Overt Discrimination Essay

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While both race and gender have very real societal and, in some instances, personal consequences which enables both to be categorized as real neither race nor gender is more real than the other. Both of them faced and still face overt and covert discrimination, and both of them are built upon a mountain of logical fallacies that are able to ultimately be reduced down to societal standards and obligations forced upon them by the dominant group. Since they are also both deeply embedded in our culture they have become integrated into our sense of who we, as humans, are and in our perceptions of other people and situations. As defined by Cornell and Hartmann ethnicity is “a collectivity within a larger society having real or putative common ancestry, …show more content…

The dominant group is not always in accord within itself regarding the treatment of the minority or societally weaker groups, in the sense that the members of the dominant race or gender: may not be aware of the effects of their actions and hold no feelings either way towards the societally weaker group, they might disagree with the way the group is being treated, they might agree with the treatment of the group, or they may be ambivalent regarding the treatment of the group. This leads to the idea of overt and covert discrimination as well as institutionalized and individual discrimination. Overt discrimination is of course similar to its name with it being very blatant, direct, and intentional. On the other hand is covert discrimination which is indirect and not necessarily intentional. For example, overt discrimination would be stating and following through with the statement that no people of a certain race or gender are allowed to use certain entrances and exits. However covert discrimination is more like suggesting or offering incentives for that group to use the door you want them to, maybe an inconvenient one, the overall goal is the same but, if phrased nicely it can be seen as an attempt to be helpful rather than what it really is. In this instance to be covert if the dominant group is males and the non-dominant females then it could be said that the females should use the back door because the males are rowdy going in and out of the door. Initially this may be seen as potentially helpful, after all males tend to be larger the females and no one wants to accidentally hurt someone or be hurt, right? Along with overt and covert discrimination is institutionalized and individual discrimination which were covered in class. As discussed individual discrimination is “negative treatment of one person by another” while institutionalized discrimination was defined as

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