Main Social Issues Such As Race And Gender Discrimination (Essay Sample)

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Social Issues
Anthropologists have been at the forefront of assessing the relationship between the nature of man and the society. Unlike sociologists, they focus on man as a single entity in society. Markedly, they use individuals to get more details and insight on the relationship between society and persons. Modern anthropology also asserts that man’s progress and evolution has contributed to making the society intricate.
To begin with, the complexity of culture and society has resulted in a host of challenges. The UNESCO and American Anthropology Association argue from an anthropological view and indicate that prejudice and views on race are serious challenges to mankind. Besides, the “American Anthropology Association Statement on "Race" (1) asserts that American scholars and the public believe that human race is natural or God-given. Besides, they are certain that God created the human race to distinguish the elite from the poor. These beliefs are deep-rooted in America since no year ends without cases of racism. That said, it is worth noting that these beliefs are false. The acuteness of the issue of racism creates the need to write about racism to comprehend it from an anthropologist’s perspective. From a scientific view, all human beings are equal biologically and physically. Besides, one’s skin color does not depict their status in society. However, the “American Anthropological Association Statement on "Race" (3) reports that it has been difficult to convince people otherwise since racism dates back to the era of slavery and the colonial period. They add that human races in the latter period were used to distinguish Indians, Europeans, and Africans, whom colonialists viewed as slaves. Markedly, racism was a foundation of social stratification in the society. The European were considered elite while the Indians and African-Americans were the recluse of the community. Since then, the general society has had the same imprint and averting this mindset has been a challenge. Today, racism in the United States has hit an unsurpassed high, particularly between Black and White Americans. Seemingly, Black Americans want to prove their worth while White Americans prove their dominion in the country. The depth of this conflict lies within individuals since the society they grew in was built on racial grounds.
The issue on gender is extremely crucial in that it affects other elements of culture such as the roles that different people play. In the contemporary society, the introduction of transgenders complicates sex identity. In most cases, people take up roles based on their genders and are raised based on their respective cultures. As such, the emergence of transgenders has resulted in the questioning of these roles and functions in the society are now based on personal terms. Markedly, transgenders are individuals that are born with the appearance of defined genders but want to behave and act according to the opposite sex. Some of the excellent examples are evident from travesties in Brazil (Kulick 135). Travesties are people born with masculine features but behave and want to be treated as women. According to them, they do not want the society to deem them as women; instead, they want to find people who make them feel like females. For this reason, some linger on the streets at night dressed as women with the hope to attract men. Despite harsh criticism from the society, some travesties have succeeded to attract menfolk since there is evidence of relationships between travesties and males. During his study in Brazil, Kulick interviewed several travesties to understand their lives. From the interviews, Kulick (152) learned that the travesties’ lives occur just as other people’s lives do. In fact, he learned of a relationship between a man and a travesty that lasted for six years. According to the interview, some travesties feed and give money to their male partners to keep them.
Another study in Sumatra shows the evidence of transgenders and the society’s perception on the same. According to research by Blackwood, women in Tomboi are different from others. Notably, those with masculine features consider themselves as men and they execute men's roles to satisfy their beliefs. It is worth noting that these women do not complete these roles to boost their physical appearance but because they feel that the society should treat them as men. The researcher proceeds to present a situation where women play men's games and still feel very comfortable despite the society deeming these competitions a preserve for men only (Blackwood 188). The researcher also presents another situation where a woman asks her female friend (Agus) to go home because it is time for women to stay indoors. Despite, being a woman, Agus feels like she will act like a female if she goes home at that time.
The society should pay attention to the progress of adolescents since they are among the most vulnerable people in the society. Failure to look after them may lead to a new generation of deviants or the introduction of new cultures and elimination of ancient ones. In as much as most parents and guardians want to raise their children according to the norms of culture, it is worth noting that the social environment that they do so determines how they grow. Markedly, ...