SOC 225 1st Edition Final Exam Study Guide Racism in the Post Civil Rights Era Frustration aggression hypothesis individuals who are frustrated in efforts to achieve a high goal tend to develop a pattern of aggression towards others when applied to race creates scapegoats Authoritarian personality people with this personality tend to be more prone to prejudice characterized by excessive conformity insecurity submissiveness and they view the world as a threatening and intolerant place Symbolic interaction perspective at the micro level we are symbol manipulators where we challenge create and understand symbols racial socialization the process of social interaction that contains specific messages and practices concerning the nature of one s racial or ethnic status as it relates to personal group identification relationships and institutions white racial bonding when white people act in certain ways that reaffirm the common stance on race and enforce boundaries between groups Racial formation theory at the macro level racial formation sophisticated process in which racial categories are created changed and destroyed as a process in history the national government is the primary site where race is constructed and contested they have power with policies and institutions to help or hinder equality blends understanding of social structure with understanding of culture Systematic racism macro level diverse racist thoughts and actions including micro aggressions policies prejudice etc says that systemic racism exists because of our history as a slave holding nation creates unjust enrichment and unjust impoverishment Racialized social systems theory associated with Bonilla Silva racialized social system societies in which economic political social and ideological levels are partially structured by racial categories color blind racism has emerged from our racialized society Racetalk and Microagressions Racism can be overt or obvious or subtle and ambiguous Microagressions everyday events and dialogues that send degrading messages to minority groups which often stem from unconscious biases Dr Wang s study Asian Americans and white Americans imagined themselves in 12 scenarios that dealt with microagressions and Asian Americans felt worse in all situations and attributed the microagressions more to their race than whites Race Politics and the Media The media is one of the most important cultural resources for obtaining information and understanding issues there is empirical evidence to support that exposure to certain messages over time like violence can change perceptions or even actions since many whites have limited interaction with racial minorities media is how they learn about others but it is often based on stereotypes Race and film prior to the 1980s minorities took a submissive and domestic role 19th and early 20th century blackface and minstrel shows increase because blacks could not act in public Birth of a Nation Gone with the Wind blacks are shown as happy and content with slave conditions helped create stereotypes of the mammy Willie coon and brute Overt racism in 1980 s film films like Soul Man and The Toy 1990 s saw shift to covert racism 2000 s has covert racism in the form of the white savior complex The Help Race in 1980 s politics reusing southern strategy with media play on racial fears of white southern voters to get them to vote republican but in a subtle manner Reagan coined welfare queen but found that only 1 of recipients misused welfare poverty was white before the 1980s Race and media in 1990 politics Rodney King beaters acquitted worst race riot since 1960s Sister Souljah Movement criticized Clinton OJ Simpson trial acquitted which outraged whites Race and Media in 2000 s politics racial relations seem to improve after 9 11 with unity sentiment but then Katrina hits and whites are forced to face outcomes of failed urban developments remember Kanye s comment about Bush not caring about black people myths with Katrina include looting which was racially charged Minorities are more optimistic about future generations than whites for the first time Republican conundrum need to reach out to minorities 90 of voters are white but yet many of their policies and ideologies marginalize minorities Democratic conundrum support things that help minorities but yet they still need to appeal to whites example support yet distance yourself from affirmative action We have a growing minority population 20 under 80 are non white while 47 under 18 are non white so why would older American support policies for younger Americans if there is a disconnect between races and generations very big problem for funding programs that help minorities more people of color need to be in the middle class so that people contribute to social security and such which shows the paradox of old people not wanting to help the young Whitetopia our country is diverse but yet there are areas that are becoming more and more white Nizam Arain s presentation on Affirmative Action Affirmative action a practice effort to ensure equal opportunity for all people regardless of race gender or other identities it is NOT quotas or preferential treatment Affirmative action for employees is not quotas or special treatment it is data collection to measure disparities identify and eliminate biases in the hiring process and compare the applicant pool to the population of qualified people to make sure it is representative of the population the hiring process at UWL includes having a diverse search committee discussing qualifications of each applicant recruiting a diverse applicant pool reducing biases in the screening process and recommending the best people to be hired How does bias show up Who matches the profile Who is a good fit for our culture Who gets the benefit of the doubt or more scrutinizing How do we evaluate stereotyped traits Race 2012 Documentary Summary The documentary uses the 2012 election as a starting point for a conversation about racial relations in the US Though an African American president has been in office for four years and some think that racism is improving or even non existent we are far from a postracial society The film explores questions such as How do we define a racist or racism What does a changing minority demographic and a decreasing white demographic mean for America How do political parties tailor their political platform around an implicit racial narrative How are non Black minorities