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Most people these days are not racists and willing to give people a chance based on their character, actions and how they present themselves. Yet there are some of every color that qualify to wear the racist label.
Truth be known, there are white guys with degrees and volumes of experience that still can't find jobs. Many have had to take much lesser positions and some have even given up trying. One speculates and generalizes the road is clear smooth blacktop under sunny skies for others without feeling the bumps under foot and the pains without reward. And let's face it, the working poor folks of all colors are having trouble making it these days. This group is being squeezed the most. And those that talk about injustice and what others should do but give nothing back to the communities they came from are part of the problem not the solution.
"Many of us have made blacks and other minorities our punching bags to feel good about ourselves. We should seriously rethink why".
Please don't include me in your statement. 1 in 12 marriages are now interracial and that number will continue to grow. I think it's more accurate to say some people have always looked down on the poor and the weak regardless of their color. Take for instance how a homeless guy might be treated. If he were a celebrity addict they might erect a statute to him upon his death but if it's some nobody in the south Bronx then he is treated with disrespect almost like he is not human at all. Classism will be the problem in the coming years.
As a black man, I can never deny the type of prejudice that I as well as others in my race suffer, which you have made a point to emphasize, but I disagree with your assessment of other groups. Of course there aren't groups of people who suffered the same type of punishment that blacks have. But it is erroneous to state that others haven't been oppressed. Let's not forget about Jews and how they were treated during the Holocaust, Apartheid in South Africa, Native Americans who had their land stolen. There are example of oppression all around us. Again, not to the same degree as blacks, but it's still there.
Even with that said, how can I use my ancestry as an excuse to not at least put myself in a position to succeed? I grew up in a middle class black family, was able to go to decent schools and had every opportunity possible to succeed. If I don't go out and get a high school diploma, who fault is that? If don't go out and get a college degree, who fault is that? No one stopped me from making the decisions I made, I made the decisions I made, good or bad, because I was afforded an opportunity that many people in my ancestry did not. If use the treatment of my ancestors as an excuse to not do more, then what did they fight for? What did they bleed and die for?
I know all about what it feels like to be looked at funny because of the color of your skin or because some preconceived notion about who you are, but that isn't really the real issue here. Why are there so many black people ready to running out to get the new Gamma Jordans, but not willing to put the same effort to get a college education or a new skill? There are certain things that as people we can control and certain things we cannot. I cannot change the way someone perceives me and how they may view me, but I can control, how much I take advantage of my opportunities. Does that mean that everyone has the same opportunities in this country? No, but when the opportunities are there, are we as black people taking advantage of it?
Let me put it like this. Growing up in Prince George's County is one of the most unique experiences you could have as a black child in the late 80s and 90s. You had a unique opportunity to go to for the most part, average to above average schools that would afford you an opportunity to adequately prepare you for college. What is the excuse to not succeed? Where else can you go where you have a predominantly black community that supports you and can lead you to success? When we had even an inkling of racism going on in our schools, the parents in my neighborhood were involved and were ready to stand up against anyone who would deny their child the opportunity at that quality education. Nowadays, some of these same places, have very little parent involvement, kids are spoiled and they are missing out on important opportunities.
For some, there is a struggle that still exist maybe because they live in poor living conditions and they lack quality schools in their neighborhoods, but for most of Prince George's County, kids have opportunities that even the average kids regardless of race do not have. Kids have parents who are professionals, doctors, lawyers who have the ability to positively influence their kids and are educated enough to know how to be successful. These people simply put, are not oppressed. You aren't oppressed if you can live in 3500 square foot homes, have luxury cars, go out and eat at nice restaurants, buy your kids the latest shoes and nicest clothes. These are personal choices of people who have been afforded opportunities that their ancestors would roll over in the grave over. Are there people who suffer? Sure. But can you honestly say that people in Prince George's County, in particular are suffering?
How do we argue about Prince George's County not being poor, but then talk about how black people are oppressed? Which one is it? How does black wealth get into a place with a lot of oppressed people? If this is oppression, I'm sure there are people who grew up 100 years ago, that would love it.
I never said that there no other groups discriminated against on my piece. Those immigrant groups I mentioned are discriminated racially but they don't have the hostorical experience of generations of being in bondage in their homeland. That difference was what I wanted to bring up.
