In spite of heightened divisions in this current political climate America is still a true melting pot. America has always been considered a very diverse country full of many different customs and cultures with some that everyone shares in common. That is what makes this country so especial, and that is why is so sad to hear many of the stories that we frequently see now days of people telling immigrants to speak English or go back to your country comments. I personally feel that a lot of this current environment is due to the current leadership which focuses on discrimination/stereotypes and promotes this type of behavior. Prejudice is an attitude towards others based solely on group membership (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2017). It’s judging people without knowing them simply based on something such as race, sexual orientation, immigration status, religion and many other things. When prejudiced attitudes turn into behavior this is called discrimination which is the actual behavior (Gruman et al., 2017).
It is important to acknowledge prejudice and discrimination as an ongoing problem that needs to be fixed. We need to educate people that diversity is not bad and is actually one of the main things that makes America especial. Predictions show that by 2050 minorities will actually make up more than 50% of the population with whites actually becoming the minority (Resnick, 2017). We are all American and need to start seeing each other as that instead of finding ways to divide each other. A lot of people don’t worry about these problem unless it directly affects them but the truth is that they are right in front of us. In 2017 we had white supremacist marching down Charlottesville chanting very bad words towards minorities. During these two days violence broke out and 3 people were killed and dozens more injured (Resnick, 2017). This is a problem happening today and it needs to be addressed. I believe that is becoming more acceptable to show prejudice which is what the true problem is, and there are many reasons for this but it starts at the top. It is also not fair to label everyone belonging to a specific political party as bad person or ignorant because that defeats the whole purpose of being open minded. The good news is that even though prejudice and discrimination are still ongoing problems the American melting pot is still alive and well. One in five newlyweds is marrying someone from another race (Auerback, 2019). This is what makes this country especial the fact that everyone can be who they want and be with whoever they want without judgement. Individuals are also able to experience the many different cultures and customs this worlds has to offer all within our backyard.
The contact hypothesis states that equal contact between two groups sharing a common goal can promote tolerance and acceptance (Penn State, 2019). This is an important concept because it shows us that exposure can helps us get rid of prejudice and discrimination. Education is key because it can start with teaching our youth the importance of equality and the harm that discrimination can have. People need to be exposed to different cultures and learn more about them to truly change their mindset. I live in the east coast and I work in NYC. One of the things that I love about NYC is that it truly gives me the chance to experience so many different cultures and meet so many people from different backgrounds. Exposure is key because it truly opens up our mind and lets us see that our way is not the only way and that change and diversity are not always a bad thing. Even though prejudice is something that will never fully go away we can do our part by educating our youth and others about this topic and teaching them the importance and value of diversity and equality.
References:
Auerback, Marshall. (July, 2019) No Salad Bowl: America is Still a Melting Pot. Retrieved from https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/no-salad-bowl-america-is-still-a-melting-pot/
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. (2017). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles ; London ; New Dehli ; Singapore ; Washington DC ; Melbourne: SAGE.
Penn State. (2019) Lesson 6: Intergroup relations/diversity. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2008549/modules/items/27030729
Resnick, Brian. (August, 2017) The Scientific case that America is becoming more Prejudiced. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/8/14/16143582/charlottesville-prejudice-psychology
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your post. I, too, live in the New York City area, and I also appreciate the great diversity the city offers. Through this, NYC offers many opportunities to learn. I agree with your remarks regarding how the recent heightened divisions are likely due to the current political leadership and climate. Hopefully, this will improve over time. I agree that it is sad to see this, as the United States is, at least in theory and in ideal, a melting pot of people from different cultures.
I agree with your remarks about the contact hypothesis. I would add that another way to promote tolerance and acceptance is through coalition building. Coalition building involves increasing “acquaintance potential, social norms, cooperative tasks and reward systems, and the characteristics of individuals” (Gruman, Schneuder, Coutts, 2017, pp. 409). In other words, increasing these factors lead to the likelihood of positive interactions between different people. By having an increased comfortability with being an acquaintance of someone different, people can become more comfortable being around people from different groups. With increased opportunities to interact with those from another group (similarly to the contact hypothesis), prejudice and discrimination can decrease.
Natasha
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.