Racial And Cultural Minorities Essay Example

a way that their right to have the equal responsibility and equal treatment are deprived. With this issue, many women organizations were created to fight for the rights of women. They ask for an equal treatment with men.Oppression occurs for some reasons. For some, they were oppressed due to their incapability to fight for their rights. One of the human nature is to overpower other people in fear that other people will overpower him/her.

Thus some act of oppression occurs due to insecurity.Oppression is experienced by some races. These races are often belongs to the minority group or the indigenous people. Some people think that a person from a different race will cause them harm.

For that instance, their first way of defense is to oppress the person. They think that by doing so will prevent that person in harming them. Also because people who belong to different races (I mean they are not from that area or not a citizen in that area) are not acquainted or not familiar or used to the culture of the inhabitants, some people treat other races as low to them.For that reason, because people who belong to a different race always aim to be accepted by the people, first thing he will do is to deprive his rights.

He does not want to fight for anything. Some also make themselves oppressed. In other words no one is oppressing them but only themselves. This is due to the goal to be accepted.

Some also because of what happening to the society or what is common when it comes to treatment by the other race, they oppressed themselves. Basically, for

races issue, discrimination and preoccupation are the main reasons of oppression. These also are experienced by classes. Some of the people think that the person who is not like them cannot do the things they are doing.This is common when it comes to occupation.

A manager for example will treat a janitor as low to him and will let him do the things that the janitor is not supposed to do is an act of oppression. I saw a janitor one time in an institution that is washing the car of his boss or the head of the office. On the job description of the janitor, since they are only contracted from an agency, he’s only duty is to clean and basically to clean the offices and put in to order the things in it. He is not meant for a personal job.

With that I learned that oppression is a cruel or the wrong exercise of power or authority. That janitor obeyed the command of the head due to a fear that the boss will get mad at him. Some people let themselves to be oppressed because of fear of something; e.g.

job.In the issue of gender, oppression does exist. Due to gender difference, most among the oppressed are women. Due to their nature of being submissive they are sometimes deprived of their roles.

Also this is because of the tradition or the concept of woman as a supporter of man that she is oppressed. In general, oppression occurs due to the inability to fight.2. Many articles discuss the concept of the `other.

` Using those articles discuss the concepts of `the other` and

of minority groups. How are they related? Using the definition of minority----are woman a minority group?One definition of other is “different from that or those implied or specified”. Other is basically defined as the one who does not belong to the majority or to the common. On some articles other is referred to as the one who does not have the trait of the common or the one who is different from the group.

A white American can say that a black one is the other when he is in the area where people are white or when he is in the land of the whites. Some people referred the word other with a hidden meaning. This meaning is not verbally expressed but one can understand the meaning as a word of discrimination.In the article Missing People and Others: Joining Together to Expand the Circle, the author refer the words other as a difference in culture, traits, language, color, minority, and etc.

The concept of other in the article is basically a person who is of different origin. “Other” refers also to profile or the class in the society. Culture is one of the issues when it comes to races. But the word itself refers to the limited capabilities of the person of different race.

Races that do not belong to the first world race will treat themselves as the other. They will try to adopt the culture of that race in order to be able to mix with that race. Often “other” persons are deprived with their rights and opportunities. They are given only less opportunity due to the preoccupation that that person will

not be able to meet the standard of the society. One fact is that, people who belong to the first world race feel themselves as superior to the ones who belong to the minority group.

The word “other” is used also by some people as a way of looking down themselves. This word refers also to non acceptance within the group. This is used to distinguish them to be the only acceptable in the society.Minority refers to a group people who are few in number. These persons are classified by their traits, culture, traditions, practices, language, and etc. Although there is no big deal in the word minority, this word has its different meaning.

To most people, minority come along with the meaning of uncivilized and low-profiled people. That is not the meaning of the word minority. It is because of the fact that most minority groups are uncivilized or behind in the issue of civilization that the word minority is misinterpreted. Due also to media that this thought is being disseminated.

