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Black racial discrimination
racial discrimination in US
racial discrimination in US
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Racism has been, and currently is, one of the most dominant forms of discrimination in our world. The minorities, such as those of African and Asian descent, are exposed to varying degrees of maltreatment and social pressure simply due to the color of their skin. Scientists, and other powerful figures of society have used science to try and solidify this discrimination. Using IQ tests, some attempt to claim that the minorities are simply much less intelligent than their Caucasian counterpart. Some have even gone so far to claim that those other than Caucasian are biologically inferior by nature. This construction of racism is purely social, so what exactly are these people basing their right to test race and IQ on? IQ tests and race should not be tested in correlation, simply because it encourages the spread of racial discrimination and the test themselves are basely inaccurate.
Not all scientists have the intention of their work being used to back racism, however data that is controversial can easily be skewed, and used to support discriminatory views. Some scientists even skew their own data unconsciously. This is due to what Charles W. Mills calls The Racial Contract. He states that human beings are innately ignorant, and “whites will in general be unable to understand the world they themselves have produced.” Mills believes that we can become racist without even realizing because society has blinded us. Samuel George Morton is a famous case of a scientist whom unintentionally invalidated his experiment due to his natural racial bias. Morton obtained a vast collection of skulls from the various races, and measured their average volume. At first, he used flax seed to pack into the skulls. It seems, as Stephen Jay Gould anal...
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Proctor, in Cancer Wars, asks a very important question. “Who gains from knowledge (or ignorance) of a particular sort and who loses?” There is absolutely nothing gained from the study of race and IQ. It has not provided us with any information that can be used to better our society. Yet, the people who are placed into these minority groups have everything to lose. They have been pushed into a life of degradation and discrimination simply because of a term, 'race'. IQ tests do not provide an accurate look at any persons intelligence, let alone the intellectual capacity of an entire group of people. Nor does intelligence have any hereditary value, so thus it is based on the individual, not ancestry. Therefore, race and IQ should not be studied on an individual basis, let alone in correlation. It only provides a base for racism even with the best of intentions.
In his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell makes the claim that IQ does not have an accurate correlation to success after a certain point. Specifically, he says, “The relationship between success and IQ works only up to a point. Once someone has reached an IQ of somewhere around 120, having additional IQ points doesn’t seem to translate into any measurable real-world advantage.” IQ tests and other talent assessments have long been used to enroll students in gifted education initiatives. It has been argued that not only are IQ tests inaccurate, but gifted programs are detrimental to a child’s education. While I concede that IQ tests are not the best way to determine intelligence, I still insist that gifted programs are beneficial for children that show a special aptitude in different school subjects. Without advanced programs to challenge children with unique abilities, these students are unable to reach their full potential.
Before answering the questions let find out what intelligence test is. It is a test consisting of a series of tasks requiring people to use various verbal and non verbal skills to measure the individual’s intellectual ability. Now that we know what an intelligence test is we can now answer the question better. Three important short comings of intelligence test that have nothing to do with intelligence are: having low motivation or high anxiety which can greatly influence the performance on the test, also IQ test may contain cultural biases in their language and or tasks that may place people of one background above people of another back ground, and members of minority groups may have little experience with this kind of test or may be uncomfortable with examiners of a different ethnic back ground than them (Comer, 2013, pp.107).
... pressure for someone to live up to. Each person has his or her own level of understanding, and there are no proven statistics that show a connection between race and intelligence.
Women’s Brains deals with the abuse of scientific data in order to “prove” negative social analyses with prejudiced groups such as women, blacks, and poor people. Evolutionary biologist Stephen Gould points out the flaws in the scientific methods of various scientists and correctly asserts that many scientists incorrectly used anthropometric data to support social analyses that degrade prejudiced groups.
The debate concerning the nature of the relationship between race and intelligence has been highly contested by psychologists for many years. With the emergence of genetic research in recent times, some clarity has been provided, however, many unanswered questions still remain. This essay discusses the implications of IQ test scores and the potentially misleading information they generate when administered to non-Western individuals. Although it is argued that race is a dynamic social construct and therefore not scientifically sound, this essay will explain why considering context-specific information about an individual is vital when assessing their intelligence due to the substantial roles environmental factors play in the learning process. In fact, internal genetic factors and external environmental factors both contribute to the development of intelligence. As a result of this, IQ is regarded as a fluid concept, capable of both positive and negative change. Lastly, this essay examines intelligence and socioeconomic success, in order to determine whether there is any significant relationship between the two. Contrary to popular belief, recent studies have shown the presence of wealth does not cause a higher IQ, however, having a higher IQ does appear to lead to greater socioeconomic success. It is evident that the scientific community has yet to agree upon a universally viable explanation of the interactions between race and intelligence.
Recently, some scientists have advocated the elimination of race from scientific studies altogether. They argue that it is not a useful category for the study of human subjects. Others argue just as strongly that it is. It will be helpful to first examine the historical development of the concept of race before examining the usefulness of race in scientific investigations.
