INEQUALITYHow do you make sense of our differences?

How unequal are we?

Median Family Income-2007U.S. Census

Chart1

54920WhitesWhites

33916BlacksBlacks

38679HispanicsHispanics

66103AsiansAsians

32627Native Am.Native Am.

Median Family Income

Sheet1

WhitesBlacksHispanicsAsiansNative Am.

Median Family Income$54,920$33,916$38,679$66,103$32,627

Individuals Living in Poverty - 2007Whites 8.2%Blacks 24.5%Hispanics 21.5%Asians 10.2%Native Americans 25.7%U.S. Population 12.1%

Poverty Rate: $21,203 per year for 4 people

The suburbs are wealthyright?200438.5 percent of poor Americans lived in the suburbs (13.8 million people)40.6 percent of poor Americans lived in central cities (14.6 million people)

197020.5 percent of nations poor lived in the suburbs

Wealth in the U.S. - 2002(per capita)

Whites:with home = $79,400without home = $22,566Blacks:with home = $7,500without home = $1,166Latino/as:with home = $9,750without home = $1,850All Households:with home = $55,000without home = $13,473

The early 1980s rocked thehouse!

Home Ownership and RaceWhite 75.8%Black 48.2Asian/PI 60.1Hispanic 49.5American Indian 58.2Other 59.2

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau (2005)

Education (% graduating from High School) - 2004

Whites 85.5%Blacks 72.3%Latino/as 52.4%Asians 80.4%Native Americans 70.9%

2005 Gap in Graduation Rates Between Urban-Suburban DistrictsAverage High School Graduation Rate of fifty largest cities: 53 percent

Average High School Graduation Rate of the suburban districts of those fifty cities: 71 percent

Education (% graduating from College) - 2004

Whites 27.0%Blacks 14.3%Latino/as 10.4%Asians 44.1%Native Americans 11.5%U.S. Population 24.4%

Explain the root cause(s) of these differences

Can biology explain the inequalityof ancestral groups?

BIOLOGICAL: cause of inequality is related to peoples genetic differences

SOCIO-PSYCHO COGNITIVE: cause of inequality is related to peoples choices

SOCIO-STRUCTURAL: cause of inequality is related to peoples socioeconomic differences

BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION

Some (ancestry) groups dominate other groups because they are biologicallymatched for particular social conditions.

1. PHYSICAL FEATURES: size, strength, etc.

2. GENETIC PSYCHO-COGNITIVE FEATURES: emotional temperament, tenacity, I.Q., etc.

GENETICS AND RACE99.99% of human genome is the same in everyone.01% of our genes are reflected in our external appearance88-90% of genetic differences between people occur within the local populations10-12% of genetic variations are a result of different populations living in different parts of the world

What genetic-based inequality would look like:

All members of particular ancestry groups are disposed to some advantage that leads them to have more sociological power (e.g., income, wealth).

Problems:1. What constitutes a racial group?2. What is the direct link between social or economic advantage and genetics?- size?- intellect?3. Perhaps this can occur to small degrees

AFRICAN SPEED: 16 of the 16 runners the men's and women's 100 meter sprint finals traced their ancestry to West Africa.

We can measure this: we can easily time a sprint and measure legs and torsos.

HOWEVER, there are still sociological variables to account for.Example of a more tangible measure:

Baseball and RaceBlack HispanicMestizo Hispanic

Example of a less tangible measure

Major League Baseball is increasingly dominated by players from Latin America and the CaribbeanHockey is dominated by people of European AncestryBasketball in the U.S. is dominated by African Americans?Rugby is dominated by mentally ill people.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER INTANGIBLE CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE?Genetic Psycho-Cognitive Factors

I.Q.Moral CharacterAmbition or Personal DriveContentmentEducationIncome and Wealth

How can evolutionary theory explain the inequalityof ancestral groups?

Two ways to conceptualize evolutionary theory:

1. Linear2. Branching Bush

What do you notice about these images?

Where do these guys fit into the evolutionary map?

Were all just monkeys

How does sociology explain the inequality of ancestral groups?

BIOLOGICAL: cause of inequality is related to peoples genetic differences

SOCIO-PSYCHO COGNITIVE: cause of inequality is related to peoples choices

SOCIO-STRUCTURAL: cause of inequality is related to peoples socioeconomic differences

Psycho-Cognitive ExplanationBased on the Free Will-Libertarian Position

People are always free to think/act other than the way they do

Our economic and political circumstances are PRIMARILY shaped by our individual choices

ACHIEVEMENT IDEOLOGY

Every American has an equal chance of making it

Every American can succeed if they work hard enough

Psycho-Cognitive ExplanationBased on the Free Will-Libertarian Position

People are always free to think/act other than the way they do

Our economic and political circumstances are PRIMARILY shaped by our individual choices

BIOLOGICAL: cause of inequality is related to peoples genetic differences

SOCIO-PSYCHO COGNITIVE: cause of inequality is related to peoples choices

SOCIO-STRUCTURAL: cause of inequality is related to peoples socioeconomic differences

Determinist-Communitarian Position

Material conditions (education, wealth, urban/rural, etc.) shape all aspects of our lives

Personal choices only partially shape our socioeconomic circumstances

What about economic and political differences between ancestry groups?2007 Median Family Income U.S. Census

Chart1

54920WhitesWhites

33916BlacksBlacks

38679HispanicsHispanics

66103AsiansAsians

32627Native Am.Native Am.

