Minority, Race and Ethnicity
Ch. 9, Sec. 1
pp. 274-279
What is a Minority?
l Physical or cultural differences separate them from the majority
Physical-skin color, facial features
Cultural-accent, religion, language
l Minority is dominated by the majority
Majority holds unfair proportion of the goods and services
l Minority traits are often believed to be inferior by the majority
Ex. Justify job discrimination based on a belief of laziness
What is a Minority?
l Members of minorities have strong sense of common identity, with strong group loyalty
Exclusion creates unity amongst the group, a “consciousness of kind”
l Majority ascribes status to those who are in the minority
Race
l Members share biologically inherited traits
– Ex. Skin color, hair, facial features, height
l No such thing as a pure race
l Physical attributions are arbitrary
l Social attitudes towards race are more important
Advantages of Race
l No evidence of innate differences in athleticism or intelligence
l Some characteristics are adaptations for native environments
– Ex. White and dark skin
Ethnicity
l Ethnic Minority is a group identified with cultural, religious, or national characteristics
l Feelings of superiority toward these groups come from an ethnocentric belief that there is something wrong with them because their culture is different
EXAMINE-Immigrant graph on p. 278
Racial and Ethnic
Relations
Ch. 9, Sec. 2
pp. 280-283
Patterns of Assimilation
l Acceptance of a group leads to assimilation, where minorities blend in
l Rejection of a group leads to conflict
DISCUSS-is race changing in the U.S., do you have the same view on race as your parents
Assimilation
l Anglo conformity-immigrants must conform to traditional American institutions
l Melting pot-all minorities blend together
– Melting pot or Tossed salad?
DISCUSS-Melting pot vs. Tossed Salad
Assimilation
l Tossed salad analogy fits beliefs of cultural pluralism where a minority can maintain its sense of identity
Ex. Little Italy, China Town,
l Accommodation occurs when a minority is able to deal with the majority only when it must but keeps its culture and language
Ex. Amish, Cubans, Hutterites
Patterns of Conflict
l Conflict patterns are determined by examining history
l Genocide is most extreme pattern
– A systematic effort to destroy an entire population
– Ex. Nazis, Japanese and Chinese (360,000), Serbians Bosnia and Kosovo (Ethnic cleansing of muslims), Tutsi and Hutus (1 million)
Patterns of Conflict
l During population transfer, a minority is forced to leave its territory
l Subjugation is most common because it denies minorities access to societal benefits
– de jure and de facto
Theories of Prejudice and Discrimination
Ch. 8, Sec. 3
pp. 284-288
Stereotypes
l Distorted or oversimplified ideas applied to an entire group
l Sometimes they are created to justify discrimination toward a group
DISCUSS-positive stereotypes
Prejudice
l Widely held negative attitude directed at a particular group
l Overgeneralization
l Based on biased or insufficient info or stereotypes
l Become very rigid, particularly if shared by family members and friends
Racism
l Belief discrimination is justified because one race is superior to another
l Not genetic, transmitted by culture
Discrimination
l Treating people differently because of a prejudice held against a group
l Ranges from avoiding social contact to violence
Hate Crimes
l Criminal acts motivated by extreme prejudice or racism
Prejudice
l Widely held negative attitude directed at a particular group
– Overgeneralization
– Based on biased or insufficient info or stereotypes
DISCUSS-prejudices not based on race or ethnicity
DEMONSTRATION-square game to distinguish between prejudice & discrimination
Racism
l Belief discrimination is justified because one race is superior to another
l Not genetic, transmitted by culture
Discrimination
l Treating people differently because of a prejudice held against a group
– Ranges from avoiding social contact to violence
Hate Crimes
l Criminal acts motivated by extreme prejudice or racism
DISCUSS-Ecouraging Citizenship Activity, p. 285
Theoretical Perspectives
l Functionalist- prejudice can create a feeling of superiority for the majority but costs society as a whole
l Conflict-prejudice and discrimination are weapons of power to control the minority
-Different minorities tend to view one another as competitors rather than allies, Latinos/Blacks
Symbolic Interactionism
l People learn to be prejudice
l Language (blacklist, blackball)
l Self-fulfilling prophecy-expectation that leads to behavior that makes the expectation reality
EX. Kid succeeding because they are encouraged to
EXAMINE-Focus on Theoretical Perspectives p. 288
Minorities in the U.S.
Ch. 8, Sec. 4
pp. 290-291
Institutionalized Discrimination
l Unfair practices that grow out of common behaviors
– Seniority systems, school districts
l Costs to minorities are very high
African Americans
l Largest minority-13%
l Barriers include very different physical appearance and a history of being discriminated against
-Earn $62 to $100 (white)
-Less professionals, twice as likely to work in low-level service jobs
-Double the unemployment, but probably more because of hidden unemployment
EXAMINE-Graphs on p. 292
African American
l Fewer high school and college graduates compared to whites
l Number of professionals has increased 128%
l Though underrepresented, African Americans have entered the “power elite”
Latinos
l Ethnic minorities from Latin Am.
l Fastest growing minority
-25% of population by 2050
l Diverse group
-Mexicans 60%, Puerto Ricans 13%, Cubans 30%,
l 54% HS graduation rate
Latinos
l ¼ of population is below poverty
l Make more than African-Americans but far less than whites
l Most work in low, semiskilled jobs
l Many migrant workers
-Prevents education because children work in the fields
l Gaining political power as population increases
Native Americans
l 2 million people in 500 tribes
l Stereotypes have destroyed ethnic identity
l 25% below poverty line
l Fewer HS graduates than any group
DISCUSS-playing cowboys and Indians and in the impact of native American logos
Native Americans
l 20% in white collar jobs
l Little to no representation in Gov’t
l Life on reservations is significantly worse then off
l Casinos have been a new source of income
Asian Americans
l 4% of population
l Diverse background
-Chinese, Japanese, Korean, India, Vietnam, Phillipeans
l History of discrimination during 1800’s and the 1940’s
-Railroad crews, agriculture workers
-Violence erupted against Chinese when whites needed their jobs
-Japanese internment camp
l Cultural emphasis on education has led to 42% college attendance and greater acceptance in society
-25% white and 10% Latino
-Has led to “Smart” stereotype
-earn more on average than any other social class including Whites
-Have not had the centuries of discrimination faced by blacks and Native Americans