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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
– Nelson Mandela

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13 Explore an apparent contradiction

13 Explore an apparent contradiction

Q Explore an apparent contradiction; categories like race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, and so on are at once socially constructed and yet every bit as real as a physical force like gravity. Citing scholarly works from your class readings or from outside of the course readings, discuss how these social constructs become real in how people relate to one another (hint: socialization), and the consequences of these constructs on day to day life. Give clear and concrete examples. Remember, you can't see gravity, but you can examine and point out its effects, and so it is with these crucial categories by which difference is defined.

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Social factors like race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, etc. highlight the differences between people from the same society. Once socially constructed, these factors are now taking leadership roles in socialization. Racism is very prominent in US society. The racial poverty gap is the most common social problems Americans deal with. Even, during the 2001- 2003 economic slowdown, poverty rates increased in a higher manner for black communities rather than white. Ethnicity and Race work together as the reasons behind economic inequality among Whites and other color communities in America.