- SOC FPX 2000 Assessment 1 Cultural Diversity and You
Cultural Diversity and You
The fact that culture plays a role in practically every aspect of human life, particularly societal relations, might make it easier to discuss the issue using a sociological perspective on cultural differences. Sociologists wish to be able to compare how cultural practices influence inequality and inequality in society and vice versa, so they research cultural variation.
- Evaluation of Racism and Diversity Issues in Society
Here in this evaluation, I will be discussing racism that I have established in my neighborhood and how it fits the power relations of society. Subsequently, I will critically evaluate it to develop sound sociological conclusions. I will also discuss strategies that might be employed to address different diversity issues and the need for policies and laws to address general diversity issues. Last, I will discuss several methods in which individual differences and backgrounds may shape the view toward diversity policy.
Personal Experience and Concepts of Power
One morning, as I was having my coffee in front of my house, a lot of commotion happened in the neighborhood. Carter, my neighbor, was returning from the store with a bag of groceries when I got up and saw him walking past my window. The white lady living in the house adjacent to mine came out and started provoking him when he passed.
She was accusing Carter that he had taken some things from her porch to eat, and I first misunderstood her, but as I drew nearer, she was more elaborate. Regardless, the woman did not believe Carter when he said he had not stolen anything from the store. As the hearing proceeded, she referred to him as a thug again and proceeded to shout at him.
Emotional Response to Witnessing Racism and Discrimination
The woman eventually went back into the house, and she was always murmuring with anger and disgust. At the same time, Carter remained on the sidewalk, where his face was expressed to the fullest measure of shame and horror. Seeing the feelings of despair that he had was heartbreaking to me; this meant that he was in so much pain.
This made me furious and annoyed when I saw it. From what I saw, he could feel that the woman was a racist against him because he is black like Carter. Again, I felt that if the man in question had another complexion, she would have never accused him of stealing.
None of it was logical to me anymore. A voice in my head wanted me to confront the woman and explain to her that she was being wrong and discriminatory. However, a small part of me was scared that I would aggravate the situation and Carter would feel even more withdrawn. When I thought it through, I ceased moving and took a moment to observe the situation.
Connecting Experience to Social Concepts of Power
With reference to the theories of inequality provided by Marx and Weber and sociological paradigms such as power and inequality, I argue that the racism I observed concerning Carter – my Black neighbor – can be explained as follows.
From the Marxist perspective, society contains the powerful and the working class. Marx P. 108 argued that the powerful, or the ruling class, are in a position to exploit the working class due to the existing economic disparity. One can notice the prejudice which Carter faces as the reflection of the fact that White Americans have more advantages than Black Americans like herself.
In the category of authority, Weber identified cultural and social power as two forms of power that have a bearing on society and its practices. There is white American culture and society, which might be the cause of the bigotry that Carter encounters.
Analyzing Data to Make Valid Sociological Inferences
African Americans have gone through racial discrimination systematically in the history of Americans. Health, income, and incarceration are consequences of prejudice resulting from its continuous practice. The issue of Blacks as subjects of racism in the United States has been of tremendous research interest in scholars making social inferences.
Racial Discrimination in the Sharing Economy and Healthcare
Jaeger and Sleegers (2022) look at race in the sharing economy, which comprises companies like Airbnb and Uber. Scholars identified that Blacks were discriminated against when using Uber and that Airbnb discriminated against Blacks because they were less welcome. From these findings, it is possible to infer that these websites’ algorithms could be reinforcing racism.
Cogburn (2019) explored how prejudice and discrimination affect equality and health disparity among blacks. The author claims that the highest percentages of African Americans suffer from chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, resulting from raised stress and limited access to remedies stemming from racism.
In the same way, Wright and Headley (2020) studied the factors that affect the Policing Force, including racial factors. Further, the study established that police were more likely to use force when they encountered Black people, particularly when the circumstances were not well understood.
Application of Laws or Policies
Only with the help of laws and regulations that prescribe equality and fight prejudice can diversity-related problems be solved. It builds up a structure of law-making to safeguard the civil liberties of certain sections of the population that have been suppressed in the past. After this, we will discuss addressing diversity challenges through waging policies and legislation. Miller (2019) looked at affirmative action’s impact on workforce diversity.
In light of empirical analysis, the study finds that affirmative action can increase the representation of competent candidates from disadvantaged categories by increasing the proportion of the competence level of the candidates, as seen at the executive level. The authors of the affirmative assert that affirmative action can help create a more favorable climate in the workplace by using diversity as an organizational value. Concerning health inequalities, Baumgartner et al. (2020) considered the case of the ACA about things.
Low-income and minority groups, in part, will benefit from the stated objectives of the Affordable Care Act to the extent that it aims to increase access to medical treatments and reduce health disparities. As stated in the report, preventative care and insurance coverage are two specific ways that the ACA improved health equality. The authors admit that the ACA legislation has worsened health equality; however, they note that it has been a subject of constant activism, including legal cases and repeal.
