Robert Merton Suggested That Some White Americans Who Praise Abraham

question 51

Multiple Choice

Robert Merton suggested that some white Americans who praise Abraham Lincoln for being frugal and thrifty might describe an Asian American with the same qualities as being stingy and penny-pinching. What explains this double standard?

• A) Standards of behavior considered appropriate in Lincoln's time are now looked down upon because of historical change.
• B) Lincoln was greedy, but he is remembered differently because American textbooks are not permitted to say negative things about presidents.
• C) Lincoln was a truly remarkable individual who acted in these ways for selfless reasons; something everyday people can't hope to do.
• D) For these white Americans, Lincoln was a member of their racial in-group, whereas an Asian American would be a member of an out-group.

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