Median Family Income

Sheet1

WhitesBlacksHispanicsAsiansNative Am.

Median Family Income$54,920$33,916$38,679$66,103$32,627

What is the sociological perspective?

Would YOU join the KKK?Mightthis child?

How do sociologistsexplain cutting behavior?free?determined?

How would sociology explain why some people attend college and others dont?

Which explanation do you draw on to answer the question: Why do some people go to college?

FREE-WILL: people choose the majority of their actions & thoughts vs. DETERMINISM: peoples actions & thoughts are shaped by factors and forces largely outside of their control

21-24 yr. olds Graduating From College -- 2002FAMILY INCOMEAbove $85,000 = 51.3%

$61K 85K = 26.8%

35K 61K = 12.7%

Below $35K = 6%

Nationwide, nine in 10 high school graduates from families earning more than $80,000 a year take college classes by age 24.

VS. Six in 10 high school graduates from families earning less than $33,000 a year take college classes by age 24.

At the nation's 146 most selective colleges, only 3% of students come from the lowest socioeconomic quarter. By contrast, 74% come from the top quarter.

State and local money account for more than 90 percent of all education spending.

High poverty districts typically receive less per student when compared to low poverty districts.(Illinois: $2,026 less!)

So how is ancestry related to SAT scores?

Which explanation do you draw on to answer the question: Why do some people go to college while others do not? FREE WILL

~ or ~

DETERMINISM

The school sponsored by the Penn State Chapterof Asha-Free the SlavesKhadharawanPhattupur

in Eastern U.P., India

School in Nicaragua

What is the likelihood that Panjy can pull herself up by her sandals fulfill her dreams?

RACISM: three definitions1. ACADEMIC: belief that people are superior or inferior on the basis of biological characteristics

2. FOLK: prejudice and acts of discrimination are (often labeled as) racist

3. STRUCTURAL: any system of advantage based on race

Biologically Matched:

Two generally types of variables:Physical factorsPsycho-cognitive factors*PHYSICAL FEATURES certainly more true in the past but much less so today nor for the past 500 years

GENETIC PSYCHO-COGNITIVE FEATURES very difficult to measure*Have people of different ancestries stand up and walk the class through this so they get a visual.

Put the family income inequality data on the other screen.

*2. Size: the strongest and smartest dont always lead.and the weak and less intelligent often have wealth and power.

Some of you are saying to yourself, Yeah, just look at our last president.But this actually strengthens my argument: He was actually brilliant in certain aspects of his intellect.

3. Next slide for running example**Have a West African and a Korean and a white person stand.

Might not be true for these threeperhaps the Korean has the longest legs and shortest torso.But bring up two more of each group and get an average measure.

Other variables: running is a wildly popular sport in West Africa and the Caribbean*How would we measure peoples bodies and compare those bodies to the traits that lead to success in these sports?

In other words, how could we measure the role of genetics in these sports?*How do we measure these things?

Return to George Bush. Lets say he doesnt score very high in a traditional IQ testbut on a test that measures social intelligence, hed score very high.

I scored the equivalent of a 910 on the SAT exam

Example of how shaman gather knowledge* Most are illiterate

*Poor people are poor because they make unwise decisions. They dont study hard, save and invest money, work hard, etc. Rich people make wise decisions.

This position is generally associated with conservatives and Republicans (two different groups, by the way)

NEXT SLIDE

*EXAMPLE:Why will some people get an A in this class and others a C?-- because they will choose to work hard in the class-- maybe naturally better at the kinds of exams that well havebut the C students could learn how to take them

*Why are people poor? The poor lack opportunities that rich people have

This position is generally associated with liberals and Democrats (again, two different groups)

When we look at people with lower grades in this class we start to see patterns:-- more likely to work (might choose to work)-- more likely to have family obligations-- more likely to have attended a school that was sub par-- less likely to have critical study skills-- less likely to have educated or wealthy parents

*So how do we explain political and economic differences when comparing ancestry groups?

Free will position?

Determinist perspective?*Briefly discuss the idea of invisible strings shaping our thoughts and actions.

Factors and forces outside of our control.*This example is simple sociology. Question: Would you join the KKK? Whats the likelihood? For most of you, its not likely. NEXT SLIDE

But this child is more likely than you.The kid is socialized to think that this is OK and given that his family is probably involved, he joins the KKK.*This more complicated. Have three people stand and put red marks on their arms.

Common explanation:This behavior makes no sense at all. Why would anyone cut themselves like this? Pure mental illness.And if theyre not mentally ill, then they a choosing to do it and need to stop. Nobody is holding a gun to someones head and forcing them to self mutilate.

Sociological explanation:Actually, when we look at the social lives of people who cut we see some similarities in experience coupled with personality types. So even a behavior that could in no way be caused by external factors and forces appears to be shaped by things outside of peoples individual control.

*Have people break into pairs and answer the question.**Question: Why do people turn to the biological or genetic explanation when it comes to IQ?

Why postulate that some ancestry groups are smarter or dumber because of their genetic admixture?*