Of course there have been many black Americans that have overcome the odd of discrimination and achieved. I thought I said that however, just as there are collective strengths and weaknesses there are individual strengths and weaknesses. Should any part of that equation be ignored?
I am not sure that you're harder at the blacks who don't work to overcome the racism than me but I also cannot ignore the effects of generational experiences and their effects - which affected many individual families differently.
Yes. Jews have been historically discriminated and overcame odds but there are still many Jews that are not well off despite the overall success of Jews. You mentioned South Africa, yes, despite apartheid, Mandela became a lawyer while many South Africans languished owing to the same apartheid. Even today 20 years after South African freedom, many blacks are worse off. Why? Because those wHo ran the institutions during apartheid still run them today and how easy is it to overcome 75 years of blacks being on apartheid? How do you gain back generational losses/deprivations for 75 years so easily if the same people are still in control of the institutions? Even if governmental money is distributed to these families in SA or America, it still wouldn't erase the lost grounds of 400 years in America and 75 years in South Africa.
Again there are many blacks with degress struggling. If education and skills alone are the panacea, why are they struggling and experiencing much higher unemployment rate than normal?
It's always so easy for some to be lucky with breaks here and there and look at others who despite hardwork did not get breaks as dumb and lazy,
Most people these days are not racists and willing to give people a chance based on their character, actions and how they present themselves. Yet there are some of every color that qualify to wear the racist label.
Truth be known, there are white guys with degrees and volumes of experience that still can't find jobs. Many have had to take much lesser positions and some have even given up trying. One speculates and generalizes the road is clear smooth blacktop under sunny skies for others without feeling the bumps under foot and the pains without reward. And let's face it, the working poor folks of all colors are having trouble making it these days. This group is being squeezed the most. And those that talk about injustice and what others should do but give nothing back to the communities they came from are part of the problem not the solution.
"Many of us have made blacks and other minorities our punching bags to feel good about ourselves. We should seriously rethink why".
Please don't include me in your statement. 1 in 12 marriages are now interracial and that number will continue to grow. I think it's more accurate to say some people have always looked down on the poor and the weak regardless of their color. Take for instance how a homeless guy might be treated. If he were a celebrity addict they might erect a statute to him upon his death but if it's some nobody in the south Bronx then he is treated with disrespect almost like he is not human at all. Classism will be the problem in the coming years.
I wholeheartedly AGREE with you on all you said especially the bolded. Which is part of my point earlier. If whites are struggling despite the supposedly racial benefits one can only imagine those who are generationally with those advantages.
I always thought the lesson from the Great Recession should be that human uncertaintes and sufferings are universal and so, we all can draw lessons from that and have that in mind before we make judgement about others that we have no idea their individual circumstances. Rather sometimes some blame their new circumstsnces on those who they see as "other" and who they believed are the reason for the suffering.
For exmple, many whites are on Food Stamps nationally but especially in the South yet, they vote right wing because they want those programs cut for those "other" they see depending on them at their own detriment. Those rightwing politicians vote down those programs and they suffer because they're more agree at those they see as not Americans even though they're.
Our own suffering cannot be the only one that counts because we are the only true American even though America has been on an evolutionary path since day one - just like life itself.
America was native Americans then Anglo then other Europeans with blacks building it without pay. Then blacks reluctantly were included, then hispanics and asians and who knows the next group. All mentioned here is American and when will that resonate?
Until we all began to see America not from our group's definition but from the collective definition, we will always resent others and see them as less.
I never said that there no other groups discriminated against on my piece. Those immigrant groups I mentioned are discriminated racially but they don't have the hostorical experience of generations of being in bondage in their homeland. That difference was what I wanted to bring up.
It was implied with some of the things you were saying:
Quote:
Some might say that African, Caribbean and Asian immigrants pursue educational opportunities more that native born minorities. But I hope that they also are not ignoring the history of freedom and belongingness these immigrant groups grew up with in their homelands and their effects versus American blacks here in America.
