Term Paper on "Racism Among Students in Home Economic Classes Seen Through Teachers Eyes"

Term Paper 15 pages (4425 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Racism and Home Economics

Author's Purpose

When one gets conjoined with the task of writing any account there is a basic need for that individual to have his or her own point-of-view. This point-of-view, in the true sense happens to shed lights on all aspects that guide the course of development of the entire treatise. In the same regard, in this respect too, the author has tried to explain the possibility of the notion of racism among students, belonging to 7 th to 9th grade, as is perceived through the concept of Home Economics, with a distinct possibility of its development in the schools among the students. Now, here comes the question, what can be the basic reason behind its sudden emergence? Or is it a handiwork of several generations that has raised its ugly head only in this time? Well, indeed there can be many such thoughts, but to get an in depth analysis there is a growing need to understand the basis of the two central ideas of Racism and Home Economics.

While Home Economics happens to be a specific academic discipline with the combination of aspects of consumer science, nutrition, cooking, parenting and human development, interior design, textiles, family economics, housing, apparel design and resource management as well as other related subjects, Racism is nothing except the strongest exhibition of a popular belief that the members of a particular race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. The existence of this notion is found in many developed areas of the world, the most prominent of which is in the purview of the United States of America. The author's central concern has therefore been to expose this attitude, that has its dominant presence in the different echelons of the American society, and has been percieved through the strident U.S. military, economic and cultural agressions in the various parts of the world.

Page Two: Realm of Influence

Racism, as a culmination of several factors, that has led to the emergence of a distinct ideology in the 20 th century had its commencement in the 19th century as "scientific racism," which made a daring attempt to provide a racial classification of humanity. However, with the downfall of the Third Reich and also of the monolithic imperium of the Fascist Italy, the dominant racist ideologies have been widely discredited after World War II and especially Holocaust. But it is to be noted at the same time, that the succeeding political, social developments in the international arena have proved that the phenomena of racism and racial discrimination have remained widespread all over the world.

Through several facets of the academic discipline of Home Economics, for instance consumer science, human development, family economics, resource management and others, it has been determined by the author that, bolstered by some specific nationalist and ethnocentric values and achievements of choice, there is indeed the presence of the notion of racial superiority in the U.S. society. It should be taken into consideration that this has evolved for the sake of distinguishing it from other cultures and also people, that are considered as inferior or even impure. How can this notion be defined? This emphasis on culture corresponds to the modern mainstream definition of racism: "Racism does not originate from the existence of 'races'. It creates them through a process of social division into categories: anybody can be racialised, independently of their somatic, cultural, religious differences." Though this very definition, in an explicit manner ignores the fiery polemic on the biological concept of race, still subject to scientific debate, but even through the latest developments in the U.S. society, there is the slightest indication of this.

Reason Behind Ratiocination

There can be a popular interest to know of the author's apprehension of the surfacing of the saga of racism among the students. To be very precise, the process of racial discriminaion has been treating people differently through a process of social division into categories not necessarily related to "race." In this regard the presence of racial segregation policies in U.S. may officialize it, but it is also often exerted without being legalized. In the context of the United States of America, the idea of Black-White segregation is on a sharp decline for most metropolitan areas in the U.S. However, in the broader sense, in spite of these permeant patterns, many changes for individual areas are small. Even thirty years after the completion of the historic Civil Rights Movement, the United States of America still remains a residentially segregated society where the divergence between the Blacks and Whites is pominent. This is much more eminent with their inhabitation in different neighborhoods of vastly different quality. With the passage of the years it is again reaching the peril, with a stark exemplification in every attribute of Home Economics, viz. nutrition, cooking, parenting and human development, interior design, textiles, family economics, housing.

This from time to time has left a grave shadow on the national polity and also on the psyche of the students. There has also been the emergence of the desire of many whites to avoid having their children attend integrated schools, for which the whites are fleeing to the suburbs. These grievous tendencies in due course of time may give rise to the idea of racism among the students, leading to a grimmer future.

Page Four: Major Themes

In any thesis or written treatise there is the need of a central subject or major themes, without which there can not be any advancement. In this context, the central concept of Racism and Home Economics, their inter-relation, confrontation, should be taken into consideration. In the context of the United States of America, the racial segregation is highly prominent. In fact, it has been found that till now it is a burning desire of many white families to avoid having their children attend integrated schools, for which a general flight of white familes to suburbs is being perceived. Even from the recent studies in San Francisco, it has come to the knowledge, that groups of homeowners do tend to self-segregate in order to be with people of the same education level and race. By the year 1990, the legal barriers that were prominent in enforcing segregation had been mostly replaced by decentralized racism, where whites paid more than blacks to live in predominantly white areas! This saga has been continuing since then and throughout the 1990s, the notion of residential segregation has remained at its extreme and has been called "hypersegregation" by some sociologists or "American Apartheid."

Through the several charactersitcs of Home Economics, it is found that even in 2002, in the American perspective small businesses in black neighborhoods still received fewer loans, even after accounting for businesses density, businesses size, industrial mix, neighborhood income, and the credit quality of local businesses. The same has also been in the insurance industry, which has proved time and again that the concept of race has long affected and continues to affect its policies and practices.

Page Five: Racism: A Steady Belief?

The word Racism, has abounding definitions, depending on the countries, historical periods and international relations. However, the most common and widely accepted conviction is that, members of one particular race, that at certain times does include the whimsey of religion, ethnicity, language, are superior or inferior to the members of other races, per se.

It is undoubtedly true, that the reference of the word racism denote to race-based bigotry, prejudice, violence, oppression, stereotyping or discrimination, although the term indeed does contain varying and hotly contested definitions. Well, racialism is a related term that has an inherent nature of intending to avoid these kinds of negative meanings. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, racism happens to be a core belief or ideology that relates to all members of each race who do possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, in particular to distinguish it as being either superior or inferior to another race or races. On the other hand, to the definition of the Merriam-Webster's Webster's Dictionary, the word racism is nothing but a steady belief. What is the belief? The race is the primary determinant of the human characteristics and capacities. In conjunction with it, the stark racial differences do produce an inherent high quality of a particular race, and that it also happens to be a kind of prejudice, that is based on such a belief. In addition to the definition of the Macquarie Dictionary, the definition of the word racism inclines to the belief that different human races do possess classifiable characteristics which in a way do determine their respective cultures, commonly involving the idea that one's own race is superior and therefore has the right to rule or exert domination over others.

Page Six: Not a Preposterous Concept!

There are indeed differences of opinions among the scholars and also the experts representing different walks of life about the true significance of racism in the United States of America. What can be the main… READ MORE

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