American Ethics: Race, Racism, and Discrimination

This document explores the concepts of race, racism, and discrimination in American society. It discusses the impact of racism on individuals and institutions, the importance of multicultural education, and the challenges of prejudice and discrimination. It also examines the historical context of trans-Atlantic arrivals and their impact on Native Americans, as well as the role of family and identity in America's multicultural society. Finally, it analyzes the problems, solutions, and ethical issues surrounding social discrimination.

Running head: AMERICAN ETHICS
AMERICAN ETHICS
Name of the student:
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Author's Note:

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Part 1.
Group one: Race, racism racialization:
The sociology experiences the concepts of exploitation and discrimination in every
corner of the world that stem from the complexities such as racism and racialization. This has
grown numbers of competing as well as overlapping conceptions. The concept of race has
complicated history as this has been used for categorising, rewarding and penalizing people on
the basis of perceived differences.
This is the reason why this concept has been misguided by the physical attributes like
skin tone, language and religion. Therefore, race does not have any genetic basis. This powerful
social construction has tremendous impact on the lives of the individuals. This is due to the fact
that racism is employed for establishing and maintaining power and privilege dynamics. This
also adds to the access to opportunities and resources along the racial lines.
According to the critical race theory, Racism exists in various levels and involves
different sections of individuals (Essed and Muhr). Internalised racism exists within individuals,
interpersonal racism occurs between individuals, institution racism refers to the institutional or
cultural practices which perpetuate racial inequality and structural racism refers to the joint
operations of the organisation producing radicalised outcomes in spite of not having any racist
intent.
Racialization is the method of ascribing racial and ethnic identifies to the social practices,
relationship and the groups which do not identify themselves as such. The idea of racialization is
a negative process as many of the immigrants in America came to be regarded as a race thus
discriminated (Selod).

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Group two:
Topic 1. culture, socialization and multicultural education
Culture is a central concept in anthropology that deals with the social behavior as well as
norms found in the human societies. This encompasses the range of phenomena transmitted
through social learnings in the human societies. Culture of the individuals define social
situations, though not always defines conditions but helps to develop attitudes, goals and values.
Culture conditions the attitudes towards the different issues like morality, religion, family
planning and other social values. This defines the culture of the country also concerning the
fundamental rights, private property, and representative government that are influenced by the
culture.
Socialization is mainly the matter of cultural and social learning. Cultural learning is a
method through which people learn the fundamental cultural patterns of the society where they
live. To McFarland and Wehbe-Alamah, through socialization, human beings learn their culture
and methods of survival. This essentially represents the whole process of gaining knowledge
throughout their lives. This is the central influence on behavior, actions and behaviors of the
people in every society.
These are the reasons why the children in every social groups and contexts, need to
undergo multicultural education so that they can strive in the era of globalization (Manning,
Baruth and Lee). Multicultural education refers to the types of teaching which incorporates texts,
histories, values, perspectives and beliefs of people having different cultural background. This
type of education system reflects the importance of cultural diversity in the organisations of any

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level. In multicultural education system culture is defined in the broadest sense by encompassing
race, religion, class and ethnicity.
Topic 2.
Prejudice, discrimination and identifiability
In the modern American society, prejudice towards the persons of difference race and
ethnicity have been continuing for many years. It is an effective emotion that alienates an
individual or a group (Edelman, Luca and Svirsky). This is a preconceived, mostly unfavorable
feeling for the others on the basis of beliefs, values, age, social class and nationality.
On the basis of these prejudices, discriminating mentality emerges. This is a treatment
and making distinction towards the person or group (Sensoy and DiAngelo). This involves the
initial reaction as well as the interaction of the groups that influence the actual behavior and
restricting the group members to get the opportunities as well as privileges mostly available for
the others.
Despite the fact race is not always physically identifiable, in America, preceding racial
categories have been arbitrarily assigned. The socialists based on pseudoscience actually justify
different racist practices. They identify the race and develop the notion of discriminating them on
the basis of complexion (Sensoy and DiAngelo). This social construction of racial practice thus
recognizes relative darkness and fairness of skin as an evolutionary adaptation to the availability
of sunlight in the different parts of the world.
Multiple audit studies reveal racial discrimination on the basis of prejudice and
identifiability have shown strong evidence in the aspect of employability and other privileges in

