Discuss discrimination and distinguish between individual and institutional discrimination

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Discrimination involves actions or practices of dominant group members (or their representatives) that have a harmful impact on members of a subordinate group. Discriminatory actions vary in severity from the use of derogatory labels to violence against individuals and groups. The ultimate form of discrimination occurs when people are considered to be unworthy to live because of their race or ethnicity. Genocide is the deliberate, systematic killing of an entire people or nation. Examples of genocide include the killing of thousands of Native Americans by white settlers in North America and the extermination of 6 million European Jews by Nazi Germany. More recently, the term ethnic cleansing has been used to define a policy of "cleansing" geographic areas by forcing persons of other races or religions to flee—or die.

Discrimination also varies in how it is carried out. Individuals may act on their own, or they may operate within the context of large-scale organizations and institutions, such as schools, churches, corporations, and governmental agencies. Individual discrimination consists of one-on-one acts by members of the dominant group that harm members of the subordinate group or their property. By contrast, institutional discrimination consists of the day-to-day practices of organizations and institutions that have a harmful impact on members of subordinate groups. For example, a bank might consistently deny loans to people of a certain race. Institutional discrimination is carried out by the individuals who implement the policies and procedures of organizations.