Sociology Now, Census Update

contact with each other. (After all, virtually every culture that had no contact with
other people did not have an understanding of race; they simply called themselves
“human beings.”) Race, as an idea, requires interaction with others—that is, it
requires not biology but society and culture.
And the changes in racial and ethnic identities are liable to be dramatic and last-
ing. In 2050, White Europeans will constitute 50 percent of the population (which
will be 420 million), Latinos 24 percent, African Americans 15 percent, and Asian
Americans 8 percent. We will be a multiracial nation, but will we be a multicultural
one? As we have seen, an increase in numbers does not necessarily bring equality. Will
White privilege still be intact? Will “White” still be invisible, the unmarked category?
In a well-known essay, sociologist Norman Glazer states, “We are all multicultural-
ists now.” Will we start acting like it?

CHAPTER REVIEW 275

The Melting Pot

Often referred to as a melting pot society, the United States boasts a rich variety of ethnic

customs and traditions. Most citizens could trace their ancestry to immigrants from all over the

world, yet they share remarkably similar lives with common values, norms, and experiences.

As a society, we are trying to find a balance between assimilation and division. So, what do

you think?

See the back of the chapter to compare your answers to national survey data.

8.2

What

do

you

think

❍It is better for society if groups maintain their

distinct customs and traditions.

❍It is better for society if groups adapt and blend

into the larger culture.

Some people say that it is better for a country if different racial and ethnic groups maintain their

distinct customs and traditions. Others say that it is better if these groups adapt and blend into the

larger society. Which of these views comes closer to your own?

?

chapter

Review

1.How do sociologists distinguish between race and

ethnicity? The term race assumes that there is a biolog-

ical distinction between different groups and that the dis-

tinction is based on attributes such as skin color and

other physical characteristics. Ethnicity, on the other

hand, is cultural. Neither concept, race, nor ethnicity, is

based on empirical evidence, and there is no clear con-

sensus on the definition of race.

2.How do sociologists view race and ethnicity?

Resources are often allocated by race or ethnicity, and

this leads to unequal treatment, power, privilege,

income, and prestige. On the positive side, race and

ethnic group membership confers identity and access to

specific groups and resources. A minority group must

possess three characteristics: a distinct identity, an

awareness of that group identity, and membership by

birth into the group. In the United States, Whites are the

majority group and thus are considered the norm and the

standard. The privilege that Whites receive automati-

cally is almost always invisible to them.