Race, Society, and Individual: A Sociology Assignment Analysis

This assignment explores the complex relationship between the individual and society, focusing on issues of racism and discrimination. It addresses the current state of race relations, examining instances of racial bias in leadership and political discourse. The assignment defines racism, analyzes its systemic nature, and discusses racial scapegoating. It delves into cultural anxiety, particularly in the context of the United States, and interprets the use of racial dog whistles in political campaigns. The document also provides definitions of social reflexivity and glocalization, highlighting the impact of globalization on racial dynamics. The student references academic sources to support their arguments, offering a comprehensive overview of the subject matter and its contemporary relevance.

Running head: INDIVIDUAL SOCIETY 1
Individual in Society
Name
Institution

INDIVIDUAL SOCIETY 2
Individual in Society
Q1. All the races, especially whites and the people of color tend to get along better than they did
during slave trade. However, there are some sections, especially in leadership positions where
some people are expected not to lead. This is evident in cases of selections of leaders based on
the majority. With Trump administration, there are some elements of racism which seem to crop
in, though these had been solved by earlier governments. For instance, the call for other people
to return to their native lands is an aspect of racial discrimination.
Q2.
2 a). Racism is a force against another person or a certain group of people who are thought to be
less superior as compared to the person or group which tries to portray such forces. It is
manifested as prejudice or discrimination against the other group.
2 b). Race operates as a systematic issue since it is cultured. Children grow with the notion that
there are certain races which are less superior in the society. Moreover, racism is also cultured by
creating boundaries to opportunities available for different races.
Q3. Racial scapegoat can be defined as one group putting blames on another designated ethnic
or racial group. Other forms of racial scapegoating include a case in which a group of people
may take blame from the government and as a result putting it on other people. For instance, a
government may do something wrong but a certain race end up being accused for the wrong the
misfortune that may have befallen the community (Leroy, 2017).
Q4.

INDIVIDUAL SOCIETY 3
4 a). Cultural anxiety is an extremely important issue that many societies face as they transition
from one cultural level to another.
4 b). In the United States of America, different changes have occurred. As a result of advocating
for equality among the people, and the fear implanted in the white people that other races may
rise to fame and power, for instance, the election election of president Obama.
4 c). The narrative given by Trump during his campaigns may have resulted to the white male
voters turning up to vote for hum in great numbers to ensure that they could elect a president
who would make the other races leave the US.
Q5. Racial dog whistle as applied in politics implies the use of coded language which targets a
specific race or ethnic group. Normally, the language can only be understood only by those the
speaker is addressing.
“Take our country back” may be a racial dog whistle which means that the whites should get
back to their point of superiority, especially above the people of color who were slaves (Wise,
2018). It could be true since the people of color had gone to an extent of being in charge of the
highest office in the country (López, 2015).
Q6. Other thoughts
It is difficult for the racial discrimination to go back to an extent that the people of color
becomes as slaves. This is because of glocalisation which has seen people integrate and become
as one. Moreover, most people have been taken through social reflexivity and find that racial
discrimination does not benefit them, and most people have thus been made liberals and may not
have a chance to propagate racism.

INDIVIDUAL SOCIETY 4
Definition
Social reflexivity involves the reflection that people what have with respect to what they are
doing, assessing how they conduct themselves and find how to reconcile their behavior with the
societal norms.
Glocalisation is the process through which global as well as local cultures interact and thereby
producing a new culture that is diverse from the two interacting cultures.

INDIVIDUAL SOCIETY 5
References
Leroy, J. (2017). Insurgency and Asian American Studies in the Time of Black Lives Matter.
Journal of Asian American Studies, 20(2), 279-281.
López, I. H. (2015). Dog whistle politics: How coded racial appeals have reinvented racism and
wrecked the middle class. Oxford University Press.
Wise, T. (Director). (2018). The Great White Hoax: Racism, Divide-and-Conquer, and the
Politics of Trumpism [Motion Picture]. Retrieved August 15, 2018, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p34KwbYtWE