The Paradox of Ethnic Equality - Essay Example

? This paper discusses the major points raised by Ferdinand Sutterluty (ND) in a paper en d ‘The Paradox of Ethnic Equality.’ First and foremost,the paper notes that western democracies during the contemporary period have moved from the notion of ethnic equality to a social system that is characterised by collective self determination. In other words, ethnicity is created and it is used to suppress other people who do not belong to that particular group. This is illustrated in the above mentioned paper where it can be noted that Germany which is bound by ethnic equality uses negative connotations to criticise the upward mobile members of the Turkish community. Societies are slowly diverging from the concept of social equality on the premise of ethnicity. There are currently a lot of social inequalities that exist in many societies and these are based on ethnic differences. However, such inequalities have often come under criticism since they encourage discrimination of other social groups on the basis of superiority of other ethnic groups. In most cases, members of the emigrant groups are often denigrated and looked down upon by the native groups in certain societies on the basis of ethnicity. However, such denigration can restrict other ethnic groups’ chances of acquiring material goods, participation in national politics as well as access to viable social relations. However, the question that begs an answer is that: Do people who denigrate others on the basis of ethnicity reject the described norms of equality as a matter of principle or whether they only suspend them dependent on situation. This study in question has shown that the Turkish are often stigmatized as a result of their ethnicity. The successful Turkish business people are mostly targeted individuals. The Turkish people who are also active in politics are targeted by the Germans and they are often stigmatized on the basis of their ethnicity. The other reason why they are stigmatised is that they are seen as expropriating the wealth that belongs to the Germans. Research has shown that immigrants to German are often looked down upon on the basis of ethnicity though they are better educated than native people (Kogan, 2010). However, there have been some measures put in order to rectify this anomaly. For instance, the basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz f€ur die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) has been incorporated into the General Equal Treatment Act and this entails that all the people in German should treat each other as equal regardless of aspects such as ethnicity or race. It has been observed that foreigners especially the Turkish are disadvantaged when it comes to securing white collar employment. Thus, a holistic approach has to be taken in order to address the issue of foreigners since they are also entitled to secure employment of their choice regardless of their ethnicity. The article by Kogan (2010) is insightful in as far as analysing the issue of ethnic inequality is concerned in German. In the case of German given above, it can be seen that the upward Turkish people are denigrated as a result of the fact that they are successful business people. It can also be seen that they are denigrated by virtue of their ethnicity. However, the aspect of ethnicity should not be used as a vehicle to discriminate other people since this is against the spirit of equality that is enshrined in different international conventions to human rights. Some measures have been implemented in order to address the issue of racial discrimination of foreigners in German. For instance, the Immigration Act is one piece of legislation that is designed to protect the foreigners working in this country (Ginsburg, 2006). Though efforts have been made to address the issue of inequality in German, it can be seen that foreigners still face problems of integration in this particular country. However, whilst there is no one who can challenge the principle of fundamental equality, it can be seen that some people in other sectors of the society often look down upon other people as a result of the fact that they hail from different ethnic groups. There is no person who can come out openly challenging the principle of structural integration where everyone has equal access to natural resources but it can be seen that the notion of racism on the basis of ethnicity is often insinuated in different sectors of the society by other people who are mainly concerned with maintaining their dominance over other people. Thus, the normative principle of ethnic equality only exists on surface while in reality it does not exist as envisaged by all the people. This is paradoxical since other people are affected by ethnic inequality while there is a general feeling that all people are equal as stated by the normative principle of equality. In order to address the aspect of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, it can be seen that the government has a responsibility of enacting laws that are meant to protect the rights of people. The government has the power to implement laws in full force that are meant to protect the interests of all the people. For instance, the government has put some measures that are meant to uplift the social welfare of the foreigners through providing grants and other social amenities (Adema, Gray & Kah, 2003). Regardless of ethnicity or colour, it can be seen that there is need for the government to protect the rights of all the people under its jurisdiction so that they are not violated. In some cases, discrimination may be indirect but somehow, it affects the targeted people and this is the main reason why it has to be addressed. Over and above, it can be seen that the aspect of ethnic equality is not challenged directly but it exists in certain sectors of the society. A critical analysis of the study mentioned above shows that the upward Turkish people have been targets of stigmatization in German as a result of their success in business. This primordial idea does not reveal itself on the surface though it exists. This kind of discrimination is not advocated since it negatively impacts on other people who are supposed to enjoy equal access to natural resources hence the need for people in different societies to revisit the concept of ethnic inequality. References Adema, W, Gray, D & Kah,S, 2003, Labour Market And Social Policy Occasional Papers - No.58 Social Assistance In Germany. Ginsburg, N 2006, Multicultural, Multiethnic Germany: A Case Study, unpublished. Kogan, I 2010, New Immigrants — Old Disadvantage Patterns? Labour Market Integration of Recent Immigrants into Germany, International Migration Vol. 49 (1) 2011. Read More