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Respond to one of the following questions (and be sure to draw from class discussions and/or readings in your response):

1. What is race? What is racism? What is the relationship between the two?

2. How is race a social construct?

3. How does racism adapt, evolve, and mutate over time?

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2. How is race a social construct?

Race is a social construct in that it is created within society to fulfill a particular purpose. Like money, it doesn’t have any inherent or tangible meaning or value, those things are prescribed to it. As discussed in class, it’s the dominant groups within our society that control what is and isn’t part of a particular racial category in an effort to maintain systems of oppression. The dominant racial group in this country is people of European heritage (white people) and they have worked to maintain racial inequality to benefit their lives in society. If we look back to slavery, white people justified the enslavement and abuse of slaves by saying that they were intellectually inferior and had higher pain tolerance. Race is not based on actual biological realities, phenotype has no relation to anything other than how you look, however, the idea that someone's race indicated something about innate characteristics served to validate white supremacy. Even now, these ideas persist, causing both discrimination based on these stereotypes as well as actual pain and discomfort due to ignorance regarding race in the medical community. The idea of who belonged to what race has also changed over time, with who was considered white being more exclusionary in the past. People of Irish descent weren’t considered white until recently. Some ethnicities of African descent don’t consider themselves black (in part due to the negative connotation that these groups impose on that part of their identity), like many Latino groups, and that has begun to change as some people start to embrace this part of their identity. It’s an ever-changing part of how we identify ourselves that has no tangible purpose and is used and accepted as an identifier by most people.

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1. What is race? What is racism? What is the relationship between the two?

The concept of race has evolved over time, transitioning from biological classifications based on physical attributes to a social construct shaped by historical, cultural, and societal influences. Race refers to a grouping of individuals based on shared physical or social characteristics, which can vary across different societies and contexts. Early theories of race, like those proposed by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, categorized humans into "distinct racial groups based on physical features such as skin color and geographic origin." However, contemporary understanding, as supported by social science organizations, rejects the notion of race as a biological reality, emphasizing it's social construction. This shift underscores how racial categories are not fixed or inherent but rather shaped by societal norms, power dynamics, and historical contexts. Racism, on the other hand, involves the systemic discrimination and prejudice against individuals or groups perceived as belonging to particular races. It operates at both individual and institutional levels, perpetuating unequal treatment and reinforcing power dynamics that advantage dominant racial groups while disadvantaging marginalized ones. Racism, as a manifestation of societal power structures, adapts and evolves over time, taking on various forms such as individual prejudice, institutional discrimination, and cultural stereotypes. Historical racism, including practices like slavery and segregation, has lasting impacts on contemporary society, contributing to disparities in wealth, education, and opportunity among racial groups. Additionally, contemporary manifestations of racism, such as racial profiling and colorism, continue to perpetuate inequalities and reinforce hierarchies based on race. Thus, the relationship between race and racism is complex and dynamic, reflecting broader social structures and historical legacies that shape perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors towards different racial groups.

Works Cited : Introduction to Sociology 3e

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3. How does racism adapt, evolve, and mutate over time?

Throughout history, the idea of racism exists as a means to place some people above others on account of skin color. It ultimately establishes the idea that those of lighter skin colors are more superior than those of darker skin colors. As time went on, racism doesn't appear as much as it did earlier on in history but is still present in some form even today whether people acknowledge it or not. In American history, racism existed in the form of white people being superior to black people because of skin color and ultimately placed black people either into slavery being forced to do work for the white people or living a free life but being denied the same rights as white people. Even after the end of slavery, black people were still considered inferior by many white people, especially in the southern states, and there were even stereotypes that leaned into the ideas of inequality. In America today, while racism isn't to the extent of racism in earlier history, it still exists through people either downplaying how bad it is today compared to earlier occurrences or people are justifying their ideas or actions or those of another person according to inaccurate racist stereotypes.

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1. What is race? What is racism? What is the relationship between the two?

Race is a social construct that defines people based on phenotypes. While racism is a social construct that expresses discrimination, prejudice and antagonist behaviors to people based on their race. The relationship between race and racism is that racism plays a role in oppressing individuals based on their race. Humans everyday are exploited from opportunities and a sense of wellbeing just because of the complexion of their skin. Everyone gets affected by racism essentially, whether it be internalized, interpersonal, institutional or structural it is enforced upon society. Race and racism correlate because humans created a social construct that differentiates people based on their skin color and racism is a byproduct of that. We are all very much different and unique in our own ways because of our race and background history. However, the system for centuries has used that as an explanation for social stratification. As a result of social stratification, racism stems. Assumptions, stereotypes, and microaggressions begin and the notion that we aren’t really all equal enters the conscious mind. With race we have a sense of identity, but also because of the fact that there is race it draws the line across us ever really being all equal.

