Exam 2 Flashcards
1
Q
What is social stratification
A
refers to a systematic inequalities between groups of people that arise as intended or unintended consequences of social processes and relationships
2
Q
how does social stratification shape society ?
A
it persists over generations maintained through beliefs that are widely shared
3
Q
in what way does social stratification have very real consequences for individuals?
A
Groups at the top of this ierarchy have greater access to goods and services than members at the bottom
4
Q
What is a meritocracy
A
a belief system that justifies social arrangements if you work hard you will advance. Everyone has the same opportunities depnds on how hard you work
5
Q
WHy is this an important concept when assessing American society?
A
This is the american ideology
i. equality of opportunity
ii. equality of respect
iii. individualism
iv. freedom to and from limited government interference
6
Q
Do we live in a a true meritocracy in the US
A
no because we have inequality and privilege
7
Q
inequality
A
there is tension between those with access to resources an those limited access denied access to resources and actions
8
Q
privilege
A
an unearned advantage that results from our stratification system which makes life easier for some based upon group membership. It is an invisible weightless knapsack. We recognize disadvantage but struggle to recognize one’s over privilege
9
Q
conferred dominance
A
giving a group power to be superior even if thy did nothing to earn it
10
Q
unearned entitlements
A
thing of value that all people should have such as feeling safe in public spaces or working in a place where they feel they belong and are valued for waht they can contribute
11
Q
What are invisible assurances ad what are some examples of the invisible assurances of being white
A
i. whites can find themselves in the company of their race with little effort
ii. some examples are whites seeing positive and frequent images of themselves on tv, magazines they can easily find someone to cut their hair white band aids
12
Q
why do we struggle to recognize “over privilege”
A
privilege is an invisible, weightless, knapsack resources are handed you . we recognize disadvantage and struggle to recognize one’s over privilege –. bad outcome giving something up
13
Q
what is a racial ideology
A
set of principles and idreas that divide people into racial groups
14
Q
why are racial ideologies important to understand even if they are factually inaccurate in terms of explaining racial inequality?
A
it serves the interest of the dominant group
15
Q
Biological racism
A
idea that whites are genetically superior to not whites
16
Q
Cultural racism
A
way of thinking that attributes disadvantaged racial groups lack of prosperity to their behavior and culture (rather than structural factiors
17
Q
ex cultural racism
A
culturally based explanations (black live in poor neighborhoods because they don’t work hard)
18
Q
color blind universalism
A
we should ignore skin color best way to remedy racial inequality is through universalist programs that help everyone, regardless of race does not rely on ideas of racial inferiority
19
Q
racial ideologies and old racism
A
biolgical racism
20
Q
old racism
A
overt in nature; out in public
21
Q
racial ideologies and new racism
A
cultural racism
22
Q
new racism
A
more covert in nature
23
Q
Why is new racism more dangerous
A
harder to call out, more covert in nature making it hard to own up to
24
Q
Color blind racism?
A
a. a racial ideology that explains contemporary racial inequality as the outcome of non racial dynamics naturally occuring phenomena and non whites supposed cultural limitations
b. incorporates aspects of both cultural racism and colorblind universalism
c. ignores or marginalizes ppl of color distinctive needs experience identites
25
central elements of colorblind racism
a. increasingly covert in nature of racial discourse and practices
b. avoidance of raical terminology and the every growing claim by whites they they experience reverse racims
c. invisibility of most mechanism that reproduce racial inequalities
d. incorporation of "safe minorities" to signify the non racialism of the polit ex obama
26
4 frames of colorblind racism
abstract liberalism
naturalism
cultural racism
minimization of racism
27
abstract liberalism
tis frame involves using liberal ideas such as equality of opportunity or freedom or choice to explain or justify racial inequalities
ex. african americans live in undeserved poor neighborhoods because they choose so
28
naturalism
this frame permits people to explain racial phenomena as if they were natural
ex. blacks lived in undeserved poor neighborhoods becasue people like to be around other people who are like them
29
cultural racism ex
blacks live in undeserved poor neighborhoods because they don't work hard and lazy
30
minimization of racism
suggests that discrimination is no longer a central factor i affecting life chances for poor people
ex. blacks live in undeserved poor neighborhoods is a coincidence. Racism rarely happens anymore
31
Why does Bonilla- ilva argue that color blind racism is hegemonic racial ideology of American society today
because people use racial frames to justify and reproduce racial inequality
32
Coercion
power by force use of police, military, courts, obey rules
33
hegemony
power by use of ideas and values to persuade people that power structure is legit
34
how do we become prejudiced?
