Running head: SOCIAL INEQUALITY 1

Social Inequality

(Student Name)

(Institutional Affiliation)
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Social Inequality Essay

1. What is intersectionality, and how might it allow sociologists to examine social

inequality?

Intersectionality explains various intersecting sites available in the social oppressions

that show the gender, class, ability, sexuality together with gender-based oppression. Hence, it

focuses on how people get discriminated against or the privileges absent for the marginalized

groups (Fuller, 2008). In other words, it uses concepts that people can hardly get meaning about

because it assumes that people know about these concepts. Intersectionality points out different

ways in the community in which the social identities overlap, together with how it factors their

oppression. For example, African American women encounter both racism and sexism in

different multifaceted ways (Sernau, 2006). However, people face abuse differently in society

according to their social identities. The whites have a privilege that blacks lack, which protects

them from any form of abuse.

Therefore, intersectionality is a way of initiating common grounds to address the

differences since we have multifaceted identities. Intersectionality is vital in enhancing both

social justice and civil rights in our society (Fuller, 2008). For instance, people can bond quickly

over their social encounters and using such identities, and they can bond with each other. Thus,

acknowledging the marginalized group's differences helps to create both awareness and

validation, which promotes sociopolitical change.

2. What is discourse?

Discourse refers to how people think or communicate with other individuals in

society. Conversation arises from social institutions like the press and politics in most cases. As

such, discourse is responsible for determining people’s lives and their relationships. It gives them
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structure and order for language along with thought. Moreover, it determines what human beings

can know and think about at a specific time. Discourse is also very productive because it

identifies ideas, beliefs, identities, behavior, interactions, and values. Indeed, it involves a human

unconscious reaction to both racism and sexism in the community. These unconscious biases are

evident in many locations like the workplace areas. Therefore, the unconscious bias covers other

regions rather than awkward behavior, insults, and comments. As such, it is made up of remarks

that may seem to be very painful to specific groups in society. Social stratification refers to a

social inequality system that is standardized (Allahar, 1998). It portrays different settings where

divisions and relationships take place. Thus, social stratification identifies why and when

situations occur. Social stratification promotes efficiency, excellence, and productivity, which

offers people something to fight for in the community.

4. What is the functionalist argument for social inequality?

Functionalism refers to the ideal sociological perspective that is characterized by the

ideas of people in society. It comprises of the press, family, education among other institutions in

the community. Thus, it conducts different societal functions that enable the norms and values in

society to attain social change and organic change. On the other side, social inequality is a reality

in life, according to functionalism. It takes place in various human communities since it is

inevitable (Jayasuriya-Illesinghe, 2018). People use the functionalist argument, especially when

dealing with the consequences of inequality in society. More significantly, functionalists

contend many employment positions in the community that require performance and

sustainability to exist. For example, human beings have various abilities and talents in crucial

situations. These ranks involve a system that motivates them to explore the necessary training

together with education for the survival of the system.

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Such unequal rewards comprise things like prestige, power, and income. For example,

engineers, lawyers, and doctors tend to perform more crucial functions in society compared to

garbage collectors, teachers, and nurses (Jayasuriya-Illesinghe, 2018). In other words, the

community must offer rewards to lawyers, engineers, and doctors to motivate them to make the

necessary sacrifices along with training. According to functionalism, it is accepted by the

disadvantaged and the poor if it is logic. However, the privileged and wealthy use it as their

political weapon. For example, The whites benefit more than the minority groups because such

systems give them an upper hand in social, cultural, and economic segments. For example, the

whites exist on the top of their racial hierarchy, and therefore they can access many benefits that

others can't get in a racially structured community.

3. Define neoliberalism. Identify two examples of neoliberalism and explain why these are

good examples of neoliberalism.

Neoliberalism is the market-oriented principle that deregulates the capital markets and

lowers the trade barriers as well, which in turn helps to remove the price restrictions. In most

cases, it removes all the social injustices present in liability, especially in the spread of different

societal challenges. Neoliberalism refers to a policy model that critically points out economics,

social studies together with the politics of everyday life. As such, Neoliberalism transfers control

over various factors such as economic factors, especially in the public sector. Thus, it tends to

divert away from the state's regulation, public ownership, expenditure, and free-market

capitalism (Santiago, 2015). It highlights the governments' minimal interference, especially in

economic challenges for people and society as well. The belief for continued economic

development characterizes this theory because it contributes to minimal state interference

together with a free market.

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Under the neoliberal influence, governments try to initiate and maintain various practices along

with the frameworks that support personal skills as well as individual skills. For example, the

Canadian government is starting immigration policies under the neoliberal influence to meet the

demands of the labor market across the globe (Jayasuriya-Illesinghe, 2018). It embraces

immigration policies that allow wealthy immigrants, skilled immigrants, and highly-educated

individuals to demonstrate their entrepreneurial skills and freedoms. In such a setting, the

Canadian government maximizes the economic together with the human benefits from

immigration while minimizing the expenses.

