Race can be defined as the state of grouping people in reference to their shared physical or social qualities. The race comprises blacks, whites, Asians, American Indians, and Native Hawaiian. On the other hand, gender is the state of being feminine or masculine. Sexuality is the way human beings experience and expresses themselves sexually. Sexuality can be expressed physically, erotically, biologically, emotionally, or behaviorally. There are different kinds of sexuality, such as heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual. Heterosexual people are straight meaning that this group of people is only engrossed to the opposite sex. Homosexual refers to the same sex; this group of people is only attracted to people who belong to their own sex while bisexual people are engrossed to people of both the same sex as well as people from different sex. This paper focuses on different types of race, gender, and sexuality and how they are manifested in the real world.
Race
The whites have always had negative perspectives towards the Chinese as well as people of other races; for instance, the whites always believed that Chinese are cunning, cold, quarrelsome, mean, distrustful and always ready to take advantage those who are ready to work with them (Wong, 123). Due to this belief of the whites (American’s), Chinese immigrants to the United States of America were not treated well but rather discriminated by the Americans. The Chinese ended up working in railroads, farms, and mines as well as other jobs which were not well paid despite some Chinese being qualified for better jobs. To ensure that the whites accepted them the Chinese performed household jobs such as cooking and washing for the whites.
Additionally, there is discrimination among races; people who migrated to the U.S. were referred to as minor races. The Americans always view themselves as the superior race and any race that migrated to the U.S. was termed inferior race. For example, according to Kwong (293), Native Americans referred the migrants as competitors and that they have come to their nation to take over their jobs, decrease wages as well as create unemployment. Due to this, the Americans wanted laws to be made in favor of them by ensuring that every American has a decent job and that immigrants be offered ordinary jobs which were poorly made. This shows how the whites scorn other races. Pfaelzer (11), adds that the factories and industries that Chinese women and men were employed had poor working conditions compared to the Americans working conditions. This shows differentiation in the race; while one race was provided with good working conditions the other one was subjected to harsh working conditions despite being overworked and paid poorly.
Gender
Just like race gender discrimination also exists; women or feminine gender being the one prone to discrimination. Due to feminine discrimination, there has been a rise of feminism groups which fights for equality between the two genders. Despite women being discriminated masculine gender is also discriminated. For example, according to Hu-DeHart (3), when it came to slave trade large numbers of the slaves were men; men were viewed as strong and capable of handling hard labor while women who were always termed as weak and slow. The slaves practically comprised of men between the age of twenty and fifty-five years. When it comes to work women are mostly discriminated beings compared to men; most decent jobs are given to women; even in leadership men are the one who takes high positions such as managers and supervisors. This leaves women with no choice than just to accept menial jobs in order to earn a living.
Additionally, women are disvalued compared to men, despite being given ordinary jobs the women are overworked with no one to give them a listening ear. Employers seem to take advantage of women by referring to them as weak and not able to fight for their rights making women overworked and with no time to rest. For example, according to Louie (20), Chinese women labor led to a rebirth of United States restaurants, garment industries, and other low wages industries. The rebirth was due to the fact that Chinese women offer quality services at a small fee hence the owners of the industries keep on benefiting as they make massive profits. This shows how women, unlike men, are taken for granted and used as objects; despite the Chinese women offering quality services to their employers, they are poorly paid and never given time to rest yet their employers wants them to work hard. Unlike men women are exploited, Louie adds that the entrances to the factories are always open while the exits are closed meaning that when you enter there you have to work as the bosses open exit gates when they want thus overworking the female workers.
Sexuality
Sexuality just like gender and race is also debated over; a majority of people embrace heterosexuality followed by a large number of people who support same sex. There have been debates about sexuality all over the world; while some countries support same-sex and bisexuality other countries have banned such sexuality terming them as ungodly hence illegalizing them. Homosexual and bisexual peoples are always discriminated and treated harshly even in countries that support such type of sexuality. The Asian American race has been despising and discouraging same-sex and bisexuality among themselves, according to Eng (6-10) to be recognized and accepted as one of the Asian American you have to be heterosexual and if not one faces a lot of cruelty from the Asian Americans. Eng (42-43) adds that since 1980s Asian American has developed a positive attitude towards gay and lesbians and has started to accommodate people of different sexuality. Globalization has played a vital role in the lives of Asian American making them start to have a positive view towards people who are not heterosexual.
Race, gender, and sexuality have been subject to lots of discrimination. The whites despise other races as they refer themselves as superior and capable while they view other races as minor and inferior. This is clearly seen by how the whites treated the Chinese migrants, despite the Chinese qualifying for better jobs the whites offered them ordinary jobs, overworked them, and on top of that paid them poorly. When it comes to gender feminine gender is the one prone to discrimination, women are overworked and hardly given time to rest and on top of that paid poorly. Regardless of the industries, women work on making lots of profits the bosses devalue the Chinese women hence using them to enrich themselves. Sexuality has also been an issue for a long time; a majority of world’s population embrace heterosexual and this makes other types of sexuality despised with many countries illegalizing other types of sexuality such as gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The world’s keeps on evolving and with globalization people have started to accept others as well as respecting other people’s sexuality.
References
Eng, David. Out Here and Over There: Queerness and Diaspora in Asian American Studies. Duke University Press. 1997, pp 6-10, 42-43.
Hu-DeHart, Evelyn. From Slavery to Freedom: Chinese Coolies on the Sugar Plantations of Nineteenth-Century Cuba. 2017, pp 3.
Kwong, Peter. The Politics of Labour Migration: Chinese Workers in New York. 2001, pp 293.
Louie, Miriam. Sweatshops Warriors. South End Press. 2001. pp 20.
Pfaelzer, Jean. Driven Out. The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans. 2007, pp 11.
Wong, Morrison. Asian Americans. Pine Forge Press. pp 123.