SOC 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Monopoly Money, White Privilege, Social Change
Document Summary
Johnson"s explanaion of how american racism was socially constructed. Johnson"s understanding of how social change occurs. Simple, but powerful in aiding our understanding. Can be applied to our changing social world. Is applicable at both macro and micro levels. The english constructed their ideas about race in relaing to the irish. The english kept pushing the irish farther west onto the rocky coast. Used to jusify the creaion of a permanent african american slave class. Thus meeing the capitalist need for cheap labor. Funcional aspect of the slave class helped in america"s money making endeavors. England vs. ireland created the culture of creaing a sub culture class. These beliefs were also used to jusify poor whites. You may be poor, but at least you"re white. Johnson shows that his family"s prosperity began with land taken from naive americans and was increased through policies that blatantly favored white americans.
