PREJUDICEPREJUDICECHAPTER 2

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Ethnocentrism• The tendency to assume that one’s culture and

way of life are superior to all others

Hate Crimes• Criminal offense committed because of the

offender’s bias against a race, religion, ethnic / national origin group, or sexual orientation group

• Hate crimes statistics act became law in 1990o Government definition of Hate Crime

• An ordinary crime is a hate crime when offenders choose a victim because of some characteristic-for example, race, ethnicity, or religion-and provide evidence that hatred prompted them to commit the crime. Hate or bias crimes which is another name can also be based on hatred because of national origin or sexual orientation

Distribution of Reported Hate Crimes

in 2007

Prejudice & Discrimination

• Prejudiceo Negative attitude that rejects an entire group

• Discriminationo Behavior that deprives a group of certain

rights or opportunities

• Ethnophaulismo Ethnic slurs that include derisive nicknames

and include speaking about or to members of a particular group in a condescending way

Derogatory TermsWhites Blacks Hispanics East Asians Native

Americans

whiteycrackerhonkywhite trashredneckhillbillywiggergringopeckerwoodroundeyegoysquarehead

niggerspookjungle bunnyjigaboobluegumcoonporch monkeydarkiespadespearchuckertar-baby

spicwetbackgreaserbeaner

chinkgookjapnipching chongcooliedinkslanteyesslopeheadsquintyzipperheadzip

redskinsquawapplechiefhalf-breedinjunprairie nigger

Jews Irish Italians West Asians Arabs

kikeheebhymieyidChrist killer

mickpaddy

dagogoombahgreaseballguidoguineawopeyetie

dotheadtowelhead

towelheadcamel jockeydune coonragheadsand nigger

Merton’s Typology• The unprejudiced nondiscriminator –

or all weather liberal

• The unprejudiced discriminator – or reluctant liberal

• The prejudiced nondiscriminator – or timid bigot

• The prejudiced discriminator – or all-weather bigot

Prejudice and DiscriminationAs sociologist Robert Merton’s formulation shows, prejudice and discrimination are related to each other but are not the

same.

LaPiere’s Study• Merton’s typology points out that people do not

always act as they believe

• Richard LaPiere (1934, 1969) Exposed the relationship between racial attitudes and

social conduct Traveled with a Chinese couple across the United

States Despite alleged intolerance, couple was treated

courteously at hotels, motels, and restaurants

Theories of Prejudice• Four theories of prejudice

oScapegoating• occurs when an individual (group) projects

and blames their own inadequacies or problems onto another group

o Criticisms of Scapegoat Theory• Fails to explain why one group is used as

a scapegoat and not another• Fails to explain why two individuals who

share the same experience vary in tolerance• Does not explain personality differences

oAuthoritarian Personality• Adorno et al 1950 – study of authoritarianism and

prejudice

• Authoritarian Traits• Rigid adherence to conventional values• Uncritical acceptance of authority• Power and toughness • Intolerance and aggression toward those that

don’t conform to conventional valueso Criticisms of Authoritarian Personality

• Focus on right wing groups and ignored left wing groups

• Prejudice is related to other traits such as social class • Methodology employed• Focused on only extreme forms of prejudice and not

on other forms of prejudice

Theories of Prejudice

oExploitation• Prejudice is rationally and economically

motivated on the basis of self interests• The dominant group benefits from

prejudice in that it is rooted within the exploitation of a group

o Criticisms of Exploitation Theory• Not all subordinate groups are exploited equally• Prejudice occurs for reasons other than economic• Prejudice is not necessarily rational and may

undermine dominant group interests

Theories of Prejudice

oNormative• prejudice is patterned into the cultural

norms and values of a group or society• Prejudice is a function of conforming to

group norms of intolerance

• All four theories of prejudice have contributed to its understanding

Theories of Prejudice

Theories of Prejudice

What are Stereotypes?