The point I was making is that there are other groups of people that have suffered some type of discrimination. You, in this statement, are making it sound like all these individuals grew up with equality in their own native lands, but my point was only to illustrate that oppression comes in different forms and degrees, and while it may not have the historical significance of slavery in this country, it still has had an impact on these individuals, but for whatever reason, it doesn't impact those groups in the same way, but we can't act like black people in this country are the only groups of people who have been oppressed. That was my point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQ1
Of course there have been many black Americans that have overcome the odd of discrimination and achieved. I thought I said that however, just as there are collective strengths and weaknesses there are individual strengths and weaknesses. Should any part of that equation be ignored?
I'm not sure what you are trying to say here. I'm trying to understand how something that happened 200 years ago effects someone's ability today to make something for themselves. Has their been no progress made? How are things today the same as they were 200 years ago?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQ1
I am not sure that you're harder at the blacks who don't work to overcome the racism than me but I also cannot ignore the effects of generational experiences and their effects - which affected many individual families differently.
Yes I am harder on blacks because my understanding is you are not black and I am. I grew up in Prince George's County again, in an experience where I saw many people miss opportunities not because they were oppressed but because of poor choices. That is the one of the real issue that gets swept under the rug. There is a lack of acceptance of personal responsibility. The difference between blacks collectively as opposed to other races, is there is a lack of accountability. That is something that I am tired of and it's sickening because when you don't hold yourself accountable, then there is a sense of entitlement. There are black people in this nation who believe they should receive money from the government to fund their living arrangements or to pay for their kids because of something that happened 200 years ago. It's not about the fact that they can't do more, but it's about they don't feel like they need to.
Let me put it like this, if you have a child, you don't wait until they are 18 years old to teach them personal responsibility. If you constantly make excuses for why you child does not do well in school, why he doesn't do his chores, etc. then at some point, he is going to use those excuses for things that he is fully capable of doing. It's a mentality that has developed. That is not to say that every black person in this country is afforded the same opportunity, but for the sake of this conversation, how do you compare the opportunities of a black person in Prince George's County as opposed to the poorest section of Detroit? Would you say that they are both oppressed?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQ1
Yes. Jews have been historically discriminated and overcame odds but there are still many Jews that are not well off despite the overall success of Jews. You mentioned South Africa, yes, despite apartheid, Mandela became a lawyer while many South Africans languished owing to the same apartheid. Even today 20 years after South African freedom, many blacks are worse off. Why? Because those wHo ran the institutions during apartheid still run them today and how easy is it to overcome 75 years of blacks being on apartheid? How do you gain back generational losses/deprivations for 75 years so easily if the same people are still in control of the institutions? Even if governmental money is distributed to these families in SA or America, it still wouldn't erase the lost grounds of 400 years in America and 75 years in South Africa.
It's the same thing that made Nelson Mandela who he is, it took determination. One story we never talk about often in this country, is the story of Frederick Douglass who was born into slavery but became one of the our nations greatest leaders. You know how that was possible? Because he was determined to make it no matter the obstacles in his way. If someone like Frederick Douglass who had to learn how to read and write from mostly teaching himself was able to become successful, given his circumstances, then can you say that people nowadays, do not have the same opportunities? Are there psychological issues that stem from generations? YES! But the problem is black people have become so insecure in this nation that any inkling of criticism is frowned upon. The only way you improve your situation is reflect on yourself and your actions and try your hardest to make the most of what opportunities you have. At the end of the day, you can't stop someone from being racist, but you can do more to better yourself. Why focus on things you can't control, when you haven't done the best with what you can control?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQ1
Again there are many blacks with degress struggling. If education and skills alone are the panacea, why are they struggling and experiencing much higher unemployment rate than normal?
This was the same question that Fast GTO asked adelphi_sky, earlier and interestingly enough, the question was not answered/ignored. The answer starts with disparity in education and as adelphi_sky eluded to, the fact that more black have low skill jobs. Those jobs are easiest to get rid of because they are not as difficult to replace and you can easily found people to work for less money in those positions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQ1
It's always so easy for some to be lucky with breaks here and there and look at others who despite hardwork did not get breaks as dumb and lazy,
What people are you talking about? Is Barack Obama lucky? Is Eric Holder lucky? Is Colin Powell lucky?
I find that statement to be offensive and demeaning. It's almost like you are saying that these individuals couldn't have gotten where they are because of being good at what they do. President Obama for what it's worth is an intelligent and very accomplished man. To graduate from Harvard Law, I do not believe he needed luck. It seems to me like he worked hard. To suggest he's lucky, seems to suggest he wasn't adequate. I think you are overestimating the role racism plays in our society. There are people who are indeed still racist, but there are black people who are successful because they are simply the best at what they do and race does not matter to the individuals who gave them opportunities.
