Examine a newspaper article and explain how it relates to diversity

Posted: August 12th, 2013

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The Unhappy White Majority

The article, “The Unhappy White Majority”, by Gregory Rodriguez, concurs with the course of sociology. This is because much of the article concentrates on much of the American society and the cultural dysfunction that is disseminated between the society’s different cultures. One of the main aspects that make the article qualified for sociological evaluation is cultural diversity and its effect on the white majority, based on the norms and institutions that guide the overall society. Concerning cultural diversity, the article draws out the struggle for intangible resources such as status, power and respect between the white majority and the minority groups, which comprise different heterogenic cultures. Moreover, another reason that qualifies the article for inclusion in the course is social stratification. Social stratification refers to the categorization of individuals into groups based on societal inequalities that border around political, economic, social and ideological aspects. Much of the article indicates social stratification whereby the white majority assert that the minorities in the society receive greater status, privileges and power than them thereby creating considerable differences between the majority White group and the minorities, hence leading to social stratification in the American society. Based on studies by Norton and Sommers, Rodriguez (p.9) asserts that the white majority views the present situation as a case in which one group autonomously gains from another’s loss. Concerning the reasons previously mentioned, the article proves to be relevant and credible for sociological evaluation.

Gregory Rodriguez, in his article, attempted to address the effect of diversity in the contemporary American society. Diversity in his terms is indicated by the difference in cultures of the White majority and the combined minority culture. Additionally, Rodriguez attempts to address the cultural bias in the society. He does this by denoting the extent to which anti-white bias has exceeded due to the constant support of minorities. This support serves as a shift where the White majority is neglected. This leads to unfairness in the acquisition of resources for the Whites, who are now deemed as the minorities since they are culturally discriminated. Rodriguez calls it ‘reverse discrimination’ whereby Americans are discriminated because of their race. The author also points out that the majority is also struggling for resources such as respect and status (Rodriguez, p.1). This action solely depicts the wearing away of the principle of common good whereby resources are supposed to be shared between most or all members of the society irrespective of any factor. Additionally, the author seeks to address the discrimination that targets the White majority in the modern society. This is indicated by findings carried out between a group of Whites and African Americans in order to determine the targets of discrimination. The findings surmised that anti-black bias declined constantly, whereas anti-white bias increased considerably. Therefore, Rodriguez addresses the racial bias the whites are facing in America.

The argument presented in the article by Rodriguez supports the definition of diversity by indicating the difference in cultures prevalent in the society. Diversity in this context is cultural. It refers to the existence of different or diverse cultures in a given society. Additionally, cultural diversity is also defined as the respect of differences in cultures by each diverse culture. Hence, this definition solely points out the premise that the article points out. The premise presented in the article is depicted by the disparity involved in the defining of the society’s values as their own by the majority White group, while at the same time ignoring the minorities. According to Rodriguez (p.13), the White majority views itself as engaging in a scramble for intangible resources such as status and respect leading to expulsion of the collective good. Moreover, diversity is indicated whereby the laws and institutions in place in the American society advocate for the minorities due to the past racial prejudices that the minorities faced at the hands of the Whites in past America. With the onset of anti bias laws and practices, diversity in the American society is encouraged such that the minority groups, which constitute various diverse cultures, are provided with the same opportunities that the White majority possesses. Thus, diversity is defined by the respect of the minority cultures by American institutions in which Rodriguez acknowledges that the core values that the White majority owned are now accessible to every person irrespective of their culture.

Gregory Rodriguez addresses the issue of diversity as an issue that presents both advantages and disadvantages in the American society. Foremost, as an advantage, Rodriguez asserts that whites positively acknowledge the nation’s core values as shared. This is because the core values in the American society are believed to be features and characteristics of a white individual’s personality. Moreover, diversity in the American society allows other minority cultures to gain an equal footing with the White majority hence indicating the rapid erosion of racial discrimination in contemporary America. For instance, Rodriguez (p.3) asserts that the election of Barrack Obama as the first African American president of the United States depicts the emergence of a post racial America. This statement autonomously indicates that the American society has moved from an era of cultural bias and accepted cultural diversity by electing a person from a minority group to be in charge of the country’s affairs. However, the diversity America is experiencing is also depicted negatively. This is because of the modern White majority sees itself as a minority. According to Rodriguez (p.8), white Americans denote that there is an increase in anti-white bias as opposed to anti-black bias. Anti-white bias has been shown as increasing steadily over the last couple of decades whereas anti-black bias has drastically reduced in the same period. Additionally, Rodriguez asserts that the election of Barrack Obama introduces the moment where all Americans become minorities. In summary, the author claims that diversity only leads to minority protection thereby forcing the majority to focus on protecting themselves from losing access to resources in the society, which automatically forces them to ignore the common good.

In general, diversity is a unifying factor that combines different cultures in a given community, society and the world to respect each other irrespective of the cultural differences each group possesses. However, diversity also presents its own share of disadvantages. In sociological context, these disadvantages arise due to the scarcity of resources in the given society. This scarcity only leads to the struggle for the resources between the different groups thereby creating conflict in the society. Regarding the article, diversity has forced the White majority to view itself as the discriminated and neglected group. This has evidently led to the struggle for resources in the society between the majority and the minority culture, which has forced them to neglect the greater good.