Monica C. 1. This article demonstrates the unfair unemployment gap due to race and ethnicity. America gives the people the impression that this country is full of opportunities, but in reality the only people who have an opportunity are the white American. The unemployment rate for black Americans, now 13.2 percent, is about double that for white Americans. Whites disproportionally hold the best jobs, the jobs with the highest incomes, and we still live in a quite segregated society. Human capital doesn’t really matter if one is Mexican American or if they are African American. White Americans will always have priority rule over anyone else in this country. This is due to the state of mind society has formed. They believe that white American are the best at everything. As DiTomaso found, that about 70 percent of the jobs white American had held over their lives were obtained thanks to some kind of inside edge or outside help, like a friend tipping them off to an open position or putting in a good word for them. The problem here is that if one doesn’t have that outside help then there goes their chance of getting that job. According to Herbert Blumer’s model this social problem is in the stage of social legitimation because it isn’t only happening to a few people, but rather a whole race. 2. A conflict theorist would say that there would always be inequality in society. We’ve all been brain washed to think that those who are better at any job are white Americans. They have the ability to easily get hired for any job due to their connections. A conflict theorist may also say that white Americans are easily hired because of the fear of being over thrown by another race. They know that anyone has the ability to learn and become successful in anything, as long as they set their minds to it. So Americans want to keep their population high in white Americas. Society won’t overcome the mentality that white Americans are “superior” and that America belongs to them and no one else. 3. My reason for choosing this topic was because I strongly believe that the unemployment gap is due to race and ethnicity. That an African American or Mexican American has to work twice as hard to even get close to having the opportunities a white American has. And once that opportunity is near by they are still neglected from achieving more than what they already have. A solution to this problem could be that a community can hold a monthly meeting demonstrating and acknowledging others of the great opportunities people of different races have accomplished and maybe this can inspire those who have lost hope in getting a job; due to rejection in their past to stand up once more and give it another try. These exact same meeting should be held in large work places to open the eyes of those in charge, that one shouldn’t judge by their race, but rather by what one has to offer that may benefit them in their company.
Anahit G. 1.) Ever since 1984, the wealth gap between blacks and whites was less than $100,000. Since then, the number tripled. That being said, the wealth/net worth is calculated as a person's assets- meaning their bank and retirement accounts, stocks and home value. The unemployment rate for African Americans until this day still continue to be twice as high for white Americans, rating about 13.2% for black Americans. African American college graduates are twice as likely to have student loan debts as their white counterparts. Stated by Heather McGhee, "it is twice as hard as blacks". As of today, Michigan has the highest rate of unemployment among black Americans in the country- one in five blacks, resulting in 18.7% that are out of work; which is twice the rate of whites in the state. Whites tend to have the best jobs with the best incomes and the reason for that is because studies have shown that 70% of jobs whites held were through some kind of inside edge or outside help. The unemployment gap between African Americans and whites tends to be at a macro level, which focuses on the societal level analysis. The main reason why its macro and not micro is because it became a societal issue when the unemployment gap is spreading from person to person, state to state. Another reason would be because it creates a hierarchy level of who has the best job and earns tons of money and who does not have a job and tries to make a living. 2.) Functionalist perspective would look at the unemployment gap of African Americans and say that not everyone should need a job or else the world wouldn’t be able to function. They would argue that our society needs individuals that make a lot of money, individuals that make decent amount of money, and individuals that make no money at all to create different types of social classes and with the different type of social classes, we can have a small amount of people who live in exotic mansions, a large amount of people living in rented apartments/houses, and a larger amount of people on the streets trying to make a living. 3.) I think that it is not fair for a certain race to struggle while the dominant race to have it all. I commented on this specific topic because our society is still struggling from racism and it will continue to have an impact on people because racism involves who has the power and whites will be the dominant group that can hold this power and until then, racism will continue. One easy solution to this problem is to just avoid racism. Whether it’s an African American person applying for a job or an African American applying to transfer to a University, giving chances is a positive thing because you can never know what that individuals can bring to the table.
