The Role Of Discrimination In The United States
Every minority group in the United States has faced discrimination and prejudice in their own form. Asian Americans are one of many minority groups that have a history of discrimination that isn’t discussed in America. Asian Americans are very unique in the united states due to the fact that as a minority group they are very small and have been alienated in the United States making it difficult for them to practice their culture. Women face discrimination in every aspect of life making it difficult for them to prosper in society. Women are one of the largest demographics in society that deal with discrimination. The United States is a country that has always been governed by men which has made it difficult for women to move up the hierarchy
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in society. In politics, education, the work place, and popular culture women have always had a disadvantage and have had to work ten times harder than men simply to be able to succeed. The evolution of women in politics is a major issue in the United States due to the fact that our country is so heavily patriarchal. Being governed by a patriarchal society is the largest factors that contributes to the discrimination of women in politics. Although women have made several advances in society as far as being represented in politics the majority of politicians are men in fact only 19.4% of congress is represented by women. The concept “Why is there so much emphasis and importance in a female political candidate holding the top political position in this country?” (Reali, 2017) was stated in the lecture. This is relevant because a woman holding the highest position in politics would put a woman in the highest position of power in the country and ultimately the biased that men have in the government would never allow that to happen. This issue was represented in the election with presidential candidate Hilary Clinton. The electoral vote was what won Donald Trump the presidential election and with a majority of male Politian’s it is no surprise the Clinton lost that round. Ezra Klein of CBNC writes “Many of Clinton’s strengths were hidden by our gendered expectations of leaders – what she was good at would have been important for her presidency, but it is not what 44 male presidents in a row have taught us to expect, or even to see.” (Klein, 2017) The underrepresentation of women in politics leaves women’s rights at a disadvantage. When discussing things such as planned parenthood and birth control these options should not be decided by a conservative male politician who has absolutely no idea the true needs of women. The biggest concept of discrimination that women deal with within the work place is glass ceiling which inherently inhibits the promotion of a qualified worker simply due to their gender. There is an extremely evident misogynistic attitude towards women in the work place in the United States. The gender wage gap is one of the largest issues that speaks for the discrimination which women receive in the work place. On average women only make 79 cents for every dollar that a white man makes, and for women of color that number is even lower. According to the Huffington Post “Black women only make 67 cents to every dollar made by a white man.” (Cranston, 2017) Not only is there a gender wage gap but there is also a racial wage gap and for women of color they receive a double whammy of discrimination in the work place. As a woman one faces discrimination in every aspect of life which makes success harder to attain.
With popular culture setting the norms for society women are left at a large disadvantage as far as how they are viewed and treated in society. As stated in the lecture “These sources have created many different cultural norms and expectations as well as have affected sexuality and sexual behavior. These sources have dictated many gender expectations and have subjugated women in many aspects of social life.” (Reali, 2017) In popular culture beauty among women is one of the most romanticized topics. The women portrayed in movies and magazines are all extremely beautiful. In today’s day and age, the internet and social media play a very large role into popular culture and the woman who rule social media are all extremely beautiful fit women. Things such as women in the healthcare field, lawyers, and scientist are not romanticized like the models and actresses and their glamourous lives. Social media creates discrimination for the treatment of women because a woman’s role in society is belittled woman are objects more often than they are seen as contributors to society. Last but not least one of the major areas where women face discrimination is in education. One concept which was stated in the lecture stated “In teaching students the values, norms, and expectations of the society, schools in this and many other countries have treated children as if men’s education is more …show more content…
important than women’s education” (Schaefer, 2002). When it comes to discrimination in education women have made the greatest advance. According to a census collected about educational attainment “In 2015, the percentage of men aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher was not statistically different from that of women, with men’s rate rounding to 32 percent and women to 33 percent.” (Ryan, 2016) Although men have had educational opportunities for far longer than women women have not hesitated to step up and get educated which is a great advance in society for women. The history of Asian Americans is one that is not widely discussed in American education and society.
