Functionalist Perspective In Sociology

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” professed Ghandi, a man who saw the world as a whole. He acted on his insights and fought for the rights of others- an honourable task for an Indian when racism ran so rampant. It is true that Canada has grown significantly from its years of segregation and of racial prejudice; but how far have we, as a society, really come? We need not look very far to secure our answer, but we must look under the surface of media, see between the lines of dialogue, and view our own behaviours more closely. When I began to think of a worthy topic for this essay, I never thought I would be writing on racism. To be honest, growing up in Toronto with many other cultures taught me to appreciate the uniqueness
University of Alberta professor of psychology, Jeff Schimel’s experiment on self-projection indicated that we see in others what we fear in ourselves. Keeping this in mind, racism does then serve a purpose.
Using the functionalist perspective in Sociology, racism suppresses and discriminates against people of distinct physical differences. Plainly, it keeps minorities working for cheap and without hopes of reaching their full potential; this also keeps the dominant working class in fear of asking for a raise, as there is always someone ready to replace them. To put that into perspective: the median income level of a Black man, as reported by Statistics Canada, is a mere $24, 343 per year (approximately $11.70 an hour). This salary is indicative of the low rankings Black men hold in the working
However, collectively we can change this. We need to stand up, take notice, continue questioning, delve deeper, judge less, and take action on behalf of those being stereotyped and misrepresented. By following GAP’s example we can be better people, and if there is ever another Gaethan Kitadi, perhaps we can see him for who he really is without prejudice. As Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder once sang, “Ebony And Ivory Live Together In Perfect Harmony. Side By Side On My Piano Keyboard. Oh Lord, Why Don't