Most films use the word minority as a reference to the uncivilized people, often those who live in the mountainous areas where civilization did not reach. This makes the people think that the word means that way.For the issue of similarities or the relationship with the word minority and other, these words means the same. This meaning is the meaning that the society gives.

They are the same in such a way that there exists discrimination. This discrimination is the one responsible in giving such meaning. This meaning is the one that makes people being oppressed, feel oppressed, oppressed themselves, and oppress others.On the

other hand, women are not to be considered as a minority. As far as minority meaning is concerned, they do not belong to it.

But, on the side of some men, again due to oppression, they refer women as minority. They are considered in such a way that some of their rights are deprived. It is in the men’s field of view that women are considered as a minority. Although men did not verbally say that woman do belong in that group but in their acts they say that minority are extended up to women.

The meaning is only applicable if we consider the society’s view on the meaning of minority. Why I say this, it is because some women are treated as the ones who belong to the “other” or minority.3. It has been said that race and ethnicity are social constructs. What is meant by that? What are the sociological definitions of race and ethnicity? What is the difference between gender and sex?Race and ethnicity are the ones who build the society. They are the social construct.

Basically, social means relating to human society and its mode of organization. On the other hand, race is a classification of the class of a group. The bases for race classification are traits, color, origin, language, and etc. Ethnicity refers to the character or quality of an ethnic group. Basically, what makes a person interact and how to interact is through the knowledge of race and ethnicity.

In other words they are the foundation of socialization.Culture differs from different races or ethnicity. Through culture unique person exist and thus this makes the race and ethnicity. Race,

as what I’ve mentioned above is a classification of the class of a group. A race is being molded with the agreed culture, traditions, practices, language, and etc.

This makes every person unique. In the society, race refers to the place or the origin of a person. Often, the meaning or race is accompanied with discrimination and preoccupation. Some people also refers race as the people who are not from them or who are not like them.

Language is the common indication to where the person is from. But as what I’ve said, back of his/her head lays a different meaning of the word.In other words, different races are given different meanings and different classifications. Some people think that when a person comes from the third world country, he/she belongs to the society of uncivilized or behind in civilization.

Actually this does not matter. It doesn’t matter whether people think it or not. What is sad in this reality is that along with that way of thinking a person is being oppressed or deprived; for some matter he is given less opportunity.Common today, the people in the third world country if not deprived with the opportunities, are given less priorities and respect.

Some people even think that most of the people in that country are longing only for money or possession. In the industries, those who belong to the low class country are hard to be promoted or given a low position. It is very difficult for a person from that country to prosper immediately. Well, it is also necessary to have favoritism among the same race. It is also appropriate to prioritize the people

that come from that land provided that it is justifiable.

What I’m saying is a fair treatment.If race is given different hidden meaning, ethnicity refers to the society as uncivilized. Many on the articles I’ve read raise question in making fun of their ethnicity; these are in the form of chants, yells, costume, and etc. There is no wrong in honoring those people. It is even good to give credits for their existence.

What is wrong is that those yells, chants or whatever is inappropriate to the event. In most cases, chants, yells and costumes have meaning in them. There are chants that are only used for sacred purposes and thus public exhibition of chants are inappropriate. There are also traditions and practices among these people that can only be used during celebration. On the side of those people, they are right in voicing out their heartaches.

In one article I’ve read, there were people who speak about a race as if they know more than them. Basically, ethnicity for the society is a mark that you came from mountain or a remote area where civilization if reaches is behind.On the other hand, gender and sex are used interchangeably. Some people refer to gender as sex.

On the articles, gender is a difference in the socially defined difference between men and women. It is a classification of social status and capabilities. On the other hand, sex is referred to as a psychological difference between male and female. Thus even so they are different, the have somewhat similarities in meanings. Even so they are used interchangeably, they still have different functionalities.

4. Two articles utilize the imagery

of a `bird cage` and a `prism` in looking at issues of race/ethnicity etc. Other articles talk about the interface of various dimensions. Discuss that approach and why is that an important way to examine minority/ dominant relations?Prism is a material in which when a light passes to it, the light will be scattered into a different color but in the form of rainbow.