Gayane I. 1.The unemployment gap between black American’s and white American’s is significant because it reflects centuries of inequality. Even after demolishing slavery and fighting through segregation, the unwavering weight of inequality and oppression still lingers. Prejudice and discrimination linger poisoning the opportunity for black American’s. Black American’s are not privy to opportunity. In the article, the reader learns that this unemployment gap seems to be a perpetual cycle of money struggles, student debt, lack of job opportunity etc. Once again the bourgeoisie continues to stifle the growth of the proletariat. White American’s continue to benefit from opportunity granted to them since the birth of our nation, while black America's struggle. 2.When observing both white and black American’s, an interactionist would utilize a micro-perspective. A white American, unbeknownst to them, are raised with privilege. They never have to worry about their skin color being a determinant for opportunity or having a good life. They do not have to deal with crushing prejudice and discrimination. An interactionist would observe how the face-to-face interaction of never being exposed to rejection on the basis of race would continue to keep white American’s ignorant to their entitlement. They would grow up with a clear mentality and identity. Black American’s however, at a micro level, are exposed to prejudice and discrimination. This negative face-to-face interaction alters the psyche of black American’s. Any human being who is exposed to an onslaught of negativity is bound to be sucked into a loss of sense of self, identity, and can lead to anomie. The constant rejection of work based on race will eventually lead to self hate. 3. I commented on this specific topic because I find the sense of entitlement and opportunity that white American’s have interesting. If we trace it back to the birth of our nation, we can observe that whites benefiting over black American’s is because of slavery. Yes, physical slavery does not exist in the U.S. however, the oppression of Black American’s still lingers and its a direct result of our nation’s past with slavery. Using the sociological imagination one can connect the historical and societal dots until we reach our nations racial social problems nowadays. I think the only way we can deal with this social problem is through education. I think our educational system paints a sugar coated version of our history and our problems today. If we were to educate individuals, white and black americans alike, I feel that we could improve this particular problem.
Tristen Cortes 1. The United States has always been viewed as the land of opportunity, but this has not always been the case, unless you were a white male. Although the economy has been improving, white unemployment is now double that of Black unemployment, 13.2%. In the 80's, the wealth gap between blacks and whites was somewhere around $100,000. Currently, the gap has more than tripled. The differences between race are very clear, such as the difference in college students. Because whites are generally wealthier, they are able to obtain their higher education, with less loans and debts, which means less payments after college. This is not the case for the average African american student. They require more loans to obtain their education, resulting in much more debt than the Caucasian student. Also because of the racial gap, the average white student will have a much easier time finding a job out of college, than will the black student, who will also have much more financial stress to endure. Because white primary has become the social norm throughout the U.S., whites have such an advantage in life throughout this country, they have some inside edge or advantage in all areas of the spectrum, business, education, etc. 2. A functionalist would argue that the reason there is such a gap between the races is that whites are meant to serve a greater purpose in our societal norms. Because of the view our country has on the white race, they get better homes, better education, better and more jobs, and can easily persuade the situation to go in their favor. These are advantages other races do not possess in our country, therefore their purposes in life and society do not compare. The language barrier is a huge reason for this. many people are so close-minded that they prefer to communicate with someone that speaks the same language, therefore avoiding a struggle. Few people will take the time to try and address and communicate with someone who does not share the same lingual background. 3. I chose this topic because i have already studied this topic in class, and it interests me greatly. Id like to live in a country where all have access to the best education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. I think that in order to achieve this goal, we should start with education, and education should be equal regardless of race or financial income. once our citizens all share he same education, the result will be that of equal employment opportunity, and so on and so forth.