In another study, Lum et al. (2019) also stated that it was found that police officers who wore body cameras used force in very few incidences, and such incidences were rarely carried out when arresting suspected non-dangerous individuals. Despite the differences in the rates of police brutality against different races, the authors opine that integrated body-worn cameras would enhance the righteousness of the police. These perspectives align with concepts covered in the SOC FPX 2000 Assessment 1 Cultural Diversity and You.
Strategies for Addressing a Cultural Diversity Issue
This means that in dealing with issues related to diversity, individual and institutional-level interventions should be utilized to maximize the effectiveness of the interventions to be offered. One such method is cross-cultural education, which assists people to appreciate or at least come to terms with cultural diversity at the individual level. With this understanding, Van Puffelen & van Oppen (2020) alluded that cross-cultural education may enhance how people conceive and interact with others from other cultural backgrounds.
Policies and Approaches for Enhancing Cultural Diversity and Inclusion
Organizing and monitoring policies in the area of inclusion and diversity could play a role in addressing the systematic problems resulting from cultural differences. The criteria for these aspects include recruitment and inclusion of members from marginalized groups and the training and development programs that are diversity and culture-sensitive. Nyseth (2021) found that policies related to diversity and inclusion provide a chance to amplify the representation of minorities in the workforce.
Intergroup dialogue is another approach to the problem of cultural diversity, which implies gathering people from various cultural backgrounds to discuss their impressions and views on the surrounding world openly. Tropp et al. (2022) said that intergroup interaction might reduce prejudice among people from different cultural backgrounds and promote a culture of understanding and empathy.
Factors Influencing Feelings and Reactions to Diversity Issues
Individual differences are highly significant from the perspective of people’s emotions or, more accurately, their orientation to the issues reflected in diversity concerns. How people perceive diversity can be shaped by factors such as culture, financial position, literacy levels, religious affiliations, and interaction with other groups ( Brown et al., 2018).
Factors Influencing Perceptions of Diversity: Environment, Socioeconomic Status, and Education
For instance, what they have perceived to refer to diversity may stem from being raised in a diverse or heterogeneous environment. One might be lucky to grow up in a diverse neighborhood, attend school, or travel to diverse cultures, making one more understanding of others. On the other hand, prejudice against certain groups might be due to very little diversification in the groups we grow up around due to limited interaction with the diversity of groups in society.
In the same way, the financial situation greatly influences how a person perceives diversity. Since they may regard variety as a threat to their standard of living and social status, people with low SES tend to have a negative attitude toward diversity. Those who are better off financially will approach issues of diversity in a more positive light because they have been able to learn from other cultures.
In addition, one’s religious affiliation and level of education may also influence one’s attitude toward diversity. Education influences the tolerance of variety as people exposed to different cultures and opinions will be more lenient to variety due to their learning. Similarly, those more liberally inclined towards religion may understand variability and accommodate more variability. In contrast, those who are more conservatively inclined towards relation may have a negative attitude toward variability. Explore our sample SOC FPX 2000 Assessment 2 Diversity and the Media for complete information about this class.
Conclusion
It stands to reason that an evaluation addressed the need for DM and the challenges minorities face. It discussed how actions, personality, experiences, and interactions, such as my encounter with Carter, influence the perception and behavior toward diversity issues and the role of policy and legislation in this fight against prejudice and in support of diversity. It was demonstrated that such things as religious affiliation, educational status, social standing, and manner of rearing played a role. Various Diversity and inclusion strategies investigated in the evaluation of SOC FPX 2000 Assessment 1 Cultural Diversity and You included:
- Assertion of awareness.
- Increase in accessibility to learning and training.
- Establishment of policies and practices.
References
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Brown, J., Jiménez, A. L., Sabanathan, D., Sekamanya, S., Hough, M., Sutton, J., Rodríguez, J., & García Coll, C. (2018). Factors related to attitudes toward diversity in Australia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 28(4), 475–493.
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Jaeger, B., & Sleegers, W. W. A. (2022). Racial disparities in the sharing economy: Evidence from more than 100,000 Airbnb hosts across 14 countries. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research.
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Miller, C. (2019). Affirmative action and its persistent effects: A new perspective. California Management Review, 61(3), 19–33.
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Tropp, L. R., White, F., Rucinski, C. L., & Tredoux, C. (2022). Intergroup contact and prejudice reduction: Prospects and challenges in changing youth attitudes. Review of General Psychology, 108926802110465.
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van Puffelen, E., & van Oppen, M. A. A. U. (2020). Supporting cross-cultural university education. The 16th International CDIO Conference Proceedings.
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Wright, J. E., & Headley, A. M. (2020). Police use of force interactions: Is race relevant or gender germane? The American Review of Public Administration, 50(8), 851–864.