How is economics related to the formation of prejudice as explained by both the exploitation and scapegoating theories?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

People use some expressions of prejudice so they can blame others and refuse to accept responsibility. Scapegoating theory says that prejudiced people believe they are society's victims. Today in the United States, both legal and illegal immigrants often are blamed by "real Americans" for their failure to secure jobs or desirable housing. The immigrant becomes the scapegoat for one's own lack of skills, planning, or motivation. It is so much easier to blame someone else.
The exploitation theory is clearly part of the Marxist tradition in sociological thought. Karl Marx emphasized exploitation of the lower class as an integral part of capitalism. Similarly, the exploitation or conflict approach explains how racism can stigmatize a group as inferior to justify the exploitation of that group. As developed by Oliver Cox (1942), exploitation theory saw prejudice against Blacks as an extension of the inequality faced by the entire lower class. Both the enslavement of African Americans and the removal westward of Native Americans were to a significant degree economically motivated.