1. The article describes an "unconscious discrimination" of African Americans in hiring, and a disproportionate unemployment trend; unemployment affects African Americans twice as much as white Americans. The fact that the unemployment rate (nationally) for African Americans doubles the rate of unemployment of white Americans is worrisome and needs to be dealt with. It is a social problem because it concerns many people, in this case, the African American community, and the problem has undergone the transformation process, as the private issue of unemployment for many African American individuals became a public issue affecting their entire community. African Americans as an ethnic group began to face a higher unemployment incidence than, in this case, white Americans. The fact that African Americans are more deeply affected by the issue of unemployment points to a failure in our society to provide equal opportunities to people of all races; deep unemployment has caused individual damage to African Americans who are unable to find work or are underemployed, which is the case of Ms. Knox. The issue is also persistent, given that even after our economy began to heal and unemployment rates decreased for the overall population, African Americans are still facing higher unemployment. African Americans have unequal resources; as discussed in the article, they lack the "human capital" that many white Americans take for granted. 2. Analyzing the issue from an Interactionalist perspective, we can argue that while white Americans have little to no issue showing up to a job interview and being evaluated only on their skills and experience, African Americans do not enjoy the same unbiased treatment. Blacks are usually portrayed as minorities, and their de facto segregation in communities where public education is inferior can influence an interviewers likelihood of hiring an applicant of color, because blacks are perceived as "less educated", more likely to come from poverty and if the interviewer is white, black people might seem like a distant ethnic group. Society as a whole has a racialist bias, and we still favor people that are white or "white washed", and think of them as more capable or even better looking and more professional looking in a job environment. Also, from an interactionist perspective, interviewing someone who has been "referred" (which happens to many white people according to DiTomaso) will create a better impression in the eyes of an interviewer, and the interviewer will choose someone for whom a good word has been put in over any other applicant. Africans Americans face the discrimination they have always faced as a disenfranchised ethnic group, and now they also face the lack of connections. Also, whites enjoy the human capital that blacks lack, yet they seem to not realize their social status and skin color is directly tied to the opportunities they have been presented with. The language of many whites points at a sense of entitlement, and a lack of overall understanding of inequality. In the example in the article, the white man proclaimed that he had "earned" what he had, and condemned black people for not "doing the same" and "working as hard" as he had done. Interactionalism sheds light on the importance of language and racism, as privileged groups will commit person-blame to try to explain the disparity and inequalities minorities face.
3. I think this issue is sad and quite preventable, since there are many ways how diversity can be enforced in the workplace. I commented on this topic because I am baffled at how much the African American community experiences discrimination and unequal opportunities compared to the overall population. A solution to this problem would be for an employer to try to apply a sort of Affirmative Action during the hiring process, where people of color are carefully considered based on their qualifications for the open job position, as opposed to a candidate that has been referred by an insider. Employers should demonstrate they have put measures to avoid racial discrimination and affirmative policies to create diversity in their companies, or face penalties. Penalties can be applied as employers should keep records of all applications and record reasons why certain applicants were turned down. Measures like such are absolutely necessary if we want to bridge the gap between African Americans and the rest of the population; there is no reason why people of color should face higher unemployment in 2014 just because they lack the referrals or simply because they are black.
Ivonne F. Commenting on Alejandra D's post. 1.) I agree with the Affirmative Act being established in the hiring process because it reassures applications they're being turned down because of their job opportunities and not based their ethnicity. Giving valid reasons why the applicate was rejected. If being biased against others penalties should taken into action. Putting a stop to an individual being discriminated against. Also, agreeing with employers asserting measures against discrimination to prevent separation amongst the work place causing diversity in the company. Setting a perfect example to other companies, as well as the community that everyone deserves identical equal work opportunities. -I choose to commented on this post because a lot of individuals with the same type of qualifications are turned down in the workplace for non-valid reasons and its quite unfair. Everyone is trying to make a living and because of other indivdiuals being biased leads to somebody's misfortunate. I believe everyone deserves an equal chance, rather than basing it on appearance or anything of that nature. If several people are qualified why ruin somebody else's chance over something unreasonable. Setting up laws to protect this kind of act from occurring allows everyone an equal chance. 2.) A conflict theorist would say once someone is turned out on a job opportunity thats when it becomes a problem because it affects one's life. Maybe even more than one person in the same ethnicity group. Focusing on a certain group being discriminated leads to major problems. Problems such as rejection from other individuals in society. Being seen as not being able to maintain a job because of some unrealistic made up reason. When in reality it was unrealistic because others decided to discriminated them from something they don't have control over. Whether it being skin color, ethnicity background or anything related. 3.)The Affirmation Act following penalties would be function in the work place because it flows everyone an equal opportunity based on their skills. Penalties put in action in case someone decides to be unfair. Prohibiting the employer to do as they please or choose based on what they favor in a person's appearance or anything else. Another solution i propose is for an employer to take an educational course on equality. Focusing on how every individuals should be treated equally. How to change their biased opinions and convert them yo logical and reasonable thought and acts.
