Discrimination

Alisha Longairc

Thesis 2nd Period

Sonja Linman
27 January 2016

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Outline
THESIS: Have you ever heard the term,Never judge a book by its cover?
Everyone today has a concern about discrimination whether it being age,
race, color or gender. To judge someone by how they look, what they wear or
how they smell, is discrimination. Racial discrimination is a big issue. It does
not matter if someone is African American, White, Chinese or Hispanic; we are
all the same. Many people in todays society are being judged. Whether we
know it or not, it is always going on around us. The only thing we can do is not
cause it and it may stop others from causing discrimination. Gender
discrimination is also a big issue today in the world. Why is it today, women
workers are only getting paid 70% of what men are? Another issue today in
jobs is age discrimination. Employers are discriminating the age of the
workforce. How we treat people in today's society is how we can overcome
our fear of letting people know that our world has different cultures and to not
judge a person on the outside; It is on the inside that counts.

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How Can We Control Discrimination?

Discrimination occurs in many settings and in many ways. By looking at the

root of discrimination, we can address it and being to eradicate it in our country. It is
hard to believe that people still face discrimination in the United States in 2016. It is
time to end this practice, and empower all to be equal as protected under the
Constitution. We can prevent discrimination in the workforce by not asking someone
about their race or date of birth. Therefore when the employer looks at the
applications they will never know how old a person is or what race they are. We can
prevent gender discrimination by not asking a persons gender on a questionnaire or
application. Why does it matter if someone is a male or female? It really doesnt.
There really isnt a way we can control discrimination but we can prevent it from
happening within regulated environments. eSchoolToday says, Children are never
born racists or with discriminatory minds. They learn these behaviors from people
and events around them. If parents or caregivers tell them things that make them
see people in a different light, they will grow up with that idea, and it may be difficult
to correct when they are adults.
(eschooltoday.com/discrimination-and-prejudice/tips-on-preventing-discrimination
.html)

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The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted

on July 9, 1868. The Equal Protection Clause requires states to provide equal
protection regarding discrimination against people belonging to various groups.
Unfortunately, the existence of laws do not ensure the following of such
laws.(https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv)
Race/ Color Discrimination
Treating someone unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or
because of personal characteristics associated with race, or treating someone
unfavorably because the person is married to a person of a certain race or color or
because of a person's connection with a race-based organization or group is not
only wrong, it is unconstitutional. Discrimination can occur when the victim and the
person who inflicted the discrimination are the same race or color.

Sex-based Discrimination
Treating someone unfavorably because of the person's gender is also illegal.
Treating someone less favorably because of his or her connection with an
organization or group that is generally associated with people of a certain sex is also
against the law. Discrimination against an individual because of gender identity,

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including transgender status, or because of sexual orientation is discrimination and

is in violation of Title VII.

Title VII
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that prohibits employers
from discrimination against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national
origin, and religion. It generally applies to employers with 15 or more employees,
including federal, state, and local governments. Again, although the law exists,
people still discriminate. However, the law reinforces the expectation and provides
for protection when violated.(https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm)
Age Discrimination
Age discrimination involves treating someone less favorably because of his or
her age; The Age Discrimination in Employment Act(ADEA) only forbids age
discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. It does not protect workers
under the age of 40, although some states do have laws that protect younger
workers from age discrimination; Discrimination can occur when the victim and the
person who inflicted the discrimination are both over 40. However, this is important
because older workers may have more experience and skills than younger workers.
And although the workforce favors younger workers this act protects people who
have been in the career for a longer period of time.

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The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)

The Federal law governing age discrimination was enacted in 1967 to
promote the employment of older workers based on ability rather than age, prevent
discrimination, and help solve the problems that arise with an aging workforce. Many
states also have laws prohibiting age discrimination and may have more restrictions
than the ADEA.
(http://topics.hrhero.com/age-discrimination-in-employment-act-adea/)
Treating Women Equally
Men and women are both protected under the Constitution and are required by
law to be treated equally. Of course women should be treated equally as men.
Gender in equality is still a major issue in our world. It not only causes society to
teach men to think women as entertainment, as well as making them think that it is
okay to make jokes, it also is a problem for men too. Both men and women suffer
from gender inequality. Gender inequality refers to perceptions of individuals based
on their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles.
Examples Of Being Discriminated Against
Gabriela has applied for a job as a bus driver and is surprised to find out that
there is a height restriction that seems irrelevant to the position, and Gabriela

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suspects that there is a company value that is using the restriction to screen
out women who are often shorter than men. It is possible that Gabriela could
be a victim of gender discrimination.

