Understanding Race Writing Assignment

July 21st, 2020

Race, in biological terms, is defined in terms of skin tone, facial structure, and even

geographical region. In America, we may believe we differentiate racial groups based on their

biological traits and outward appearance. However, as many sociologists have argued, our racial

viewpoints root in society’s construction of race, rather than its scientific foundation. The social

construction of race manifests race as a social construct. In other words, the way in which society

separates and interacts with racial groups is dependent on society’s understanding of what

defines race; social constructs identify these categories and generalize groups that consist of a

certain appearance, which are usually created to justify racism and racist attitudes. The American

understanding of a ‘black person’ may be entirely different than the Brazilian or Colombian

understanding of being black. Therefore, racial groups and their identities vary across cultures

and nations due to the social construction of race. To symbolic interactionists, our racial

definitions serve as a major component of one’s identity: how we define ourselves certainly

affects the formal and personal treatment we receive (i.e. affirmative action or our primary social

groups). Additionally, symbolic interactionists perceive social constructions of race as a platform

for racism. Personal qualities or stigmas we may associate with a socially defined race creates

generalizations and prejudices that isolate racial groups. Again, this also serves as a justification

for racial practices and allows dominant groups to maintain power over minorities. Many

Americans, based on our racial social constructs, view citizens having any ethnic ancestry other

than white as a member of a minority racial group. This being said, the child of an Asian woman

and a white male is seen as Asian rather than white, categorizing biracial Americans as
minorities. Even though some individuals share equal amounts of white and ‘ethnic’ blood, they

are associated with the subordinate group over the dominant, manifesting the ideology of socially

constructed race.

The separation and identification of different racial groups strengthens bonds between

these communities, but simultaneously makes room for forms of discrimination and segregation

in communities. Racism is a result of numerous factors, such as orientalism or historical

conquests, but ultimately originates in the isolation and stereotyping of a racial group to justify

unethical or immoral practices (i.e. slavery). Prejudice, racism, and discrimination are linked

forms of racial stereotyping, each differing in extremity and impact. Prejudice, which may be the

least damaging, consists of the initial attitudes, ideas, or beliefs an individual may associate with

a racial group, despite their knowledge of its validity. Although we do not like to admit it, many

of us hold innate prejudices against certain minority groups as a result of our socialization and

the media’s perception of that race. For example, if I were standing alone in a parking lot and

notice a black man walking across the street, I may become paranoid and skeptical because I

associate black males with crime, which may be a result of the media’s flaunting of black

criminality. Prejudice is also created when certain racial groups are defined as superior relative

to others. Unlike discrimination, taking action against a racial group based on these

prejudgements is not considered prejudice. Racism, which is considered a stronger and more

extreme form of prejudice, exhibits the beliefs a person may hold of a racial group to justify their

racial superiority - which ultimately creates the disadvantages associated with subordinate

groups. Institutional racism is the idea that a whole society or societal institutions holds negative

prejudices against a group to assert their dominance. Racist organizations, including the
Neo-Confederate Organization and the (most obviously) Ku Klux Klan, preach white supremacy

and identify blacks as incapable or inferior, exemplifying racism. Additionally members of a

predominantly white neighborhood may not enroll their children in multicultural schools,

creating schools that are unaffordable in minority communities, to assert their ‘intellectual’

dominance. Practicing racism can make discrimination a reality, in which people actively act

upon racist prejudices to isolate and harm subordinate groups. Discrimination does not just apply

to race; discrimination affects multiple social groups due to factors such as age, gender,

sexuality, and race. Because the definition of discrimination is incredibly broad, it can take place

in a variety of forms. While basic human rights denied to Jews in the Holocaust or slaves in

colonial America is obviously discriminatory, other day to day actions and subtle laws also

exemplify discrimination. For example, laws in place that punish crack users much more harshly

than cocaine users (in which typically more blacks use crack and more whites smoke cocaine)

are indirectly discriminatory in that they put blacks at a disadvantage. Furthermore, voting rights

denied to citizens of color or access to jobs denied to homosexuals is also an example of

discrimination.

Throughout this lesson, we’ve identified that many social groups have a specific racial

foundation or make up, and dominant groups tend to have power over subordinate groups due to

racist actions and discrimination. There is a wide spectrum of intergroups relations that exhibit

how two racially different groups may treat one another, which is based on tolerance and respect

for certain groups. To begin, genocide is easily considered the most extreme and harmful type of

intergroup relationships. A genocide is an intentional destruction or annahilation of a social

group to assert dominance and ‘preserve communities.’ Some genocides, however, are described
as intentional, yet served the function of annihilating a specific social group. The Armenian

Genocide, which took place around World War I, was the deliberate killing of 1.5 million

Armenians by the Turks, motivated by racist attitudes. Both the Holocaust and the Armenian

Genocide demonstrate examples of obviously intentional genocides, but other obscure forms of

annahilation take place. For example, European conquest in America caused the death of

millions of Native Americans, which to this day is not known as intentional or unintentional.

Expulsion, which is another discriminatory form of intergroup relations, is the forced removal of

a minority group led by a majority group. Even though European conquest in America is viewed

as a genocide, colonial laws and bills forcing natives out of their territories or land is an example

of expulsion. Another example includes American removal of Japanese citizens from their

homes to internment camps during World War II. Segregation, also considered discriminatory

and similar to expulsion, is the separation or forced divide between two social groups on the

lines of racist and discriminatory attitudes. Segregation can occur in the workforce, communal

life, and in everyday facilities. The separation of black and white students in public schools due

to race before the Civil Rights Movement is considered a form of segregation. Assimilation,

which tends to be viewed as a more positive intergroup relationship, refers to the idea that a

member of a minority group reassess their identity by adopting dominant group social norms and

abandoning their minority group traditions and values. An immigrant Arabic female assimilates

to American culture by purchasing clothes from American-run stores and giving up traditionally

arabic or religious apparel. Finally, pluralism and amalgamation are related forms of intergroup

relationships. Pluralism illustrates a culture as a “salad bowl”: many cultures are combined in a

single area, representing aspects of their traditions and adding to the culture of the main society.
Many of us see America as a plural society, as we celebrate Mexican holidays such as Cinco de

Mayo while also recognizing Chinese New Year and St. Patrick’s Day. Pluralism is an extremely

idealistic view of society, much like amalgamation, yet is very hard to achieve since many of us

hold prejudices and racist attitudes making acceptance achievable. Amalgamation is the idea that

when cultures come together, they mix and form a new, unique culture. Usually, these two

groups consist of a minority and a majority group, preventing inequalities and harmful

differences between two races. This can be achieved through interracial marriage or wide

acceptance of cultural norms to create new, equal ones. In the United States, the Supreme Court

Case ​Loving vs. Virginia​ legalized interracial marriage, allowing America to embrace an

amalgamated society.