Racism is an act of discrimination directed to a specific group of people based on the idea that a certain race is more superior to the other, it is a belief that each individual belonging to each race should at least possess qualities to that particular race so that it can provide a distinction to whether it is superior or inferior to other races. In the contemporary society, racism is depicted as an attitude that assumes one is inferior because of their skin color. Racism comes in form of intimidation and harassment to even violence. Racism may exclude people from getting access to services that members of other race can access. Some might even miss employment due to their color despite being qualified for that particular job (Clair, Matthew, and Jeffrey 2015).
Why it is considered sociological
What it means to be “white” “black” “Latin” or “Asian” is defined in relation to culture, date, and location making a race a social combination of several factors. Precisely, we all have a specific racial group regardless of whether we acknowledge it or not, this is because race poses an idea of physical traits and thus reflects what those in powers think about us with little consideration on how we see ourselves. Further, the meaning of these levels have changed over time but what remains constant is, White people thus the light-skinned will always be in the top in hierarchy followed by the non-indigenous people and the blacks at the bottom. However, social means by which groups are categorized varies depending on social and political forces. The fact that lighter skinned are more privileged; they are a facet of colonialism in many countries which has made them be richer through capitalism (Clair, Matthew, and Jeffrey 2015).
Important sociological ideas/concepts to this topic
According to functionalist theory, for a race and ethnic relations to function and bring stability to a society, racial and ethnic minorities should incorporate into that particular society. By incorporation, the minority group should be part of the dominant society socially, economically and culturally. The assimilation view assumes that to be a member of a dominant society, one should adopt some of that society’s cultural values and beliefs particularly language, codes of conduct and means of survival to make them fit that society and be with other members freely (Meer and Nayak, 2015).
Additionally, it is important to note that, social interaction is important towards reducing ethnic hostility among people of different races and ethnic origins. Nonetheless, it is important to note that, only individuals with equal status should come in contact t avoid conflicts. People with similar class and standards will always meet at similar places making it easier to interact as they will be reading from the same page.
My opinion on racism
Overlooking the issue of racism will be pointless because it still exists in our society. I believe that racism has made people experience citizenship in multiple ways, opportunities and capabilities of the citizens do not receive equal treatment and the issues of egalitarian justice is not implemented and it is supposed to be. Racism has fractured the aspect of common nationhood and divided people into different societies; this largely explains why there are differences in schooling, workplace opportunities, and treatments.
While the society today is happy to appreciate people of different colors and embrace diversity, there are many people who view other races as their threat and the consequences of such kind of intolerance can cause adverse effects. On a personal level, racism can lead to poor attitudes, offensive thoughts and outburst, on a governmental scale, racism can lead to bigger consequences like discrimination in judicial systems, unethical behaviors, and moral upheaval (Meer and Nayak, 2015).
What the society can do
Racism has been adopted as a system that marks certain groups of people for unequal treatment based of physiological differences; nonetheless, the society can shun the system by standing against the rhetoric that elevates the stereotypes in the society. While it is the nature of humanity to recognize certain societal designs that guarantee a useful expedient in social interaction, it is important to recognize the effects of these patterns that lead to discrimination and prejudice. Therefore, the society should be at the forefront of checking that their interaction patterns do not exclude people of different colors and religion, there should be no point where an individual becomes intolerant even for the sake of humor (Meer and Nayak, 2015).
Additionally, the society can fight against racism by being conscious of the media content. Media is one of the channels that represent stereotypical issues in the world. Without much consideration, people can find themselves associating a group of people to certain things based on commercials, news items, and roles in films. There is a need for the society to differentiate realities from what the media portrays as well as detaching certain situations to a generalized group of people.
Why this is topic important in the study of sociology
Generally, racism is an attitude and a belief which assumes that a certain group of people is inferior based on their consequent physical appearance, religion, and ethnicity. Racism is, therefore, an important aspect of sociology since it gives a justification on matters of segmenting humans into groups of inclusivity and exclusivity; this in itself is a process of power and superiority. For example, a person’s skin color is deemed biologically superior or inferior. So generally, in seeing a skin color we stop seeing it as whether it’s black, white or indigenous but rather we start making judgments based on biological fixed identity and such identities are linked to specific traits and characteristics.
References
Clair, Matthew, and Jeffrey S. Denis (2015):. "Racism, sociology of." International Encyclopedia of the Social " Behavioral Sciences 857-863.
Meer, N., " Nayak, A. (2015). Race ends where? Race, racism and contemporary sociology. Sociology, 49(6), NP3-NP20.
