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Prejudice, Discrimination, Racism

MINORITY AND DOMINANT GROUPS

A minority group is a subordinated, oppressed, exploited and /or marginalized population. Minority refers to any distinct group in society that shares common group characteristics and is forced to occupy low status in society because of prejudice and discrimination. Minority group status is not a numerical representation, as indicated by the apartheid system in South Africa where Blacks were a numerical majority. Minority groups possess characteristics regarded as different and suffer prejudice and discrimination by the dominant group. Membership is frequently ascribed (not achieved) and members feed a strong sense of group solidarity. The group that assigns a racial or ethnic group a subordinate status is called the dominant group or social majority.

PREJUDICE

Prejudice is the evaluation of a social group, and individuals within that group, based on conceptions about the social group that are held despite facts that contradict it. Prejudice involves both prejudgment and misjudgment. Everyone possesses prejudices. People who are more prejudiced are also more likely to stereotype others by race or ethnicity, and gender, than those who are less prejudiced. Prejudice is revealed in the phenomenon of ethnocentrism – the belief that one’s group is superior to all other groups. Generally, the greater the difference between groups, the more harshly the out-group will be judged by an ethnocentric individual of an in-group, and the more prejudiced that person will be against members of the out-group.

DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination is overt behavior that treats members of a particular group unequally just because they belong to that group. Racial-ethnic discrimination – the unequal treatment of a person based on race or ethnicity-, takes many forms, may be combined with other forms of discrimination (like gender discrimination), and does not necessarily go together with prejudice. Despite legislation outlawing discrimination in employment and housing, the income gap and residential segregation indicate that discrimination is still practiced.

RACISM

Racism, both attitudinal and behavioral, is the perception and treatment of a racial or ethnic group, (and member of that group) as intellectually, socially, and culturally inferior to one’s own group. Different forms of racism include:

• old-fashioned or traditional racism (or Jim Crow racism).
• aversive racism.
• laissez-faire or symbolic
• color-blind racism.

Institutional racism is negative treatment and oppression of one racial or ethnic group by society’s existing institutions based on the presumed inferiority of the oppressed group. It persists because of the economic and political power that accrues to dominant groups because of their position in social institution. Institutional racism can exist even without prejudice being the cause. It can be seen in persistent economic inequality, in racial profiling and other forms of unequal treatment in the criminal justice system, and even in such everyday activities as sales transactions.

Children and the Psychology of White Supremacy Video (Links to an external site.)

Time Wise on White Privilege (Links to an external site.)

Tim Wise Colorblind Denial and White Privilege Video (Links to an external site.)

Prejudice and Discrimination: Crash Course (Links to an external site.)