agents of socialization (influencing)
| i. parents, friends, teachers, (on going process that continues)
35
What does Gans "predict" our racial structure will look like in the future
--argues that class is going to become much more of an important factor. Argues that breakdown of US society is going to be diferent there will be blacks/ non black instead of white non whites as well as residual category
36
What does Bonilla - Silva predict our racial structure
- whites: current white idea and educated affluent light skin
- honorary whites: people of all current nonwhite races who may be an honorary white such as if they're married to someone who's white or they work somewhere with whites and are considered a peer
- collective black
37
The central elements of the racial inequality explanation of the systemic/ structural racism?
institutions, history, and everyday interactions, this is more than a theory than ideology because it's built more on a factual evidence.
ie. geographical space
38
what are the different levels of racism
institutional racism
| individual racism
39
institutional racism
policies, laws and instituions that reproduce racial inequality
40
what is implicit racial bias
unintentional bias in judgement and or behavior that results from subtle cognitive process
41
Racial microaggression
daily commonplace insults and racial slights that cumulatively affect the psychological well being of people of color. Insults toward people of color (intentially, or unintentionally)
42
What does it mean to say 'race is spaced'
racially inequality is pattered in terms in geographical space- neighborhoods, workplace, schools, and social spots, shopping
43
what is income
salary ( weekly, monthly yearly) money that gets used
44
wealth
stored money all assets minus any debts (personal property, saving, capital)
45
Why is wealth such an important indicator or assessing economic racial inequality?
it is what givce people a cushion to fall back on and depending on how much you have saved the better you have it off if you are to come into a bad place
--wealth can be inherited - it's not just about luxury, it s about life chances
46
what role does home ownership play in determining economic racial inequality?
home ownershp is the single most important factor in determining wealth. White people are more likely to be home owners than black people
47
what is Blumer's theory of race prejudice and how does it differ from most theories explaining race prejudice?
his theory is that race prejudice exists in a sense of group position rather than in a set of feeling which members of one racial group have toward the members of another racial group. It's about the role your racial group plays instead of the animosity that your group holds, Most theoris look at a personal or individual level
48
How does Blumer theory shift the way we typically think about and study race prejudice ?
it shifts from a conentration of feeling lodged in individuals to a concern with the relationship of racial groups. It also shifts away from individual line of experience and focuses interest on the collective process by which a racial group comes to define and redefine another racial group. Social position of groups matter more than individual race prejudice.
49
what does Blumer mean when he states: "“It is the sense of social position emerging from this collective process of characterization which provides the basis of race prejudice.”
- positionality between two groups ( dominant vs. subordinate groups) which leads to more or less opportunities/resources
- need to maintain group's position if you are the dominant group in order to have race prejudice
- --Risk= challenge from subordinate group
- not about race but the social position that goes along with your race which matters
50
According to Blumer, what four basic types of feeling seem to be always present in race prejudice in the dominant group?
a feeling of superiority. there is a self-assured feeling of being naturally superior or better and that the subordinate racial group is lazy, dishonest, greedy and unreliable. Places subordinate people below
51
What are the central elements of Blumer's four types
A feeling that the subordinate race is instrinsically different and alien "They are not one of kind" This feeling reflects, justifies and promotes the social exclusion of the subordinate racial group. Places subordinate people beyond
52
How does each of these reflect of these reflect the positional arrangement of racial groups?
a feeling of propriety claim to certain areas of privilege and advantage. The dominant group feels entitled to either exclusive or prior rights in many important areas of life
53
According to Blumer, what is involved in the process of subordinate group?
one things that's involved is the interaction and communication between the members of the dominant group. Through talk, tales, stories etc definitions are presented and feeling are expressed about characteristics of the subordinate group as well as ideas on the relations. It is through such a process that collective image of the subordinate group is formed and a sense of group position is set.
54
According to Blumer what involved in the process of subordinate group and definition and what are the implications?
second important aspects is that there is an abstract image of the subordinat group and it is defined as if it were an entity or whole. The new defintions which are formed are limited to the individuals involved and collective image of the abstract group grown up not by generalzing from personal experiences, but through the transcending characterizations that are made of the group as an entity.
