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Race has been a part of human society for a long time and it has been defined very differently by different people and nations. For some, it could be a sign of pride and others could want to hide it. Largely, race is dependent on the outside environment and thus, very much connected with the social life. The period in time, people’s understanding of the world and their relationship between each other, all have their influence on how race is viewed and so, it is obvious that the society defines race and often, is influenced by gender.
The world has many races and the definition that each country or community has is shaped by the economy of that place, people’s beliefs and traditions, history and sometimes gender. All races have the same biological and physiological qualities and have the same criteria in all aspects including psychological. But there is no doubt that some societies view own or other race as superior or inferior to others. The modern world has changed a considerable amount from the past predispositions and stereotypes, and race has become more accepted. People are now expected to respect others and thus, racism has become another construct of the social life.
Biologically, the explanation of races comes from the direct physical environment that people were situated in. The way people looked and what they felt was in direct connection with the outside world and the circumstances of life. As the process was absolutely natural and could not be influenced by people’s conscious thoughts, it would be impossible to conclude that any race was made better or worse that another. The natural evolvement of people biologically, shows that there is no difference in the levels of development of certain nations and so, the concepts of race and its qualities are completely constructed by the society.
Racism was one of the biggest problems that were born in civilized societies. It is a degrading understanding and behavior, as well as attitude towards a certain race. Mostly, it is a teaching that creates mythical ideas about a certain race being better or worse than any other race. For a long time, people lived with a belief that God or the natural order has made some races inferior and they should be used to the benefit of the superior races. People have changed their societies in such a way, which allowed for segregation and exploitation of certain races. One of the biggest bases for such division was the technological advancement of the dominant race and thus, the ability to take over became easier.
People and whole nations thought that just because they had a certain possibility to mold and rule other people, it must be done, as it was a natural occurrence. An interesting fact relates to the point that there is fear and lack of knowledge about a race or people from a different background, and those fearing construct the concept that one race is more able to carry out all the same life processes better than the next. This demonstrates that it is a product of class separation, which is often framed by the economic stability of the country or individuals.
The common views and conscience of the social class is the first factor that must be examined. The stereotypes that are made come into existence from the division between people, their ability to prosper in society and how well others have same or similar views. One of the most current and worst examples of racism was Nazism. Great amounts of people were brainwashed to believe that Jewish nation was of some danger to German people and that total destruction of people was needed. The proof that all the concepts about racial domination are false can be seen in the belief of many German people all over the world knowing that all races are equal. For some time, it has been speculated that specific intellectual abilities are better developed in some races but this has all been proven wrong. Another manifestation of racism can be seen in the immigration policies of many countries. Some races are labeled as desired while others are strongly kept out.
These policies are shaped by the stereotypes that have existed a long time and so, became instilled in the views and opinions of whole nations. The reason that racism still exists today is based on the insecurities that people have about themselves. Some believe that because there are more immigrants or visible minorities in the country, the economy is going down. Immigrant labor is often considered to be cheaper than that of the citizens and so, the economy is brought down as people are forced out of jobs and are replaced with a cheaper, faster and less relievable industry (Lowe 2009). There and many other myths have been a part of human society for many years and will be extremely difficult to root out.
Presently, the world has entered a new age where all the races are mixing between each other. It is not uncommon for a racial minority to be a majority in a certain community or even country. People are becoming better aware of others and the false social creations that were always a big part of the world. The fight for equality took a long time and many turns. Martin Luther King was a key figure in American anti-discrimination movement and dedicated his life to making African Americans equal with the white society. An unfortunate fact is that racism was almost always tied to other social class conditions of the nation. Poverty and lack of education were the results of strong segregation from the society.
Crime rates begin to rise when people are at a disadvantage and receive considerable amount of pressure and stereotypical behavior from the society. When individuals are outcast they lose their belief in the system and became separate from it. When from the early years of life, a child experiences that their race is inferior, they develop an understanding and certain relation towards the surrounding world. Their personality is shaped by the people around and it sometimes becomes necessary to develop a protecting quality or resistance to the way the society treats people (Lemelle 2002).
