Linda Gonzalez

Sociology 001#32395

Understanding Race: Witt Ch. 13

i.

Racial profiling is when any police-initiated action based on race, ethnicity, or

national origin rather than on a persons behavior. This is pretty much how the
authority sees a person, for example the community I come from Mexicans with
baggy shorts, a white t-shirt, and longs socks get stop by the authorities because
of the way they look, which they would assume they are cholos and are causing
problems. Also, African-Americans frequently get stop because of the
assumptions society has about them. Since the incident of 9/11 individuals that
look Arab or Muslims tend to look suspicious to the authorities, because of the
bombing and stereotypes towards them. Arab and muslims are seen as terrorist,
so when they see one they start assuming that they might have a bomb or
something that can cause danger. Arizona case passed the Support Our Law
Enforcement, which gave authorities the permission to ask immigrants for their
documents. The purpose for this law was so that they would keep immigrants out
of this country. Police officers would go to hispanic communities to conducts
searches, also they would assume when seeing someone in the street. If they
would see someone short, brown skinned, they would be the target to ask for
their legal documents. Contact hypothesis would remedy racial profiling because
it would be more beneficial because it would help reduce racial and ethnic
stereotyping. If a police officer has more respect and stops assuming something

about a person because of their race, or ethnicity they would also get the respect
they deserve because everybody would interact with each other in a better way.
ii.

America had many ethnocentric practices that some still exist in society now.
People judge other cultures by the standards of their own group without taking to
account the perspectives and experiences of others. Every Ethnicity has had
ethnocentric practice, African-Americans had to deal with slavery even when they
were brought to America. African-Americans had many discrimination towards
them even when they were brought to this country, they were being separated
and weren't allowed to do many things because they were African-American.
Also, immigrants they want to take them out of the country, because they are
taking the low level jobs away from white people. Throughout the years there has
been many prejudicial attitudes toward racial and minority groups.

3. Social construction of race is a more common way of understanding racial categories.

Race is no biological identifiable, because when considering skin color many individuals
live in different region in the world. That explains why some people are lighter than
others, for example in brazil there are people that are different skin colors, but people
are usually darker because of the region they live in. Now in the modern society some
people are lighter than others that consider themselves white, and other that are darker
consider themselves black. The social construction is also the change of the different
names of racial categories for example, the way African-Americans were called has
changed over time. They first would call them negroid, than negroes, and now African
Americans. Social construction of race can also be base through stereotypes. A
symbolic interactionist perspective is interactions between individuals of the dominant

group. Since the symbolic interactionist looks at micro, individuals interacting with each
other create their social worlds. A person's perspective about an individual is based by
images in popular media and those are certain because the person have never met a
member of the group. They would have to provide strong symbols and sources of
identity. This concept can be applied to Americans from multiple racial backgrounds so
individuals can understand and accept.
4. Model Minority is a group that supposedly because they have succeeded
economically, socially, and educationally despite past prejudices and discrimination.
This pretty much means that despite the discriminations and prejudices they lived in the
past they still maintained the ability to become successful . Asian Americans are
perceived as living up to that image. Some disadvantages of being a model minority is
that you dont forget the past and the damage it has done to one's own perspective of
how they view things. The prejudices and discrimination must of been a tough situation
to go through. The advantages are that you have succeeded in many different ways
despite the pain an individual had to go through to be where they are now. A person
pretty much has everything they need to continue being successful in life, and also the
education to pass down to the next generation to keep increasing the percentage of the
model minority.