The message in society is that black girls are less attractive and less intelligent than their white counterparts. Stephanie's mother expresses a desire for light complexion in the video. Jenifer's mother has dark complexion and believes that light skin is more beautiful. Those with dark skin are disliked by society because they believe they are unattractive. Most black children prefer to play with white dolls rather than dark dolls.
Education is the most effective strategy to strengthen minority groups' social identity and self-esteem. According to social identity theory, a person's sense of self is determined by their membership in a group (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). The society can influence the mental process of evaluating others through education. Black children should be educated on their values, and they should learn to love their skin and appreciate their unique identity.
The individuals in this video are in the third stage of social identity, social comparison. They have categorized themselves as Black and identify with the white people. Tajfel & Turner (1979), state that two groups who identify themselves as rivals compete to maintain self-esteem. The individuals are fighting for an identity.
Question Two
The fear of the Chinese man at the counter is that the young black boy is dangerous. The old woman at the shop judge the boy based on the idea that black people have been to jail, are gangsters and can steal. It is easy to make up their minds about the boy because of his race.
The best way to alter stereotypes and prejudices in situations such as the one in the film is to treat people as individuals. The old woman and the middle aged Chinese man should have treated the boy as a person instead of judging him by his race.
The first stage of social identity, social categorization is relevant to the characters in this video. According to Tajfel & Turner (1979), the first stage is where people are assigned to a category to make it easier to understand them. The young boy belongs to the black social class, and the middle aged man is Chinese. Stereotypes of black community associate the young boy with criminal activities while stereotypes of middle aged Chinese men associate him with Buddhism.
Question Three
Structural racism is the legitimate and regular practice of creating barriers based on race and cultures and implementing policies that promote racial practices. Therefore, this definition implies that racists are decision makers, political leaders, and religious leaders (Sindic & Condor, 2014). Structural racism focuses on the macro level systems and processes that generate racial segregation and inequality.
Structural racism can only change with the change in policy. The agents of this change include electorates who vote in racists. Civil rights groups should educate the voters on the need to have the right leaders (Sindic & Condor, 2014). The media including the internet should point out systems affected by racism to help the public make an informed choice about their institutions.
Ageism is stereotyping against an individual or group of people because of their age. It could happen in a system such as recruitment processes of an organization (Chonody & Teater, 2016). However, it can result from individuals who discriminate against seniors.
The best way to raise my consciousness regarding biases and prejudice is to interact with different people. According to Stets & Burke (2000), socially constructed thinking can change when one adopts a new membership. Biases and prejudice about race, age, and religion can change when one interacts with people from different religious beliefs, cultural practices, and age. It is also important to understand the unique individual characters.
References
Chonody, J. M., & Teater, B. (2016). Why do I dread looking old?: A test of social identity theory, terror management theory, and the double standard of aging. Journal of women & aging, 28(2), 112-126.
Sindic, D., & Condor, S. (2014). Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorisation Theory. In The Palgrave handbook of global political psychology (pp. 39-54). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Stets, J. E., & Burke, P. J. (2000). Identity theory and social identity theory. Social psychology quarterly, 224-237.
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. The social psychology of intergroup relations?, 33, 47.