Medical research in the United States has a disgraceful history of exploitative studies in which African Americans were targets of abuse in the name of medical and scientific progress. African Americans have been used as the testing ground for drugs, treatments, and procedures since the time of slavery. The tolerance of the human frame and the endurance of the soul have been pushed to the limit in many of these experiments. From the physical demands on plantation work and the torturous treatment of slavery to the mental anguish inflicted on a slave’s soul by their masters, blacks have received deplorable treatment sanctioned by a white society. The end of slavery and the ushering in of the twenty first century did not end the torturous treatment and mental abuse. African Americans have been used for medical experimentation without consent for decades. Ironically they are treated as inferior and often given fewer rights than others, but amazingly their cells and bodies are treated as equals in laboratories for medical research, the results of which can save, extend and enhance the lives of others. Although color lines that are drawn in many aspects of life and inequitable treatment doled out based on the depth of the color of one’s skin, actually astounding results from medical experimentation on African Americans has produced drugs, cures and treatments for even those who do not value people of color, leaving the question of ethics and equity hanging in the balance.
“Since the human genome has been mapped, debates within the scientific community about race have intensified. When you look at the human genome, you cannot find race…” (Freeman). Biological evidence suggests there are genetic codes for everything from eye and hair color to how tall someone will grow. Those genetic codes are based on inheritance and where family history has brought them. According to scientists there are no genetic codes that group humans into specific racial categories. According to the Department of Epidemiology and public health, “There is more genetic variation within than between races, and the genes responsible for morphological features such as skin color (which are the basis of racial groupings) are few.” (Senor, 327). It has been seen in numerous studies that genetically someone who identifies with the African- American race, has the potential to carry the same genetic markers as someone of the Caucasian race, or any other racial grouping. If race is not verifiable by scientific or biological means, then it’s origin must be from another
Racism has existed through the world for centuries and has been the primary reason for numerous conflicts, wars and other human tragedies all over the planet. From 16th to 19th-century blacks were taken from their homes and families and taken for the slave trade. They were often overworked, beaten and killed. Being black was not the best thing you could be in 1950’s. Racism is not something that is inborn, it is what people created. In the article, “We’re all racist. But racism by white people matters more”, Mona Chalabi says “I don’t think white people are born with some sort of racism gene – the main thing that explains those different scores is the way that society has geared up our brains differently.” It is our society that is ignorant,
Martin Luther King Jr. once said. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” After all of the history the world has with slavery, and racism, all that we’ve gone through, and have come from it’s about time that we put our differences aside, and accept each other for what we are, and aren’t. "Racism is based on the belief that physical characteristics account for differences in character and ability, and that a particular race is superior to another." Racism has been going on since before anyone can remember whether it was owning a slave, killing another person just because of the color of his or her skin complexion, or making a racial joke about a classmate. Nobody is exactly identical to any other person. With that fact being stated, there is nothing to prove that one race can be superior to another. These facts being known, scientist have stopped studying racial differences all together, with the understanding that no person even of the same race is the same. Although these facts have been proved scientifically, racism still seems to be rising. In addition to these facts this paper will tell the history of racism, racial discrimination, and racial profiling.
Talking about the causes and effects of racial discrimination can go many ways. First off, let me just clarify that am a stronger believer in the fact that racism is taught. You don’t pop fresh out of the womb spewing racist slurs at your doctor. It is taught by stereotypes being spread by your family and acquaintances around you. I remember plenty of times throughout high school when close friends of mine would be angry with a person of a different race for no real reason and they would use slurs incredibly offensive towards that person, even if they did say behind their back it proved that racism is at large, larger than it should be. Sometimes it wasn’t even subconsciously, they were just blatantly racist!
There have been many studies of IQ measurement. Some believe in testing and then looking at biology or heritage of the child. These people also like to use statistics to try to put some sort of explanation on IQ levels. Then there are other groups that use cultural ecology. They study IQ by what effect the environment has on a child, and feel testing it is unfair to the child. The problem is that these two groups rarely come together to help each other. So there are big questions as to what IQ really is and how it should be measured.
interpreted as being caused by genetic or environmental differences among groups? A strong promoter of the belief that there is undoubtedly a racial difference in intelligence is Phillippe Rushton. As a professor of psychology, he argues that there is irrefutable scientific evidence of difference...
Prejudice refers to one’s biased opinions and ideas of others, based on secondary information. Hence, the internalized ideas concerning the prejudiced members in society does not result from personal experiences, but information from third parties. Where prejudice is prevalent, the social relationships between the concerned individuals become strained and unmanageable. The existence of equality in society discourages the frequency of prejudice on racial grounds. The content of this discussion explores the concept of prejudice, as it relates to racial inequality and discrimination. The discussion features the Emmanuel AME Church shooting scenario, which characterizes racial discrimination and inequality. The discussion further examines the role
On the ‘nature’ side of the debate is the psychometric approach, considered to be the most dominant in the study of intelligence, which “inspired the most research and attracted the most attention” (Neisser et al. 1996, p. 77). It argues that there is one general (‘g’) factor which accounts for intelligence. In the 1880s, Francis Galton conducted many tests (measuring reaction times to cognitive tasks), (Boundless 2013), in order to scientifically measure intelligence. These tests were linked to the eugenic breeding programme, which aimed to eliminate biologically inferior people from society. Galton believed that as intelligence was inherited, social class or position were significant indicators of intelligence. If an individual was of high social standing, they would be more intelligent than those of a lower position. However he failed to show any consistency across the tests for this hypothesis, weakening his theory that social class correlated with intelligence. Nevertheless, his creation of the intelligence test led many to continue to develop...