Stereotypes:
1. Arabs are barbaric
2. Arabs are terrorists
The two types of discrimination that have been most influential in the construction of these stereotypes is racial profiling and abusive practices.
Racial profiling is when a particular group of individuals (possibly of a certain ethnicity) is targeted by law enforcement authorities based on their personal characteristics and not their behavior. Arabs are lumped together and our expectations are based on stereotyping. When we assume that someone in violent simply because of where they are from, we are creating a stereotype. Law enforcement assumes someone is a criminal because of the way they look. The public believes that those people are being targeted because they are violent or barbaric. This reinforces the belief that Arabs are violent and barbaric. The public believes that is why they are being targeted.
Abusive practices “are patterns of action against the victims of discrimination by members of other ethnic groups and particularly by those charged with enforcement of the law” (Aguirre & Turner). I think this also relates to why these stereotypes are in place. Arabs are accused of crimes because of the crimes of a few people that happen to be of the same ethnicity. We cannot think and speak of people of similar ethnic backgrounds collectively. When law enforcement portrays a certain ethnic group as being violent, citizens discriminate towards that ethnic group without any real cause. When Arabs fight back to defend themselves, they are depicted as being violent.
The two types of adaptations that I believe have been the most frequent or commonly used by Arabs to deal with discrimination is passive acceptance as well as withdrawal and self-segregation. Passive acceptance means accepting discrimination. This is what some Arabs do. They can understand why other Americans would see them as violent or barbaric. They feel ashamed that people of their same ethnicity have been the cause of trouble for other citizens. When they are being discriminated against, they try to not let it bother them and move on with their lives. Passive acceptance of discrimination helps the further expansion of these stereotypes. When they do this, the Arabs are not initiating change. Citizens that are discriminating do not see the need to change because no one is telling them to. I also think that withdrawal and self-segregation is a common way that Arabs use to adapt to discrimination. They create a society within the broader society. They stay close to those that are like them and avoid contact with those that are not like them. This can be seen in different neighborhoods. Sometimes people of the same ethnicity tend to live in the same neighborhood. They do this because this way they can avoid trouble from those that would discriminate against them. They also feel accepted and welcomed by their neighbors. They understand one another. This also helps to perpetuate the stereotype that Arabs are barbaric and violent. Others who are not of the same ethnicity do no have the opportunity to learn about Arabs. When we do not share who we are with others, they tend to make assumptions based on what little they do know.
Karaman, B., & Wingfield, M. (n.d.). Arab stereotypes and american educators. Retrieved from http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=283
Global connections the middle east. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/types/
What is racial profiling?. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial-profiling2011/what-is-racial-profiling.html
Aguirre, A., & Turner, J. American ethnicity: The dynamics and consequences of discrimination. (6th ed.).
1. Arabs are barbaric
2. Arabs are terrorists
The two types of discrimination that have been most influential in the construction of these stereotypes is racial profiling and abusive practices.
Racial profiling is when a particular group of individuals (possibly of a certain ethnicity) is targeted by law enforcement authorities based on their personal characteristics and not their behavior. Arabs are lumped together and our expectations are based on stereotyping. When we assume that someone in violent simply because of where they are from, we are creating a stereotype. Law enforcement assumes someone is a criminal because of the way they look. The public believes that those people are being targeted because they are violent or barbaric. This reinforces the belief that Arabs are violent and barbaric. The public believes that is why they are being targeted.
Abusive practices “are patterns of action against the victims of discrimination by members of other ethnic groups and particularly by those charged with enforcement of the law” (Aguirre & Turner). I think this also relates to why these stereotypes are in place. Arabs are accused of crimes because of the crimes of a few people that happen to be of the same ethnicity. We cannot think and speak of people of similar ethnic backgrounds collectively. When law enforcement portrays a certain ethnic group as being violent, citizens discriminate towards that ethnic group without any real cause. When Arabs fight back to defend themselves, they are depicted as being violent.
The two types of adaptations that I believe have been the most frequent or commonly used by Arabs to deal with discrimination is passive acceptance as well as withdrawal and self-segregation. Passive acceptance means accepting discrimination. This is what some Arabs do. They can understand why other Americans would see them as violent or barbaric. They feel ashamed that people of their same ethnicity have been the cause of trouble for other citizens. When they are being discriminated against, they try to not let it bother them and move on with their lives. Passive acceptance of discrimination helps the further expansion of these stereotypes. When they do this, the Arabs are not initiating change. Citizens that are discriminating do not see the need to change because no one is telling them to. I also think that withdrawal and self-segregation is a common way that Arabs use to adapt to discrimination. They create a society within the broader society. They stay close to those that are like them and avoid contact with those that are not like them. This can be seen in different neighborhoods. Sometimes people of the same ethnicity tend to live in the same neighborhood. They do this because this way they can avoid trouble from those that would discriminate against them. They also feel accepted and welcomed by their neighbors. They understand one another. This also helps to perpetuate the stereotype that Arabs are barbaric and violent. Others who are not of the same ethnicity do no have the opportunity to learn about Arabs. When we do not share who we are with others, they tend to make assumptions based on what little they do know.
Karaman, B., & Wingfield, M. (n.d.). Arab stereotypes and american educators. Retrieved from http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=283
Global connections the middle east. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/types/
What is racial profiling?. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial-profiling2011/what-is-racial-profiling.html
Aguirre, A., & Turner, J. American ethnicity: The dynamics and consequences of discrimination. (6th ed.).
A social problem that Arab Americans are currently facing is discrimination. “The ADC received an average of 120 to 130 reports of ethnically motivated attacks or threats each year between 2003 and 2007, a sharp decrease from the 700 violent incidents it documented in the weeks following the 2001 terrorist attacks. But that figure is still higher than the 80 to 90 reports it received in the late 1990s” (Ghazali, 2008). Arab American discrimination is definitely a social construction. A lot of discrimination started after the 9/11 attacks. Because the terrorists happened to be Arab, society assumes that all Arabs are terrorists. The media portrayed Arabs in a negative image. This discrimination is a product of social constructionism. This discrimination can be applied to the social construction of reality. This includes the aspects of externalization, objectivation, and internalization. Externalization applies because discrimination was created through human interaction. Because of some negative interactions that have happened between Arabs and other Americans, many stereotypes have been created about them. Objectivation also applies to this social problem. Objectivation means that discrimination takes a life of its own. It grows, expands and adapts. Some stereotypes have changed over time. It has spread to include other stereotypes. These stereotypes are also better known now. Internalization also applies to this problem. Internalization means that individuals accept and act in accordance with cultural product. A lot of Arabs are very passive with discrimination. They accept it as just being that way.
Ghazali, A. (2008, December 5). Arab americans continue to face discrimination: Report. Retrieved from http://www.opednews.com/articles/Arab-Americans-continue-to-by-Abdus-Sattar-Ghaza-081205-935.html
Ghazali, A. (2008, December 5). Arab americans continue to face discrimination: Report. Retrieved from http://www.opednews.com/articles/Arab-Americans-continue-to-by-Abdus-Sattar-Ghaza-081205-935.html
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