Discrimination

Discrimination

The topic discrimination can be a very sensitive one to discuss. The world has always and probably will always be faced with this problem. In all countries there is most likely at least one type of barefaced discrimination that affects different groups. There are several definitions for discrimination. The definition given in the encyclopedia is: the denial of an opportunity, and /or equal rights towards a certain group of people. I believe that this definition is correct, discrimination is the denial of opportunity or equal rights toward a specific group of people, but discrimination is not just towards black or any other minority groups specifically. This discrimination occurs to varying degrees by different people and organizations. As the people the difficulty picking up auditory information, we can have a harder time than most figuring out an uncomfortable situation. Since we don't overhear conversation, we can be more vulnerable to being treated badly since we may have less information and thus less power.

Discrimination may be a result of the fear of one group being so large that it

ÐŽ§takes over the rest of the groupsЎЁ. According to this theory, people discriminate in order to keep their group of people in command. For example, people of color, and white women were previously excluded from jobs or educational opportunities. Another example would be when the government provides better treatment to citizens than to non-citizens. Unemployed citizens may receive welfare benefits funded by taxpayers, while unemployed non-citizens may be denied such benefits. Governments often have the power to forcefully expel non-citizens but cannot expel citizens. Discrimination based on citizenship status is almost always considered to be legal. Another theory is that discrimination is a result of competition. ÐŽ§According to a 1995 government report, white males make up only 29 percent of the workforce, but hold 95 percent of senior management positionsЎЁ (www.usccr.gov). It means that all groups are in continuous competition with each other, and that one groupÐŽ¦s success directly causes another groupÐŽ¦s failure. A power threat is another theoretical reason of unfair treatment. This illustrate that discriminatory actions may be taken on a minority group due to its insight of power. For example, you are walking down the street. In your path you spot a group of Hispanic teenagers dressed in baggy clothes and bandanas. Your first thought might be to move across the street because of this group people. This would be a perfect example of the status conscious theory. I consider that this type of discrimination is based mainly on the stereotypes that we place on certain group. In this case, we might think that these groups of teens are in a gang. Another example would be, since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States of America, the EEOC has received more than 800 charge filings alleging religious discrimination by individuals who are or who are perceived to be Muslim, Arabic, Middle Eastern, South Asian or Sikh common issuesЎЁ(www.wikipedia.com) The final theory is the social distance discrimination theory. An example of this would be a family living on the ÐŽ§wrong side of the tracksЎЁ. This family may get treated differently than another family due to their geographic location. People who have been intimidated for years because of other people's negative reactions. It is tough to try to respond positively when so many people have responded negatively to each other.

America has always had its share of problems when it comes to discrimination. It seems like almost every time we turn around; another lawsuit is being filled against some corporation for discrimination. The U.S. government has made attempts to help with this discrimination. Things like ÐŽ§affirmative actionЎЁ have been put into practice in order to cut down on discrimination. However, in my opinion affirmative action has done nothing but make this problem worse. It does, in fact, help out some minorities, but on the other hand, I believe that in some cases it ends up discriminating against the majority.

It seems that most affirmative actions we read about occur in universities, making it appear that only in school settings is discrimination a problem. It may be a problem in universities, but it is not confined to learning institutions. An example of university related discrimination that called the affirmative action into accounting happened at the University of Texas at Austin, when a white American applicant brought a law suit against the school for refusing her admission. Her undergraduate grades and entrance exam scores were above average in comparison to the other applicants. On the other hand, the University did grant admission to an African American applicant whose scores were significantly under the average. As a result of this lawsuit, the University has done away with affirmative action policy. This is not the only case of discrimination of this sort, however. Admission policies for all American universities have changed in order to reach a very diverse group of students. Examples of these are: At the University of California at Berkeley, black and Hispanic students are up to twenty times more likely to be accepted for admission than Asian American applicants who have the same academic qualifications. At Ivy League colleges, incoming freshman have average grade scores close to 4.0 and average SATÐŽ¦s of 1,250 to 1,300. According to admission officials, however, several of these schools admit black, Hispanic, and American Indian students with grade averages as low as 2.5 and SAT aggregates ÐŽ§in the 700 to 800 rangeЎЁ. (DÐŽ¦Souza, 232) This is not all. Pennsylvania State University, offers financial incentives for black students who choose to attend. The university offers any black student who maintains a grade average of C to C+ throughout the year a check for $580. If the student who maintains an average of anything above that, he will receive $ 1,160. This financial aid is offered to any black student, no matter his or her economical status. Neither whites nor any other minority students are eligible for this assistance. (DÐŽ¦Souza 232). The examples that I listed destroy the equality. By changing their acceptance policies, we feel that these universities have given unfair and preferential treatment to certain groups of people, while denying equal rights to others. Research shows the discrimination does occur but mostly but mostly when the bias carries few personal consequences for the individual favoring minority groups. Discrimination is always going to occur no matter what happens. These actions are taken to an extreme. I feel