Sue, aged 50 just found out that she did not get a job that she was perfectly
qualified for. Instead, the firm hired a man, aged twenty-five, just out of
college with far less experience and fewer qualifications. It is possible that
Sue could be a victim of age or gender discrimination?
Ben was ordering food at a fast food restaurant. His friend DJ was behind him.
When Ben was ordering, the cashier was very nice. When DJ began to order
the cashier began to be so rude. Let me add in that Ben is caucasian, and DJ
is African American. This is an example of racial discrimination.
Incidents Of Discrimination
In 2013, , Merrill Lynch settled a $160 million dollar racial discrimination suit
brought against the firm by African-American brokers. According to Business Insider,
there were no African American brokers in five-hundred and fifty two of Merrills
six-hundred and thirty nine offices, seventy five percent of African-American
trainee brokers left before the training period was over. Merrill Lynch had golf
outings at clubs that did not allow African-Americans, and white Merrill employees

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called African American brokers the N word, and accused them of planning an
uprising when they met at the water cooler (breakingbrown.com)..

A white supremacist who was convicted of assaulting two men of Egyptian

descent on New Years Eve in New Jersey was allowed to finish up his education
before starting his short jail sentence. Judge Joel Pisano told Michal Gunar and Kyle
Powell that their blatant acts of racism against random victims Requires a
sentence that recognizes the seriousness of the offense and the outrage of it.
However, the judge was very lenient in sentencing both men, imposing the
minimum terms negotiated in the plea deal and allowing one of the convicts to finish
school before going to jail.(breakingbrown.com)
On the fall season of 2012, a young boy with a passion for football had his
dreams crushed, by a victimization of discrimination. He was in 8th grade and
wanted to join the football team. A few days after the beginning of the season, he
approached the football coach cheerfully and excited to be a part of the football
family. He began to talk to the coach looking for further information to join. The
coach then began to say that there were no other spaces available to join. So the
boy walked away. As he walked the distance he saw another kid walking up to the
coach, maybe to join. The coach was talking with the caucasian child and gave him
the papers to get signed to join the team. The hispanic child was being discriminated

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against and he knew it. He walked away sad and his dreams were crushed.(Personal
Interview)

Studies Of Discrimination
Studies of race and health frequently invoke racism, prejudice, and
discrimination as possible reasons for high levels of morbidity and mortality among
blacks (Jackson et al., 1996; Krieger, 1999; Williams and Neighbors, 2001) and among
other racial and ethnic minorities (e.g., Amaro et al., 1987; Salgado de snyder, 1987).
Definitions of these terms vary, and no definitions are universally accepted
(Clark,2004). For our purposes, we use these terms somewhat interchangeably as
indicating negative attitudes toward or biased treatment of one group by another
(Williams et al., 2003).

Discrimination In America
While sixty-one percent of hispanics, say There is a lot of discrimination
against blacks, seventy-one percent see themselves as being discriminated
against. Thirty-three percent agree that they face lots of discrimination. Mostly
though, it is a reminder that people see plenty of discrimination in America today.

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They just can not seem to agree who is on the receiving end. Apart from
themselves, of course.
Is Discrimination Still A Problem Today In America?
Unbelievably, discrimination is extremely prevalent in certain states in
America. For example, according to ACLU, 27 states still do not have anti
discrimination laws on the books. Most recently, the United States has seen a rash of
caucasian police officers killing african americans. This continues to highlight that
discrimination is alive and well. Not only in institutions but in the very governmental
agencies that we depend on to protect us. Final total of people killed by US police
officers in 2015 shows rate of death for young african american men was five times
higher than white men of the same age. Young african american men killed by US
police at highest rate in year of 1,134 deaths.(theguardian.com)

Separate But Equal; Or Is It?

From the time of the 1800's to the common everyday America, people across
the globe experience discrimination. This is a form of thought, that either one is
better than the other; or that one just simply does not fit the standards. This is a cruel
and harmful way of thinking. There are constant violent, verbal or physical, forms of
discrimination taking place as we speak. If it is because a person is of a certain race,

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religion, or gender, it is illegal and unjust to act in this manner. Overall, a person is a
person; and like Gandhi said "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
Is there a solution?
Have you ever heard the term, Never judge a book by its cover? Everyone
today has a concern about discrimination whether age, race, color, or gender. To
judge someone by how they look, what they wear or how old they are is
discrimination. There are many different way to be discriminated against; race/color
discrimination, sex-based discrimination, or age discrimination. There are many ways
we can control discrimination, and age discrimination throughout American culture. .
So the question is, how do we enforce and encourage equality in a culture that has
such a long history of discrimination? Should we teach our students more about it in
our schools?

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WorksCited
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*Carnell,Yvette."9RacialDiscriminationCasesFromLastMonthThatProveWeDon'tLiveina
PostRacialAmericaBreakingBrown."
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*EEOC."TitleVIIoftheCivilRightsActof1964."
TitleVIIoftheCivilRightsActof1964
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EmploymentOpportunityCommission,2000.Web.23May2016.

*406,Cindi."IsDiscriminationStillaProblemToday?"
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*"HowDoIPreventDiscriminationintheWorkplace?"
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*"PrejudiceandDiscrimination."
NationalAcademies
.NationalAcademiesPress(US),Washington
(DC),2004.Web.2016.

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*Swaine,Jon,OliverLaughland,JamilesLartey,andCiaraMcCarthy."YoungBlackMenKilledby
USPoliceatHighestRateinYearof1,134Deaths."
TheGuardian
.GuardianNewsandMedia,31
Dec.2015.Web.23May2016.