• Stereotypes Unreliable generalizations about all members

of a group that do not take individual differences into account

Stereotypes are often exaggerated and negative images of a group

Stereotypes come from a variety of sources• a kernel of truth• the media• but power plays a role in their effect

Power of Stereotypes• Stereotypes often become a self-

fulfilling prophecyo Affect how we feelo Affect how we relate to others

• Stereotyping In Action: Racial Profilingo Any police-initiated action based on race, ethnicity,

or national origin rather than the person’s behavioro Assumes that people fitting certain descriptions are

likely to be engaged in criminal activityo Can be an explicit use of stereotypes

• “driving while Black”• Latino men in groups• Men with dreadlocks• Arabs in airports

Stereotyping in the 21st Century

Trends in Prejudice• Nationwide surveys consistently show growing

support by Whites for integrationo Interracial marriage, minorities attaining political office

• A change of attitude may create a context in which legislative or behavioral change can occur

• Opposition by Whites to immigration or affirmative action is a more acceptable, veiled way to express prejudice – no overt racism

• Described as “modern racism, color blind racism, or laissez-faire racism”

o Ignores patterns of groups being disadvantaged and racial inequality

The Mood of the Oppressed

• Opinion polls have demonstrated interest in White attitudes on racial issues longer than they have measured views of subordinate groupso Bias of White researcherso Dominant group is more important to study because it

is in a better position act on its beliefs

• Prejudice and its affect on the self esteem of the subordinate group

• Prejudice affects perceptions on fairness or equality of opportunityo Jobs, Housing, Justice

• Research literature of the 1940’s through 1960’s emphasized the low self esteem of minoritieso Should not assume minority status influences

personality traits in a good or bad way• Such assumptions may create a stereotype• Characteristics of minority-group members are nor

entirely the result of subordinate racial status• Many studies of personality imply that certain values

are normal or preferable, but the values chosen are those of the dominant group

The Mood of the Oppressed

Intergroup Hostility• Content and extent of prejudice and stereotypes

between ethnic - racial groups• Members of oppressed groups have adopted the

widely held beliefs of the dominant culture concerning oppressed groups

• Some groups feel they get along better with Whites than with other minority groupso Low-income people compete

with each other and do not see the larger societal forces that contribute to their low status

Studies show that all racial and ethnic minority groups have prejudiced and stereotypical views of other racial and ethnic minority groups

Reducing Prejudice• Obvious way to eliminate prejudice is to eliminate

its causeso The desire to exploito The fear of being threatenedo The need to blame others for one’s own failure

• Answer rests with programs directed at society as a whole

• Prejudice is attacked indirectly when discrimination is attacked

• Despite contrary prevailing beliefs, prejudice can be legislatedo Statutes and decisions do affect attitudes

• Studies to determine how to change negative attitudes toward groups of people find the following encouragingo Educationo Mass Mediao Intergroup Contacto Workplace training programs

Reducing Prejudice

Education and Mass Media

• Research consists of two types:o Artificially (experimentally) created situationso Studies that examine the influence on attitudes of

motion pictures, television, and advertisements

• Media has had both positive and negative effects depending on the program, situation and subjects exposed.

• Well constructed programs tend to have an impact on reducing prejudice but to be effective they have to address the cognitive, affective, and action tendency dimensions

• Some programs only focus on the cognitive or affective

• Formal education is related to a reduction in prejudiceo Formal education may not reduce prejudice

uniformly within a group.

• Mass media may reduce prejudice without the need of specially designed programs

Education and Mass Media

Avoidance versus Friendship

• It is difficult to quantify the extent of prejudice between groups

• Measure the relative extent of prejudice between groups

• Social Distanceo The tendency to approach or withdraw from a racial

group

• Emory Bogardus’ Scaleo used to measure social distance empirically and

describes different degrees of social contact or social distance

Equal Status Contact• Contact hypothesis: An interactionist perspective

stating that intergroup contact between people of equal status in noncompetitive circumstances will reduce prejudice

• Corporate Response: Diversity Trainingo Prejudice carries a cost not only to the victim but also to any

organization that allows prejudice to interfere with its functioning

o Most organizations have initiated some form of diversity trainingo Difficult to assess their effectiveness because of variation in

structure between organizationso Content also varieso To have a lasting impact, training should not be separated from

other aspects of the organization

Ways to Fight Hate• 1. Act• 2. Unite• 3. Support The Victims• 4. Do Your Homework• 5. Create An Alternative• 6. Speak Up• 7. Lobby Leaders• 8. Look Long Range• 9. Teach Tolerance• 10. Dig Deeper