FREE ESSAY ON RACISM

RACISM

Racism is an institution in America. It has existed since our Nations beginning, and it is
now woven into many facets of society. Historically, white males have held all of the
power positions in society. White males were the doctors, lawyers, and policy makers.
Although minorities hold some positions of power today, white males still hold the
majority of them. 
Despite legislation that has attempted to alleviate inequality in America, The Department
of Housing and Urban Development maintains that, "disparity in home ownership is still
great"(Washington Post, p.E10). Housing secretary Andrew M. Cuomo cites home ownership
rates of, "72.5% for whites, 45% for African-Americans, and 44% for Hispanic-Americans
(Washington Post, p.E10). Home mortgage denial rates are, "26% for whites and 53% for
African-Americans" (Washington Post, p.E10). Given the fore-mentioned statistics that
obviously indicate racism, federal housing officials launched a year long 7.5 million
dollar study to investigate the racist practices of mortgage lenders, landlords, and
other housing officials. Discrimination has become more sophisticated since the Fair
Housing Act became law 30 years ago, according to complaints from the department. Cuomo
commented, "Then it was more in your face. Now it is not as loud, not as flagrant, but
just as devastating" (Washington Post, p.E10).
The article, "U.S. Study to Target Racism in Housing," 
explains the link between attitudes and behavior related to issues of power, inequality,
and discrimination. The racist attitudes of people in power, carry over to their
behavior, which result in the unfair treatment of minorities. One explanation for this
cycle is the Reasoned Action Model (text, p.240).
The Reasoned Action Model is a theory of social psychology that examines the relationship
between our attitudes and our behaviors. The theory suggests that our behaviors are best
predicted by our behavioral intentions. If a person intends to do something, he/she is
more likely to do it. According to the Reasoned Action Model, our behavioral intentions
are shaped by a person's attitude toward the behavior and their subjective norms. A
person's attitude toward a behavior is based upon his/her beliefs and evaluations of the
possible outcomes of a behavior. A person's subjective norms are comprised of his/her
beliefs about what significant others will say about the behavior and its outcome.
Subjective norms are also affected by the person's motivation to comply with the wishes
of significant others.
The behavior of housing officials who discriminate against minorities can be explained
using the Reasoned Action Model. Although the majority of housing officials probably do
not say, "Today I intend to be a racist," their attitudes toward minorities cause them to
behave in a racist manner. A housing official who discriminates against minorities is
doing so because of his/her beliefs about possible outcomes of the behavior. What would
happen if minorities were awarded home mortgages? 
Racist housing officials are not concerned about limiting where minorities will live.
They are concerned about what will happen to their communities if minorities are awarded
home mortgages. Housing officials are taking the issue personally. They are wondering,
"What if they move into my neighborhood? What if they move into my mother's neighborhood?
What if they attend school with my children?" These housing officials also believe that
they are protecting their families and carrying out their wishes.
Racism is simply fear that comes from ignorance. No one will ever know every single
person in a particular race, yet people tend to judge people according to their personal
beliefs about a particular race. Why do some people feel like it is okay to judge an
entire race based on stereotypes?
A stereotype is, "a schema of beliefs that attributes a set of characteristics to most or
all members of a social identity" (text p. 454). Stereotypes are typically inaccurate.
Most stereotypes about minorities are negative. Racist people use stereotypes as
justification for having negative attitudes toward minorities. Housing officials do not
want minorities in their neighborhoods because they believe that minorities will not keep
up their property. They believe that drugs and violence will enter their neighborhoods,
and that the house they paid so much for will lose its value. Some people actually
believe that African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans ruin safe, peaceful neighborhoods.
Stereotypes are perpetuated by American society. The media typically portrays
African-American and Hispanic-Americans as lazy, poor, and uneducated. Some
African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans are lazy, poor, and uneducated. The problem
begins when the whole race is characterized negatively, and good people have to suffer.
Every American should have the right to be judged as an individual. 
Another factor that contributes to the racist attitudes and behavior of housing officials
is stigmatization. Stigmatization is, "the process by which negatively evaluated
attributes cause a person's identity to be discredited or spoiled" (text p.484). This
means that racist housing officials not only believe stereotypes about minorities, they
believe that African-American and Hispanic-Americans perpetuate negative images and
deserve to be treated unfairly. Stigmatization is used as a justification for
stereotypes. Stereotypes are used as a justification for racist attitudes, and racist
attitudes eventually become racist behavior. 
Federal housing officials across the United States recognize that housing discrimination
is a problem. I wonder what they will specifically do to eradicate the problem.
Unfortunately, people are going to do what they belief is right even if it is not. Racist
people believe that having "certain people" living in their neighborhoods is a threat to
their families. Racist attitudes are passed down from generation to generation and they
are further encouraged by American society. An investigation into the racist practices of
housing officials will probably help some, but according to the Reasoned Action Model,
attitudes have to change before behaviors can change. 
References
Complied from wire services and staff reports. "U.S.
Study to Target Racism in Housing." The Washington
Post. November 21, 1998. P.E10
Wiggins, Wiggins, and Vander Zanden. Social Psychology.
New York: McGraw Hill Inc., 1994.
Paper Assignment #2
SOCY 230, McLaughlin
November 24, 1998