1)I agree with Gayane that white Americans do have an advantage in society over African Americans, and this inequality reflects the fact that Whites are dominant within America. However, although I do think that their history in the U.S. is a factor, I don’t think it has to do with the fact that African Americans used to be slaves in the past, but by the way society views them today. For example, when schools in African American communities are seen as inferior to the richer white community schools, it gives off the sense that African Americans are less education than whites, resulting in tougher times getting jobs. Also, employers will hire those they know or have connections with, and whites have more professional connections than African Americans do. I do like what Gayane said about how “the bourgeoisie continue to benefit from opportunity granted to them since the birth of our nation, while black Americans struggle.” It is a very good conflict theorist viewpoint. I chose to comment on this entry because I was interested in how she tried to tie in the troubled past to their current situation, and I do believe it has something to do with it. As for the topic, I believe that in a modern society that boasts freedom, one group of people should not be at such a disadvantage from another based on their race. 2)A conflict theorist would claim that the whites, who hold advantage in the economy, favor their own over African Americans. They favor whites more to continue being the dominant race while curbing the influence and power of African Americans. It’s the basic philosophy of conflict theorists. Those in power do what they do to stay in power over those that are “below” them. 3)Once again, like Gayane, I think that improved education is the way to go. If struggling schools in African American communities are improved, and the quality of education rises, then perhaps it would be easier for African Americans to be hired.
Jennifer L. In respond to Alejandra D, yes I do agree that African Americans face so much discrimination and inequality because of their skin color. What stood out to me was that she pointed out so many things such as how this issue it's so persistent that it almost seems inevitable to stop it, I strongly agree. I decided to comment on this entry because even if physically we all look different it does not mean that the ones who are not as society expects they are incompetent therefore, should be treated and looked different as well as have less opportunities like in the workplace. I think that this topic is very interesting because as much as people try to advocate and laws are reformed discrimination and inequality do not go away. Individuals are so used to this and the thought of stopping such acts does not seem to happen any time soon.
In a functionalist perspective, individuals play different roles in society in order to function. Not everyone can be a doctor or mechanic, we all have positions connecting to how society should be and how it actually is. Even if discrimination and inequality need to be used for society to be stable, these two things will happen as bad as it sounds. Why this perspective? Because it sounds awful but yes society needs to be stable I'm order to survive. However, I do think that there are other ways for this instead of discrimination and inequality.
What I think about her solutions is that she is right. Affirmative action can be made when applying in order to avoid being discriminated or treated unequal. It could be possible and very realistic. Another solution can be to actually reform laws and if violated penalties should be taken serious and action must take place so others can see that acts and consequences of discriminating those who to their eyes are different are serious. Therefore, perhaps lessen the problem because others realize that discriminating or being unfair is no option. That there are consequences if doing it.
Arbi N. In response to Monica C. 1. I agree with Monica about the large employment gap due to race and ethnicity. The unemployment rate for blacks is double then the unemployment rate for whites, this gap shows that we live in a segregated society and that it is very unfair for the minorities. The reason why I chose to comment on Monica’s blog because unemployment is a very important issue. As Monica puts it, “it isn’t only happening to a few people, but rather a whole race” racial inequality in our society is becoming a major problem. 2. As Monica uses conflict theory and says that “there would always be inequality in society” I choose to write as a functionalist and say that not everyone should be employed otherwise our society would not function, as functionalist have a very macro perspective. Functionalist argue that society needs these large gaps in order to function, think of a society where everybody has a high income job then nobody would do the low paying jobs and so the society would collapse. 3. Monica’s solution in my opinion is a very good one, but it would not be an easy choice by the communities and it will have some costs. In my opinion we should stop this segregation, even though we have laws that make racial segregation in the workplace illegal, due to labeling theory we consider race and ethnicity when hiring someone, my solution to the problem would be that we need to normalize this labeling and that race and ethnicity should not be considered when getting a job. This would reduce the unemployment gap.
10 comments:
Monica C.
