...American society and Economy – BMAN 20610 Has Affirmative Action had any positive results? Should the policy be abandoned? ‘Affirmative Action has had an indelible imprint on the university environment’ [1] With primary focus on the impact that affirmative action (AA) has had to African Americans in regard to College admission, this essay will seek to ascertain to what extent the policy has lead to positive results. While in addition, evaluating whether this policy is both a legitimate and a necessary feature within Universities in contemporary America, or should be abandoned. Following President Johnson signing into law, executive order 11246 in 1965, the concept of affirmative action was formed and subsequently integrated within the college admission process in the United States. The primary intention of the policy was to ‘redress the disadvantages associated with overt historical discrimination’. [2] While furthermore, seeking to ensure that institutions, such as Universities, were more ‘representative of the populations they serve’. [3] Since the implementation of the policy, throughout American University Campuses and the corridors of power in Washington, both debate and discourse has taken place in regard to the fairness and necessity of the practice of Affirmative Action within the College Admission process. As asserted by Garcia, those in favour of Affirmative action programs within Colleges viewed that the implementation of the policy was evidently ‘a...
Words: 3238 - Pages: 13
...freedom by forming black churches, where they no longer had to listen to their master’s prejudice sermons, and took the time to reunite with their families and build a strong bond with them. African American ancestors created morals and black cultural beliefs that they hoped to instill in their children. There were several black people that believed that receiving an education and having a career would one day help them gain the acceptance of white Americans and be recognized as their equals. As slaves, it was prohibited and almost impossible for African Americans to receive an education. Today, black people are legally considered to be equal to any other race in America, and have every constitutional right that any other race has as well. Black children now have the right to an education and they have more freedom than ever before in history. As slaves, black children lacked both education and freedom. In today’s generation, freedom has affected children’s morals, priorities, goals, and cultural practices and beliefs. Legally, African Americans may be considered to be free citizens, but they still face racism, stereotypes, and discrimination. Several African Americans forget and neglect the morals their ancestors made for them, the path they paved for them, and the battles they fought so...
Words: 576 - Pages: 3
...defined the term as “a free and untrammeled white citizen of Alabama, who lives in the hills, has no means to speak of, dresses as he can, talks as he pleases, drinks, whiskey when he gets it, and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him” (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2017). While the New York Journal uses the state of Alabama in their definition, the word hillbilly has actually been used to describe anyone in the hills mentioned by the New York Journal: the Appalachian Mountains. As defined officially by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Appalachian mountain range extends from northern Mississippi and Alabama up to southern New York. However, as the region grew and developed, the locations to which isolated hillbilly stereotypes could be applied shrank to what ARC classifies...
Words: 1835 - Pages: 8
...of this “model minority” trails behind them unceasingly. This stereotype of the model minority characterizes Asians as having everything “figured out”. They are willing and ready to assimilate completely into American culture; they stay of trouble and are submissive, and they dominate in both education and in the work place. Even though this stereotype seemingly praises Asians; in truth, it has a counteractive effect on both the Asian community and other ethnic groups as well. Despite the existence of this model minority stereotype, Asians are not followers of the myth and altogether demonstrate it counterfactual. In Asian American Dreams, Helen Zia introduces the model minority myth through an article titled “Success Story of One Minority Group in the United States” where it explains it as a reasonably form of praise claiming “at a time when Americans are awash in worry over the plight of racial minorities, one such minority, the nation’s 300,000 Chinese Americans, is winning wealth and respect by dint of its own hard work…” (Zia, 46). This quote claims that Asian Americans are achieving a high degree of success solely due to their perseverance and hard work. In addition, they are also receiving the respect of the other racial minorities. Finally, although not mentioned in the article, the myth also claims that Asians not only do well in terms of the workplace, but are doing extremely well in terms of education....
