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Lawrence M. HinmanSend E-mail to Larry Hinman

University of San Diego

04/13/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 1

Race, Racism, and Ethics


Introduction

The question of race continues to divide our society

We have widely divergent views on whether a problem even exists– Most African-Americans see racism as a problem and

many feel it has gotten worse.– The majority of white Americans see racism as

disappearing and as no longer a significant problem in the United States.

The Invisibility Thesis: Racism is often invisible to the majority for several reasons– They suffer less from it– They don’t attribute their misfortune to race– They don’t always see the suffering that people of color

endure.


The Civil Rights Movement

Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of a society beyond racism

Initially, the civil rights movement centered around injustices to African Americans.


The Movement Expands

Two additional civil rights movements emerged into the public eye:– Rights for

Mexican-Americans

– Rights for native Americans

Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers

Russell Means first national

director of AIM


Five Fundamental Questions

What is the actual condition today in regard to race and racism?

What is the ideal that we want to strive to achieve?

What is the minimally acceptable situation in regard to race?

How do we get from the actual to the minimally acceptable condition?

How do we get from the actual to the ideal?


Developing a Moral Stance

Here’s a way of visualizing these issues:


Some Initial Distinctions Race

– usually biological– Caucasoid, Negroid, Mongoloid and

sometimes Australoid Ethnicity

– refers primarily to social and cultural forms of identification and self-identification


Some things to note

Racial categories appear biological, but their significance is often social.

Racial categories in the United States often appear mutually exclusive, but may in fact be overlapping.

The 2000 census was the first that allowed individuals to claim multiple racial affiliations—e.g., African-American and Native American.


Racism

Racism has long been a part of American history


What is racism?

Descriptive: refers to certain attitudes and actions that – single out certain people on the basis of their

racial–or, in some cases, ethnic–heritage and– disadvantage them in some way on this basis.

Evaluative: a negative value judgement that racism is morally wrong because of:– intentions

– consequences


Overt and Institutional Racism

Overt racism: intended to discriminate against one or more groups on the basis of race– Example: covenants in deeds preventing

property from being sold to people of color. Institutional racism: social and

institutional structures that, as a matter of fact, disadvantage certain racial groups– For example, do standardized aptitude and

achievement tests disadvantage some groups?


Official and Unofficial Racism

Distinguish between– Racism sanctioned by the U.S.

government (e.g., in laws)– Racism that occurs in the U.S. which is

not perpetrated by the government We may all as citizens be responsible

as a nation for official racism in a way in which we are not responsible for it when it was not official.


Compensatory Programs

Compensatory programs are a way of responding to past injustices.

They are justified up until the point at which the earlier wrong has been compensated for.– Rests on a notion of compensatory justice

The country may owe compensation for officially-sanctioned racism– Actions against Native Americans– Actions against Japanese-Americans in WWII– Enslavement of Africans brought to America


Compensatory Programs

Backward-looking Do not presume that the present

state of recipients of compensation is necessarily impoverished

Important symbolic value in recognizing that a wrong occurred and expressing sorrow or regret


Future-oriented Models

Differ from compensatory models, which look to past injustices

Depends on – one’s notion of an ideal society– the means acceptable to achieving that

society


Affirmative ActionFour Senses of Affirmative Actions

– Weak senses of affirmative action:• 1. Encouraging the largest possible number

of minority applications in the applicant pool, and then choosing the best candidates regardless of gender, race, etc.

• 2. When the two best candidates are equally qualified and one is a minority candidate, choosing the minority candidate.

– Strong senses of affirmative action:• 3. From a group of candidates, all of whom

are qualified, choosing the minority candidate over better qualified non-minority ones.

• 4. Choosing an unqualified minority candidate over a qualified non-minority one.


Three Types of Modelsof the Ideal Society

Separatist Models– Involuntary– Voluntary: rests on identity argument

Assimilationist Models– Make race irrelevant– Often presumes assimilation to the dominant

culture Pluralistic Models

– Many, partially overlapping circles


Separatist Models

Involuntary– Racial groups have often been involuntarily

segregated from the rest of society• African-Americans• Native Americans• Asians, especially in World War II

Voluntary– Rests on identity argument– Religious groups: Mennonites, ultra-orthodox

Jews– Racial groups: Aryan Nation, Nation of Islam


The Identity Argument

Premise #1: In order to have a happy life, one must be able to affirm one’s identity.

Premise #2: A central part of one’s identity is dependent on race.– Is this true in different ways for minorities vs.

the dominant race? Conclusion: Society must act in such a

way as to permit, perhaps even encourage, the affirmation of racial identity.


Assimilationist Models

Make race irrelevant– Make race like eye color– “Melting Pot” metaphor

• Eventual blurring of any racial distinctions

Often presumes assimilation to the dominant culture


Pluralistic Models

Many, partially overlapping circles We are members of numerous groups,

based on race, ethnicity, religion, geography, place in life, hobbies, etc. Pluralism sees identity as constituted by all of these affiliations together and does not see race-based identity as necessarily primary.

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