Discrimination: Racism and Sexism - Essay Example

? Discrimination: Racism and Sexism Most democratic countries uphold the value of equality among citizens and strive to provide equal opportunities to them. Unfortunately, this ideal is often difficult to uphold at all times, particularly in multicultural communities. People of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds may find it difficult to understand the choices and needs of each other and thus, may misjudge people with different beliefs, needs and perspectives. Such misunderstandings sometimes translate into negative attitudes and behaviors about people from different backgrounds (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). People within a community share a number of physical and behavioral traits that could make them distinctive and could help others in identifying the group with which they affiliate. When people have little or no knowledge about the customs and values of members of other groups, or when they do not know an individual personally, they often identify that person by their group membership. (Lott, 2010) This membership may be to an ethnic, cultural, political or other group. When a person is indentified purely by their group membership and no attempt is made to understand or know them further, stereotyping occurs. Although stereotypes function as cognitive heuristics, they can lead to prejudiced opinions about others (Hall, 2005). Discrimination Discrimination occurs when prejudiced thoughts translate into action (Hall, 2005). Discriminatory behavior is behavior that is directed towards a person simply because they belong to a particular group and not because of any actions or thoughts of their own. Discrimination can occur in a number of situations and can affect the lives of the recipient significantly (Hall, 2005). Classical discrimination occurs when an individual receives a particular type of treatment from another person simply due to their group membership (Hall, 2005). This could include neglecting the individual, minimizing their troubles and problems, viewing their work with suspicion and attributing their victories to external rather than internal factors (Lott, 2010). Discrimination takes on political attributes when it serves the purpose of maintaining a sense of superiority over another group. This kind of discrimination is visible and often people admit to it openly. Such Overt discrimination is often based on attitudes that play down the strengths of others (Hall, 2005). Typical examples would be the use of opinions that portray people of a particular ethnic community or sex in a weak light with respect to a given task. Racism Discrimination amongst persons simply due to their group membership is often frowned upon. Yet it happens more often than most people believe. Often, discrimination occurs covertly, and the individual may not be conscious of discriminating among people (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). Racism is the most blatant example of discrimination, as well as the best understood. Although there are laws against racism in most countries, it is difficult to claim that racism can be fully eradicated (Lott, 2010). The most obvious form of racism is an overt or blatant racism that uses superficial differences to assume significant differences between groups without supporting data (Hall, 2005). An individual who holds blatantly racist views is often likely to agree that they have these thoughts, and may also find them justifiable. Typical examples of these are race based segregation and choosing a person to fill a position based on their ethnic and racial affiliations. Not all racism is as obvious or easy to understand, especially since the person who holds these racist views may not be aware of them. One such type of racism is aversive racism wherein the individual refuses to accept that they hold racist views and may justify their choices using different value systems (Hall, 2005). Such individual are often unconscious about their racist views, and may simultaneously hold strong views against racism. When they discriminate against someone, they may attribute their actions to other factors like the person’s (non - racial) background, education, affiliations, and such other factors (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). Another unconscious form of racism is Symbolic racism. An individual who holds unconscious racist attitudes may make conscious choices to provide equal treatment to all irrespective of their race, but may transfer their negative attitudes onto related targets (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). A typical example is of an individual who takes care to not be racist, but is against affirmative action that provides a stepping stone to disadvantaged groups. It is often difficult to identify such racism, especially when the actions in question are a source of controversy in any way. A more conscious form of racism is Ambivalent Racism, in which the individual holds negative attitudes about a racial group, but attributes their negativity to non-racial factors (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). Stereotypes play a strong role in ambivalent racism. For example, such an individual would not condone firing someone because they belong to a particular race; but would condone firing that individual because they dress in a particular way (which is a part of their culture). Sexism An equally prevalent and perhaps more difficult issue is that of sexism. Sexism occurs when an individual receives a particular treatment because they are male or female (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). Sexism is often difficult to detect and even more difficult to respond to. Traditionally, boys and girls are given different kinds of clothes and toys, and