Essay on Race as a Social Construct - 1635 Words

Racialization, to differentiate or categorize according to race, is still prominent in todays society. Race, a social construct, was created by society. There is no gene in the human body that defines what race you are, therefore, it is only an idea that individuals came up with. Yet, people in todays society still categorize individuals by their race and stereotype individuals by what race they most resemble. People grow into this society with the idea embedded into their heads that the whiter you are, the better off you will be in life. People who are lighter skinned are more socially acceptable, will be treated differently, and will be respected more than those who appear more Indian or are darker skinned. The thought occurred to†¦show more content†¦I grew up with the idea that minorities stayed in these neighborhoods and grew up to be the individuals they were stereotyped to be: high school drop outs, stuck in a dead end job, single parents, and gang affiliated, in prison or with criminal records, dead at an early age. This is the way society has brought us up to believe and because of this some people give up on themselves and give in to these stereotypes. I was lucky enough to have been pushed towards higher education by my siblings and by my high school teachers and counselors. But not everyone is so lucky. As minorities our struggle to become more acknowledge in our society continues. We still yearn to put more minorities in high positions like in our countrys government, Congress, as representatives, maybe even president one day. These positions are still predominantly filled by Caucasians. Every single president has been a white male and will most likely continue to be. In the history of America, the white individual, whether actually Caucasian or just physically resembling a Caucasian individual, has been seen as the higher person. The notion of race has played a role in the way Americans think about their historyÂ…[Â…] Elsewhere, classes may have struggled over power and privilege, over oppression and exploitation, over competing senses of justice and right; but in the United States, these were secondary to the great, overarching theme of race. [Â…] The determination to keep the United States a white mansShow MoreRelatedRace as a Social Construct646 Words   |  3 PagesR ace as a social construct An imagined concept with real consequences The concept of race is fundamentally a social construct. It is based on a notion of difference, of ‘otherness’, ‘blackness’, ‘whiteness’, identity, nationalism and multiculturalism. ‘Race’ matters, as despite being biologically disputed, its social impact is immense. 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