55
What does Lipsitz mean when he says, "whiteness is everywhere in American culture, but it is very hard to see"
white power to secures its dominance by seeming to not be anything in particular. Whites never has to speak its name or acknowledge its role as an organizing principle in social and cultural relations
56
What does Lipsitz means by "a possessive investment in whiteness" How has a possessive investment in whiteness been institutionalzed in the US
It is not a simple matter of black and white all racialized minority groups have suffered from it. Americans and African Americans contain many of the most vivid oppositions and contrasts but the possessive investment in whiteness always emerges froma fused sensibility drawing on many sources at once
57
how does lipsitz explain the stark contrast between actual black experienes and white opinions / perceptions of black experiences during the past two decades
- whites don't want to admit they have privilege so they ignore it but it's not truly ignorace or making assumptions. whites truly believe in meritocracy
- collective systemic coordinated behaviors that reinforce inequlality; housing policies and gov't policies
- --individual level: very small portion of the structural level of racism
- - lack of language that we have to call out structural or collective forms of inquality ( which is a primary attribute of colorblind ideology). Racism is much more than this
58
de jure segregation
imposed by law has been created in our own time by many factors
59
de facto segregation
which exists "in fact" or practice but is not specified by law
60
what 3 arguments doe bobo make to help explain why we still have significant racial divide in the US today
1. we are witnessig and the crystilization of new racial ideology here in the US
2. race and racism powerful levers in american national politics
3. social science has played a peculiar role in the problem of race
61
What is lassez-fiar racism
involves persistent negative stereotyping of african americans a tendency to blame blacks themselves for the black-- white gap in socioeconomic status and resistance to meaningful policy
62
what is 'color blindness' in terms of racial ideology, policy, etc?Why do many people, especially whites, embrace color blindness as an ideal for society ?
allow whites to belive that segregation and discrimination are no longer an issue because it is now illegal for individuals to be denied access to housing housing, public accomodations or jobs because of their race.
63
How does color blindness mantain white privilege according to gallager?
color blindess allows whites to define themselves as politically progresive and racially tolderant as they proclaim their adherence to a belief system that does not see or judge individuals by the color of their skin. COlor blindess hides white privilege behind a mask as assumed meritocracy white rendering invisible instituitional arrangements that perpetuate racial inequality
64
what are the 3 rules of color blindesss : Guneir and Torres
First: race is all about skin color. It is not a marker for social status, history, or power but is simply a false construction or phenotype that relies improperly on ascriptive physical identifiers or “blood” or ancestry.
Second: recognizing race is the equivalent of holding onto unscientific notions of racial biology.
Third: racism is a personal problem. Unlike capitalism or socialism which are economic systems, or democracy which is a political arrangement, racism, racial hierarchy, or any institutionalized racial discrimination is not an economic or historic system, political arrangement or social structure.
65
What type of future racial structure does Gans “predict” for the U.S.? How would this structure be different than our racial structure today?
Gans predicts a nonblack-black racial structure with a third “residual” category for the groups that do not/do not yet fit into the basic dualism. This hierarchy may be based not just on color or other visible bodily features, but also on a distinction between undeserving and deserving, or stigmatized and respectable, races.
66
Why does Gans think this change is likely/possible? What is his evidence?
Because of the many current racial trends that have occurred and because of the assumed persistence of too many current phenomena. The analysis becomes a justifiable exercise because it aims only to speculate about what future “scenarios” are possible, and what variables might shape these.
There are less strictly “whites” so the category must include lighter skinned (affluent) people to continue to to be the sociological and numerical majority. Broadening the boundaries to “non-white” allows the category that whites fall into to continue to be on top.
67
What three tendencies in the contemporary construction of race does Gans highlight? What are the implications of these tendencies?
biological contruction
ethncity as racial
racial tolerance
68
Biological construction (Gans)
the continuting construction of race from biolgical as well as coial building blocks. EVen though there are no biolgicalluy definable races,. the public sees differences in visible bodily features between people and treats them as racial differences in 'blood'
69
ethnicity as racial (Gans)
the continuing lay practice of identifying ethnic and national differences as racial, particularly in private self-naming. The two Bureau of Census researchers suggest lack of education as the causal factor in this conflation, indicating that only the college educated could distinguish ethnic group from race. Some chose their ethnicities on the basis of racial conceptions of national origin, which in this case constitutes ethnicity as being a matter of “blood”.
70
Racial tolerance
the apparently increasing white tolerance for racial differences, except with respect to blacks. Whites seem to use race less often as an indicator of class, except when they are considering poor blacks, and as racial intermarriage among people of similar class increases further, this trend may become more widespread. If this pattern spreads to other Americans of the same age and if it becomes permanent then class could become more important and more overt as a boundary and a principle of stratification in the future.
71
According to Gans, what social conditions are necessary for the reconstruction of racial categories?
An influx of immigrants who do not fit the existing racial categories.
A healthy economy with sufficient opportunity for upward mobility even for poorer immigrants.
