race problem
3
6.3
- noun
- /reɪs ˈprɒbləm/
:
problema racial
- The Republican Party seems worried about its race problem, but it's not clear that its leaders really get the message.
- the race problem in America
Examples
-
Now note how we humanists tend to define the race problem in America: we define it primarily in terms of prejudice.
Academic text (1992) -
And that's the only way you'll get a solution to the vital race problem in this country.
-
And that is a race problem, Officer.
-
We do not have a race problem.
Blog text (31) -
This is the heart of America's race problem, which today is less a race problem than a black problem.
Academic text (1996) -
Are Mississippi's race problems much more complicated?
Blog text (29) -
Although the study's focus was on the race problem, in order to thoroughly explore it (and offer solutions), he had to examine the nation's value structure.
Academic text (2005) -
First, slavery had been abolished only sixty years prior to this debate, and many felt that the institution had created an intractable race problem that America should not recreate.
Academic text (2002) -
Reviewers gushed over the book, despite the fact that accounts of America's race problem usually provoke diverse, if not divisive, reactions.
Academic text (1991) -
Many communities are striving to address the long-standing race problem affecting their relationships.
Synonyms
17
5.6
Angry feelings and conflict between people of different races
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'race' (racial groups) + 'problem' (an issue) yields 'a problem concerning race or racial groups.' This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common way to form topical compounds, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the intended meaning (context disambiguates the alternate sense of 'race').
Etymology
Race problem comes from putting race (a group of people) and problem (something causing trouble) together to name real conflicts, unfair treatment, or tension between different groups. So the phrase now means a 'social or political issue' involving different racial groups.