1. Vincent Parrillo Strangers to These Shores
Chapter Three
Prejudice and Discrimination

2. Prejudice Prejudgment, … inadequate definition
Louis Wirth: “ an attitude with an emotional bias”
Ralph Rosnow: “any unreasonable attitude usually resistant to rational influence”
“ My mind is already made up, don’t confuse me with the facts”
May be either Positive or Negative
In minority relations, … usually negative

3. The Psychology of Prejudice
Prejudice may develop from:
Imitation or conditioning (Conditioning)
Perceived similarity-dissimilarity (Cognitive)
Personality characteristics (Psychoanalytic)
Three Levels of Prejudice (B. Kramer)
Cognitive
Emotional
Action orientation

4. Cognitive Level of Prejudice
Encompasses a persons beliefs, … perceptions of a group,
threatening or not, … inferior or equal, … seclusive or intrusive, … in negative or positive characteristics
Ethnocentrism: … a generalized rejection of all groups based on an ingroup focus
Prejudice is a rejection of certain people based solely on their group membership
Or the possibility of social interaction

5. Emotional Level of Prejudice
Based on the feelings that a minority group arouses in an individual
Feelings may be based on stereotypes
Emotional attitudes may be negative or positive
Beliefs or feelings may be triggered by social interaction

6. Action-orientation Level
A predisposition to engage in discriminatory behavior
Positive
Negative

7. Self-Justification
Denigrating a person or group to justify maltreatment of them
We “rationalize” our treatment of others
Examples: Native Americans, … Slaves, … Japanese, …
Some sociologists believe it works the other way around
Subjugation occurs first then justification follows

8. Authoritarian Personality
T. W. Adorono’s studies (1950)
Authoritarian Personality, correlated with harsh treatment as a child
F Scale (Potential Fascism)
Study using a “shock” generator to “teach”
Frustration, the result of relative deprivation
A lack of resources, or rewards, in one’s standard of living compared to others in the society

9. Authoritarian Personality Cont.
Scapegoating
Blaming others for something that is not their fault
Examples? …

10. Sociology of Prejudice
Socialization
The acquisition of values, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of ones culture or subculture
Includes Material and Nonmaterial cultural elements
We “learn” to become prejudice and to discriminate
Jim Crow laws, … for example

11. Sociology of Prejudice Cont.
Economic Competition
We tend to be more hostile towards others who threaten our security, our livelihood
Economic competition and conflict breeds prejudice
Negative stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination increase when competition for jobs increases
Examples: Chinese, … Germans (John Dollard)
Both studies and historical evidence support this position

12. Sociology of Prejudiced Cont.
Social Norms
Sociologists suggest a relationship between prejudice and a person’s tendency to conform to societal norms, (expectations)
Social Norms form the generally shared rules defining “proper” behavior
Theorizes a direct relationship between the degree of conformity and the degree of prejudice
Explains prevailing attitudes but not their origin

13. Sociology of Prejudice Cont.
Stereotyping
An oversimplified generalization by which we attribute certain characteristics to a group without regard to individual differences
Can be Positive or Negative, … Examples?
Can become ingrained in our everyday thinking
Can serve to enhance or denigrate a group
Once established, hard to eradicate, even in succeeding generations

14. Ethnophaulisms Ethnophaulism: Examples of ethnopuhaulisms in text?
A derogatory word or expression used to describe a racial or ethnic group
This is the language of prejudice
See picture on p. 87
Examples of ethnopuhaulisms in text?
Disparaging nicknames, … (. 87)
Explicit group devaluations, …
Irrelevant ethnic group nicknames, …

15. Sociology of Prejudice Cont.
Ethnic Humor
Are ethnic, racial, gender jokes funny?
One’s view of the group influences their reaction to the joke, comment
Derogatory humor (jokes) about one’s own group
The key to ethnic humor lies in both the joker’s and the audience’s attitudes

16. Sociology of Prejudice Cont.
Perpetuation of Stereotypes
Discuss
Influencing of Attitudes
Advertising and prejudice
Can prejudice be reduced?
Interaction, contact between people of different racial and ethnic groups
May worsen, … ?
May improve, … ?

17. Discrimination Discrimination Five levels of Discrimination
Actual behavior, the practice of differential and unequal treatment of groups of people
Racial, … religious, … ethnic, … others, …
Five levels of Discrimination
First: Verbal expression, … statement of dislike, … a derogatory term, …
Second: Avoidance, … the prejudiced person takes steps to avoid social interaction with a group

18. Levels of Discrimination Cont.
Third: Exclusion, … exclusion from certain jobs, … housing, … education, … etc.
De jure segregation, … segregationist laws
De facto segregation, … by social custom
Fourth: Ethnoviolence, all forms of violence, … because of religion, … race, … ethnicity, …
Fifth: Extermination, … massacres, .. Genocide, … pogroms, …

19. Prejudice & Discrimination
Prejudice can lead to discrimination and discrimination to prejudice
Not certain one will follow the other
Robert Merton (1949) Model describing prejudice and discrimination (Fig 3.1, p. 98)
Nonprejudiced Nondiscriminator
Non prejudiced Discriminator
Prejudiced Nondiscriminator
Prejudiced Discriminator

20. Social & Institutional Discrimination
Social Discrimination:
Established patterns of social distance
Social disassociations, exclusionary patterns
Institutional Discrimination:
Unequal treatment imbedded in institutional rules, … and regulations
Entrenched in customs, … laws, … practices
Discriminatory patterns can exist in all business, .. educational, .. religious, .. social, .. and government institutions

21. Affirmative Action Affirmative Action, origin:
President Roosevelt, Exec. Order 8802, July 1941 ( pre WW II)
Defense contractors, … “not discriminate, … race, … creed, … color, … national origin, …”
President Kennedy, Exec. Order 10925, 1961
Take affirmative action, … treatment without regard to race, … creed, … color, … national origin

22. Affirmative Action Cont.
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, Sec. 703
Seems to address the need for fairness, … openness, … and color-blind opportunity
Bans preference by race, … ethnicity, … gender, … and religion, … in business and government
President Johnson Exec. Order 11246
Mandated employer affirmative-action to correct existing deficiencies through specific goals and deadlines

23. Affirmative Action Cont.
Legislation in 1972 amended the 1964 Civil Rights Act
Preference programs became the rule, … through reserved minority quotas
Seen as reverse discrimination
The Bakke vs. the U.C. Regents
U.S. Supreme Court ruled, … “quotas were not permitted but race could be a factor in university admission
Supreme Court in 1995, “race could not longer be the predominant factor… “

24. Has Affirmative Action Worked?
Evidence of success has been mixed
The Bakke decision has had little impact on the enrollment of African Americans and Hispanics in medical and law schools
A considerable number of minorities and women have better jobs than they would have without antidiscrimination laws

25. Key Terms Affirmative action Authoritarian personality
Three Levels of Prejudice
De facto discrimination
De jure Discrimination
Discrimination
Ethnophaulism
Jim Crow laws
Prejudice
Scapegoating
Social Discrimination
Social Norms
Socialization process
Stereotype
Ethnoviolence
Institutional Discrimination