Social Issues of Racism and Elitism

Hyper-Optimism

• Racism, sexism, and elitism are viewed as historical issues of the past.
• This perspective is often tied to policies like affirmative action.
• Promotes a colorblind approach.

Hyper-Pessimism

• Racism, sexism, and elitism are current issues.
• Different groups (e.g., Latino, women, Black) have distinct concerns.
• Groups not uniting weakens their collective power.
• This lack of unity benefits the dominant culture.

Democracy, Equality, and Justice

• Racism, sexism, and elitism are societal problems.
• The course aims to address these issues.
• Individuals may rationalize their actions instead of acknowledging societal problems. Examples include denying past complicity (“I didn’t own slaves”) or asserting non-prejudice ("I have black friends").
• Individual meritocracy and attempts to avoid prejudice are common defenses.
• Individuals often avoid addressing systemic problems within society.

Defensiveness

• Individuals may argue that racism, sexism, and elitism aren't their fault.
• Some may claim racial ignorance (“I didn’t own slaves”) or individual meritocratic explanations.
• Others might assert having friends of different races, which is a common defensive tactic.
• Avoiding any action to address systemic problems is a common form of defensiveness.

Troubles vs. Issues

• Troubles are personal problems.
• Issues are societal problems.
• Often, issues affect multiple people and are not merely individual problems. An example would be a school failing with multiple students as opposed to blaming a single student.
• Lack of awareness of issues often hinders effective solutions.
• Cancer patients may face issues related to their personal lives as well as the disease.

Multiculturalism

• Diversity exists within a society.
• Many cultures can coexist within a single country.
• Examples include Asian Americans and Latinx Americans in the United States.

Cross-Cultural/Global

• Diversity exists among societies.
• Comparing one culture to another.
• Comparing cultural values and beliefs.
• Examples include comparing American food to Mexican food.

This quiz explores various perspectives on racism, sexism, and elitism, covering hyper-optimism and hyper-pessimism. It also addresses the societal implications of these issues within the framework of democracy, equality, and justice. Understand how individual rationalizations impact collective awareness and action against systemic problems.