Functionalist Perspective of Racism
The functionalist perspective perceives society as a composite system whose parts labor together to uphold harmony and steadiness. According to functionalism, racism and discrimination have had a significant role to play in altering humanity. The approach, however, is problematic since the vices mentioned above cannot have a beneficial influence on the broader public. On the other hand, the functionalist position believes that racism can only improve society through enhancing bonds among in-group members. The reinforcement can be done through the shunning of out-group associates (Bowden 88). The communities’ solidarity will not grow if they deny others the chance to access it. Another dysfunction that comes with racism is that no advantage is taken on the abilities of the subjugated group. For example, more money, effort, and time are taken to maintain a separate and unequal education system due to racism.
Functionalists claim that manifest roles are the envisioned function of a phenomenon in a social structure. Latent functions are the intended purposes, and the consequences are unintended. They also suggest that racism helps the smaller group stay together, through which they can find solutions to the problems affecting them. Separation makes the inferior group recognize their abilities and the means to survive without depending on others (Griffiths et al. 506). Discerning inner strength and solidifying the bonds among the weak society is the manifest purpose of racism (Bowden 90). Latent functions appear when the dominating group goes as far as trying to eradicate the smaller community (Griffiths et al. 508). Separate education systems, different levels of education qualities, or unequal job opportunities are some of the latent functions of racism.
Sociological Perspectives
The sociological perspective allows people to trace the association between the patterns and the events of their own and those of the community in general. There are three ways of approaching sociological perspectives which include, structural-functional, interaction and the conflict approach. According to the functionalist perspective, aspects of humanity depend on each other, contributing to society’s overall functioning (Bowden 92). Interaction perspective considers symbols and details of daily life. People attribute meanings to signs, and then they act according to the particular understanding of the signs. For example, in the American institution of marriage, white dresses, rings, vows, ceremonies, and flowers all symbolize marriage. Individuals also have their meaning to these signs; for instance, exchanging rings means eternal love.
Nonetheless, the conflict approach focuses on the negative side of the ever-changing society. Conflict theorists believe that the rich people in the community force social direction on the poor. This method examines the differences of unequal groups based on gender, values, religion, and agendas, causing them to be in constant conflict (Bowden 94). The completion between these unequal groups is what forms the basis of the changing nature of society. Thus, a new immigrant in the American interaction approach will help understand why the American people prefer some things over others. The conflict approach will help one know which society they belong to and what grounds their group is different from the others (Bowden 97). The functionalist perspective will help one see the type of rules the American people work with, the laws that govern them, and what keeps them together. Hence, the functionalist perspective is the most suitable because it allows people to learn the positive side of the Americans. Consequently, functionalism brings out what the American population wants to achieve and what would be best for them collectively.
Works Cited
Bowden, Matt. “Community Safety, Social Cohesion and Embedded Autonomy: A case from South-West Dublin”. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, vol 19, no. 2, 2017, pp. 87-102. Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Web.
Griffiths, H., Keirns, N., Strayer, E., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Sadler, T., Vyain, S., Bry, J. and Jones, F. Introduction to Sociology 2E (Fall 2019 Corrected Edition). Openstax, 2017, pp. 501 – 509.