Sociology

Perhaps one of the most intense and controversial issues that should be addressed immediately in the United States is about the minority groups living in the country. For years, racial discrimination, prejudice and racism had been a part of our oldest values and culture alongside equality, freedom and justice. Issues about race, gender and ethnicity will not be resolved easily unless people will be knowledgeable and passionate about resolving issues such as this (Healey xix).

Things seem to happen continuously in our world. Everyday we see in our television, read in the newspaper and magazines and hear from the radio violent conflicts between countries either economically or politically. In a modern world such as ours, it is a question why primitive behaviors seem to re-surface in forms of untoward behaviors towards other people such as prevailing issues in race, gender and ethnicity (Eller 2).

Asian, Black, Caucasian- these are some of the terms we often hear when people categorize others when it comes to their race. Oftentimes the term race can be connected to the word racism which commonly causes disagreements between people. Racism can be defined as the prejudice of people when it comes to the physical characteristic of others. The term has been loosely used to define the negative feelings of others towards people who have a different race.

Racism for me is a negative trait especially because we tend to judge people just by their physical differences. For an instance when we see someone with a different skin color from us, we tend to generalize their behaviors without giving them a chance to acknowledge themselves first. We overlook their real capacities just because we have this prejudice that our race is more superior to them.

Racism is a barrier when it comes to effective communication with other people. It also limits our capacities to interact very well with others. However, if people will not realize the barriers racism creates, it will still continue throughout generations. If truth be told, racism cannot simply be changed in one day or just by simply passing laws that will be enforced to stop it. Racism is part of a culture and drastic changes are needed to sometimes change ones culture (Bowser xviii).

Another debated issue which continues to challenge most people is gender inequality. The gap between men and women when it comes to social responsibilities remains to be an issue for others. In our time, our lives are oftentimes in a rush. Because of this some of our family members, let us say both our parents work in order to cope up with our lifes demands. Before, people regard women as solely for housework or chores. Women were regarded as part of the household and not as individuals (Brckner 1). They could not vote before or enjoy other liberties which men had.

In our society nowadays, women are considered to be somewhat equal to men when it comes to the labor market or voting rights. Women can wear anything they want and they can choose their jobs. Women now are not stuck doing household chores and babysitting children. They are now more productive in a sense that they contribute more to the present society than before.

In the present, there are female leaders which spearhead good changes in some countries. The strength of the women worldwide is not greatly recognized because of their major contributions in the world.

Gender inequality is an issue which is slowly being resolved by passing laws which widen the rights of women. Unlike racism, inequality in gender, for me, can be resolved easier because it only involves two factors- the men and the women, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Ethnicity and race are often confused with each other. Ethnicity can be defined as the group of individuals who consider themselves to be sharing or bonded over same characteristics or behavior. Ethnicity is different from race because race means the similarities of people when it comes to physical attributes or appearance such as the color of the skin or the shape of the eyes (Eriksen 1). Based on the distinction made by sociologist before, race is a biological category while ethnicity is a cultural one (Jiobu 5).

Ethnic issues are becoming prominent over time in the world and these issues are complex ones. It has also gripped the worlds attention like no other. Based on some data gathered, there are almost as many as five thousand to eight thousand distinguishable ethnic groups to date. These issues are shaped by culture or history and the present conditions of the state of mind of the people.

There are several instances when superior cultures try to dominate other cultures through colonialism. Some people tend to influence others through the way they talk, their beliefs, or just the way they dress. Immigrants are sometimes dominated by the culture of the place they go to. I believe that issues concerning ethnicity should be resolved immediately so as to preserve other peoples culture or ethnic identities.

People should learn how to respect others who may possibly have a different race or ethnicity from us. Either they are of the same or different gender as us we are not entitled to act superior to them. We should always respect others for respect begets respect. If we try to put ourselves in their situation, we will be able to comprehend what they have to go through in order to find a place they belong to.

Indeed being able to stop racism or other issues pertaining to race, gender and ethnicity can be too ideal since these kinds of problems cannot be stopped in a day or in a short period of time. It needs immediate and long term solutions and it should begin within us. In a modern world such as ours, we have to open our minds towards development. Development can only be achieved if we stopped acting on primitive behaviors when it comes to social problems.