What are the causes and consequences of racial inequality?

(When the injustice is built into the system)

Personal racism is the expression of racist attitudes or behaviors by individual people.

The racism that the belief 1). That the human beings are divided and subdivided into the distinguished groups that are different in their social behavior and mental capacities.2). Some groups are inherited, innate inferior or superior.

It can be obvious, such as name calling, hate; or subtle, like poor service, reduced eye contact, or greater physical distances. It can be in any one of the following forms.

Stereotypes, over-generalized belief that certain behavior, attitude is categorized all members of certain groups.

Prejudice, when stereotype becomes basis for the set of unfavorable attitude, belief and feeling toward members of certain racial and ethic groups, it becomes prejudice.

Discrimination is unfair treatment of people based on some characteristics of racial, ethnic groups, prejudice is attitude while discrimination is of behavior dimension.

Institutional racism consists of laws, customs and established practices that systematically produce, or reproduce racial inequalities in society, regardless of whether the individuals maintaining these practices have racist intentions. Institutional racism only work benefit and advantage towards dominant groups, it also nothing to do individual racial intention.

Institutional racism works in two ways: Accumulation of privileged group (dominant) vs. Dis-accumulation of less privileged (minority) group.
Since inequalities accumulate over generations, rather than investigating racial or ethnic inequality by focusing on individual intentions and choices, we should examine the relationship between privileged and less privileged groups.

Brown, Michael et al 2003 in Whitewashing Race: the myth of a color blind society suggested that racism is not a matter of individual prejudices, but rather a sense of group position based on the accumulation of ethnoracial advantage.

Example, the study of US house market shows the institutional racism towards the Afro Americans,

1. White flight refers to situation that when Afro American moves into a house estate, the Whites move out for fearing their property will be detracted in value. So the whites rush to sell their home even below the market price, at the same time, the blacks will have to pay higher price for their home, if they are to move into the white estate. That is one of examples of institutional racism. Even individual owner has not racial intention, their actions cause racism. In the end, the blacks’ estates are less valuable.
2. Red-lining, is the bank police practiced in USA. The banks use zip code to categorize the risk of estate. Once within redline, it is difficult for one to get mortgage loan. The redline zones are where low income, and minority groups stay. Individual bankers may not be racism, but such a policy has racism consequence.

The combination of above cause the Blacks, on one hand, to pay higher price for their property, on other hand, having difficulty to get mortgage loan, or they will have to pay higher interest rate for less valuable property, eventually, their house value devalued after more whites move out.

Racism in educational system and corporations

SAT, suppose to measure IQ (innate intelligence). These tests are cultural bound, it tests individual familiarity with specific range of white middle class groups. Therefore, other groups constantly score lower than the whites.

These tests also are used to track and divert students to different groups, on the surface, tracking allow every student to receive the education consisting with his /her ability; in reality students from less privileged family will lead to constant track into the lower level groups which leads them have little chance to go to university. That is also an institutional racism.

Other examples such as wealthy parents send their children to prestigious school that allows them to meet informal social contact i.e. to accumulate social capital, therefore cultural and economic capital. Children from less privileged find less opportunities in going to university or finding good jobs. Thus, lead further disadvantage in their life. This social stratification can persist from generation to generation.

Source of inequality between social groups lies in historical imbedded dis-accumulation of minority community, such disadvantage is not only in job, education, but in health care and warfare also. The key solution is to focus on policies that allow individual and community to accumulate wealth.