FUNCTIONALISM &

RACIAL AND ETHNIC STRATIFICATION

Functions that have been identified that support racism:

1)  Such views provide a moral justification for maintaining an unequal society that routinely deprives a minority of its rights and privileges.  E.g. Southern Whites justified slavery by believing that Africans were physically and spiritually subhuman and devoid of souls

2)  Racist beliefs discourage the subordinate minority from attempting to question its lowly status, which would be to question the very foundations of society

3)  Racial myths encourage support for the existing order by introducing the argument that any major societal change (such as an end to discrimination) would only bring greater poverty to the minority and lower the majority’s standard of living.  As a result, racial prejudice grows when a society’s value system is being threatened. 

Dysfunctions associated with racism:

1)  A society that practices discrimination fails to use the resources of all individuals.  Discrimination limits the search for talent and leadership to the dominant group

2)  Discrimination aggravates social problems such as poverty, delinquency, and crime and places the financial burden to alleviate these problems on the dominant group

3)  Society must invest a good deal of time and money to defend its barriers to full participation of all members

4)  Racial prejudice and discrimination often undercut goodwill and friendly diplomatic relations between nations.