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1. Race is a social construct, used to place people into groups based on their skin color or ethnic backgrounds. Racism is the belief system that gives a value to racial classification, being used to favor certain races over one another. The relationship between race, and racism, is that racism is the manifestation of the concept of race, in which profiling and falsification is used to justify the unacceptable means of discrimination and inequality.

2. Race is a social construct because it does not come from fact, but rather it is created as a classification system which is used by society. It is based on the observable characteristics of someone, and its reflection on the social biases of someone else. The societal construct of race remains the same, to subgroup races based on physical characteristics, and perceived differences.

3. Racism has shown the ability to adapt, evolve, and mutate over time. While (in America) extreme practices of racism such as slavery and segregation have diminished, the more subtle forms of racism persist today. This can include institutional racism, where certain systems and structures disadvantage certain racial groups, and individualized racism where people hold biases on a personal level. Racism has manifested into new forms in response to changes in society, such as the rise of internet communication which leads to online hate speech. Despite racisms changing forms throughout time, the underlying principles of racism have remained the same.

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3. How does racism adapt, evolve, and mutate over time?

Racism adapts, evolves, and mutates over time through various means and changes over time. It picks new groups to discriminate against depending on what's happening in society. It shows up in different ways, like unfair treatment or stereotypes. Sometimes laws or norms say racism is okay, other times they say it's not. The language and symbols of racism can also change.

Technology and globalization make it easier to spread racist ideas. Resistance and backlash continually shape the landscape of racism, and cultural appropriation further complicates its dynamics. Racism mixes with other unfair treatments, and people fight against it, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

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Question 2: How is race a social construct?

Race as a social construct stems from the assumption that differences in appearance between humans, such as skin color, facial characteristics, and hair texture, are given social meaning and value they do not naturally have. This understanding of race is based on evolving social, economic, and political settings rather than biological or genetic variations, which are in reality limited across human populations. Historically, these categorizations of race have been utilized to build and sustain power dynamics, with certain groups given an advantage over others based on these arbitrary designations. Racialization is the process of assigning complex social, cultural, and intellectual attributes to physical distinctions, resulting in a hierarchy of racial groups. This distinction among races in society has profound consequences for access to resources, opportunities, and rights, resulting in systemic inequality. For example, historically, laws, regulations, and practices have been designed around racial categories, institutionalizing racism and promoting the assumption that these created disparities are inherent and unchangeable. Furthermore, the meaning and value assigned to race differ greatly among cultures and throughout time, demonstrating its social construction. For example, racial categories in the United States today differ greatly from those a century ago, as do racial categories in other nations. This fluidity emphasizes the idea that race is not a fixed biological truth, but rather a social fabrication that reflects the distinct sociopolitical dynamics of different societies.

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1. What is a race? What is racism? What is the relationship between the two?

Race embodies the cultural and ancestral essence of individuals, encompassing characteristics such as skin color and hair texture. Yet, it's crucial to recognize that race is primarily a societal construct rather than a purely scientific delineation. On the other hand, racism emerges as a byproduct of human evolution, manifesting as prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviors towards individuals based on their racial or ethnic identity. It's an unfortunate legacy stemming from historical power dynamics. The relationship between race and racism is symbiotic; they are inseparable. Racism thrives in environments where racial divides exist, fueled by differing perspectives and ideological clashes among various racial groups. In essence, where there is racism, there exists a barrier erected by notions of race, perpetuating division

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Question 2

It is largely a social construction, a set of stories we tell ourselves to organize reality and make sense of the world, rather than a fixed biological and natural reality. We tell the set of stories over and over and, collectively, believe in it and act on it, therefore making it real through practices

such as largely separate marriage and reproductive communities. For instance, during the era of colonization, the colonizers often classified people based on their physical characteristics and assigned them different statuses, roles, and rights. This created a hierarchy of races, which was used to justify the exploitation and oppression of certain groups. Race is socially constructed since it is used to categorize people who share the same biological traits that a society thinks they are important .

