SOCIOL 103 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Gunnar Myrdal, An American Dilemma, Authoritarian Personality
Document Summary
The dilemma referred to by the book"s title was the con ict between the american democratic ideals of egalitarianism and liberty and justice for all and the harsh reality of prejudice, discrimination, and lack of equal opportunity. Aborigine, european (white), indian, melanesian, micronesian, and polynesian: anthropologists, sociologists, and many biologists question the value of these categories and thus the value of the biological concept of race. A century ago, irish, italians, and eastern european jews who left their homelands were not regarded as white once they reached the u. s. but rather as a different, inferior (if unnamed) race. The belief in their inferiority helped justify the harsh treatment they suffered in their new country. Lessons from other societies: in brazil, anyone who is solely african is called a preto and anyone whose ancestry is both african and european is a branco. As people migrated around the world, natural selection took over.
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