Create a 2 pages page paper that discusses how racialized stereotypes determine a community’s value. What is racial triangulation? How do racialized stereotypes determine a communitys value? Please provide concrete examples. Racial triangulation is the hierarchal positioning of races as dictated by the majority ethnic groups. In the United States, it is the assignment of social position among Asians by the Caucasians who constitute the dominant and majority ethnic group. Asians in American society is racial triangulated as somebody inferior than the whites but superior among blacks. But blacks are considered as insider in American society whereas Asians are considered foreigners and unable to assimilate in the American society. This is enforced by racialized stereotypes by the majority with the way they treat these racial groups. The racial stereotype exaggerates the cultural values of Asians to make them superior among blacks. They are assigned the value of being industrious, disciplined and smart to make them superior against blacks but cannot assimilate in American society so that they are still inferior to the whites. Asians may be considered as a little superior to blacks through their educational and economic achievement as dictated by the good and bad minority modeling but still they are treated as outsiders of American society by the dominant whites. This is enforced through the process of relative valorization and civic ostracism where the dominant group dictates the social value of the minorities and enforce it through by isolating a certain group (such as the case of the Asians) to put their place in society as dictated by the dominant group.

Reflection:

The two major points from this week’s lesson that struck me is the persistence of racism in American society and how the white majority enforce it through the process of racial triangulation. I find this bothersome because America had been trumpeting itself as the land of equality where everybody should be equal regardless of color and ethnic origin yet in its own soil, discrimination exists through racial triangulation. Racial triangulation is racist because the dominant ethnic group (white) assigns inferior social value to other ethnic groups and enforce through stereotypes and civic ostracismIn a way it is saying that we abhor racism yet its society does not only cling to it but in fact enforcing it to remain so that the white majority can continue its dominance. It may be subtle but it still exists.

Interracial coalition building is important to end racial triangulation that marginalizes other ethnic groups. Interracial coalition building is important as obscure the social hierarchy that racial triangulation has enforced. It also reinforce the true spirit of American society of being welcoming of other ethnic groups because America after all, is a country composed of immigrants.