Title: Part 1 | Sociology 101: Introduction to Sociology
Headings: Part 1
Part 1
The Social Construction of Race
Skin Color Adaptation

Content: One way that race perpetuates itself in society is through stereotypes. A stereotype is an oversimplified set of beliefs about people from a certain group in society. There are numerous stereotypes for people of all racial and ethnic categories. While most of these stereotypes are negative, the stereotypes for some groups are much more damaging than others. For instance, whites have always been stereotyped as being racist, greedy, and bad dancers. Compare this to some of the more damaging stereotypes of African Americans which include uneducated, lazy, and unemployable. Clearly, these stereotypes are much more damaging. Some say that stereotypes are based on actual patterns of behaviors. Let’s say that some people do act out their stereotypes. Does this mean they are biologically programmed to behave this way?