Race, Ethnicity, And Gender

In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Mayella Ewell is the conflict of the story. To challenge herself to see if she is powerful based on class, gender, and race. Mayella is powerful due to her race; however, she would not be powerful due to her class and gender. One might think she is powerful over all; however, she does not have power in the eyes of some readers. Proceeding on to see if Mayella has power in race.

Race and gender are two important terms in society that define us. However, they lead to inequality among individuals. "Race is a socially defined category based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people" (Ferris and Stein 216). It is based off our biological makeup that distinct us from others (Ferris and Stein). Many people do not know the actual term of race, how deeply rooted it is, or where it derived from, but it all works in one form. Race goes a long way from how you may appear to someone. Just because someone looks a certain race does not mean they will not have inevitably biological material from other races. It is very diverse between many different populations. Race does not identify who you are but what social category you are from. Gender is how you physically appear in society. "Gender is the physical, behavior, and personality traits that a group considers to be normal, natural, right, and good for its male and female members" (Ferris and Stein 243). It is the identity of masculine and feminine. Gender identifies who we are and it reflects deeply on a person's personality. They normally change over time from the assigned sex given at birth. Society has its way of discriminating between race and gender and it shows differences distributed among individuals.

How did race, gender or class evolve in America in economic and social terms? Was race or class most important in shaping Colonial America and how do they interact today? Has the very idea of 'Class ' become almost synonymous with race (or ethnicity)?

Race, gender, and social class has several implications in the United States and how it shapes policy and perceptions of those who live in poverty. Current welfare systems are not perfect, and capitalistic policies do not work as intended to solve income inequalities. Given this, we will discuss social inequalities and capitalism, the welfare system, and propose two policies that solves welfare, and social and income inequalities.

I would like to focus my response to the reading in Gabbidon & Greene, Chapter 1, generally around the idea of social construction. Furthermore, I would like to specially provide responses to discussion questions number one and two as posed in the conclusion of chapter one. Discussion question number one asks to “Explain the origin of race and its implications for race and crime.” Discussion question number two asks “Do you believe there are distinct races?” I will also provide perspective on issues surrounding the term “minorities”.

Intersectionality is the practice (law) of looking at the overlap of a gender and race regarding an individual. In most practices before intersectionality it was common practice in law to group a gender together or an one race together in belief that they all had the same struggle and searched for the same outcome. Which was misguided and instead of handling one gender or race for instance (black people as a whole) looking at someone 's gender and race as a package (black women not just all women).

I would like to discuss the issue of race and ethnicity in sports. We will also explore the bigger questions. How much does race and ethnicity matter in the sports world? Are certain races dominant in certain sports? Is there a difference in how we treat players based on race and ethnicity? Does it matter? I would like to answer some of these questions and gain a better understanding of how much of a part they play.

When registering for classes for the Spring semester I looked at the required courses that I had to take based on my major. I then came across one of them which was Social Issues. The title intrigued me, so I decided to fit it into my schedule. I felt that the course would be interesting and be an enjoyable class to take. I had an idea of what the course would be about, but when I walked into the first class I was surprised how much the course would actually be covering in terms of race, class, and gender.

How you do in school, your social ability, and your awareness of others are all guided by how you identify. Identification in one’s gender, race, religion, social class, and ethnicity are all driving forces behind your future self. Identity is a crucial part of who you are, and in recent studies and experimentation researchers have been trying to identify new, untested factors that influence behavior in people. Although, in the past there hasn’t been a strong focus on the positive and negative effects of race and ethnicity, the conversation is now shifting to align itself with the current times. With America becoming increasingly more ethnically and racially diverse, we must take the time to see how certain factors, specifically race and ethnicity, impact a person’s development and behavior.

Many of the results from the interview varied not only based on race, class and gender, but also from individual to individual. No matter what race or gender you are, a friend or family member different from you can have the same opinions, or in this case, some of the same answers to general life questions. I believe that these interview questions should not just be based on the race, class, and gender, but also the individuals themselves. From these questions and answers, one can get a true sense of a human being’s personality. Through the questions that I asked, I believe that I was able to gain an understanding of who the person was based on their answers and not just their race and gender.

Race, gender and class defines our experience. Studies have shown that, even though, these three aspects define who we are, they are interwoven. Each of these three aspects affects our decisions which could be either positive or negative. Class, race and gender as an individual is determined by our parents and If any of these changes, it would automatically change every aspect of the individual.

Race, ethnicity, religion, class, sexual orientation, ability, and gender have all impacted my life in ways beyond my total comprehension. However, I can begin to identify some of the notable interactions and effects and discuss the ways in which they might present themselves in my teaching practices. I am a White, European American, Christian, and heterosexual female without a medically ascribed disability. I can say that ultimately (and unfortunately) my cultural and physical identity is considered normative within the United States and has placed me on a path of privilege and power. Throughout my life, though, I have been fortunate to encounter other cultural groups in very meaningful ways. My international, religious, and family experiences have shaped my worldview most notably.

Most people in our society believe the common misconception that race and ethnicity are synonymous. Race and ethnicity are related, but are not equivalent. Race by definition means “a socially constructed category of people who share a biologically transmitted trait that members of society consider important” (Macionis 296). Ethnicity by definition means “a shared cultural heritage” (Macionis 298). In shorter terms, race is social physical appearance, while ethnicity is the cultural aspect. Social conflation of these two terms is important to me because society often mistakes ethnicity and race for the other or just considers it as one. This is relevant to me because I have dealt with this issue has come up quite a few times in my life. Racially and socially, I appear to be a “White” or “Caucasian” female, but ethnically I am Mexican and this is relevant because of the confusion between Race and Ethnicity people do not understand or are confused. People usually are a bit confused or shocked when they hear this. Their response is always somewhere along the lines of “You can’t be Mexican. You’re white.” or “But you’re white.” I may not “look” Mexican because I do not have dark hair or skin, but I am Mexican: my mother is from Mexico, and we visit when we get the opportunity, which is maybe once every year. I am familiar with the Mexican culture and I am able to speak somewhat decent Spanish. Most of American and Mexican society (possibly other societies but I have not had many

Oppression is the root of most serious, everlasting issues in the world today. Oppression occurs between the government and the people that abide by these authority figures; in the battle of sexes; between employers and employees; indifferences between heterosexuals and homosexuals. As a whole these aspects combine to form the root of oppression, however, many of these issues are rooted within racism and sexism. It effects the way women and African Americans live their life day to day. The amount of opportunities lost due strictly to their race or sex is endless. People try and argue whether sex and racism are connected or have a direct correlation with one and another. Unlike the sex of a human, race can be

Race and ethnicity are commonly used as synonyms for each other as we encounter many diverse individuals throughout the world. Sociologist on the other hand, find very distinct understandings to how these terms, while different, hold correlation to one another. Max Weber, a founding figure of sociology, was one of the first to define race and ethnicity. He stood with the idea of essentialism which presumes "that and individual 's identity depends on fundamental and innate characteristics that are deep-seated, inherited, and unchangeable." (Pearson, pg 241) As for ethnicity, Weber described it as subjective belief in relations to a groups common descent. While sociologist today may disagree with Weber 's theory, they do apply this idea of subjectivity and have correlated it to that of not only group definitions but of our own perceptions of biological similarity.