1. This article demonstrates the unfair unemployment gap due to race and ethnicity. America gives the people the impression that this country is full of opportunities, but in reality the only people who have an opportunity are the white American. The unemployment rate for black Americans, now 13.2 percent, is about double that for white Americans. Whites disproportionally hold the best jobs, the jobs with the highest incomes, and we still live in a quite segregated society. Human capital doesn’t really matter if one is Mexican American or if they are African American. White Americans will always have priority rule over anyone else in this country. This is due to the state of mind society has formed. They believe that white American are the best at everything. As DiTomaso found, that about 70 percent of the jobs white American had held over their lives were obtained thanks to some kind of inside edge or outside help, like a friend tipping them off to an open position or putting in a good word for them. The problem here is that if one doesn’t have that outside help then there goes their chance of getting that job. According to Herbert Blumer’s model this social problem is in the stage of social legitimation because it isn’t only happening to a few people, but rather a whole race.
2. A conflict theorist would say that there would always be inequality in society. We’ve all been brain washed to think that those who are better at any job are white Americans. They have the ability to easily get hired for any job due to their connections. A conflict theorist may also say that white Americans are easily hired because of the fear of being over thrown by another race. They know that anyone has the ability to learn and become successful in anything, as long as they set their minds to it. So Americans want to keep their population high in white Americas. Society won’t overcome the mentality that white Americans are “superior” and that America belongs to them and no one else.
3. My reason for choosing this topic was because I strongly believe that the unemployment gap is due to race and ethnicity. That an African American or Mexican American has to work twice as hard to even get close to having the opportunities a white American has. And once that opportunity is near by they are still neglected from achieving more than what they already have. A solution to this problem could be that a community can hold a monthly meeting demonstrating and acknowledging others of the great opportunities people of different races have accomplished and maybe this can inspire those who have lost hope in getting a job; due to rejection in their past to stand up once more and give it another try. These exact same meeting should be held in large work places to open the eyes of those in charge, that one shouldn’t judge by their race, but rather by what one has to offer that may benefit them in their company.
Anahit G.
1.) Ever since 1984, the wealth gap between blacks and whites was less than $100,000. Since then, the number tripled. That being said, the wealth/net worth is calculated as a person's assets- meaning their bank and retirement accounts, stocks and home value. The unemployment rate for African Americans until this day still continue to be twice as high for white Americans, rating about 13.2% for black Americans. African American college graduates are twice as likely to have student loan debts as their white counterparts. Stated by Heather McGhee, "it is twice as hard as blacks". As of today, Michigan has the highest rate of unemployment among black Americans in the country- one in five blacks, resulting in 18.7% that are out of work; which is twice the rate of whites in the state. Whites tend to have the best jobs with the best incomes and the reason for that is because studies have shown that 70% of jobs whites held were through some kind of inside edge or outside help. The unemployment gap between African Americans and whites tends to be at a macro level, which focuses on the societal level analysis. The main reason why its macro and not micro is because it became a societal issue when the unemployment gap is spreading from person to person, state to state. Another reason would be because it creates a hierarchy level of who has the best job and earns tons of money and who does not have a job and tries to make a living.
2.) Functionalist perspective would look at the unemployment gap of African Americans and say that not everyone should need a job or else the world wouldn’t be able to function. They would argue that our society needs individuals that make a lot of money, individuals that make decent amount of money, and individuals that make no money at all to create different types of social classes and with the different type of social classes, we can have a small amount of people who live in exotic mansions, a large amount of people living in rented apartments/houses, and a larger amount of people on the streets trying to make a living.
3.) I think that it is not fair for a certain race to struggle while the dominant race to have it all. I commented on this specific topic because our society is still struggling from racism and it will continue to have an impact on people because racism involves who has the power and whites will be the dominant group that can hold this power and until then, racism will continue. One easy solution to this problem is to just avoid racism. Whether it’s an African American person applying for a job or an African American applying to transfer to a University, giving chances is a positive thing because you can never know what that individuals can bring to the table.
Gayane I.
