Race and Ethnic Relations
In the two tables, I applied the class model to support my arguments; the explanations used in analysis of the two tables shows how class model is applied. Arguments used in the discussion of the two tables also supports how each is related to the class model.
Which race and ethnic relations model provides the best sociological explanation for the information illustrated in Tables 1 and 2?
Table 1 Comparison of Income, Education, Age, and Birth Factors by Racial/Ethnic Groups, 2009*
| Factor | White American | Asian American | Hispanic American | Native American | African American |
| Median family income, 2009 | $54,461 | $65,469 | $38,039 | $32,101 | $32,584 |
| Per capita income, 2008 | $28,502 | $30,292 | $15,674 | $15,736 | $18,406 |
| Percentage of individuals living in poverty, 2009 | 9.4 % | 12.5 % | 25.3 % | 26.6% | 25.8 % |
| Percentage with a high school diploma or more (25 yrs & older), 2009 | 87.1 % | 88.2 % | 61.9 % | 76.2% | 84.1 % |
| Percentage with a college degree or more, (25 yrs & older), 2009 | 29.9 % | 52.3 % | 13.2 % | 20.7% | 19.3 % |
*Statistical information was obtained from the United States Bureau of the Census.
The American society consists of people living in different classes. The categories are upper class, middle class and lower class (Cox 1948). Although most Americans have a good life with income that can sustain their lives, some are poor and have to rely on welfare to survive. Most Americans belong to the middle class where they have to work hard to survive. These are people such as teachers, technicians, clerks and accountants. The upper class consists of wealthy people who own and control the source of income in the country. Most actors and musicians belong to this category too.
One factor also determines what class one belongs too. This is the racial factor. America is a diverse country with many races (Leggett 1968). Table one above simplifies and gives us an outlook on the income that each race gets. The table also shows us another contributing factor that lead to inequality in the distribution of wealth. Education is this factor. The class model provides us with an explanation of diversity in this. In this model, we find that the Asian American race gets more revenue and has a high per capita income than all other races. Most of these Asian American people are originally from china. China is now becoming a global leader in terms of economy (Cox 1948). The Asian American race invests more in America than other Americans do. This makes them have more revenue than other races.
The table also shows us that more Asian American people have better education than other races. This is a contributing factor for the fact that they have a high percentage of per capita income and revenue. The explanation to this is that good education enables them to get good employment that pays well. Native Americans have the lowest income distribution in America (Leggett 1968). The best explanation to this is that most of these people not exposed and, therefore, have few opportunities to develop themselves. African Americans do not have a high per capita income. This contributes to why they have a high percentage for people living in poverty. African Americans were previously slaves for the white Americans. This is a significant contributing factor in understanding this phenomenon. African Americans were slaves, and the majority of them are trying to establish themselves in a land where there are limited opportunities.
Hispanic Americans also fall in the category of people living in the low class. This is because most of these people are immigrants who have come to America in search for better opportunities than in their home country (Leggett 1968). Most Hispanic Americans do not have well-paying jobs. The women mostly work as waiters and house helps while the men do manual jobs. Some of these Hispanic people involve themselves in trafficking drugs. This explains their low income and their high poverty levels.
Table: 2. per Capita Income for 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2008
Holding Dollars Constant.*
| Year | All Races | White American | Asian
American |
Hispanic American | Black
American |
| 1995 | $24,167 | $25,678 (+6%) | $23,241 (-4%) | $13,046 (-46%) | $15,406 (-36%) |
| 2000 | $27,939 | $29,484 (+6%) | $29,194 (+4%) | $15,818 (-43%) | $18,499 (-34%) |
| 2005 | $27,612 | $29,222 (+6%) | $30,143 (+9%) | $15,973 (-43%) | $18,610 (-33%) |
| 2008 | $26,964 | $28,502 (+6%) | $30,292 (+12%) | $15,674(-42%) | $18,406 (-32%) |
The information from the second table containing the per capital income of the three races in America is explainable by the use of class framework for race and ethics relations. The table shows regular happening in terms of the per capital income for the three races, which depicts the white Americans as the top income earners followed by the Asian Americans then Hispanic Americans and the least earners in terms of per capital gains are the black Americans. From the constant differences in per capital in the chart, one can conclude that these three races fall under three different classes with the white Americans being the first class and the black Americans the lower class. The per capital income for the white Americans remains constant throughout the sampling years while the ones for the Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and the black Americans show some increase in their per capital income through the sampling years. There are certain factors in the class design that describe these behaviors. These factors include the following, revolution, policy change, and education (Tabby, 1997).
Revolution occurred in America because of oppression of the black in America by their white masters. After the introduction of capitalism, which advocated for equality, many black revolutionary movements came up with the purpose of fighting for the rights of blacks in the work places. Initially, blacks worked as slaves in the white firms and organization with little pay level in comparison with other races such as the Asians and Hispanic Americans (Wilhelm, 1997). These revolutionary movements made the employers increase the revenue status for blacks in their firms. This explains the increase in per capital gains of blacks in America throughout the sampling years. The capitalism theory relevantly and positively affected the Asians and Hispanics as they also received better treatment in terms of employment and employment conditions. Improvements in the working conditions of the Asians and the Hispanics also explains the increase in their per capital income throughout the sampled years.
Policy changes explained in the class model also supports the data from the per capital income figure of the three races in America. New policies called for equal treatments of people despite their race or class. Equal treatment boasts the morale of those initially looked down on by their masters. These policies spearheaded the development by the Asians, Hispanics, and the Black Americans. However, the table shows that the per capital income of the white Americans remained constant throughout the sampled years. This may have resulted from the policies and the revolution, but despite these changes, they remained the dominant race in terms of per capital income rate (Tabby, 1997).
References
Cox, Oliver C. (1948). Caste, class and race: a study in social dynamics. New York: Double-day
Leggett, J. C. (1968). Class, race and labor: Working class consciousness in Detroit. Ney York: Oxford University.
Tabby, William K. (1997) political economy of black ghetto, New York W.W. Norton.
Wilhelm, Sidney M. (1970) who needs the Negro? Garden city N.Y Double day (Anchor Books).
