The Phenomenon of a Racial Subordination Essay

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Exploitation theory of racial subordination or prejudice is a theory used to seek justification for keeping a group of people defined by race in a lower class in the society (Schaefer and Lamm, 24). This is part and parcel of Marxist tradition that views the concepts of this exploration theory as an inherent in the capitalism structure of the United States and major developed powers. This theory has been explained by sociologists in different perspectives and its consequences on the subordinates have not been good for better social and economic advancement in the society. The consequences that have been faced by this group have only been different in the degrees of harshness and have ranged from extermination to total absorption by the dominants groups.

Extermination and genocide form the most extreme forms of consequences faced by the subordinate groups. The British destruction of the historic Tasmania race forms a vivid example of extermination of an entire race by a dominant race that also depicts the degree of harshness that exploitation theory of racial subordination encompasses. This fact is best illustrated by Darryl (1) stating that “in an island off the coast of Australia, there were 5,000 Tasmanians in 1800, but because they were attacked by settlers and forced to live on less inhabitable lands, the last full-blooded Tasmanian died in 1876.” This is a true demonstration of an extreme form of racial subordination or prejudice against a particular race.

Genocide on the other hand refers to a systematic killing of an attire group of people and forms another extreme example of racial subordination or prejudice. According to Darryl (1), “this term is often used in reference to the Holocaust, Nazi Germany’s extermination of 12 million European Jews and other ethnic minorities during World War II and the elimination of Muslims from parts of Bosnia by ethnic Serbs.”

Whereas other forms of racial subordination or prejudice have not been as severe as the other two types illustrated above, they have impacted negatively on the social and economic lives of the subordinate races. These include assimilation, expulsion and segregation.

Expulsion refers to the forceful ejection of a subordinate group from their ancestral lands by a dormant group and has been historically used as a form of punishment advanced towards a racially prejudiced group. This is illustrated by Darryl (1), in demonstrating that “European colonial powers in North America and eventually the U.S. government itself drove almost all Native Americans out of their tribal lands and into unfamiliar territory and the expulsion of over 1 million Chinese from Vietnam.” Assimilation on the other hand refers to the acquisition of the life styles of the dominant race by the subordinate race because of inability to hold onto their cultural life forms. Assimilation is also an inherent part of the in the United States where the white strives to assimilate other races.

The changing demographic shape and increase in democracy of the United States has opened up opportunities for the demand of equal rights and obligations for both sexes. Affirmative action programs in the United States have reacted in manners that are explicitly intended to eradicate discrimination within the society on sex, origin and color. According to Darryl (1), “the impetus towards affirmative action is to redress the disadvantages associated with overt, institutional, or involuntary discrimination.” There efforts of affirmative action programs have reduced the impact of the aspects of exploitation theory of racial subordination or prejudice in the American society and has such led to pluralism. The definition of pluralism as an important aspect of Dominant-Minority Relations refers to “the situation where various groups in a society have mutual respect for one another’s culture–a respect that allows minorities to express their own cultural without suffering prejudice or hostility” (Frum, 13).

These have led to legal implications in the constitution of the American and greatly impacted on the enhancement of the provision of equal employment opportunities to people with diverse backgrounds. Their reactions have therefore been aimed at eradicating all forms of racial subordination or prejudice in the American society. One social area that received the greatest attention within the American society is the demand for equal opportunities for all sexes. This rose as a result of the historical rising parity in the levels of education for both sexes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it must be pointed out that Exploitation theory of racial subordination or prejudice has opened up the window on the increase in the knowledge on social aspects of the society. This has been best achieved when an analysis of the historical aspects of Exploitation theory of racial subordination or prejudice is brought to focus and the developing roles of affirmative action programs in the United States. The understanding of these two social aspects of the society has the capacity to transform the social fabric of the society for the better. Discrimination in lines of gender, sex, color and origin can therefore be handled from an informed perspective.

Works Cited

Darryl, Hall. 2002. Web.

Frum, David (2000). How We Got Here: The ’70s. New York, New York: Basic Books.

Schaefer, Richard and Lamm, Robert. Sociology–a brief introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. 1997.

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IvyPanda. 2021. "The Phenomenon of a Racial Subordination." December 29, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-phenomenon-of-a-racial-subordination/.

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