1.The unemployment gap between black American’s and white American’s is significant because it reflects centuries of inequality. Even after demolishing slavery and fighting through segregation, the unwavering weight of inequality and oppression still lingers. Prejudice and discrimination linger poisoning the opportunity for black American’s. Black American’s are not privy to opportunity. In the article, the reader learns that this unemployment gap seems to be a perpetual cycle of money struggles, student debt, lack of job opportunity etc. Once again the bourgeoisie continues to stifle the growth of the proletariat. White American’s continue to benefit from opportunity granted to them since the birth of our nation, while black America's struggle.
2.When observing both white and black American’s, an interactionist would utilize a micro-perspective. A white American, unbeknownst to them, are raised with privilege. They never have to worry about their skin color being a determinant for opportunity or having a good life. They do not have to deal with crushing prejudice and discrimination. An interactionist would observe how the face-to-face interaction of never being exposed to rejection on the basis of race would continue to keep white American’s ignorant to their entitlement. They would grow up with a clear mentality and identity. Black American’s however, at a micro level, are exposed to prejudice and discrimination. This negative face-to-face interaction alters the psyche of black American’s. Any human being who is exposed to an onslaught of negativity is bound to be sucked into a loss of sense of self, identity, and can lead to anomie. The constant rejection of work based on race will eventually lead to self hate.
3. I commented on this specific topic because I find the sense of entitlement and opportunity that white American’s have interesting. If we trace it back to the birth of our nation, we can observe that whites benefiting over black American’s is because of slavery. Yes, physical slavery does not exist in the U.S. however, the oppression of Black American’s still lingers and its a direct result of our nation’s past with slavery. Using the sociological imagination one can connect the historical and societal dots until we reach our nations racial social problems nowadays. I think the only way we can deal with this social problem is through education. I think our educational system paints a sugar coated version of our history and our problems today. If we were to educate individuals, white and black americans alike, I feel that we could improve this particular problem.
Tristen Cortes
1. The United States has always been viewed as the land of opportunity, but this has not always been the case, unless you were a white male. Although the economy has been improving, white unemployment is now double that of Black unemployment, 13.2%. In the 80's, the wealth gap between blacks and whites was somewhere around $100,000. Currently, the gap has more than tripled. The differences between race are very clear, such as the difference in college students. Because whites are generally wealthier, they are able to obtain their higher education, with less loans and debts, which means less payments after college. This is not the case for the average African american student. They require more loans to obtain their education, resulting in much more debt than the Caucasian student. Also because of the racial gap, the average white student will have a much easier time finding a job out of college, than will the black student, who will also have much more financial stress to endure. Because white primary has become the social norm throughout the U.S., whites have such an advantage in life throughout this country, they have some inside edge or advantage in all areas of the spectrum, business, education, etc.
2. A functionalist would argue that the reason there is such a gap between the races is that whites are meant to serve a greater purpose in our societal norms. Because of the view our country has on the white race, they get better homes, better education, better and more jobs, and can easily persuade the situation to go in their favor. These are advantages other races do not possess in our country, therefore their purposes in life and society do not compare. The language barrier is a huge reason for this. many people are so close-minded that they prefer to communicate with someone that speaks the same language, therefore avoiding a struggle. Few people will take the time to try and address and communicate with someone who does not share the same lingual background.
3. I chose this topic because i have already studied this topic in class, and it interests me greatly. Id like to live in a country where all have access to the best education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. I think that in order to achieve this goal, we should start with education, and education should be equal regardless of race or financial income. once our citizens all share he same education, the result will be that of equal employment opportunity, and so on and so forth.
Alejandra D.
1. The article describes an "unconscious discrimination" of African Americans in hiring, and a disproportionate unemployment trend; unemployment affects African Americans twice as much as white Americans. The fact that the unemployment rate (nationally) for African Americans doubles the rate of unemployment of white Americans is worrisome and needs to be dealt with. It is a social problem because it concerns many people, in this case, the African American community, and the problem has undergone the transformation process, as the private issue of unemployment for many African American individuals became a public issue affecting their entire community. African Americans as an ethnic group began to face a higher unemployment incidence than, in this case, white Americans. The fact that African Americans are more deeply affected by the issue of unemployment points to a failure in our society to provide equal opportunities to people of all races; deep unemployment has caused individual damage to African Americans who are unable to find work or are underemployed, which is the case of Ms. Knox. The issue is also persistent, given that even after our economy began to heal and unemployment rates decreased for the overall population, African Americans are still facing higher unemployment.