Much like other minority groups Asian Americans have been oppressed throughout American History. In the documentary “Vincent Who?” the case of Vincent Chin is a prime example of how Asian American history is not made a big deal in America. Two white men killed Vincent Chin after they beat him with a baseball bat, the two men never did jail time for the murder of Vincent Chin and eventually the chargers were dropped. This is an example of how difficult it is has been for Asian Americans to assimilate in America. In education Asian American history is not generally taught in schools which also leaves Asian Americans at a disadvantage to learn about their own culture. Asian Americans are one of the smallest minority group populations in America. According to the U.S. census Asian Americans in 2012 made up 5.1% of the United States population as opposed to Hispanics who made up 17% of the U.S. population and African Americans at at 13%. For Asian Americans assimilating into U.S culture is much more difficult because the population is so largely outnumbered. In “Yellow” by Wu Frank the author writes “Martin Luther King Jr. asked to be judged by the content of his character rather than the color of his skin, but in these surreal episodes I am not judged by he content of my character because the dealings have no content except for the racial image.” (Wu, 2001) Following the pearl
harbor bombings Asian Americans specifically those of Japanese decent faced very harsh discrimination as stated in the lecture “In 1942 the U.S. government took away homes, possessions, and savings from 120,000 Japanese Americans while also forcing them into internment camps.” (Reali, 2017) Soley because of the way they looked like Wu mentioned they were discriminated and ripped of their rights regardless of the fact that they were American citizens. Asian Americans are extremely alienated in U.S. culture they don’t necessarily fit into U.S. culture. When Wu states there is no content except for a racial image it is because Asian Americans are not made of importance in the United States, their history is not taught in schools and their culture and holidays are not practiced or emphasized in this country which is why Asian Americans feel as if it is as difficult to become American as it is to retain their culture because in America is it nearly impossible to do both.
The term Asian American itself is a very controversial issue because it is one broad term used to explain several different groups of people. As stated in the lecture “It denies historical factors and differences, multiple nationalities, different languages, dietary practices, cultural traits, and customs while perpetuating the stereotypical expectations for its members.” (Shah, 1999) Jennifer Lee of NBC also discusses this stating “When we perceive only some ethnic groups as Asian American and exclude others, we see and hear only selective narratives. “ (Lee, 2017) Similarly to native Americans the history of Asian Americans has been oppressed. Asian Americans have had a very violent history that is not commonly taught in American education. In addition to this gap in education, the events of Pear Harbor negatively affected how Asian Americans were viewed in this country even though they held American citizenship. Although Asian Americans are the smallest minority group in the United States it is not justified to put one name onto so many different ethnic groups.
Women have had a difficult time progressing throughout history but regardless of discrimination women are still doing their best to advance in society. Women have made advances in politics and continue to triumph regardless of the sexist standards in politics. In education women are equal to men as far as the attainment of education. In the work place women are still doing their best to shake discrimination and make advances to be successful. In social media women must work on empowering one and other. Overall today in society women have made several advanced but continue to work towards attaining the same opportunities as men. Asian Americans have had a very difficult time in America mainly because they are a very small minority group who have been alienated and discriminated due to their race. The term Asian American is a term that is very broad due to the fact that it is one term used to describe several different cultures and does not do justice to the different cultural groups that fall under it. Women and Asian Americans are two very different groups in America that are oppressed but the two have both had very controversial histories and still have a lot of work to do to reach their full potential in America.
in society. In politics, education, the work place, and popular culture women have always had a disadvantage and have had to work ten times harder than men simply to be able to succeed. The evolution of women in politics is a major issue in the United States due to the fact that our country is so heavily patriarchal. Being governed by a patriarchal society is the largest factors that contributes to the discrimination of women in politics. Although women have made several advances in society as far as being represented in politics the majority of politicians are men in fact only 19.4% of congress is represented by women. The concept “Why is there so much emphasis and importance in a female political candidate holding the top political position in this country?” (Reali, 2017) was stated in the lecture. This is relevant because a woman holding the highest position in politics would put a woman in the highest position of power in the country and ultimately the biased that men have in the government would never allow that to happen. This issue was represented in the election with presidential candidate Hilary Clinton. The electoral vote was what won Donald Trump the presidential election and with a majority of male Politian’s it is no surprise the Clinton lost that round. Ezra Klein of CBNC writes “Many of Clinton’s strengths were hidden by our gendered expectations of leaders – what she was good at would have been important for her presidency, but it is not what 44 male presidents in a row have taught us to expect, or even to see.” (Klein, 2017) The underrepresentation of women in politics leaves women’s rights at a disadvantage. When discussing things such as planned parenthood and birth control these options should not be decided by a conservative male politician who has absolutely no idea the true needs of women. The biggest concept of discrimination that women deal with within the work place is glass ceiling which inherently inhibits the promotion of a qualified worker simply due to their gender. There is an extremely evident misogynistic attitude towards women in the work place in the United States. The gender wage gap is one of the largest issues that speaks for the discrimination which women receive in the work place. On average women only make 79 cents for every dollar that a white man makes, and for women of color that number is even lower. According to the Huffington Post “Black women only make 67 cents to every dollar made by a white man.” (Cranston, 2017) Not only is there a gender wage gap but there is also a racial wage gap and for women of color they receive a double whammy of discrimination in the work place. As a woman one faces discrimination in every aspect of life which makes success harder to attain.
