Race Class and Gender in the United States - Coursework Example

Running Head: RACE, AND GENDER IN THE UNITED S Topic: Race, and Gender in United s Lecturer: Date of Presentation: Q1: Definition of Concepts Oppression refers to a situation where one’s life is constrained by systematically related barriers in such a way that one is trapped between and among them (Frye, 2010). The movement of an individual or group is restricted in such a manner that they have no options left for them. Those oppressed are weak and have no power to retaliate other than accept their condition. Racism is a form of oppression as it leaves the colored people with limited or no options than to accept themselves as an inferior race which is disadvantaged and treated unjustly by the whites. The oppressed are treated cruelly and unjustly by those who have authority over them. For example, the poor continue to be oppressed as they have no means of getting out of their predicament. Tatum (2010) defines racism as a system of advantage based on race. Based on their color, the blacks are considered inferior than the whites due to racial prejudice. They are considered as not able to achieve much of the superior race of whites have been able to achieve hence are discriminated in all aspects; they cannot get good jobs, housing, and education among other aspects. Furthermore, the whites claim their privileges and advantages are biological in nature hence not racist; it is not their fault that they are advantaged. The blacks are blamed for their predicament in most cases as they are stereotyped as not willing to improve themselves and lack initiative. According to Hubbard (2010), human sexuality is not natural but a social construction in which children are socialized from birth. Traditionally, family roles were divided according to gender type. Some roles like hunting were solely for men while others like kitchen work was reserved for women and men were regarded as superior than women. Sexism is therefore the belief that one sex (male) is superior to the other (female) hence has the right to dominate almost all aspects of life. Women are discriminated against based on their sex due to gender stereotyping. For example, even with more women acquiring similar education levels as men, women still get absorbed in the lowly paid service sector while men join highly paid sectors such as engineering. Classism refers to the differences that exist between different groups in the society such that the dominant group oppresses the lower classes (Mantiosis 2010). He asserts that the society is divided into the wealthy class, middle class and the poor and acknowledges the fact that a wide gap exists between the rich and the poor in America contrary to a popular myth that America is classless. People inherit classes from birth hence the poor continue being poor as they are trapped in the poverty of their parents. A study on opportunities in higher education conducted by Pell institute showed that low income students never consider advancing their education and those who aspire to join colleges have limited choices (Burd, 2010). Prejudice refers to judgment or opinion based on misinformation. It occurs as a result of information distortion and stereotyping of people by others. According to Tatum (2010), there exists a lot of racial stereotyping where colored people are given various traits which make them an inferior race than the whites. The media has been blamed for much of the misinformation by portraying certain characters as colored during TV shows and videos. Sometimes individuals believe the stereotyping and considered members of their group as possessing the traits depicted. Some groups are more prejudiced than others hence engage in negative stereotyping of others not members of their group. For example, gender stereotyping of women as weaker sex makes them to be discriminated against in all aspects and not be allowed to occupy important positions in business and political arena. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines discrimination as the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on membership in a certain group. It prohibits employers from denying people a chance based on their race, religion, nationality, age, disability among others (EEOC, 2011). Despite the equal opportunity laws in place, discrimination occurs in many life aspects. People tend to favor individuals from their cultural or ethnic background or people of the same sex and social class. Discrimination amounts to racism, sexism and classism and is the basis of oppression of a group by a more dominant group. For example, the disabled are often discriminated against since they are a minority group hence lack essential services. Q2: Race as a Biological and Social Construct The concept of race according to Omi and Winant (2010) emanated from European explorers who found people having different attributes than themselves. Their skin color was different and so was their intellectual capacity as they were living primitively. They began debates on origin of human species as they could not comprehend whether God created different species of human beings. They began to consider themselves as pure and the natives as evil hence emergence of the two different races. However, debate has been going on as to whether race is biological in nature or socially constructed. Biological construction of race implies that the differences between races are inherent in human beings. Human beings are created differently with different inborn traits which distinguish one race from another. The traits are hereditary in nature from one generation to