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the United States of America. Racial discrimination in the society is visible in the context of
employability and treatment of the workers in the firms of the country.
Part 2.
2. Comparative arrivals and common grounds
C. trans-Atlantic crossing
America is known as the land of immigrants, and for good reason. The entire population
of the country has descended from immigrant settlers, many of whom arrived in the country from
trans-Atlantic shores. This essay looks at the disparate arrivals of Europeans in America, with
special reference to the arrival of Spanish and French catholic missionaries and French invaders
and analyzes the impact that such arrivals had on the Native American population.
One of the primary aims of Spanish and French arrivals in America was to reform the
Native Indians and to spread the word of Christianity in the New World. It needs to be
remembered, that aggressive efforts were made on the part of the Spanish and French
missionaries in America to proselytize the Native Americans. As argued by Salisbury (2017), the
Spanish missionaries in particular were able to detect similarities between Indian cultures and
Spanish culture, and came to the conclusion that these were people who had at some point of
time, been exposed to Christian values. The Indians were given a choice by the Spanish
missionaries, between slavery and salvation, and were consequently organized into groups of
missions (Salisbury 1). The Native Americans were coerced into sleeping, eating and working in
accordance with Christian tenets and values.

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Indians worked in their fields, attended matins, attended church regularly, and resided
within a family system where men and fathers ruled as well as met as members of a council,
imitating in the process, European societies rather than any biblical form of living. The French
missionaries like their Spanish counterparts, argues, Salisbury (2017), also believed that
American Indians would willingly convert to Christianity due to their simplicity and naivety. In
the same way as the Spanish missionaries, they noted similarities between the Indians and the
French, and the missionaries made an attempt to live with the Indians in their native villages in
order to convince them of the efficacy of Christianity and the many reasons why they ought to
convert (Salisbury 1). It is important to note, that the French missionaries did not coerce the
Native Americans into conversion, but rather promoted cultural understanding, as a result of
which many of the Native Americans took to learning French and willingly converted to
Christianity (Salisbury 1).
The arrival of the French in America and the oppressive impact that this had on the
native American population is well known in the movie The Last of the Mohicans (1992). The
movie is based on the war that broke out between the French colonizers and the native
Americans in the year of 1757 (Green 1). The Last of the Mohicans (1992) does a great job of
displaying how united the Native Americans were in their attitude to the French, how fierce they
were when it came to defending their territories and Indian culture and how they would not allow
the French forces to impose their culture, language and habits on the Native Americans (Green
1). The tragedy of losing out to the colonizers is also well highlighted in the movie,
demonstrating that the colonial takeover of the Americas was nothing short of oppressive (Green
1).

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Thus, it can be seen from the above analysis, that arrivals from the trans-Atlantic in
America, be it the missionaries from Spain and France or the French colonial administrators in
America, all had an oppressive impact on the Native American population, who were forced to
defend their culture and tradition, putting up a fight to the finish. Often for the sake of survival
the native Americans had to give in to European cultural habits and faiths, just to remain alive.
3. a. The importance of family
America’s society has been evolving as one of the most multicultural ones that the world
has ever witnessed in history. The recent political surge of awareness and acceptance of ethnic
diversity has not entirely been successful in driving out the cultural differences between the
ethnically different groups living together for decades. However, it cannot be denied that these
differences in ethnic signs is responsible for unifying the rich tapestry of America’s
multiculturalism. The diversity of ethnical backgrounds in America is nowhere more
predominant than in the literature of books authored by immigrant writers. Two such remarkable
works that address the issue if identity and alienation in a foreign land are Paper Fish (De Rosa:
2003) by Tina De Rosa and When I was Puerto Rican (Santiago:2006) by Esmeralda Santiago.
Much like the circular structure of the narrative, De Rosa’s Paper Fish has its central
character perennially suffering from the anxiety of asserting an identity in a land that is
“unfriendly to ethics”; her sufferings come full circle by the end of the novel when the immigrant
community is forced to move out of the neighborhood. After Carmolina runs away from home,
she recollects her conversations with her grandmother, which becomes her only reference to a
lost identity and helps her reconnect with herself in a situation where she is constantly denied the
respect as a human being. The only sense of selfhood she attains is during the ritual ceremony in

