Race and Ethnicity

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”.

There have been scientific findings that race is not biological. There are many things that make up a person and one-size fits all label does not always work. There is a huge difference between race and ethnicity. Every single person has a different makeup, as far as culture, ethnicity, and race. The world is changing so much, with immigration, culture, and social norms, we need to learn to change and adapt with them.

There is a model minority group called “Combating the stereotype,” which is based on ethnicity, race, or religion whose members are to achieve a higher degree on socioeconomic success than the population average. There is a myth that other races should not counted for and the Asian Americans are successful in life. Asian Americans are usually denied assistance if they need help in some ways. When Asian Americans are discriminated their society and their achievements are undstandable and ignored. Asian Americans are percepted of high income level and

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 52.4% of Asian Americans over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to only 29.9% of the total population and 30.3% of non-Hispanic White Americans, signifying higher overall educational attainment for this group (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). However, this high number failed to consider the differences within the Asian population with some subgroups having educational levels that are significantly below the national average. The 2010 U.S. Census also reported that Asian Americans have a significantly higher annual family income than any other racial groups in the country, though it failed to mention that Asian American families tend to be larger with more family members that are contributing to that high annual income number (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012).

Although the topic of the certain short stories and poems have different themes and comprehension of what corresponding works that might have similar or different topics, will tell a person what racial background and ethnicities are represented in the short story “Country Lovers” and the poem “What It’s like to be a Black Girl”. Finding out whether the characters are the same, if the setting is different between the two, if the theme told outright or did one have to “think outside of the box” to determine its meaning will lead to what content the two have. If one literary work is a ballad or a play, if one is longer or shorter than the other one, if the tone is the same between the two works,

A reading that stood out in Current Issues and Enduring Questions was “The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority” by Ronald Takaki. Throughout his essay Takaki expresses how although it seems the Asian minority in the United States has superiority over other minorities, this assumption is false. He touches on many ideas why Asian Americans seem superior. These ideas include: acceptance into universities, high household incomes, and praise for their entrepreneurial effectiveness (Takaki,1990,p.123).

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.

Throughout history, Asian Americans have been perceived as outsiders in the United States. They have been denied basic privileges in this country and have been treated very unfairly. However, during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Asian Americans gained success through their businesses and cultural background leading them to have a manageable life. This labeled them as the “Model Minority;” it can be defined as an image in which a minority group are seen to be successful than the average population. This image led Asian Americans to be the nation’s stereotypical image of a model minority all the while shifting the blames of the countries to the other minority groups.

In order for all Asian Americans to be successful, there are endless criteria and expectations for them to have fulfilled. This is harmful to

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 and ethnicity in American history are not identical concepts or categories; when in fact, they are very different. Since the very beginning, our views on classification and the defining of groups has been shaped by the realms of politics. Both have changed identities throughout history. While I will agree, there are similarities; I must also state they are distinctly different by definition.

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.

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.

Understanding race and racism can be very difficult for American citizens. This also leads to confusion when discussing current events around racial disparities and inequalities. Mainstream American general society views racism and race differently than sociologist who study these disparities and inequalities. The idea of double consciousness and ethnicity directly relate to the different ways in which different individuals understand and experience race and racism. In our current society where media is widely used, individual’s understandings of these topics becomes confusing and difficult to understand and/or comprehend. Discussing the blurry ideas of race and racism is so

Ethnicity and race go hand in hand. You can either be discriminated against or you don’t. It appears to be very common, but the difference is that it was never vocalized. If the issue was not vocalized, how could one ever even know? Well, for me race did not seem like such a big deal. Growing up in Sayreville, then moving to Matawan half-way through middle school, there was diversity. There never seemed to be such a difference in the way people spoke or treated each other. Discrimination was never talked about because it did not seem to happen in our community. Looking back at the middle school years, everyone seemed to be getting into their own groups of friends, yet it was never separated by race or ethnicity. It was separated more