ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses several reasons for ethnic and racial prejudice and aims to distinguish between minority and dominant groups. It examines the race problem in the United States and explains the problem of illegal Mexican immigration. The chapter describes the problems of religious minorities, explores the problems of sexual minorities, and presents the arguments for and against age discrimination. Discrimination has robbed some blacks of the incentive to acquire the necessary education and training to fill jobs that require not only willingness to work but also more than average skill, training, and education. One place where social scientists have found significant discrimination against blacks is in entry-level jobs and low-skilled positions. Societies are stratified along racial, ethnic, and cultural lines. One characteristic that plays an important role in our society is age. Age stratification must be considered on a slightly different basis from the other characteristics.