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the final part of the book. It is a celebration of strong adherence to one’s ethnical background in
a foreign land.
b. the question of identity in America
Both the book emphasizes the importance of filial bonds in life. Santiago’s book revolved
around family relationships and reveals the significance of family in the development of
individual identity. As the relationship between the narrator’s parents fizzle out, she moves to
New York with her brother and mother to further adversities of surviving with an
unacknowledged identity in a new and unfamiliar world. The author addresses the issue of
linguistic barriers as a potent threat to the unity among diverse cultures in America. Despite the
anxiety of differences that hinders their growth as individuals, the reliance and support of family
helps the immigrant children rise above their differences and construct an identity of their own;
one that is not influenced by the majority.
Films must be equally accredited for a fair representation of America’s diversity and the
immigrant culture. Joy Luck Club adopted from Amy Tan’s book of the same name, orchestrates
the life of a family of Chinese immigrants living in the America, struggling with relationships,
identity and a majority-formulated sense of self (Rey: 204). The attempt to understand and
reconnect with ethnic bonds is overpowered by the predominant American cultures as the current
generation totters on unsteady grounds of the foreign land and the obscurity of their own cultural
heritage. The books and the film have one theme in common: The anxiety of immigrants and the
spirit of America’s rich ethnic diversity. Overall, the works celebrate the unity of diversity that is
still prevalent in the emerging society of America, despite the temporary glitches and racial
tensions.

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Part three:
Problems, solutions and ethical issues
4.
According to Sensoy and DiAngelo the issues of social discrimination in the developed
or underdeveloped countries around the world have various factors. Through the factors, like
age, sex, nationality, religion, language and race and ethnicity. In America, the immigrants from
different parts of the world visit and aim to settle down as this country provides the privileges to
uplift the standard of life both financially as well as socially (Edelman, Luca and Svirsky).
However, these advantages are limited to the groups of people who do not differ the racial and
ethnic standard of the country.
In this book Sensoy and DiAngelo have states that the people should not be judged in
terms of their skin color but on the basis of their talents and capabilities. To the authors, the
capabilities of people differentiate one from the other and the authors consider the individuality
of the persons instead of categorizing them on the basis of their birth, race and nationality. In
referring the actual and recent situation of racial discrimination, the authors have pointed out that
the young generation is more open minded and put emphasis on the abilities and skills rather
than eliminate the potent one on the basis of race or class. The authors state this generation has
started to treat everyone as equal and allowing other groups to enjoy similar privileges as they
do.
In this book, the authors have captured different viewpoints which hold that the women
are as sexist as men. Here the author has connected the discrimination on the basis of sex which
is not prominent in the workplaces of the country, giving women less privileges that those of

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men. However, this book also details the increasing trend of cultural diversity in the institutions
of the United States of America.
The statement that “people should be judged be what they do, not the color of their
skin” is problematic in the social and political context. The developed country like America has a
long history of struggle for existence however the people from different region with different
cultural background have not only been discriminated but also exploitered. Starting from the
history of native Americans to the recent issues of discrimination on the basis of religion, the
American societies have been facing racial discrimination and prejudices. The concept of equity
and equal opportunities in the policies of the government has been opposed by the socialists and
policymakers. The historic wars like civil war and conflicts of the African-Americans to get the
equal share of the resources as well as opportunities have opposed the discriminating policies of
the politicians (Lauren).
However, it is true that there have been policies and regulations in the country to secure
the rights of the people aiming to eliminate the issues of discrimination on the basis of racial
prejudices especially regarding the skin color and traditional beliefs (Quillian and Hexel). People
are getting opportunities to mix up and increase relationship amongst themselves, uplift the
condition of living through gaining support from the national policies of the country.

