Nichole Makler
Dr. Markowitz
Sociology 111
November 11, 2000
Discrimination
Every person has experienced
some form of discrimination either by being
discriminated against or by being the discriminator. By definition,
discrimination is “positive or negative behavior based on stereotyped
beliefs about the occupants of status“. Giving unfair advantages
to certain
groups of people constitutes that other groups are without those advantages
and are therefore classified as not being in power. Generally,
people in
power are given advantages over others. In our society, typically
white,
heterosexual, able-bodied and minded, upper middle class, United States
citizens are given the most unfair advantages. When analyzed,
these
advantages can be seen as the root of discrimination in our country.
White people, as opposed
to minorities, have always been given advantages.
It is only in the present time period that those advantages have been
labeled as unfair. There is less negative stereotyping of white
people than
that of people of color. Throughout history, white people were
considered
to be more intellectual, wealthier, and better citizens. These
biases still
play on people’s feelings today. In recent studies, it has been
documented
that police officers tend to pull over and arrest more minorities than
white
people. Based on this information, Caucasians are not being apprehended
as
much as they should be. The media plays a large role in portraying
minorities as being unequal to white people. During news broadcasts,
information is more likely to be released if a suspect is of
African-American ethnicity instead of Caucasian. This leads the
viewing
public into believing that African-Americans are more likely to commit
crimes and it subconsciously installs a false belief that Caucasians
are
less likely to commit crimes.
People are often given unfair
benefits that simply ride on their sexuality.
Heterosexual people are perceived as the norm. All who
deviate from the
norm are considered to be unrighteous. Heterosexual people are
allowed to
legally marry but homosexual people are not. From a religious
aspect,
heterosexuals are considered morally right and homosexuals are considered
unclean and sinful. Those who have “come out of the closet” and
belong to a
religion have probably been told by a heterosexual preacher that his
or her
lifestyle is corrupt. There are plenty of negative connotations
associated
with being gay, lesbian, or bi-sexual. To my knowledge, there
are none
associated with being straight. Heterosexuals can be openly straight
without fear of persecution, whereas homosexuals, as of yet, do not
have
that complete freedom. When hiring for certain occupations, such
as
teacher, soccer coach or swimming instructor, where the employee is
in
direct contact with children, sexual orientation is often a key factor
in
the decision, whether it should be or not. If an openly gay man
applies for
one of the above jobs, people on the hiring committee may be persuaded
to
believe that he may influence his students or players into adopting
his
lifestyle. Even though this is not rational thinking, it does
happen. A
less qualified heterosexual man is more likely to receive the job because
he
is not perceived with the same bias that a homosexual man is.
Being of sound mind and
body allows those individuals to perform certain
activities that a handicapped individual can not. Able-bodied
people have a
wide range of job opportunities, whereas handicapped people are restricted
to occupations that can accommodate their special needs. These
accommodations, such as automatic doors and wheelchair ramps, also
serve
able-bodied individuals although their intent is only for the handicapped.
Able-bodied people are not confined in where they can go. They
can use the
stairs to climb floors faster than taking an elevator that stops at
every
floor. Being able-minded, a person is perceived as more capable
of doing a
job under pressure and less likely to fold under stress. They
are taken
more seriously than someone who gets upset easily or has a background
at a
mental institution.
Upper-middle class individuals
benefit from the discrimination of lower
class individuals. Most parents of upper-middle class families
received a
college education. Just being from the upper-middle rung of the
ladder,
these people are seen as wealthy and educated while those on the rungs
beneath them are not. Money is generally passed from generation
to
generation, providing for future expenses while lower class people
may not
have the money to pass and are forced to start over with every new
generation. In poor neighborhoods, goods may cost more than at
stores in
richer neighborhoods because the poor neighborhood is deemed unsafe
and does
not have many shoppers. High-status occupants in society are
perceived
differently than those of lesser status. Middle class people
are considered
as owning what they do because they have worked for it. Because
the poor
are persecuted as lazy, the wealthy have to be perceived as hard working.
United States citizens are
given opportunities that are not offered in
other countries. Labor in other countries are paid less so that
US citizens
can be paid more. Working class individuals are offered health
benefits
that ensure our ability to work, while labor in other countries are
without
benefits so they can be paid less. United States citizens are
protected by
laws that do not protect illegal aliens. These laws protect our
rights
while aliens do not have any legal rights.
Discrimination happens everywhere,
from being interviewed for a job to
shopping at a grocery store. People who are not being discriminated
against
often do not realize that it happens. Personally, I was not aware
of all
the advantages I had received until I wrote this paper. The first
step in
achieving equality is identifying what makes us unequal and taking
steps to
rectify that. Until people in power are willing to give up some
of that
power to lesser individuals, the inequality an discrimination will
remain.