Racism A Social Construct - 1593 Words

As I have lived most all of my life here in NYC, I have been affected by implicit biases, prejudices and discrimination based on my race, however my socioeconomic class, gender and my sexual orientation are significant forces of my social identity that not only define who I am, but are interconnected in the way I am and have been oppressed. Albeit racism has an impact on all of our lives in the US, however; it’s the intersectionality of the other social identity forces that when they are interacting with racism, they manifest many forms of social oppression. My social identity is that of an African-American, married lesbian woman. Racism is a social construct that has serious impact on many people’s lives. Heterosexism, also a social construct and racism contribute to the ever widening inequality gap. To slow sown or change the gap growth, policies would have to be imposed that would be specific to gender diversity and equality. Racism is structurally embedded in many institutions, but so does heterosexism as well. They may not be overtly visible, however when one is identified as homosexual, [s]he may become under attack from by the same institutions that are in place to protect in our society. . For many, the social construct of racism is created from a visible trait or characteristic that is visible and obvious, however sexual orientation can be hidden or unspoken. Anti –gay rhetoric, attitudes and behaviors, which in turn, leads to â€Å"patterns ofShow MoreRelatedRacism : A Historical And Social Construct1815 Words   |  8 PagesRacism: A Historical and Social Construct in America â€Å"Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict, [or] war, the fight for civil rights, and during economic downturns† (Shah). Racism has evolved throughout the years, yet still remains pervasive and highlyRead MoreInequality: Race And Racism. The Race Is A Social Construct1371 Words   |  6 PagesInequality: Race and Racism The race is a social construct that has real life consequences. The race is a fiction created by the dominant part of the society in order to legitimize their supremacy on those they wish to regulate. Racism: a term that was first coined by the Nazis in the 1930s in their attempt to make Germany clean of Jews . The race is a social construct that has both biological and cultural aspects but not based on scientific truths. The origin of the racial differences can be trackedRead More Racism: A Historical and Social Construct in America Essay2951 Words   |  12 PagesRacism, will it ever end? The answer is probably not. The United States of America was set up on the basis of race. Even many years ago European settlers looked down upon the Native Americans as inferior. Years later in today’s modern society, racism still exists, although we may not fully realize it. Many people are not aware of how much racism still exists in our schools workforces, and anywhere else where social lives are occurring. Using our sociological imagination, we are capable of applyingRead MoreSocial Construction Of Race And Gender1529 Words   |  7 PagesSocial Construction of Race and Gender, Patriarchy and Prejudice and Discrimination in the Society 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 raceRead MoreThe And Race Expert Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum1312 Words   |  6 Pagesauthor engages her readers in conversations about race she has had in her personal life. In part one of the book, Tatum defines terms in order to understand racism. The words prejudice and racism are two of her most defined words. She details how they distinguish from one another. Being prejudice, which is also consequence of cultural racism, means having preconceived assumption or an opinion with little to no knowledge. Which is basically stereotyping of cultural practices. This is where imagesRead MoreA Conversation about Race: A Documentary by Craig Bodeker Essay949 Words   |  4 Pages In the movie, Mr. Bodeker attempts to debunk racism. The film centers on interviews of people in Denver, Colorado who answered a Craigslist posting entitled â€Å"Ending Racism Now† as well as people interviewed on street corners presumably at random. Mr. Bodeker presents clips of these interviews and provides narration. According to Mr. Bodeker, the film’s purpose is to expose the myth of racism and show how the White race suffers from reverse racism and double st andards (Dispatch Inc, 2013). TheRead MoreRacism Racism1172 Words   |  5 PagesIn the article, â€Å"Racism is real, race is not,† the author Adam Hochman argues that while racism is a very real and terrible system within our global society, the concept of race is not real and cannot be proven as such either biologically or socially speaking. Hochman states that though racism has emerged from the categorization of populations based upon physical attributes, race itself does not truly exist. Furthermore, he purports that race has no biological foundation; though most people believeRead MoreRace: The Start of It All779 Words   |  4 Pagesare, firstly, the biological and scientific explanations of racial subdivision (Andreasen, Templeton, MacEachern, Rushton, Hall); secondly, the social and cultural aspect of race and how this contrasts with the biological definition (CLR); and finally, the political side to race and how it is debated that race ultimately emerged from Capitalism and that racism can be a bolished with the implementation of socialism(Cohen, Bannerji, C.L.R). Despite the wide variety of arguments surrounding the tabooRead MoreRace Is A Biological Reality Or A Social Construct?1566 Words   |  7 PagesI used to think that race was a social construct more of a biological reality until I read all these articles. They changed my perspective and I have come to realize different things. My opinion is now divided into two; I am in that middle point where I can see both ways of the argument as valid and reasonable and agree with both. First, I will explain why I think it is a biological reality, then, I will explain why it can also be a social construct, and lastly how have these debates shaped the viewsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Five Faces Of Oppression By Charles W. Mills1050 Words   |  5 Pageshave the power to set rules. Iris Marian Young discusses oppression brought on by racism having five faces that constructs a society and shapes an individual in the book â€Å"Five Faces of Oppression† While some might say it is a social construct, it does not exist and if it does it is only meant to encourages people of a lower class to work harder, racism is a form of discrimination and needs to be put to an end. Racism causes inequality and oppresses certain groups of people. It leads a belief that