic groups in the world
• Can cross over into religions and races
• Examples Jews, Kurds, African-Americans, German,
  etc.

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Dispersion Theory
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Minority Group Characteristics

• Dominant group determines whether a group is
  superior or inferior
• To be a minority group
• possess identifiable physical or cultural
  characteristics that differ from dominant group
• victims of unequal treatment by the dominant
  group
• ascribed status
• strong bond and sense of loyalty within group
• tend to practice endogamy (marriage within the
  group)

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Reactions

• Prejudice--unsupported generalization about a
  category of people
• everyone is prejudice in some way
• prejudice goes beyond race and ethnicity to
  gender, age, social class, etc.
• Discrimination--denial of equal treatment to
  people based on their group membership
• Racism--the belief that ones own group is
  naturally superior to others

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Robert Mertons Patterns of Prejudice and
Discrimination
Prejudice
Yes
No

• Active Bigot
• Prejudiced person who discriminates

• Fair-Weather Liberal
• Nonprejudiced person who discriminates

Yes
Discrimination

• All-Weather Liberal
• Nonprejudiced person who does not discriminate

• Timid Bigot
• Prejudiced person who does not discriminate

No
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Patterns of Treatment

• Assimilation--distinct groups are blended into a
  single group
• Cultural pluralism--all groups are allowed to
  keep their own identities
• Legal protection--minority groups are protected
  through laws, programs, policies

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Patterns of Treatment

• Population transfer--minority populations are
  transferred to new territories or locations
• Subjugation--groups are controlled through force,
  most extreme is slavery
• Extermination--groups are targeted for systematic
  elimination, most extreme is genocide

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US Minority Groups

• African-Americans make up Americas largest
  minority group
• Asian-Americans are considered to be the model
  minority group because of their success in
  America
• Native Americans are the most poverty stricken
  minority group in America
• Hispanic groups are on the rise in America and
  are projected to eventually outnumber white
  Americans

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New Concept

• Reverse Racism
• idea that in trying to give equal opportunities
  to minority groups, the dominant group is now
  suffering
• what some can say others can not
• Examples in action Mind of Mencia, New Orleans
  Mayor Ray Nagin (chocolate city), Don Imus
  (radio--Rutgers)