African Americans have unequal resources; as discussed in the article, they lack the "human capital" that many white Americans take for granted.
2. Analyzing the issue from an Interactionalist perspective, we can argue that while white Americans have little to no issue showing up to a job interview and being evaluated only on their skills and experience, African Americans do not enjoy the same unbiased treatment. Blacks are usually portrayed as minorities, and their de facto segregation in communities where public education is inferior can influence an interviewers likelihood of hiring an applicant of color, because blacks are perceived as "less educated", more likely to come from poverty and if the interviewer is white, black people might seem like a distant ethnic group. Society as a whole has a racialist bias, and we still favor people that are white or "white washed", and think of them as more capable or even better looking and more professional looking in a job environment. Also, from an interactionist perspective, interviewing someone who has been "referred" (which happens to many white people according to DiTomaso) will create a better impression in the eyes of an interviewer, and the interviewer will choose someone for whom a good word has been put in over any other applicant. Africans Americans face the discrimination they have always faced as a disenfranchised ethnic group, and now they also face the lack of connections.
Also, whites enjoy the human capital that blacks lack, yet they seem to not realize their social status and skin color is directly tied to the opportunities they have been presented with. The language of many whites points at a sense of entitlement, and a lack of overall understanding of inequality. In the example in the article, the white man proclaimed that he had "earned" what he had, and condemned black people for not "doing the same" and "working as hard" as he had done. Interactionalism sheds light on the importance of language and racism, as privileged groups will commit person-blame to try to explain the disparity and inequalities minorities face.
Alejandra D.
3. I think this issue is sad and quite preventable, since there are many ways how diversity can be enforced in the workplace. I commented on this topic because I am baffled at how much the African American community experiences discrimination and unequal opportunities compared to the overall population. A solution to this problem would be for an employer to try to apply a sort of Affirmative Action during the hiring process, where people of color are carefully considered based on their qualifications for the open job position, as opposed to a candidate that has been referred by an insider. Employers should demonstrate they have put measures to avoid racial discrimination and affirmative policies to create diversity in their companies, or face penalties. Penalties can be applied as employers should keep records of all applications and record reasons why certain applicants were turned down. Measures like such are absolutely necessary if we want to bridge the gap between African Americans and the rest of the population; there is no reason why people of color should face higher unemployment in 2014 just because they lack the referrals or simply because they are black.
Ivonne F.
Commenting on Alejandra D's post.
1.) I agree with the Affirmative Act being established in the hiring process because it reassures applications they're being turned down because of their job opportunities and not based their ethnicity. Giving valid reasons why the applicate was rejected. If being biased against others penalties should taken into action. Putting a stop to an individual being discriminated against. Also, agreeing with employers asserting measures against discrimination to prevent separation amongst the work place causing diversity in the company. Setting a perfect example to other companies, as well as the community that everyone deserves identical equal work opportunities.
-I choose to commented on this post because a lot of individuals with the same type of qualifications are turned down in the workplace for non-valid reasons and its quite unfair. Everyone is trying to make a living and because of other indivdiuals being biased leads to somebody's misfortunate. I believe everyone deserves an equal chance, rather than basing it on appearance or anything of that nature. If several people are qualified why ruin somebody else's chance over something unreasonable. Setting up laws to protect this kind of act from occurring allows everyone an equal chance.
2.) A conflict theorist would say once someone is turned out on a job opportunity thats when it becomes a problem because it affects one's life. Maybe even more than one person in the same ethnicity group. Focusing on a certain group being discriminated leads to major problems. Problems such as rejection from other individuals in society. Being seen as not being able to maintain a job because of some unrealistic made up reason. When in reality it was unrealistic because others decided to discriminated them from something they don't have control over. Whether it being skin color, ethnicity background or anything related.
3.)The Affirmation Act following penalties would be function in the work place because it flows everyone an equal opportunity based on their skills. Penalties put in action in case someone decides to be unfair. Prohibiting the employer to do as they please or choose based on what they favor in a person's appearance or anything else. Another solution i propose is for an employer to take an educational course on equality. Focusing on how every individuals should be treated equally. How to change their biased opinions and convert them yo logical and reasonable thought and acts.
