Functionalism And Racism Essay

Racism is defined as “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one 's own race is superior” (Oxford Dictionaries 2015). While many do not want to accept it, it is a fact that racism is still a pertinent problem in today’s society. For many years, people of different “races” have been treated unfairly because of the color of their skin, because of their background, yet race is not even a biological factor: it has been socially constructed in order to create a sense of superiority by a group of people. At one point, racism was considered legal in the sense that there were laws in place that allowed for the systematic discrimination of people of colored skin through public and private institutions, taking the form …show more content…
Functionalism is the belief that society is a system of interrelated parts in which everything and everybody plays a crucial function. This explains the need “for a social system to exist” as well as “social institutions to satisfy those needs” (Hunter and McClelland 2013:34). The main purpose of functionalism is to create a society with stability, homeostasis and harmony; people must work together to maintain the status quo and create a collective good. To create the social equilibrium that is wanted, the “socialization of members of society into the basic values and norms of that society” must be achieved (Hunter and McClelland 2013:34). While all people play a crucial function in society, there are consequences that are “positively functional for society” and “consequences that injure society” known as social dysfunctions (Hunter and McClelland 2013:35). While the consequences that injure society may cause society itself to break down, we must all work collectively to build it back up