provides with different role models. Social norms and etiquette often require men and women to be treated differently in a number of situations. These differences stem from an expectation that men and women have different needs and abilities. Often these expectations and attitudes are based more in socio-political stereotypes and less in facts (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). When opinions and behaviors are led by these stereotypes, sexism occurs (Hall, 2005). Although men and women both experience sexism, the political movements against sexism have focused on sexism against women as women are more likely to receive discrimination based on sex while men are more likely to receive preferential treatment based on sex (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). Sexist attitudes are pervasive and can be found in all ethnic groups (Lott, 2010). Statements like “It’s a man’s / woman’s job”, “Man of the house” and “a woman’s place is in the kitchen” are obvious examples of sexism, but less obvious examples like the emphasis on the differences between men and women in literature and media also reinforce sexist attitudes. While sexism is deeply rooted in stereotypes, not all these stereotypes are negative ones (Lott, 2010). The best known examples of sexist statements represent Hostile sexism (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005) which depicts women as lesser than men in a number of ways. This includes assuming them less able, les efficient and less capable of demonstrating the ‘preferred’ traits. Other forms of sexism are based in positive stereotypes and can often be mistaken as non sexist attitudes. Typical examples of such Benevolent Sexism include statements like “women are better nurturers” and “women are precious and need to be protected” (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). Statements like these seem to be positive, but they make sweeping generalizations that are as stereotypical and thus, as likely to be flawed as negative statements. Benevolent sexism is as likely to be used to trivialize the competencies of women as hostile sexism, yet it is often more difficult to challenge. Often, people are likely to hold both, hostile and benevolent attitudes that are based on sexist stereotypes. Such people may experience ambivalent sexism (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005), wherein they hold positive and negative attitudes towards a person based simply on gender. Effects of Discrimination Discrimination can adversely affect an individual regardless of the basis for discrimination. People of color and women are often considered less competent for a number of high power positions, and may miss out on opportunities due to their group affiliations. Their actions and efforts are often trivialized, and they are more likely to receive blame as compared to persons of white skin and men (Lott, 2010). Often, discrimination leads to an individual receiving less pay for equal work. This still happens in many parts of the world, where women are paid less than men per unit of work (Lott, 2010). Social consequences of discrimination are visible when communities that are supposed to receive equal treatment are compared. America ranks differently on the Human Development Index based on the community that is considered, with Caucasian groups showing a higher rank than any colored community (Kwantes, Bergeron, & Kaushal, 2005). There are a greater percentage of non-Caucasian Americans below the poverty line and more women are the receiving end of violent crimes as compared to men (Lott, 2010). Thus, these individuals find out more difficult to be as self-sufficient and may have to take lower paid positions and may feel restricted in the amount of growth they can experience. They are also more likely to need assistance in adjusting to their challenges (Lott, 2010). An individual who is constantly discriminated against is likely to develop a low self esteem and may develop negative attitudes about themselves. Individuals and groups may experience cultural paranoia and depression (Hall, 2005). Cultural paranoia is exhibited in a reluctance to exhibit any behavior or admit to any thoughts that may trigger a racist or sexist stereotype (Hall, 2005). People may be concerned about being misunderstood, taken advantage of, or hurt in some way if they share such information, and may go to great lengths to hide it. They may also experience depressive symptoms that are associated with the behavior that they receive due to their group affiliations the consequent loss of lower that they experience. Some individuals may exhibit antisocial behavior or attitudes in an attempt to defend themselves from discrimination on the basis of race or gender (Hall, 2005). Conclusion While discrimination is an undesirable truth, it needs to be acknowledged. While most discrimination is unwitting and may not be meant with malicious intent, it has the potential to inhibit the healthy and all round development of a person who receives it (Lott, 2010). It is important to understand the stereotypes and prejudices that lead to discriminatory behavior against people based on their gender of racial affiliation and to replace these with more inclusive attitudes in order to help in the development of not only individuals, but of communities and countries as a whole. References  Hall, L.E. (2005). Dictionary of multicultural psychology: Issues, terms, and concepts. California: Sage. Kwantes, C.T., Bergeron, S., & Kaushal, R. (2005). Applying Social Psychology to Diversity. In Schnider, F.W., Gruman, J.A., and Coutts, L.M. (Ed.s). Applied Social Psychology. London: Sage Publications. Lott, B.E. (2010). Multiculturalism and diversity: A social psychological perspective. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Read More