Vaheh M.
Responding to Gayane.
1)I agree with Gayane that white Americans do have an advantage in society over African Americans, and this inequality reflects the fact that Whites are dominant within America. However, although I do think that their history in the U.S. is a factor, I don’t think it has to do with the fact that African Americans used to be slaves in the past, but by the way society views them today. For example, when schools in African American communities are seen as inferior to the richer white community schools, it gives off the sense that African Americans are less education than whites, resulting in tougher times getting jobs. Also, employers will hire those they know or have connections with, and whites have more professional connections than African Americans do. I do like what Gayane said about how “the bourgeoisie continue to benefit from opportunity granted to them since the birth of our nation, while black Americans struggle.” It is a very good conflict theorist viewpoint. I chose to comment on this entry because I was interested in how she tried to tie in the troubled past to their current situation, and I do believe it has something to do with it. As for the topic, I believe that in a modern society that boasts freedom, one group of people should not be at such a disadvantage from another based on their race.
2)A conflict theorist would claim that the whites, who hold advantage in the economy, favor their own over African Americans. They favor whites more to continue being the dominant race while curbing the influence and power of African Americans. It’s the basic philosophy of conflict theorists. Those in power do what they do to stay in power over those that are “below” them.
3)Once again, like Gayane, I think that improved education is the way to go. If struggling schools in African American communities are improved, and the quality of education rises, then perhaps it would be easier for African Americans to be hired.
Jennifer L.
In respond to Alejandra D, yes I do agree that African Americans face so much discrimination and inequality because of their skin color. What stood out to me was that she pointed out so many things such as how this issue it's so persistent that it almost seems inevitable to stop it, I strongly agree. I decided to comment on this entry because even if physically we all look different it does not mean that the ones who are not as society expects they are incompetent therefore, should be treated and looked different as well as have less opportunities like in the workplace. I think that this topic is very interesting because as much as people try to advocate and laws are reformed discrimination and inequality do not go away. Individuals are so used to this and the thought of stopping such acts does not seem to happen any time soon.
In a functionalist perspective, individuals play different roles in society in order to function. Not everyone can be a doctor or mechanic, we all have positions connecting to how society should be and how it actually is. Even if discrimination and inequality need to be used for society to be stable, these two things will happen as bad as it sounds. Why this perspective? Because it sounds awful but yes society needs to be stable I'm order to survive. However, I do think that there are other ways for this instead of discrimination and inequality.
What I think about her solutions is that she is right. Affirmative action can be made when applying in order to avoid being discriminated or treated unequal. It could be possible and very realistic. Another solution can be to actually reform laws and if violated penalties should be taken serious and action must take place so others can see that acts and consequences of discriminating those who to their eyes are different are serious. Therefore, perhaps lessen the problem because others realize that discriminating or being unfair is no option. That there are consequences if doing it.
Arbi N.
In response to Monica C.
1. I agree with Monica about the large employment gap due to race and ethnicity. The unemployment rate for blacks is double then the unemployment rate for whites, this gap shows that we live in a segregated society and that it is very unfair for the minorities. The reason why I chose to comment on Monica’s blog because unemployment is a very important issue. As Monica puts it, “it isn’t only happening to a few people, but rather a whole race” racial inequality in our society is becoming a major problem.
2. As Monica uses conflict theory and says that “there would always be inequality in society” I choose to write as a functionalist and say that not everyone should be employed otherwise our society would not function, as functionalist have a very macro perspective. Functionalist argue that society needs these large gaps in order to function, think of a society where everybody has a high income job then nobody would do the low paying jobs and so the society would collapse.
3. Monica’s solution in my opinion is a very good one, but it would not be an easy choice by the communities and it will have some costs. In my opinion we should stop this segregation, even though we have laws that make racial segregation in the workplace illegal, due to labeling theory we consider race and ethnicity when hiring someone, my solution to the problem would be that we need to normalize this labeling and that race and ethnicity should not be considered when getting a job. This would reduce the unemployment gap.
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