the next. Physical attributes such as skin color provide the most obvious difference between races (Omi & Winant, 2010). For example, the Europeans were white while the natives were black. Intelligence is considered as shaped by hereditary factors hence the blacks were considered as less intelligent than whites due to their race. As a result they were subjected to forced labor and denied their rights. Social scientists on the other hand, argue that race is not biological constructed but socially constructed. People are born equal but the society attaches different meanings to different behaviors hence shaping the race. For example, the society attaches black and white labels to people of different skin colors hence creating racial distinctions. The society also decides who is supposed to be in which race. For example, a person born through intermarriage of a white and a black is considered black or nonwhite (Omi & Winant, 2010). Intelligence in this case is not determined by hereditary factors but is determined by skin color. Race as a social construct is more acceptable as it helps to explain why some people are discriminated against based on their color even though they have the same level of intelligence and other innate attributes. The civil rights Act entitles all individuals to equal opportunities. The Equal Opportunity Commission is also on the forefront in championing equality. Despite various measures to eliminate inequality in the United States, racism is still prevalent due to racial prejudice. The more prejudiced group spreads negative and hateful images of less prejudiced group making them look inferior. In reality the blacks are as good as whites but have internalized the idea that they are less intelligent due to socialization. The blacks thus do not aspire to continue with higher education making it difficult for them to compete effectively in the job market. The society socializes the children into believing that there is a difference between them and other groups of different color hence the idea of race continues to thrive. Q3: Cultural Imperialism, Homophobia, Heterosexism Cultural imperialism refers to the domination of one culture over others. The dominant culture is considered more superior hence is imposed on other cultures through various mediums. For example, the culture of United States has been imposed on almost all nations through globalization. The US controls the traffic of information and ideas all over the world hence influencing other nations in adopting its culture. According to Rothkopf (1997), cultural imperialism can take the form of “general attitude or a formal deliberate policy”. It can be in form of media, ideas or economic imperialism. Cultural influence can be beneficial or can act as threat to the cultural identity of the group on which it is imposed. Cultural imperialism has been able to eliminate cultures of American natives and also of African Americans. These races have adopted the dominant culture of the American people and done away with their indigenous cultures. Homophobia as defined by Pharr (2010) is “a construct utilized by dominant patriarchal system in our society”. It is fear of being associated with prejudiced groups such as the homosexuals hence making one to rethink of his/her sexual orientation. The society is a patriarchy system of dominance and control by the men. The men in the society hold the most powerful roles while the women hold the least powerful roles. Men are also presumed to have the ability to exert control hence are highly regarded in the society and thus given the role of supervising and protecting women (Johnson, 2010). The society is also male centered in that all activities are geared towards ensuring the satisfaction of men or to address their issues. The society as a patriarchal system attaches all value to men and gender relations are supposed to remain stable with men in control. Any change in gender association destabilizes the society and the remedy is to increase control. This encourages sexism and homophobia is used as an effective weapon to ensure sexism thrives (Katz, 2010). Destabilization can be brought about by homosexuality hence homophobia is needed to bring the society to normalcy. For example, women fear to portray behavior out of the norm such as lesbianism as it leads to destabilization and consequently increased control by men hence reconsider their sexual orientation. Men also feel fear and shame when they engage in a relationship with a person of similar sex. They are socialized into being in control due to their masculinity and as a result of gay activity they are unable to remain in control. Heterosexism is a form of discrimination based on sexual orientation. It is socially constructed hence individuals are not expected to behave in a manner that defies the norm. In a society, sex is based on gender roles hence men are superior to women. Men are supposed to have a sexual or love relationship with members of the opposite sex and defying this norm is not acceptable in the society. Lesbians and gay relationships defy this norm hence heterosexism is used to stigmatize those who practice such behaviors (Herek, 2004). The homosexuals fear the stigma thus they are unable to expose their behavior; if they are discovered they are discriminated in all aspects such in jobs. Moreover, in the US there are laws against same sex marriages. The concepts of cultural imperialism, homophobia and heterosexism intersect to bring oppression to those who defy societal norms. The society has a culture of male domination over a woman which supersedes all other gender relationships in the