Answer to Question 1
The five functions that racial beliefs serve for the dominant group in accordance with the functionalist perspective are as follows:
1 . Racist ideologies provide a moral justification for maintaining a society that routinely deprives a group of its rights and privileges.
2 . Racist beliefs discourage subordinate people from attempting to question their lowly status and why they must perform the dirty work; to do so is to question the very foundation of the society.
3 . Racial ideologies not only justify existing practices but also serve as a rallying point for social movements, as seen in the rise of the Nazi party or present-day Aryan movements.
4 . Racist myths encourage support for the existing order. Some argue that if there were any major societal change, the subordinate group would suffer even greater poverty, and the dominant group would suffer lower living standards.
5 . Racist beliefs relieve the dominant group of the responsibility to address the economic and educational problems faced by subordinate groups.
Answer to Question 2
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