Reference no: EM133940534

Problem

I. What is the difference between ethnicity and race?

II. Discuss the difference and give examples.

III. While this week's lecture material has argued that race is not a biological reality, it most definitely is a social reality.

A. While it is true that more white people were killed by police than black people, when you consider the raw numbers, it's the percentage that makes a difference. White people in the US make up about 76% of the population, whereas African Americans are only about 14% of the population. That's about 253,000,000 white people and about 46,000,000 black people. Last year 389 white people were killed by police, and 225 black people were killed by police. That means the percentage of the white population that was killed by police was .0001% while the percentage of the black population killed was .0004%. This is the reason that you hear people stating more African Americans are subjected to lethal force than whites. It's because of the percentages rather than the raw numbers. There are more African Americans killed when you look at the percentage of the population they represent as compared to whites. Obviously, not all of these were cases of excessive force. In fact, probably the majority were not, but some were.

IV. Reflect on the recent events--the deaths of George Floyd and, just recently, Tyre Nichols, to name just two of these. Discuss how our culture has viewed and used the concept of race to maintain power structures and social division. In your answer, address the following questions and elaborate on them:

A. Is it possible for race to have been a factor in Tyre Nichols' death, given that the officers involved were black? If so, how? If not, why not?

B. What are the cultural structures that work to keep certain groups oppressed and others in power?

C. What do you understand about white privilege--give examples? Realize that I am not asking whether or not you believe white privilege exists; I'm asking what you understand about it. Get the instant assignment help.

D. What do you think needs to be done to prevent the unnecessary use of force by police against anyone? Clearly, the police have possibly the most difficult job in the world. They see people always at their worst, and they risk their lives for us. They run in the direction of danger when everyone else is running away. So, how can we train them better so that they don't feel the need to use unnecessary force? Is it a matter of training, or is it a matter of the need to vet the people we hire as police better? Would it be better to have them working within the communities in which they live? Should they be paid more, given the risk of their job? Should we change the way we choose who can become a police officer?

E. Should we rethink how we use the police? What I mean by this is that many police officers (and those in the class who are in law enforcement should speak up about this) often feel they're being asked to do things they really don't feel qualified to do, such as when responding to someone who is clearly having a mental crisis. Would it be better to do what has been done in Denver, Colorado, and form a police squadron, as it were, of mental health experts who respond in situations like that instead of armed police?

F. Will the US ever reach a point where the issue of race no longer makes a difference in our culture--why or why not?

G. Can you tell me the first time you became aware of race and what it meant for you?