society. Homosexually is seen as a threat to this male dominance culture hence homophobia is used to make the individuals concerned to rethink of their sexual orientation. If they continue with the behavior and it is discovered, heterosexism ensures they are stigmatized and oppressed until they conform to the dominant culture. Homophobia is an individual fear to be associated with behaviors that are out of the norm forcing the individual to reconsider his/her decision while heterosexism is homophobia at a societal level. It entails discrimination and oppression of the non-heterosexual individuals or groups (Herek, 2004). Individuals have to conform to cultural imperialism at the expense of personal affiliations or beliefs instead of isolating themselves. Homophobia forces individuals to change their sexual orientation while heterosexism stigmatizes as well as oppressing the individuals who destabilize gender relations in the society. The individual is thus not able to freely exercise his rights or express himself as he will be stigmatized. Q4: How Jews Became White Folks Brodkin (2010) acknowledges that the success of the Jews was not a product of ability only but also removal of powerful social barriers to its realization. The Jewish community just like other European immigrants was discriminated against by the Americans in all aspects. Anti-Semitism sentiments were labeled against them. Many European immigrants had settled in almost all large cities in America. The industrial revolution brought about class struggles between the immigrant workers and owners hence measures were taken to minimize their numbers. After the economic depression, some were deported and racism entered the picture. Intelligence tests were introduced to kick the immigrants out of the education system but the Jews were very determined and worked very hard to ensure they acquired education. Many techniques were employed to reduced number of Jews in colleges including speech tests but they still excelled. Their advantage was that they came from a manufacturing background which was very necessary at that time unlike other Europeans hence they engaged in employment and small businesses. However, they were discriminated against especially in universities. The Jews also transformed haphazard crime into organized crime which gave them an upward mobility. After World War II powerful social barriers of anti-Semitism and anti-European racism lost meaning hence were removed enabling the Jews to improve on their mobility. Furthermore, they had the necessary skills needed at a time of economic prosperity immediately after the war. The Bill of rights enacted as an affirmative action led to whitening of the Jews and other European immigrants. The GI benefits given to male whites combined with the Jewish abilities and determination enabled them to move up the class ladder and be whitened (39-53). Other oppressed groups such as the African Americans, Asians and Indians did not have the same experience. The Jews migrated to America to search for better opportunities at their own volition while the African Americans were forced to migrate to America through slavery. They therefore worked as slaves in white farms and had no privileges such as access to education or paid employment. They were discriminated against in every aspect and were not allowed to mingle with the whites. However, due to pressure from civil rights movements and abolitionist movements, the slaves were emancipated although they still were discriminated against especially in the south through the black codes. There were protests by the whites and lynching of the blacks by the Ku Klux Klan. Unlike the Jews, the GI benefits after the war were not extended to them neither to women (Brodkin, 2010). The social barriers were not removed for these groups thus were unable to progress. The process of becoming white for the European immigrants began after the World War II although the northwestern Europeans had already been given white status as they were considered as a superior race that other immigrants. After the war, America underwent an economic boom hence needed professionals thus employment of Europeans. The bill of rights was also passed in 1944 that enabled them to have equal opportunities as the Americans. The white males were given GI benefits. They thus could get loans to buy houses through Federal Housing Administration although some racism still existed in distribution of the loans. They were able to advance their education and be absorbed in employment hence acquired same status as the whites (Brodkin, 2010). References Brodkin, K. (2010). How Jews became white. (pp. 38-53) Burd, S. (2010). College choices are limited for students from needy families. (pp. 287-288). EEOC. (2011). Discrimination by Type. Retrieved October 21, 2011, from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/ Frye, M. (2010). “Oppression” The Politics of Reality. Herek, G. (2004). Beyond “Homophobia”: Thinking About Sexual Stigma and Prejudice in the 21st Century. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, Vol.1 (2): 6-24. Hubbard, R. (2010). The social construction of sexuality. (pp. 65-68). Johnson, A.G. (2010). Patriarchy. (pp. 153-162) Katz, J.N. (2010). The invention of heterosexuality. (pp. 68-80). Mantsios, G. (2010). Class in America: Myth and Realities. (pp. 177 - 192). Omi, M., &Winant, H. (2010). Racial formations. (pp. 13-22) Pharr, S. (2010).Homophobia as a weapon of sexism. (pp. 162-172). Rothkopf, D. (1997). “In Praise of Cultural Imperialism’. Foreign Policy, Vol.101. 38-53. Tatum, B. (2010). Defining Racism. “Can We Talk?” . . . Read More