Cultural Diversity in the US Research Assignment Paper (Research Paper Sample)

Cultural Diversity in the USAuthor Institutioncourse
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Cultural Diversity in the US
The world is a place where we expect equality and freedom for every individual right from a child to the adult. Conversely, this is not what it is and every individual is in a constant struggle fighting for their place in their societies. There are several issues raised that surround racism, ethnicity, ethnocentrism, majority and minority groups, intergroup relations, immigration, prejudice and discrimination. All these are issues that touch the lives of every individual and any factor that implies a negative effect about these issues becomes a global cultural crisis.
The current world is so much engulfed with racial issues which are rampant everywhere and they have caused a huge drifting among different races for instance blacks and the whites. This is emphasized by what is termed as colour line.
Racism
Since time immemorial, racism has always been a topic that cuts across the world and because of this reason; there have been several initiative programs that call for unity and equality in all human races. Racism has segregated people in a wide scale right from professional fields to employments. This has reduced the importance that was attached to professionalism and as a result, education lost its quality. Racism is an element that needs a lot of effort to eradicate it from the societies at the global level and make this world a better place to live and develop. This is because development emanates from free and united people in terms of equal opportunities presented to them.
Ethnicity on the other hand, has triggered programs in America that are geared towards pushing policies that encourage equitable economy that present equal chances for everyone to participate in the growing of the communities especially the people of colour communities. Consequently, this will enable people participate and thrive the economy and general development at all levels.
Ethnicity and race has created disparities of different categories and there is need to curb these by initiating clear pathways for both people living in poverty and middle class and this way we maintain a clear middle class at all levels.
The majority group is also another imperative issue that needs a lot of concern. Majority groups are the ones who hold more of the powers over the minority hence are looked at as superior. This has established a system of inequality by influencing and controlling the minor groups in the societies. The less-powerful groups hold inferior social, economic and political positions which alienate and deny them the power to contribute in developmental decision making. Indeed, this is a serious issue that has deprived the individuals their rights to exercise democracy and make economic decisions which are the most important issues that call for every individual contribution.
Racial stratification is also another issue that encompasses the idea of race and ethnicity in US. People of certain race are at the top of the hierarchy and the other race at the bottom. The main reason to maintain this kind of stratification is because those at the bottom can do the society dirty and low quality work for low pay. The question of concern is who will do such work of the society if there are no low classes? This is a huge issue of concern that has made the world lack the element of equality and equity in terms of resource allocation and employment opportunities.
Since ethnicity bases on a people’s origin, the language and national origin which makes them comfortable to interact with its members. In USA there have been a couple of groups whom are considered ethnical groups such as German American, Italian American and black American. Every group are frequently affilliated to certain ethnic lines which came about after a strong and adamant civil rights movement. All these are fundamental ideas that sorround ethnicity and race particularly in USA.
Ethnocentrism is another issue that needs to be looked at in a bigger picture. The tendency of people being inclined that certain groups of people behave in a certain way; for instance, people say that if they were from a certain group they would have behaved like them. Viewing other people as norm has become an issue that surrounds ethnocentrism and consequently such groups are viewed as inferior or strange in the society.
Intergroup relation is also another idea surrounded by issues such as living in close proximity; they are supported by military and also support from the public housing projects teams. This has an advantage in the sense that it reduces the elements of prejudice than education and communication which are the core tools for eradicating prejudices among the people in communities. However the effort for eradicating this is only limited to the interrelated groups such as work places. This kind of issue that surrounds intergroup relation has both positive and negative impacts to the people around.
The issue of discrimination has the world for many years and has aroused diversified feelings, opinions and ideas but nothing good enough has resolved this problem. Indeed, individual or group discrimation is an issue that is all over and there have been many iniatives that encourage unity and equality at all levels. Scenarios where we see discrimation is when a taxi driver turns down the taxi fare of a black person or could be at the airport one is denied of the passport just because is of different race . All these instances show how discrimation has been a major thing that has infected the minds of many.
Immigration is an issue that gives rise to a second class citizen in US. Dating back in the great depression period (1933), the economy was in a serious crisis and the American natives (whites) experienced difficulties. However the immigrants such as the Italian Americans, the black Americans and the Mexican Americans experienced hard times more than the Americans natives. In fact unemployment rate for whites was only at 25 percent less than the rate for the immigrant which hit up 50 percent rate.
During this period, the second class citizens (immigrants) were the first group who lost their jobs in a business or farms. In fact those available opportunities for all the needy citizens in public works initiatives or programmes were never presented to them as equal citizens of US, only the natives were given the priority ("Identity and Cultural Diversity," 2013, p. 19). These called for some movements that occurred in the year 1935 and was spearheaded and influenced by the first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt administration ended the discrimination at that time.
However, the current US still has some elements of the immigrant’s discrimination, something that still calls for change movements. We have had some scenarios where the immigrants or foreigners at the airport have been harassed and denied of their expected services from the embassy is expected. This has raised a serious issue that needs to be addressed and make it a global change. This is a clear reflection of the issues in the past and the present.
Impacts of laws and policies in U S on dominant and minority groups are distinguished in such a way that there exist a wide gap between those who are in power and those ruled. The dominant group has the power and the power defines them because they create the laws and policies that favour their interests. The minor groups are marginalized in such that they act as the set laws and policies require of them. The majority groups use the ideology of power to influence the minor groups because they occupy the elites’ positions within the bureaucracies that has taken the entire modern societies.
The minority group act as the servants of the law by taking the lowest status in the societies and therefore we can say that the majority have their power rooted in the society, something of the organization and not of an individual.
However, the power wi...