On the other side, it gives free-market intervention together with the minimal

government an upper-hand. Thus, it promotes the marketization of services as well as these

services mainly on the individual ownership of property rather than advocating for the state

ownership. It highlights that immigration to a closed labor market has an impact on the pay

structure in that particular market segment (Wachsmuth, 2018). For example, it raises the salary

of complementary employees by lowering the pay of their counterparts. However, the present-

day economic theory describes the central differences that exist between the natural sciences and

the economies, especially in the decision-making process. In other words, expectations in

decision theory affect the time path of a particular economy by hypothesizing the time path

expectations. Invisibilize describes the devalorized works of the neoliberal platform that assists

them in understanding different global challenges, global arrangements, and other protections.

5. What is cultural violence, and what are two examples of cultural destruction in

Desmond Cole's "The Skin I'm in?"

Cultural violence defines aspects of a particular culture that people use to legitimize

direct or to justify their structural violence. They may exemplify this violence through ideology,
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art, religion, and language. Indeed, many justices and prejudices persist about individuals from a

particular religious or ethnic background. Many cultures around the world experience many

incidences of violence due to various settings (Cole, 2015). More importantly, cultural plays a

crucial part in the article, "The Skin I'm in?". One example of the cultural violence in the section,

"The Skin I'm in?" is the incidence where the bouncer denies Desmond entry to a popular bar in

the name of his shoes that resembled the sneakers of many people in the queue. When Desmond

is stopped by police when walking with his friend Sara who is a white woman. When the police

officer stopped them, he turned his back on Desmond and started addressing Sara. Desmond's

presence caused the armed police officer to feel threated by the safety of Sara and on her behalf.

The white police officers stop him because they think that Desmond is a threat to the community

because of his skin color.

The second incidence is where a police officer tells Desmond that it was illegal to

ride in the bike on a sidewalk. In many cultures around the globe, people experience different

challenges because of their race. The blacks experience these challenges in reality through their

own eyes, along with the eyes of the community that prejudges them (Cole, 2015). Moreover,

there many police officers deployed in areas where the blacks live in the name of preventing

crime. Cops stop innocent blacks who are not suspected of any crime to check their

identification, eye color, height, weight, and race. The minority groups get accused many times

of crimes that they have not committed.

Structural racism in Canada is evident in the legitimization, together with the

normalization of interpersonal, institutional, cultural, and historical dynamics. In such an

institutional setting, the whites have an advantage over their counterparts. As a result, they

produce chronic, together with adverse consequences for individuals of color. The supremacy of
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the white race characterizes such a system at the expense of other races such as Asian, Black,

Latino among other oppressed people in the society.

More importantly, there are many indicators of these inequalities of structural racism

in the article. It is evident in several areas such as access, policy impacts, opportunities, power,

and treatment, whether intentionally or not. Thus, it is harder to identify structural racism in

different institutions because it reinforces both past and present cultural norms. In other words, it

continues to produce new forms of racism by critically reproducing the older types. Ethic and

racial inequalities are evident in Canadian society as people of color experience different

structural issues such as education, employment, along with the quality of both healthcare and

housing. In most cases, whites tend to believe that they deserve certain privileges at the expense

of others because of their skin color. They fail to understand what I mean to be white, and

therefore they have to be reminded often.

Define structural racism. What might be an example or examples of

structural racism in this article? Define every day or "casual racism." What might be an

example or examples of "casual racism" in this article about Anh Cao? Use full sentences

to explain your work, and course readings are required to support your definitions and

examples.

Structural racism is a type of system that contains cultural representations,

institutional practices, among other public policies. Consequently, structural racism comprises of

other norms, especially in the workplace settings that perpetuate the inequality of a particular

racial group in society. Indeed, it points out different dimensions of both culture and history that

allow certain privileges associated with the white skin. Although it is not something that
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institutions or people in the society choose to practice, it features economic, political together

with the social systems.

As conscious racism continues to dominate in society, structural racism continues to

feed individually on the unconscious. The structural arrangements are a product of racial

disparities due to walling off of opportunities together with resources. System racism comprises

of institutional and structural racism. It defines a type of racial discrimination in which people

who are dictating others are prejudiced in society. Structural racism refers to the inequalities in

various systems in society by excluding other individuals from other institutions by being part of

these institutions.

Although it tends to be unintentional in the article, casual racism is evident

in many ways. For instance, there are many negative prejudices together with negative

stereotypes about a particular ethnicity, color, or race. It is different from other forms of racism

because of its deliberate actions of discrimination and racial superiority. Unlike other types of

racism, such as structural racism, casual racism is usually unintentional to cause both harm and

offense. In other words, people fail to recognize that their deeds and words are racist. As such,

many people fail to understand the consequences of those who navigate such racism.

Despite Anh Cao being the top graduate from the largest university in Canada with an

A-plus, she lives in a homeless shelter. Moreover, Canada has a steep tuition fee for international

students. Students like Anh Cao are so gifted, but they face various challenges due to structural

racism in Canada. For example, he is forced to live for free at his friend's den when his money

runs. Anh Cao relies on meals made by the science lab cleaner because he can't afford food

despite being the top student in the class.