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Racism often becomes ingrained within societal, economic, and political frameworks, shaping regulations, legal frameworks, and behaviors that sustain biased outcomes. Over time, these systems may refine their discriminatory techniques, sometimes adopting more discreet or covert approaches. Racism can transition from obvious expressions of bias to subtler forms, such as symbolic racism, where coded language, stereotypes, and cultural narratives uphold prejudiced beliefs without explicitly mentioning race. Additionally, racism can be evident in economic structures and practices that unfairly disadvantage specific racial and ethnic communities, leading to discrepancies in wealth, employment opportunities, housing, and access to resources. These disparities may adapt in response to shifts in economic conditions and societal dynamics.

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1. Race to me is a socially constructed term that is used to group people according to characteristics of their physical or genetic distinctions, such as skin tone, facial features, hair type, and ancestry. Race is frequently used to categorize and distinguish individuals into groups. Racism is a system of discrimination that stems from the idea that one race is superior to another. It deals with the institutionalized and systematic marginalization, abuse, and disadvantage of people because of their race or ethnicity.Racism can take many different forms, such as racial prejudice and systemic injustices. The relationship between the two is that racism relies on racial categories to justify discrimination and oppression, while racial categories are often reinforced and continued by racist ideologies and systems. Racism has a deep effect on people and communities, influencing their experiences, opportunities, and results in life according to their race. Prejudice and discrimination based on race can result in differences in the criminal justice system, housing, work, healthcare, and education, which can prolong cycles of marginalization.

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3. How does racism adapt, evolve, and mutate over time?

It can take many different forms, ranging from overt prejudice to more covert forms. Racism has changed over time in reaction to societal changes brought forth by political movements, economic upheavals, and technical developments. For instance, systemic racism and more covert forms of discrimination continue, even in areas where overt segregation may have declined. It's critical to solve these problems by raising awareness, encouraging equality for all, and providing education.

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1. What is race? What is racism? What is the relationship between the two?

Race is a social construct that categorizes people based on physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, and facial features. Examples of racial categories include White, Black, Asian, Indigenous, and more. It's important to remember that race is not a biological or genetic determinant, but rather a social concept that has been used to create divisions and hierarchies in societies. Racism is a belief system that promotes discrimination and prejudice based on someone's race. An example of racism could be someone making derogatory comments or treating others unfairly solely because of their race. It's important to promote equality and respect for all individuals, regardless of their race. Racism and race are closely related. Racism is the harmful behavior and prejudice that stems from the belief in racial superiority or inferiority. It perpetuates discriminatory practices and unequal treatment based on someone's race. So, race is the basis on which racism operates.

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1. What is race? What is racism? What is the relationship between the two?

Race is a social construct that uses phenotypes to categorize individuals. Racism, however, is a social construct that represents hostility toward individuals based on their race as well as discrimination and prejudice. Racism and race are related in that racism contributes to the oppression of people on the basis of their race. Every day, people are deprived of opportunities and a sense of well-being based solely on the color of their skin. In essence, racism affects everyone because it is imposed on society and can be internalized, interpersonal, institutional, or structural. Racism and race are related because racism is a social construct that was developed by humans to distinguish people according to the color of their skin. Because of our race and past, each of us is extremely distinct and special in our own way. But that has been the system's justification for social stratification for centuries. Racism is a byproduct of social stratification. When preconceptions, stereotypes, and microaggressions start to spread, the idea that we aren't all that equal becomes conscious. Our sense of identity is shaped by our race, but it also serves as a boundary that prevents us from ever truly being equal.

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1: Race is a social construct used to categorize people into groups based on their physical appearances such as skin color, facial features, and hair texture. Racism is a belief system that believes in the dominance of one race over others and seeks to justify discrimination, prejudice, and oppression based on racial characteristics. It makes racial groups think they have a strong power over one. The relationship between them is that they connect—for example, Slavery. Slavery was a huge thing in the past. It was whites taking over blacks. To this day it is still going on. But not as much as it used to be.

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3. How does racism adapt, evolve, and mutate over time?

Racism adapts, evolves, and mutates over time through the use of different methods and also with the change of how people socialize. For example, one method is the minimization of racism, the further we get from major events that involved oppression, prejudice, or dehumanization the more it gets minimized and seen as just some other event. The logic behind this is because it happened such a long time ago it is "no longer significant" to affect certain groups today. Racism has mutated and evolved today largely because of social media, and with multiple platforms people can be targeted because of things they say on the internet. This has changed racism into subtle racism that is hard to spot unless you read the social queues within what someone says. This subtle racism mostly involves trying to take the spotlight off of certain issues or by masking someone's racist opinion as just another opinion. It has become a larger problem because since social media exists many people are scared of discussing issues behind race and other topics in fear of meeting public backlash.