As a successful Black man myself, I see absolutely no point in bringing up the historical plight of Black people. It doesn't help us move forward "today". Everyone gets dealt a particular hand in life and you have to make the most out of whatever situation you arrived in. When people tell you you're oppressed or not given a fair shake, it changes the way you feel about yourself. Some people use it as an excuse and/or crutch not to achieve anything worthwhile. Its gotten to the point where it sickens me to hear it.
I was one of those bad teenagers that should have become another statistic. Instead, I got wise, I knew it was in me to do better, to be a critical thinker, to discipline myself and stop taking the lazy route. I had no guidance, my Father was a drug addict and I was messing around on the streets with all manner of thugs and lowlifes. I made a conscious decision to change and I did it before I became an adult, which greatly helped future job opportunities (especially as a government contractor).
Black people set the bar low for themselves. Chris Rock comes to mind, especially his commentary on how Black people want credit for doing things any responsible person ought to do (if you have't seen it, it's all over youtube). Bill Cosby, another important figure that many Black people like to chastise because he speaks the truth no one wants to hear (about popular black culture), is a strong proponent of taking responsibility for making poor decisions.
As other posters mentioned previously, there is a huge "cultural" problem in the community.
I was a bad student in high school, but one day, for whatever reason, I decided to do my math homework. I turned it in the following day and the teacher makes an announcement to the class that I was the only person who did so (D.C. public school of course). A few people kept asking who this person was and I stayed quiet, I had to (I was new and no one knew my name). It wasn't "cool" to do your homework, and in some cases you would be heckled and/or bullied to a mild degree if they knew you were. Knowing how things got this way, while significant, isn't going to motivate people to change the outcome.
Victim-hood breeds low expectations. Opportunities are there to be taken by any and all ethnicity's. We don't have any excuse today, hell we've got affirmative action still being exercised. How many mainstream people/entertainers have been criticized and/or fired for making racial comments about Black people? How often does the reverse happen (racial comments toward White people)?
I'm not trying to minimize what happened in the past, but it's time to address what's happening today. There is no easy solution, but in my opinion, a strong start would be getting rid of any notion of unfairness. We all know it exists and we're ALL guilty of being prejudiced, we're human after all, but lets get beyond this and actually strive to achieve and become respected players in this game.
As a successful Black man myself, I see absolutely no point in bringing up the historical plight of Black people. It doesn't help us move forward "today". Everyone gets dealt a particular hand in life and you have to make the most out of whatever situation you arrived in. When people tell you you're oppressed or not given a fair shake, it changes the way you feel about yourself. Some people use it as an excuse and/or crutch not to achieve anything worthwhile. Its gotten to the point where it sickens me to hear it.
I was one of those bad teenagers that should have become another statistic. Instead, I got wise, I knew it was in me to do better, to be a critical thinker, to discipline myself and stop taking the lazy route. I had no guidance, my Father was a drug addict and I was messing around on the streets with all manner of thugs and lowlifes. I made a conscious decision to change and I did it before I became an adult, which greatly helped future job opportunities (especially as a government contractor).
Black people set the bar low for themselves. Chris Rock comes to mind, especially his commentary on how Black people want credit for doing things any responsible person ought to do (if you have't seen it, it's all over youtube). Bill Cosby, another important figure that many Black people like to chastise because he speaks the truth no one wants to hear (about popular black culture), is a strong proponent of taking responsibility for making poor decisions.
As other posters mentioned previously, there is a huge "cultural" problem in the community.
I was a bad student in high school, but one day, for whatever reason, I decided to do my math homework. I turned it in the following day and the teacher makes an announcement to the class that I was the only person who did so (D.C. public school of course). A few people kept asking who this person was and I stayed quiet, I had to (I was new and no one knew my name). It wasn't "cool" to do your homework, and in some cases you would be heckled and/or bullied to a mild degree if they knew you were. Knowing how things got this way, while significant, isn't going to motivate people to change the outcome.
