Race and Ethnicity in A class Apart
In the movie “A class Apart”, there are two specific class concepts that are presented in relation to the Mexican Americans who live in the United States. The aspect of hostility and bias brings out these races. The Mexican Americans in the United States are not given equal rights and treatment like that of other citizens especially in the legal field. They were considered as second-class citizens, invisible individuals who lacked intelligence. This results to the Hernandez v Texas case to be considered as a landmark case that changes the lives and legal standing of most American citizens thus revealing the other concept of individual and society where Mexican Americans were highly discriminated against. It shows how Mexican American cases were not recognized by the fourteenth amendment and could not be taken to the Supreme Court.
As social scientists, the meaning of the terms social construction of race and ethnicity is the artificial division of people into different groups because of their difference in skin color, which determines their outward appearance, cultural affiliation, ancestral heritage, ethnic classification and ethnic classification at a particular given time. The division may also take place into smaller groups that based on group membership in relation to language, values, behavioral patterns as well as history and geography.
In the documentary, example of the construction of race and ethnicity is the cultural racism, which is shown by the unique set of attitudes, beliefs and values that have arisen because of social interactions. The other American citizens look down upon the Mexican Americans and deny them some of their legal rights because of their racial affiliation. This is determined by their physical appearance and behavioral patterns as well as language.