But an even bigger issue that is still common place today is race and gender. In particular, women have been much more alienated from the world and social life than men. History has always been slanted in one direction where a male dominated society saw no place for the social life of a woman. The gender roles were strictly separated in what was allowed and what was forbidden for women to do. Not only women were kept from taking any significant post in society, they were locked away in the homes to take care of the household and raise children. Race was a great stereotype that was added to the gender and the inferiority doubled. Women of racial minorities were viewed as much different from the dominant white, male oriented world.
One of the most typical predispositions to women and race is the obvious difference from the majority. People are quick to judge others by the way someone looks, as this is the easiest thing to do. In the modern world, the races are mixing and people are becoming more acceptant of others. Women’s movement has been a great part of American history and all women in the world. Not only has it showed the world that women demand to be equal, it made others realizes how wrong they were in creating these social and racial stereotypes (Cain 2012).
A specific example of gender and racial discrimination is the treatment of African-American women. If the whole race of African Americans was segregated it is evident how the society treated African American women. They were denied access to education, social functions, any position of power and high status, not to mention politics. There are numerous historical examples when women were mistreated, not allowed to speak their mind and pursue a career or interest. This was another socially based construction that came out of fear and greed. Not only men were afraid that women will overtake and dominate the society, the history has provided an opportunity to get wealthy at the expense of others, those were unable to fight back and were already visually different from the majority. Starting in the 1950s and 60s things started to change.
The policies began to emerge that were ready to influence the course of history and social direction of country. There were many examples that showed the cruel and unfair system, laws and rules of society towards women and their race. Prejudice was such a large part of society that it was extremely hard to get rid off. Egoism and selfish nature of many people refused to change and accept women and other races as equal. People did not want to lose the hold of the world that they were able to enjoy for so long. Often, the self anger and own complexes were the starting point of people getting angry at others. Personal shortcomings and inability to attain a goal became the key social construct that influenced the rest (Weis 160).
Many years of segregation and separation between class structures and social order has been very emotional and depressing for whole nations of people. Psychologically, people are pressured to believe into having flaws that are natural and cannot be bettered. From this sort of views a different understanding of the surrounding world leads to a greater separation between people. Women, women of a different ethnic or racial background and men have become separate categories with own qualities. Women who were white were separated into a class that was based on biological and physical inferiority.
Even though their help was instrumental in the development of the modern world, they still were not credited with the hard work of raising the children or supporting the industry and economics of a nation through devotion and long working hours. Women of a different race were hit the hardest because they were not only foreign in the country, they were female. Even Native American women were greatly discriminated against, whereas they were the rightful inhabitants of the area. The changes that came were a slow transition. Especially African American women started having a strong influence when they became known through literature. Latino, Native American, Asian and women of other races spread their word and made it known to the world that their talents are just as great as men’s (Bass 2001).
There is absolutely no doubt that race is a physical, social construct. When people are born they are not aware of the differences between nations. Psychological experiments have shown that children are unaware of races and do no differentiate between people according to their looks or sounds. As a child gets older, they start to realize the difference between the different classes of people. Someone from a family that has lower financial resources will notice the different toys, the amount of them and the quality of life that other children have. This sort of social construct is created by the government, economics and the opportunities that are provided to people. Then, children will get older and observe the media and how different races are portrayed on the screen and in the social networks. The world becomes defined by opportunities even more and people begin to understand that there is a lot of judgment and prejudice that exists even to this day. It is essential to future development of society to get rid of stereotypes and any inequality between people.
Works Cited
Bass, Sandra. “Policing Space, Policing Race: Social Control Imperatives and Police Discretionary Decisions”. Social Justice, 28.1 (2001): n. pag. Web.
Cain, Ruby. “Courageous Learning about Race, Self, Community, and Social Action”. Adult Learning, 23. 4 (2012): n. pag. Web.
Lemelle, Anthony. “The Effects of the Intersection of Race, Gender and Educational Class on Occupational Prestige”. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 26.2 (2002): n. pag. Web.
Lowe, William. “Understanding Race: The Evolution of the Meaning of Race in American Law and the Impact of DNA Technology on Its Meaning in the Future”. Albany Law Review, 72. 4 (2009): n. pag. Web.
Weis, Lois. Beyond Silenced Voices: Class, Race, and Gender in United States Schools. New York, United States: SUNY Press, 2005. Print.
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