California Demographics

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California Demographics Throughout the United States and elsewhere in the world it is possible to see that societies are undergoing processes of demographic transformation. In many cases this transformation comprises either an ageing or a rejuvenation of society. However, there are also cases in which this transformation also includes an ethnic dimension. In the state of California, ethnic minorities have for years threatened the state’s white plurality. In fact, the latest information released by the federal government confirmed that there are now living more Latinos in the state of California than there are Whites (Panzar, 2015). The loss of White plurality owes to the fact that other ethnicities have grown at faster rates, and it not irrational …show more content…

In cases where societies are culturally and ethnically diverse, there will be a dominant or majority group; there will also be minority groups. Each of these groups will have its own sets of values and these values will affect behaviors at the individual and collective levels. This being said, it is relevant to mention that socialization is affected by social identification, a process wherein individuals will identify with one particular group and act in a manner that enhances that group’s standing in the wider context of society (Frazier, 2010). The process of social identification leads to the progressive consolidation of social fault lines or boundaries; this inevitably leads to social …show more content…

The White majority has taken advantage of its plurality in order to enact laws and policies that further the interests of American Whites, often times ignoring people of color, i.e. the members of minorities. This progression of social inequality with tis political, economic, and even cultural undertones, has led to the perpetuation of racism in the United States: “… in order to prevent Blacks from participating fully in the American social contract, authority devolved from the federal government to state and local authorities, which could then exclude blacks overtly or covertly” (Conley, 2013, p. 64). Focusing specifically on the state of California, it is possible to see that up until very recently Whites were a consolidated majority, and this led to the marginalization of minorities, particularly Blacks. However, if people of color were to overtake Whites and this group was to fall into becoming a minority, then people of color would seek to revert the policies and laws that have historically kept them

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