The Issue of Racism in the United States
The United States is one of many nations that still faces prejudice as a problem. Despite the fact that racism is illegal, minority groups in the United States continue to experience racism on the receiving end of it. In fact, there are reported instances of racism every day, and African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans are the main victims. The minority groups were concerned that Donald Trump's victory would worsen their circumstances. Their worst fears came true when some of his supporters began using racism against minority groups after his election. In the U.S, racism is not limited to any place as it happens in schools, shopping outlets, in the criminal justice system, and at the workplace. Although the perpetrators are well aware of the consequences of racial discrimination, they continue to commit the crime, and some are lucky to get away. It is therefore ideal that every American understands that racism exists in the current society and make their unique contribution to address the issue. An application of various sociological theories can aid in understanding how racism can be addressed.
Sociological Perspectives on Racism
Sociology offers a number of explanations when it comes to the issue of racism. According to Claire and Denis (2015), sociology has aided in coming up with new forms of racism that are prevalent in the contemporary world. There has been a gradual decline in racist attitudes in the U.S, but sociological perspectives helps one understand that this does not mean an end to racism as many people are still struggling with the issue. One of the newest form of racism that has been identified in sociological perspective of the issue of laissez-faire racism whereby minority racial groups are accused of the problems they face. At the same time sociological perspectives such as social stratification can help in identifying the underlying causes of the issue of racism in the U.S. sociological perspective can also help in framing the issue of racism in institutions such as schools where the issue if prevalent. African Americans and Hispanics have been the target of bullies.
Sociological Theories on Racism
According to Andersen and Taylor (2007), there are two categories of sociological theories that explain why prejudice, discrimination and other forms of racism exist. The first category entails sociological theories regarding the types of racism such as institutional racism and discrimination. The second form entails social psychological theories regarding prejudice. Notably, the two psychological theories about prejudice include the scapegoat theory as well as the theory of authoritarian personality. The scapegoat theory reinforces the idea that historically, individuals- of the dominant group in America have held many frustrations in their desire to attain social as well as economic success. Due to the constraints, they channel their anger in the form of aggression which is directed to some kind of substitute for the original perception of the frustration. Therefore, members of the minority groups become the substitutes, as in scapegoats. The psychological principle that aggression comes after frustration is dominant to the scapegoat principle. For instance, a white individual who concludes that he was denied a job because of the large number of African Americans or Mexican immigrants being allowed to come into the country, will be utilizing these minority groups as scapegoats.
The second theory underlines that people who possess an authoritarian personality are more likely to be prejudiced against minority groups than the non-authoritative people. The authoritarian personality is featured by a habit to submit authority to traditionally categorize other individuals, as well as the likelihood to resign to authority, become intolerant to ambiguity, as well as become inclined to superstition. Therefore, an authoritative individual is more likely to stereotype and categorize an individual thus readily putting members of certain minority groups into convenient as well as oversimplified stereotypes. Therefore, a white male authoritarian is more likely to stereotype every female as emotional as well as illogical and all Mexicans as naturally violent. The minorities may also show such tendencies towards stereotyping if they are authoritative in nature.
Functionalism and Symbolic Interaction Theory
The functionalist theory maintains that for race and ethnic aspects to be functional to community and thus promote to the harmonious behavior as well as stability of the community, then, racial as well as ethnic minorities, and females, ought to assimilate into the community. Andersen and Taylor highlight that assimilation is the process through which a minority becomes socially, culturally, as well as economically absorbed to the common society. The first level is to accumulate languages, mannerisms as well as objectives for success of the main society consequently, giving up one’s own culture. Notably, assimilation stands in contrast to the racial, cultural pluralism, the maintenance as well as persistence of one’s culture, mannerisms and practices.
The symbolic interaction theory, on the other hand, reinforces two main aspects which include, the responsibility of social interaction in discouraging racial and ethnic hostility and how race, as well as ethnicity, are social constructs. The contact theory argues that interaction between the whites and minorities will reduce prejudice on the part of both factions but only when certain conditions are fulfilled. The contact ought to be between people of equal status, they must socialize on an equal platform (Brinkerhoff, Ortega, & Weitz, 2016). For instance, a wealthy white woman who employs an African American lady may interact, however, their relationship may not reduce prejudice because of their individual status. The contact between the equals should be maintained. Social norms favoring equality should also be maintained by the participants for prejudice to be reduced. Lastly, the conflict theory argues that conflict is a natural as well as a fundamental part of societal relationships. Therefore, racial and ethnic conflicts are connected to class conflict as well as conflict’s theorists assert that class inequality ought to be reduced to curb racial and ethnic conflict in the world.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the U.S still struggles with the issue of racism even through steps have been taken to address the issue. An analysis of the problem from a sociological perspective implies that people can understand the issue and how it personally impacts them. A number of sociological theories can be applied to the issue of racism in the U.S. These theories include functionalism and psychological which give different perspectives into different sociology issues. An understanding of these theories can provide one with a background on how to address the issue of racism. The theories can also be applied in areas such as the criminal justice system, which has often been accused of racism to make informed decisions that will address the issue. In general, racism in the U.S is still a hotly contested issue, and sociology can help people to better comprehend the problem.
References
Brinkerhoff, D. B., Ortega, S. T., & Weitz, R. (2013). Essentials of sociology. Cengage Learning.
Clair, M., & Denis, J. (2015). Sociology of racism. The International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2nd Edn. Oxford: Elsevier.
Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2007). Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society, Updated. Cengage Learning.
