Soc 100 Week 9 Assignment 2

Describe the social issue in which you are interested. Be specific.
The social issue that I am interested in is racism. Racism is a social problem that has existed throughout human history. It has influenced wars, slavery, as well as the formation of nations. Racism may be defined as the hatred of one person by another because of skin color, language customs, place of birth or any other factor that reveals the basic nature of the person. Racism exists in different ways. It can be individual, institutional, cultural, religion racism and so forth. Racism has also been widespread throughout the United States. Today, overt racism in this country has decreased because more people believe in evaluating other by the content of their character (Macionis, 2010). I feel as if no matter what type of racism is practiced, it shouldn’t be tolerated and should be stopped. In order to do so we must encourage dialogue on racism and human rights.
Describe how your issue fits into the field of sociology. Which sociological theories and terminology from the text apply to your social issue?
The problem with racism is a complex issue. It is difficult to characterize it or place it in one category due to its far reaching effects and implications. Racism remains a serious social problem, as some people think that certain racial and ethnic categories are smarter than others. It is evident that moral issues generate social concerns, which makes it fit into the field of sociology. Sociological theory is defined as a set of interrelated ideas that allow for the systematization of knowledge of the social world. This knowledge is then used to explain the social world and make predictions about the future of the social world. The conflict theory is a major sociological theory mentioned in the text that racism applies too. Conflict theory is based upon the view that the fundamental causes of crime are social and economic forces operating within society. The conflict theory emphasizes inequality of a social group. Racism applies to the theories of prejudice as well as the queer theory both of what was mentioned in the text. Prejudice is a rigid and unfair generalization about an entire category of people, which is very similar to racism. Racism is definitely showed towards gays, which makes it very much so related to the queer theory.
Discuss what is known and unknown about your particular issue.
It is known that racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. It is also known that racism and discrimination has been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns. Racism is also known to be a very touchy subject for some people. (Shah, 2010) Most Americans, white and black, see racism as a lingering problem in the United States, and many say they know people who are racist, according to a new poll. Few of either race about one out of eight considers themselves racist. What is unknown about racism is that it still exists today and it is unknown as how to stop it.
Discuss the value of sociological research into your issue. Are there (or would there be) practical implications of sociological inquiry?
Sociological research is important with the issue of racism. Sociological research seeks to understand why racism is assisting. Sociologist has long shown that established racial classification systems are arbitrary and evolved from systems of stratification, and ideology. Sociologist has also noted a recent trend on the part of some geneticist to use current racial categories to capture genetic differences between population groups. The sociology of racism is marked by a wealth of studies devoted to explicating the consequences of racism for individuals, organizations, institutions, and even the fundamental processes by which societies come to be constituted (William, 2001). There aren’t any practical implications. If you show any discrimination on a person due to their race, religion, gender, birthplace, and etc. you are just racist.