In other words they are scattered in order. On the other hand, birdcage is used also as an example in the articles but have different purpose.When you look at a single strand of the wire on the bird cage you will ask why the bird will not fly to be free. It is an example of seeing minority in myopic perspective.

When you inspect each strand of the wire in this perspective, will examine each wire one at a time and looking only through its length. On the other side of this you will only see one side or area of them. You will not be able to know them in the totality of their personality. Also when you look at the cage you will still see the bird.

One implication in this is that you will only see and ask questions like why did the bird did not come out.On the other hand, prism gives different meaning. When you look at a prism you will see that the light is scattered but in order. Different colors are arranged in order.

The colors are arranged according to their speeds. Thus the last color is the fastest to travel. This also implied to dominant trait of the color. When we compare the

colors with the society that we have we can say that the society also have dominant and minorities but they did not totally merge to form a single color of light.

In that sense a society can be seen as a whole but can be classified according to the traits and races when you will look at it at the prism or at the instance where they can be classified or seen. Basically prism should best apply to a society.Like the light they are composed of different colors but have one common goal, to give a unique and colorless light that can be used by everybody. On the other hand, society is composed of different races and ethnicity; people from different origins live together for a common purpose, to survive.

Thus is everybody should cooperate for the benefit of the majority. We cannot deny that there are people who are dominant but if that people will cooperate, everybody will still proper.It is important to know the dominant and the minorities so that we will know where to stand in the society. This also will help us and will give us a hint on where to adjust and when to adjust.

Basically there are a lot of things that every person differs. Many differ in the way of thinking or in concept. There are good ideas which are bad for the other. One way to know recognize which bad and good for him is by knowing his origin and upbringing.

Basically through interaction a person will be known. Through this also, their will be no conflicts and troubles. If one will not examine each other, their

will occur a collision of ideology and thus will result to conflict, discrimination, and preoccupation.5. There are three major theories of minority integration.

Define and discuss them. Which theory do you believe to be the most accurate?There are three theories of minority integration. They are assimilation or majority-conformity theory, amalgamation or melting pot theory, and accommodation or pluralistic theory.Assimilation or majority-conformity theory refers to the ethnic minority group member within a large area who has abandoned his social, cultural traditions to take the characteristics of the dominant group. This commonly happens to the minorities who leave their lands and reside on the first world one. What happened is that those people who belong to the minority when left few will be forced to adopt the dominant characteristics in order to socialize or communicate.

There is also a presence of thoughts to be accepted by the majority.Also the majority has a great influence on the characteristic of the minority since in his day to day living what he is engaged with is the majority. From that on nobody will influence him to preserve his own culture. Let us take for example a person who migrates in the United States. On his first days maybe he will like what he is used to.

He will not adopt on the society. But as the time goes by, he will live like the Americans. He will dressed like them, speak like them, act like them, and think like them. That is the influence taken from the majority.

Even though nobody is forcing him but the urge to be accepted by the community is greater enough to be push.Another theory

is the amalgamation or the melting pot theory. This means that every person who comes from different origin will contribute to the new molding of the society. A new group will be formed out of the different groups that exist in the community. This also happened in all places but in different cases. Due to curiosity, some will try to know the other people’s culture and will adopt some and so with the other.

This will make the new upbringing of the society. Basically we can say that the culture in the highly urbanized area where people from different places live together is a hi-breed culture since it is not the original culture. If we try to examine a person who live with this type of community and compared it to the people from his origin, we will know that he differs from his origin and so with the other.The next theory is the accommodation or the pluralistic theory.

This means that the cultures of each minority group will preserve their culture and will not merge to form a new theory. Each one will maintain their traditions. As a whole the different cultures will be classified as a one culture composed of many cultures. In this manner, cultural respects and minority preservation will be attained.

In this theory they can still mingle with each other. With this they will know each others characteristics. This will maintain the equality of the group. This is useful on a minority member living with a dominant group.Basically all theories offer a good outcome to the society. The theory that I believed to be the most accurate is the melting

pot theory.

