Race and Gender

What is racism? Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to categorize it as inferior or superior to another race or races. Racism has changed a lot over the last century.

“Racism was used aggressively to divide poor white southerners from slaves. The relationship between the wealthy and the poor was aggressively exploited by the rich white slave holder to ensure the poor whites non-slave holder that they had a similar cause” (Shaping America: Lesson 16). This caused non-slave holding whites to have a similar view as latter. Non-slave holding whites were in direct competition with slaves and more often than not were forced out of work due to the free labor slavery had offered.

What is racism? The word racism is defined as “the belief that a particular race is inferior to another race or races.” The Anti-Defamation League defined the word racism as “the hatred of one person by another, or belief that another person is less, because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nation and legal codes”

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.

Today, social scientists refer to race as a “social construct” and there is no shortage of definitions that refer to race as a social construct. (Gabbidon & Greene, 2013, p.2) “Race and ethnicity are social constructions because their meanings are derived by focusing on arbitrary characteristics that a given society deems socially important… and are social products based on cultural values not scientific facts. (Gallagher, 1997, p.2). It is my firm belief that race is something man made in definition and as such so is the results related to racial issues.

We still see some evidence in the link between the past slavery and some outcomes today. Much of the impact of slavery on current income disparities are integrated with a higher degree of income inequality. Results have shown that there is also a higher poverty rate and a higher degree of racial inequality. Therefore, it is the impact of slavery on economic inequality and poverty that affects the impact of racial inequality.

The history of slavery in America has been long and treacherous. From day one when their fellow Africans sold them to white men, the long, cramped, and dirty boat ride, and finally being torn away from their family, if they even had family with them. They were then forced to work on large farms, or plantations. After a Civil War, they were finally freed, but still were not equal to white men and women who reminded them daily with segregation.

Today, as well as throughout its past, America has been viewed as one of the most productive and wealthiest nations in the civilized world. While this status is a result of many different factors, there is one undeniable component to this reputation; slavery. Other than slavery, there have various examples of blacks being systematically denied opportunities for gaining wealth and upward mobility. These examples include racist economic policies at the hands of the government, predatory mortgage agreements by white entrepreneurs, and violent anti-black demonstrations by white mobs.

Social construct may be defined as the social mechanism or a category which has been created by the society. It may either be a perception which is created by an individual or an idea which is constructed as a result of the culture. The present society has created a large number of constructs which are not good. In this paper, the discussion will be done on the social construction of race and gender and the problems associated with the same. In addition to this, how can social construct forms to be the basis for discrimination and prejudice will be discussed? Further, racism and sexism will be discussed with examples. Further discussion will be done on patriarchy and its role in racism and sexism will be added.

In many academic sources, due attention is paid to the study of historical facts about wealth distribution. I think it is necessary to consider these facts in order to assess the current situation in the country. As mentioned by Dalton Conley, “black people seem to have gained little that would encourage them to maintain a realistic belief in the American Dream” (262). The growth of wealth gap should be considered while making conclusions on the link between the American Dream and racial issues. I agree with the fact that African Americans and whites have different opportunities. There are many examples which show the acts of racial discrimination in employment. I believe that the psychological effects of the history of slavery contribute

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.

Racism is the belief that humans are defined by their race and that the other humans with

Slavery created unprecedented wealth for many, while leaving former slaves in poverty. Most of the disparity in wealth existing between blacks and whites today is directly related to slavery and Jim Crow.

Let’s start with the definition of racism. Racism refers to the belief that race is the primary determinant of human capacities, that a certain race is inherently superior or inferior to others, and/or that individuals should be treated differently based on their ascribed race.

Racism is a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. This trend has been around for a long time, from slaves, to discrimination, etc. Although in many cases, people in the time period