Words: 1707 - Pages: 7
...Gender Role Analysis Mindy Brown SOC/333 February 17, 2014 Erica Lloyd Gender Role Analysis Gender roles and stereotypes are often intertwined. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, and are speculations about the roles of each gender. The stereotypical female role is to marry, have children, and take care of the household duties. Stereotype of the male role is to be the family provider financially. Children learn these from adults as stereotypes and gender roles are passed from one generation to another. This paper will analyze gender roles shaped by education, norms of the government, its laws and its policies, and in the workplace. Gender Shaped by Education Gender roles and stereotypes are often reinforced in the classroom setting. Children learn these gender biases from their teachers and the materials used for learning. Some teachers have an unconscious bias toward a gender and make assumptions based on the gender's behavior and actions. Girls are expected to be polite and studious while boys are rational, unruly, and boisterous. Bias may also be social as well. Teachers may socially categorize children by race, class, and religion. For example, they may perceive African American girls to be more outspoken and louder than Caucasian girls. Teacher typically targeted boys of the Caucasian race as they asked and answered most questions (Scantlebury, 2009). Teachers may ask them more complicated questions than the girls. If they are unable to answer the question...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...“One in five students said they had experienced [religious] discrimination by a school staff member” (Blumberg). The rise in hostility against students with religious beliefs is rapidly becoming an issue in the public education system. Students are now facing failing grades and rejected college applications from schools for expressing their religious beliefs. Schools are choosing to ignore, or even worse, participate in harassment to students of faith. In American society, students of faith are discriminated against for their beliefs by their peers and teachers, including here at Blue Valley West. A solution for this problem could include a club or assembly that educates all students about the different religions in order clear up misunderstandings...
Words: 1233 - Pages: 5
...Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes People being generalized based on limited and inaccurate information by sources as television, cartoons or even comic books (Tripod). This is a definition that seems to go against many public standards. The above words are the exact definition of stereotypes. Stereotypes as understood from the definition, goes mostly hand in hand with media -- only not the regular meaning of the innocent media we know. Media propaganda is the other form of media that is rather described as media manipulation. In this paper, the following will be discussed: first, how stereotypes of ethnic groups function in propaganda, why does it function so well, and finally, the consequences of these stereotypes on the life of Egyptians in particular in society. A fair examination will be conducted on this example of stereotypes through clarification examples and research results from researches conducted from reliable sources. The real association between Egyptians’ stereotypes and propaganda discussed in this paper shall magnify the association of stereotypes and propaganda in general. It seems necessary for this paper to start with some clarification of the terms associated with propaganda. Propaganda can be thought of as a foster parent for stereotypes. Propaganda is known to be the intentional manipulation of public opinion through hidden messages in advertisements and other media functions. Thus, propaganda uses many techniques to be able to deliver theses hidden...
Words: 1346 - Pages: 6
...cultural assimilation, and political accommodation.” (Robert Lee 268) The stereotypes characteristics of a hardworking immigrants, obedient members of society,...
Words: 1344 - Pages: 6
...Gender Role Analysis Gender Role Analysis Men and women are different. How different depends on what stereotype one chooses to believe. Although it has been argued that some stereotypes are positive, they are never beneficial. Society creates gender stereotypes and perpetuates them through societal institutions. In this paper the roles of gender will be analyzed regarding education, public policy, and the workplace. How education shapes gender, the gender norms in government, the law, policies, and the role of gender in the workplace will be discussed. Education In many cases the classroom reinforces gender stereotypes perpetuated by society. This can be found in the materials used for instruction, communication between the teacher and his or her pupils and classroom interaction between the genders and with the instructor. Institutions generally have geared textbooks toward males with discussions of famous battles, politicians, and entrepreneurs with very little emphasis on female contributions in society. According to Sapiro, before the 1970s information provided to students “focused on and valued men more than women, indicated to boys and not girls that they should consider doing great things with their lives” (Sapiro, p. 155). Communication and interaction within the classroom also reinforce the stereotypical submissive female and aggressive male roles. Boys are more vocal than their female counterparts in class and instructors give them more potential interaction by...
Words: 301 - Pages: 2
...African Americans encounter racism: job attainment, acceptance by other citizens, education, and poverty. Black people experience job discrimination through institutional discrimination. As defined by Parrillo, 2011, "institutional discrimination is the unequal treatment of subordinate groups inherent in the ongoing operations of society's institutions. Entrenched in customs, laws, and practices, these discriminatory patterns can exist in banking, criminal justice, employment, education, health care, housing and many other areas in the private and public sectors" (62). African Americans may not get a higher paying position simply due to the fact that they are black, and therefore labeled a certain way. Affirmative action took place in 1961 in attempt to produce equality in the workforce (Parrillo, 2011). However, employers still find opportunities to avoid hiring an African American based on "other factors." Blacks also experience racism through acceptance by other American citizens, mainly Whites. Whites may make it harder for African Americans to participate and feel comfortable in the community. This in turn causes Blacks to regress into their own same race area. Through the Whites rejection of Blacks, it makes for a constant reminder for the Black community that they are unequal or different from Whites. African Americans also have a harder time getting accepted into colleges or higher education institutions. This is mainly due to the fact that...