This is actually what is happening in our society today.6. Discuss the difference between prejudice and discrimination. Define and discuss the difference between institutional and individual discrimination and cite some examples from articles or web site.Prejudice is termed as an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts. Basically before a statement is addressed, there is an intention already whether to accept the statement or to reject it.

In most cases, rejections are the common thing that happened. A person is basically judge according to his way of living, status in life, educational attainment, race origin, and etc. One example of this is that when a person heard that a certain person comes from Afghanistan and that that person is said to buy an electronic device, what will the person commonly think is that those items that the Afghan will buy is to be used for terrorism. What happened actually are the wrong perception and the frequent cases where most of the terrorists come from that country.On the other hand, discrimination is defined as treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit.

Basically when people look at a person whose appearance look like a low class citizen, first think that will happened is the denial of the opportunities and rights. Often prejudice leads to discrimination and vice versa. One example is the denial of the person for a new credit knowing that in his previous credits there were failures to comply the deadlines. Through a person’s history, a person is denied with the opportunity even though is capable of complying it.

This is

actually happened to banks and other credit companies where the credit history is monitored when dealing a new transaction. Some also are discriminated because of their religion or the culture.Institutional discrimination often happened in the business. Particularly during job fairs, better jobs are not openly advertised so that those who are closed will be the one to occupy the position. In other word, institutional discrimination applies to people who are not close to a person. This is controlled by the dominant people.

Basically, the minorities are the ones affected by this type. The only thing that controls this type is the motive of the dominant group to have a group that is only composed of their kind. On the other hand, individual discrimination refers to the behavior of the individual members of the minority or race. This differs from the institutional discrimination in the sense that this type is based on the person and intentionally intended to deprive the individual.7.

In terms of minorities, prejudice, and discrimination are homosexuals a minority group and how are they discriminated against? Is `homophobia` detrimental or harmful to heterosexuals?Homosexuals are not to be considered as a minority. But on the mind of the society, they are considered as such. Due to discrimination on their kind, this thinking comes into existence. Today, homosexuals are slowly been accepted by some countries. Now there are laws that honor same sex marriage. That is an indication that they are accepted.

But some countries do not accept such kind of marriage.Homosexuals are discriminated in such a way that some people feel it as a disease. Actually the discrimination that they feel is a result

of some of the homosexuals who act indecently. Some gays even wear ladies wear well in that was not meant for them. They are still classified as male. That’s why there is no sex such as gay that exist, only the male and the female.

Some also want to be recognized that they make undesirable acts such as shouting along street corners.Through these acts, some of their rights are withdrawn. Some are given less opportunities. In some establishments, gays are not accepted. In the arm forces, when you are know to be a heterosexual you will be treated indifferently. Some officials will give you heavy duties and some will treat you as a girl.

Even though some gays want to be treated equally with women, this is an act of discrimination. A gay is still a man. Only in the sense of masculinity they differ. In fact, most gays have more skills than a typical man.

Homophobia is a harmful thing to the heterosexual. Most of them have fear not to be accepted by the society. I know somebody who is in fear not to be accepted by the family choosing to hide his desires. This is harmful in the sense that sooner or later the mind will fight against itself.This is a result of what is happening in the society. Fear that the things that happened to some heterosexuals will happened to them is an unhealthy one.

The worst thing that will happen is to deny itself or not to accept itself. This might happen because of the fear to be rejected thus reject him self. This sometimes is the cause of suicides. A person

who cannot accept himself will just take his life in feeling that he is not important.

Also, if not the worst case, this will lead to self oppression. That fear will block the capabilities of a person. Those fears of being a heterosexual will all his opportunities and his abilities. This will lead a person to withdraw from interacting with other persons. This will limit his social integration and will prevent him in becoming a total person.

Heterosexuals should not be treated indifferently. They even should not be treated with high importance or priorities. Because if you offer them and consider it as a favor for them, that will also be considered as discrimination. In that way, you are controlling the person’s ability to merge and explore him self his own self, thus limiting his capability and purpose.