A lack of demand for new lower (and higher) racial scapegoats.
An at least temporary demand for model minorities.
If these conditions are met, existing racial definitions and categories will be altered, sometimes even quickly if there is a proliferation of interracial marriages.
72
What broad changes have taken place in the areas of education, jobs, and earnings for people of color since the 1960’s?
The black-white earning gap for salaries and jobs narrowed considerably throughout the 1960s and a little more than three-quarters of a million black men and women worked in middle class occupations.
73
Shapiro's 3 big ideas
the racial wealth gap
transformative assests
Families head start assets
74
The racial wealth gap
family inheritance and continuing discrimination in really vital areas, like homeownership, are reversing gains earned in schools and on the job and making racial inequality worse. Consequently, it is virtually impossible for people of color to earn their way to equal wealth through wages.
75
transformative assets
this involves the capacity of unearned, inherited wealth to lift a family economically and socially beyond where their own achievements, jobs, and earnings would have placed them. Transformative assets typically apply to whites from financial advantaged families and not blacks.
76
families head start assets
Third, the way families use head-start assets to transform their lives has racial and class consequences for the homes they buy, the communities they live in, and the quality of schools their children attend. The same set of processes typically advantages whites while disadvantaging African Americans.
77
shapiro's main argument
His main argument is that the real story behind the meaning of race in modern America must include a serious consideration of how one generation passes advantages and disadvantages to the next and how individuals’ starting points are determined.
78
Why does it matter where people live?
What factors, according to Massey, determine spatial patterns? What role does prejudice and discrimination play in this process
```
One explanation: is class differences between blacks and white. Because blacks on average have lower incomes they can’t afford to move into white neighborhoods in significant numbers
Another explanation: Blacks prefer to live in predominantly black neighborhoods. Segregated housing reflects these preferences. (blacks still support the idea of integrations but are hesitant to move into white neighborhoods)
Although whites support open housing they remain uncomfortable with it.
```
79
What is the index of dissimilarity? What does it tell us about a city or region?
It is the standard segregation index: tells us the relative number of Blacks who would have to change geographic units so that an even Black-White spatial distribution could be achieved
80
What do trends in residential segregation tell us about U.S. racial relations more broadly?
It helps us realize the causes of urban poverty
81
What is meant by black hypersegregation? Why is hypersegregation problematic? What trends in hypersegregation does Massey point to?
Black hypersegregation = different from segregation (dissimilarity index which is the distribution of race in an area)….. If you have all 5 of the segregation qualities then you are hypersegregated. Black Americans are more likely to face this (36% of all blacks in U.S. live in hypersegregated communities while other races see 0%.)
--It matters because it dwindles down to resource allocation (food, water, housing, education, supermarkets, interactions with other races, diversity). Not separate but equal and instead very unequal.
82
environmental racism
any policy, practice, or directive that differentially affects or disadvantages individuals, groups, or communities based on race or color. It combines with public policies and industry practices to provide benefits for whites while shifting costs to people of color.
83
What are the central elements of the environmental justice framework, according to Bullard?
The framework seeks to prevent environmental threats before they occur. It also incorporates other social movements that seek to eliminate harmful practices in housing, land use, industrial planning, health care, and sanitation services. The environmental justice framework attempts to uncover the underlying assumptions that may contribute to and produce unequal protection.
84
procedural equity
the extent that governing rules, regulations, evaluation criteria, and enforcement are applied uniformly across the board and in a nondiscriminatory way.
85
geographic equity
the location and spatial configuration of communities and their proximity to environmental hazards, noxious facilities, and locally unwanted land uses such as landfills, incinerators, sewer treatment plants, lead smelters, refineries, and other noxious facilities.
86
social equity
assesses the role of sociological factors (race, ethnicity, class, culture, life styles, political power) on environmental decision making. Poor people and people of color often work in the most dangerous jobs, live in the most polluted neighborhoods, and their children are exposed to all kinds of environmental toxins on the playgrounds and in their homes.
87
According to the study findings of Zenk et al., what is the relationship between neighborhood racial composition, poverty levels, and supermarket accessibility?
African Americans disproportionately live in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Fewer supermarkets are located in African American neighborhoods compared with white neighborhoods.
88
Why does supermarket accessibility matter? What are the consequences of supermarket distribution?
Access to different, higher quality food (like fresh fruit), as opposed to fast food or corner store where there is no variety
If no access to supermarkets there are health consequences for having to turn to fast food for nutrition
Supermarkets tend to not be in neighborhoods of racial minority groups and specifically poverty