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5.
Movie and novel review
The critical social justice has been manipulated by prejudiced views based on race, class
and religion. In this context two very important literary works can be referred. The novel by
Jhumpa Lahiri The Namesake reflects the story of first-generation immigrants named Ashoke
and Ashima from the East Indian state of West Bengal to the United States. In this novel the
author has captured the understanding and clash of values and beliefs of the immigrants in the
social situation in America. This story manly revolves round the life and cross-cultural
experience of Ashoke and Ashima’s son Gogol who named after the famous Ukrainian author
Nikolai Gogol. Through out the novel Gogol faces issues with his name that shapes many aspects
of his life.
The plot shifts from the completely opposing cultures of India and United States and this
shows how disrupting the values and perspectives of the persons involved in this shift can be.
Gogol is an America born Indian who is indifferent of his own cultural background but is
engrossed with is American values and life style. The novel captures different perspectives of
Indian immigrants to the USA and how their next generation can be clueless about the cultural
differences. However, along with the cultural differences, the novel has also captured the
discrimination and prejudices on the basis of race and culture and how one culture can supersede
the other (Johnson)
Similarly, the political thriller by Mira Nair named ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ also
captures this cultural discrepancy in the form of religious differences. In this film the socio-
cultural beliefs of a young Pakistani have been changed after the massive attack of 9/11. The

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audience see the entire film from the point of view of the main character Changez who once
wanted to live the American dream. Having exceptional talents and vision, he managed to enter
the circle of American higher class where he as well as others around him did not consider his
cultural and religious background.
Changez availed all the privileges that other Americans enjoyed and never felt the
magnetism towards his own culture and nationality. He managed to fulfill his American dream
until the attack of 9/11 as after this incident, his talents were superseded by his religion and
Pakistani culture (Mohsin). He, unlike other Muslims in the country hold responsible for this
attack and the people around him who once considered his capabilities to be his identity, started
to see him as a harmful criminal of different religion.
However, Changez seems to be awaken from his American dream and starts to live like a
Pakistani. He goes back to the traditional life and sees the world as a true Islam. In this film the
cultural differences can be seen which avec aretes serious problem in the minds of the people and
destroy the whole notion of communal harmony. Therefore, it can be concluded, these examples
from novel and movies showing cultural differences among the Americans and the immigrants
having different tradition and culture. One dominating the other and going beyond the ethical
and moral acceptance.

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References and Bibliography:
Edelman, Benjamin, Michael Luca, and Dan Svirsky. "Racial discrimination in the sharing
economy: Evidence from a field experiment." American Economic Journal: Applied
Economics9.2 (2017): 1-22.
Essed, Philomena, and Sara Louise Muhr. "Entitlement racism and its intersections: An interview
with Philomena Essed, social justice scholar." ephemera: theory & politics in
organization 18.1 (2018).
Fraser, James W. Between church and state: Religion and public education in a multicultural
America. JHU Press, 2016
Green, Daniel W. "The over-consumption of Native American imagery and the ongoing results
for contemporary reality." Neohelicon 44.1 (2017): 89-98
Hamid, Moshin. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. 2nd ed., Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South
Africa, PENGUIN BOOKS, 2017.
Johnson, Carissa J. "A Grain of Truth: The Spirituality of Food in Jhumpa Lahiri's The
Namesake." (2016).
Lauren, Paul Gordon. Power and prejudice: The politics and diplomacy of racial discrimination.
Routledge, 2018.
Manning, M. Lee, Leroy G. Baruth, and G. Lea Lee. Multicultural education of children and
adolescents. Taylor & Francis, 2017.

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McFarland, Marilyn R., and Hiba B. Wehbe-Alamah. Leininger's culture care diversity and
universality. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2014.
Quillian, Lincoln, and Ole Hexel. "Trends and Patterns in Racial Discrimination in Hiring in
America, 1974–2015." Meetings of the Population Association of America, Washington,
DC. 2016.
Salisbury, Neal. "The Indians’ old world: Native Americans and the coming of Europeans."
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Selod, Saher. "Citizenship denied: The racialization of Muslim American men and women post-
9/11." Critical Sociology 41.1 (2015): 77-95.
Sensoy, Ozlem, and Robin DiAngelo. Is everyone really equal?: An introduction to key concepts
in social justice education. Teachers College Press, 2017.
Storch, Tanya. Religions and Missionaries around the Pacific, 1500–1900. Routledge, 2017.