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Casual racism is evident in the article because international students are unvalued and

treated as a joke. Profesor Bebhinn Treanor portrays casual racism in the way he addresses Anh

Cao. More significantly, he may not be aware of how offensive his words could be. There is no

help for international students like Anh Cao in Canada, and as a result, they are forced to help

themselves. In the second year, Anh Cao has to Google about homeless shelter for students

because he has nowhere to stay. Although he was volunteering to clean other people's homes, he

was still homeless, and no one could offer him shelter. Instead of the Canadian government

understanding that not all international students are from wealthy families, it overcharges these

students, increasing their cost of living, which most of them can't afford.

Define structural violence? What is an example of structural violence in the article? Why is

this an excellent example of structural violence? Define the standpoint theory. What is an

excellent example of standpoint in this article? Use course material and at least one reading

to support your answer.

Structural violence is a circumstance whereby the social structure perpetuates

inequality reading to preventable suffering. More significantly, structural violence portrays the

negative power of social organization systems along with the social institutions in minority

societies. It is indeed the primary cause of the differences that exist between actual situations and

their potential reality. Structural violence is evident in the article, "I know what homeless people

need because I was one" in many ways. People in Toronto contribute privately to close the gaps

present in the society’s net safety. Their supplies comprise of socks that appear to be cheap tube

sweat socks. However, these socks are useless in two days because they get stiff of both salt and

sweat.
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Secondly, men are provided with smaller socks that give them blisters every time.

The supplies contain socks from women who have smaller feet than men, while the majority of

these men wear socks between sizes ten and twelve. Besides, they are provided with Mylar

emergency blankets that do not hold any heat in cold, humidity, and wind. The main problem

with these blankets is that they can't be used to offer shelter from snow or used as groundsheets

because they rip. The donor provides these blanket to the homeless as a form of help, but these

blankets are critically useless in their lives.

Although constructing beds seems to be much cheaper, the Canadian government says

that it cannot afford to provide enough beds to shelter everyone in need of them. Consequently,

the Canadian government makes it illegal for individuals to protect or camp to compound the

issues initiated by its policy. Although the dream of any homeless person is to receive a means

that they can use to shelter themselves, the homeless people in the article tend to have the worst

shelter against cold. There is structural violence against the homeless due to the inequalities in

Canadian society that lead to inevitable suffering.

It is clear from the article that people view the world depending on where they stand

because it is their standpoint. As such, individuals have different viewpoints depending on how

their economic, social, and political life affects their worldview. In this article, standpoint theory

defines the changes of perception along with a person's attitude. Consequently, the rich in

Canada contribute privately to assist those in need to counter the widening social gaps. Their

donations purchase supplies like granola bars, Tim Horton's gift cards, water bottles, and socks.

According to the author, the real difference between frostbite together with death or no frostbite

is evident in the cheap tent. Besides, Bollarama offers poor services to the weak because it sells
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water bottles at one dollar each. They sell cheap tarps as well, which they use to shelter their

tent.

In other words, the similarities of the immigrants’ opinions regarding Canada and

their global challenges shape their perception. For instance, the experience of being homeless

shapes the author's understanding of what it means being homeless because of the issues that he

has encountered. On the other side, the socio-economic status in society plays a crucial role in

altering the socio-economic situation. The shelter challenges, food, water, and clothing issues all

contribute to the differences that shape these perspectives. For instance, the homeless see the

point of shelter more practically while those from higher social position view such issues from a

different perspective. In this article, structural violence harms the minority by failing to provide

people with basic needs such as shelter, clothing, and food. Structural violence has an impact on

poor people in society. However, it tends to be invisible in most cases because people consider

how things should always be done. Therefore, it causes more pain together with suffering to the

low economic class in society.

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References

Allahar, A., & Côté, J. E. (1998). Richer and poorer: The structure of inequality in Canada.

James Lorimer & Company.

Berger, T., Frey, C. B., Levin, G., & Danda, S. R. (2018). Uber happy? Work and well-being in

the “gig economy”. Economic Policy.

Cole, D. (2015). The Skin I’m In: I’ve been interrogated by police more than 50 times—all

because I’m black. Toronto life, 49(5).

Fuller, S., & Vosko, L. F. (2008). Temporary employment and social inequality in Canada:

Exploring intersections of gender, race and immigration status. Social indicators

research, 88(1), 31-50.

Jayasuriya-Illesinghe, V. (2018). Immigration Policies and Immigrant Women’s Vulnerability to

Intimate Partner Violence in Canada. Journal of International Migration and

Integration, 19(2), 339-348.

Santiago, A. M. (2015). Fifty years later: From a war on poverty to a war on the poor. Social

Problems, 62(1), 2-14.

Sernau, S. (2006). The Gordian knot of race, class and gender. Worlds apart: social inequality in

the global economy, 61-86.

Wachsmuth, D., & Weisler, A. (2018). Airbnb and the rent gap: Gentrification through the

sharing economy. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 50(6), 1147-1170.