Black Lives Matter

Christian Ruka

Final exam for Prejudice and Discrimination

Please answer the following questions using the elements of critical thinking. Please answer the question completely, but be concise. Please keep the total length of the exam under 4 pages. Longer responses do not always mean better responses. This exam is open note, open book, open mind. I encourage you to give the questions some thought and reflection. Each question is worth 10 points.

1. Explain what is meant by Christian privilege.  Give an example of Christian privilege in the workplace.  Give an example of a workplace making a reasonable accommodation for religion.

Christian privilege means that Christian beliefs and practices are recognized without much effort because Christianity is embedded within American culture. An example of Christian privilege in the workplace is shown when businesses are closed for Christian holidays such as Christmas.  In my workplace, there is a Jewish man who is allowed to alter his hours during winter so that he is not utilizing electricity after dark and he is also allowed to be off of work for some of his major holidays.

1. Explain how our gender identity is constructed in social interaction.  Give an example of how we construct gender identity in the family.  Give an example of how we construct gender in the workplace.

Although we are born a particular gender, how someone identifies to their gender is up to one’s self rather than how society says we should identify. Gender identity is mostly related to learned behaviors. It is also greatly influenced by how parents raise their children as well as their ability to enable their child to associate with a particular gender. In the family, if a child is a boy, parents may let him play in the dirt, wrestle around, and buy him toys that are trucks and basketballs. If a child is a girl, parents will cater to her and be gentle, they may let her play kitchen and teach her how to cook, and we may buy her toys such as dolls and stuffed animals. Gender is constructed in the workplace in the types of jobs that are “social norms” for each other. Men are typically found in jobs that require more physical labor such as construction, sports, and trades (such as plumbing and electricians. Women are typically found in jobs that represent catering traits such as day care workers, nurses, beauticians, teachers, and administrative assistants.

1. Define sexism, heterosexism, and homophobia.  Make an argument that we are more accepting of homosexuality in society and give an example to back up your argument.

Sexism is defined as a system of advantages that serves to privilege men, and to lessen and degenerate women on institutional, cultural, and individual levels. Heterosexism is the advantages based on the standards formed on the idea that all people should be heterosexual while excluding the needs and culture of those who are homosexual, bisexual, or transsexual. Homophobia is the fear and hatred of those who love and are attracted to members of the same sex. I believe that our society is becoming more accepting of those who are homosexual. Recently, gay marriage was legalized in the United States. We also have more examples of homosexuality through the media. When I was a child the only time I can recollect seeing homosexuality was in the movie Brokeback Mountain. Now when I watch television, many shows have aspects of homosexuality in it through the characters on the show.

1. Define ageism and adultism.  Give an example of adultism.  Make an argument that even though ageism is against the law it is still a problem in some workplaces.  Give an example to back up your argument.

Ageism is defined as the stereotyping of and discrimination towards people because they are old. An example of adultism is when an adult automatically dismisses an idea a young person may have simply because they are young. Although ageism is against the law, there are some workplaces that still discriminate to older people. If an employee has been working for years at a workplace, the employer may entice an older employee to retire. If a person is already retired and seeking a part-time job, a workplace might not hire someone by telling them they are over-qualified for the job.

1. Explain how disabilities are largely a social and cultural construction.  That is, explain how we construct what is or is not a disability.

We construct disability socially by failing to give people the amount and type of help they need to participate fully in all aspects of life. We are also unwilling to give the ability among one another who might not fit the physical and mental profile of someone who is not disabled. We construct disability culturally by omitting the experiences of those who are disabled and by stereotyping them.

1. Define ableism.  How does ableism affect issues at school?  How does ableism affect issues at work?

Ableism is the discrimination and exclusion of people who live with developmental, medical, neurological, physical, and psychological disabilities. In school, different accommodations are made for those who are disabled in an effort to give them the same ability to learn. Similarly, to school, in the workplace there are certain accommodations available to those who need it. I work in a 20 story building, we have an area of rescue on all of the floors my organization occupies for those who are not able to exit the building on their own in an emergency.