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RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES I. Introduction People are different, but how society deals with these differences is what defines prejudice and discrimination. The social context of prejudice and discrimination because of race or ethnic background is common throughout the world. It includes beliefs about racial purity or superiority; ethnocentric views; stereotyping and labeling; physical and social segregation; economic competition and exploitation in a split labor market. In the United States today, discrimination, which means acting unfavorably toward someone based on the group to which that person belongs rather than on the person’s own merits , has led to stereotyping and severe cases of racial profiling largely targeted towards minority groups II. Definition of Race and Ethnicity A. Race Race is a biological term, which refers to inherited physical characteristics that distinguish one individual or group from another. Anthropological arbitrary definition of race recognizes three major racial divisions among human beings: Caucasian (basically all whites); Mongolian (basically all Asian or yellow skinned people); and Negroid (those with dark skin, but from Africa). Racism still