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1- What is race? What is Racism ? Whats the relationship between the two ?

Race is a social construct, not based on biology but on historical, cultural, and political factors. Racism is the belief that certain races are superior or inferior, leading to discrimination and unequal treatment. The two are intertwined, as racism relies on racial categories to justify discrimination and perpetuate power dynamics. Racism manifests at both individual and institutional levels, reinforcing systemic inequalities across society. Understanding this relationship is crucial for addressing social injustices and working towards equity.

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1. Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities. racism is the belief that's one's race is superior to another's. the relationship between the two is that race is a social construct and racism is caused by one's race and discrimination toward others.

2. race is a social construct as its created by our society to label us based on how we look.

3. race adapts and evolves overtime as people find new ways to discriminate others and judge them based on their race.

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question 3

I believe that over time, racism shows itself in less obvious ways. Throughout history we've seen and learned about blatant acts of racism that groups of POC have faced. Now, while very obvious acts do exist, we see a lot more of racism through micro agressions and even in the way our neighborhoods are set up. There are even some states that ban the teaching of slavery as a way to eradicate ideas that America was built on institutionalized racism. As we move towards the future there is more tolerance and acceptance towards people of color, but this was achieved through decades of struggle.

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3. How does racism adapt, evolve, and mutate over time?

As we have seen through time that racism continues to exist, it consequently has also mutated and carried over the pyramid of hierarchy that predominantly existed (and still does) within history. With this system still existing, the entitlement of superiority is still maintained among white people— which is who we see more racist approaches deriving from. I think it is important to note that racism does not only have to show up blatantly— so although as a society, racism has somewhat got better with modern times, it does not mean that racism has just “disappeared.” Racism has evolved in a way that has become more subtle. To say that that is either a positive or negative may be subjective in comparison to more historic times but nonetheless, racism overtime has changed in form. I find that people often either directly avoid the conversation due to discomfort or in hopes it will simply “go away” or feel the complete opposite and advocate for systemic changes— which has certainly progressed overtime.

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1. ﻿﻿﻿How does racism adapt, evolve, and mutate over time?

Racism is able to adapt over time because the racism since its conception had always changing over time with things such as the forms of hateful actions or derogatory comments and statements or behaviours about different races. Since the late 19th through the early 20th century and even now in the 21st century racism has been able to change and adapt into different forms. In the early parts of racism in America there were laws and regulations made with the explicit purpose to oppress people of color. Things like the Jim Crow laws had made it so that segregation could be allowed between people who were white and people of color. The racists of this era treated the people of color in this era as unequal and were also very unfair or morally wrong on many levels. Propaganda that disrespects people of color by using imagery that displays people of color with the stereotype of them being beast like and unintelligent and that they were portrayed as being dangerous. Racist cartoons and media presenting people of colors stereotypes. Entire groups of people being formed to try and spread violence against people of color thus perpetuating this cycle of racism and hate that although weakened just festers over time never really being solved. Over the course of time the world as a whole had become more passive and less chaotic in general so now instead of these blatant acts of racism that are directly attacking marginalized groups it is now more seen in the form of microagresions. Forms of racism that although it may be seen as unintentional or misinformed still count as forms of racism and that although small still is a big issue to the individuals and groups. And on the other end macroaggresions are more extreme versions of microaggresions because the person is more veering towards the lines of Structural Racism. Out in public spheres like social media.

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Race is a categorization of people based on skin color, facial features, and hair texture. Racism, on the other hand, is discrimination against people based on their race leading to unequal treatment. The relationship between race and racism is in the hierarchies of power dynamics, where certain racial groups are privileged while others are disadvantaged. Race is a social construct because it is not biologically determined. Its shaped by historical, cultural norms. Racism adapts, evolves, and mutates over time through discrimination, microaggressions, and biases, reflecting the shifting norms and ideologies within societies and institutions.

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2. Race is a social construct because it has been built upon many lies and to praise only one certain race. Different race groups tend to represent forms of power and just how easily opportunities and advocations are made. The white dominant race is the main running ideal group, meaning that they would always have the better upper hand in everybody’s lives. People of color have a lesser say in what can be done because we’ve always been judged and hushed away. That “we don’t know anything because we’re not educated”. It becomes a broader concept to unravel because of the misconceptions around it, based on how one talks about the other.