With popular culture setting the norms for society women are left at a large disadvantage as far as how they are viewed and treated in society. As stated in the lecture “These sources have created many different cultural norms and expectations as well as have affected sexuality and sexual behavior. These sources have dictated many gender expectations and have subjugated women in many aspects of social life.” (Reali, 2017) In popular culture beauty among women is one of the most romanticized topics. The women portrayed in movies and magazines are all extremely beautiful. In today’s day and age, the internet and social media play a very large role into popular culture and the woman who rule social media are all extremely beautiful fit women. Things such as women in the healthcare field, lawyers, and scientist are not romanticized like the models and actresses and their glamourous lives. Social media creates discrimination for the treatment of women because a woman’s role in society is belittled woman are objects more often than they are seen as contributors to society. Last but not least one of the major areas where women face discrimination is in education. One concept which was stated in the lecture stated “In teaching students the values, norms, and expectations of the society, schools in this and many other countries have treated children as if men’s education is more …show more content…
important than women’s education” (Schaefer, 2002). When it comes to discrimination in education women have made the greatest advance. According to a census collected about educational attainment “In 2015, the percentage of men aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher was not statistically different from that of women, with men’s rate rounding to 32 percent and women to 33 percent.” (Ryan, 2016) Although men have had educational opportunities for far longer than women women have not hesitated to step up and get educated which is a great advance in society for women. The history of Asian Americans is one that is not widely discussed in American education and society.
Much like other minority groups Asian Americans have been oppressed throughout American History. In the documentary “Vincent Who?” the case of Vincent Chin is a prime example of how Asian American history is not made a big deal in America. Two white men killed Vincent Chin after they beat him with a baseball bat, the two men never did jail time for the murder of Vincent Chin and eventually the chargers were dropped. This is an example of how difficult it is has been for Asian Americans to assimilate in America. In education Asian American history is not generally taught in schools which also leaves Asian Americans at a disadvantage to learn about their own culture. Asian Americans are one of the smallest minority group populations in America. According to the U.S. census Asian Americans in 2012 made up 5.1% of the United States population as opposed to Hispanics who made up 17% of the U.S. population and African Americans at at 13%. For Asian Americans assimilating into U.S culture is much more difficult because the population is so largely outnumbered. In “Yellow” by Wu Frank the author writes “Martin Luther King Jr. asked to be judged by the content of his character rather than the color of his skin, but in these surreal episodes I am not judged by he content of my character because the dealings have no content except for the racial image.” (Wu, 2001) Following the pearl
harbor bombings Asian Americans specifically those of Japanese decent faced very harsh discrimination as stated in the lecture “In 1942 the U.S. government took away homes, possessions, and savings from 120,000 Japanese Americans while also forcing them into internment camps.” (Reali, 2017) Soley because of the way they looked like Wu mentioned they were discriminated and ripped of their rights regardless of the fact that they were American citizens. Asian Americans are extremely alienated in U.S. culture they don’t necessarily fit into U.S. culture. When Wu states there is no content except for a racial image it is because Asian Americans are not made of importance in the United States, their history is not taught in schools and their culture and holidays are not practiced or emphasized in this country which is why Asian Americans feel as if it is as difficult to become American as it is to retain their culture because in America is it nearly impossible to do both.
The term Asian American itself is a very controversial issue because it is one broad term used to explain several different groups of people. As stated in the lecture “It denies historical factors and differences, multiple nationalities, different languages, dietary practices, cultural traits, and customs while perpetuating the stereotypical expectations for its members.” (Shah, 1999) Jennifer Lee of NBC also discusses this stating “When we perceive only some ethnic groups as Asian American and exclude others, we see and hear only selective narratives. “ (Lee, 2017) Similarly to native Americans the history of Asian Americans has been oppressed. Asian Americans have had a very violent history that is not commonly taught in American education. In addition to this gap in education, the events of Pear Harbor negatively affected how Asian Americans were viewed in this country even though they held American citizenship. Although Asian Americans are the smallest minority group in the United States it is not justified to put one name onto so many different ethnic groups.
Women have had a difficult time progressing throughout history but regardless of discrimination women are still doing their best to advance in society. Women have made advances in politics and continue to triumph regardless of the sexist standards in politics. In education women are equal to men as far as the attainment of education. In the work place women are still doing their best to shake discrimination and make advances to be successful. In social media women must work on empowering one and other. Overall today in society women have made several advanced but continue to work towards attaining the same opportunities as men. Asian Americans have had a very difficult time in America mainly because they are a very small minority group who have been alienated and discriminated due to their race. The term Asian American is a term that is very broad due to the fact that it is one term used to describe several different cultures and does not do justice to the different cultural groups that fall under it. Women and Asian Americans are two very different groups in America that are oppressed but the two have both had very controversial histories and still have a lot of work to do to reach their full potential in America.