Racial and Ethnic Inequality

Question 1

Cultural humility

Answer 1

personal reflection/growth around culture to increase cultural awareness

Involves 3 factors:

1. lifelong self-evaluation and self-critique
2. commitment to fixing power imbalances
3. partner with people/groups who advocate for the rights of diverse groups

Question 2

race

Answer 2

a social, not biological construction - a set of beliefs and cultural meanings attached to different types of physical attributes

Question 3

ethnic group

Answer 3

a group within a larger society that shares (or is believed to share) a common cultural heritage that sets it off from the society’s mainstream culture

Question 4

Majority and minority status

Answer 4

• both ascribed and socially constructed
• labels are given to people sharing certain traits and defined as inferior or superior
• little relationship to numerical presence
• supported by social institutions

Question 5

oppression

Answer 5

a form of discrimination that is long term, systematic and institutionalized

Question 6

privilege

Answer 6

a special advantage or benefit enjoyed by a group or population - when some people are oppressed, others enjoy privilege, regardless of whether they actively support or take part in acts of oppression

Question 7

Racism

Answer 7

• can be overt or covert
• conscious and deliberate racism is only a small part of racism
• “old-style” racism has diminished, but subtler forms have flourished

Question 8

symbolic racism

Answer 8

reject old-style racism, but still express prejudice indirectly

Question 9

ambivalent racism

Answer 9

experience emotional conflict between positive and negative feelings toward stigmatized racial groups

Question 10

modern racism

Answer 10

see racism as wrong but view racial minorities as making unfair demands or receiving too many resources

Question 11

aversive racism

Answer 11

believe in principles of racial equality but have a personal aversion toward racial minorities

Question 12

some conclusions from research on prejudice

Answer 12

1. no one capable of human thought and speech is immune to prejudice
2. it often takes deliberate effort and awareness to reduce prejudice
3. with sufficient motivation, it can be done.

Question 13

African Americans (Black people)

Answer 13

• About 13% of the population (2nd largest minority group)
• more Blacks in US than in any African country except Nigeria
• Social position has roots in slavery

Question 14

specific examples of inequality

Answer 14

• healthcare/life expectancy
• income/social class
• child welfare system
• criminal justice system
• environmental racism