Words: 1130 - Pages: 5
...To further address the issues of why female students underperform in mathematics, Shapiro and Williams (2012) offer several stereotype interventions. One of the interventions is a self-affirmation, which is a process of creating positive thoughts about one’s importance or value that is different than the negative threatening situation. Concentrating on a positive thought of value, unrelated to mathematical tasks, elevates the stress of stereotype threat. Another intervention proposed in the article is intended in reducing the differences between the two opposing sides. As an example, women can examine how they are similar with men, instead of concentrating on differences, prior to the test. This strategy has shown to improve women’s achievements significantly (Shapiro and Williams,...
Words: 1862 - Pages: 8
...This satirical advert by Nandos (A South African fast-food franchise) adopts several widely-accepted cultural and ethnic stereotypes and manipulates them, using their own benighted logic to prove their falseness. The advert expertly weaves in subtle ironic sentiment together with inspired witticism, leaving the underlying message of the advertisement to be interpreted through suggestive innuendos. However, these ostensibly simple euphemisms cannot be easily apprehended without a clear understanding of the social and political scene within South Africa at the time of this advert’s release. The purpose of this thesis will be to dissect and analyze this unique cultural context and provide an understanding of the various ideas, stereotypes and...
Words: 1284 - Pages: 6
...9.98 million square kilometers. Originally, my country was inhabited by Aboriginal people. However the British and French invaded the land establishing significant administrative settlements. There have been changes in how people relate to each other in my country. Territories that are now self-governing have different social and political setting. For that reason, there are significant political and social beliefs in the country. There are significant political and social beliefs in Canada. I believe the social value define our society. The ideology of political parties is largely conservative, liberal and social democratic. The ideology is generated from social movements, for instance, women movement in the country. There are also stereotypes fueled by the anti-globalization movement, which encourages social justice for less developed nations that encourages democratic decisions making. In my country, there also exists humanism and egalitarianism that have far-reaching political and social welfare beliefs. In my country, there are multiple values that enhance the quality of ideologies, which ends up treating people with respect to each other. The quality specifically enhances the integrity, dignity and facilitates self-determination and self-realization through helping Canadian accepting and advocating for social justice principle. Finkel et al. (2006, p. 54) believes that the social policy reinforces the country ethics by helping people to have a sounding political system...
Words: 1072 - Pages: 5
...Cultural Issues Within Public Schools Western society has many cultural markers which make up the society as a whole. Due to rapid expansion by both native residents and those who migrate here, the cultures temperature has changed and is still evolving. Change is not always easy and there is a constant attempt to gain balance. Racial divide is a longstanding cultural norm within the public school system. It is a ugly mark on our culture both in and out the school system. Racial tensions begun with the segregation of “whites” and “black”; this also included other races grouped in the minority category. Eventually schools were integrated but not without disproportionate education levels among the races. White students were known to have both better quality books and educators, even within the same school, than “minority” students. Today the racial culture has simmered a bit, however, disparities are still present among both the races and economic classes. This creates a dynamic that goes beyond the school system and effects every other aspect of our society. The unequal education levels creates a huge divide within the job markets, thus directly impacting the economic pulse and furthering the class divide. In addition to the impending economic divide, race plays a huge part in classroom relations among both students and teachers. Students have always had to find a way to relate to those of different races, which has not been so easy throughout the years. Each...
Words: 716 - Pages: 3
...Addressing Hidden Discrimination in Public Policies. Racial inequalities from the past continue to live on in several public policies today, often concealing hidden agendas that maintain segregation and economic inequality, especially against African Americans. Kevin Kruse’s “Traffic” and Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” offer important perspectives on how. Historically, seemingly beneficial laws have excluded African Americans, and increased segregation and economic disparity. Kruse reveals how creating the US interstate highway system, to expand economic growth, disrupted black communities and restricted their access to better jobs, healthcare, and education. Furthermore, Alexander’s...
Words: 1133 - Pages: 5