Victim-hood breeds low expectations. Opportunities are there to be taken by any and all ethnicity's. We don't have any excuse today, hell we've got affirmative action still being exercised. How many mainstream people/entertainers have been criticized and/or fired for making racial comments about Black people? How often does the reverse happen (racial comments toward White people)?
I'm not trying to minimize what happened in the past, but it's time to address what's happening today. There is no easy solution, but in my opinion, a strong start would be getting rid of any notion of unfairness. We all know it exists and we're ALL guilty of being prejudiced, we're human after all, but lets get beyond this and actually strive to achieve and become respected players in this game.
The reason for the disparity with educational achievement of the races in America cannot be viewed and explained with one brush.
For African Americans, their history with America's beginning cannot be ignored regardless of how many years past. That's like the story where one group started with complete freedom 400 year ago and still enjoys complete freedom today with no baggage of any history of oppression. The other group started off in captivity, bondage and no freedom and 350 years later with many wars fought for them to get freedom, a few presidents killed fighting for their freedom and many of their ancestors murdered for the same reason, national guards sent to schools to allow a few of them to attend classes and then, some freedom in the BOOKS while those who wanted them not free controlled the INSTITUTIONS.
Realistically, how should the effects of that history of the two groups be seen and measured? Should any reasonable measurement expect ZERO effects of the history of the two groups?
Some might say that African, Caribbean and Asian immigrants pursue educational opportunities more that native born minorities. But I hope that they also are not ignoring the history of freedom and belongingness these immigrant groups grew up with in their homelands and their effects versus American blacks here in America. And yes, these immigrant groups experience the big elephant in the room which is RACISM, which no one wants to talk about, however, growing up free and coming to America and experiencing some racism is not as detrimental generationally as generations of a group having lived in bondage for centuries.
The other side of that histiory is the generational wealth transfer and inheritance that one group benefited from while the other languished in servitude. How does that affect the offsprings of the two groups generationally? How do we measure that effects and should they be ignored simply because one group is now free as stated in the BOOK while the INSTITUTIONS are for the most part run by the other group - a result of generational privilege transfer?
Just because many blacks overcame that odd and went to Harvard, Princeton and all that and a black president, does not mean that that history's effects were/are harmless.
As for black high unemployment rate a result of lack of taking advantage of educational opportunity, what about many blacks with advanced degrees who lost jobs and stayed unemployed for two years? Are you going to say that they studied humanities, because many studied STEM and Business? And many of them don't have "Washington, McNeil as last names or Jaquan, Leesha or Tamika as first names(what if they have those names?). Many of them have anglo names and many have showed up for interviews and saw eyes rolled and jaws open to their surprise. How many times do whites go for interviews and rather than worrying about the actual interview, they worry about what the interviewer thinks about his/her skin color or accent - which is American but to the interviewer not American? The problem here is no longer lack of education or skills but what now?
We all have to be in the others's shoes to really see, just like republicans who are against gays until their sons or daughters tell them that they;re one and then, you see them changing their stance overnight.
Many of us have made blacks and other minorities our punching bags to feel good about ourselves. We should seriously rethink why.
All fair points but the reality is nobody really cares today. Folks are too busy trying to get by and live their lives to consider the injustices of yesteryear.
As a successful Black man myself, I see absolutely no point in bringing up the historical plight of Black people. It doesn't help us move forward "today". Everyone gets dealt a particular hand in life and you have to make the most out of whatever situation you arrived in. When people tell you you're oppressed or not given a fair shake, it changes the way you feel about yourself. Some people use it as an excuse and/or crutch not to achieve anything worthwhile. Its gotten to the point where it sickens me to hear it.
I was one of those bad teenagers that should have become another statistic. Instead, I got wise, I knew it was in me to do better, to be a critical thinker, to discipline myself and stop taking the lazy route. I had no guidance, my Father was a drug addict and I was messing around on the streets with all manner of thugs and lowlifes. I made a conscious decision to change and I did it before I became an adult, which greatly helped future job opportunities (especially as a government contractor).
Black people set the bar low for themselves. Chris Rock comes to mind, especially his commentary on how Black people want credit for doing things any responsible person ought to do (if you have't seen it, it's all over youtube). Bill Cosby, another important figure that many Black people like to chastise because he speaks the truth no one wants to hear (about popular black culture), is a strong proponent of taking responsibility for making poor decisions.
As other posters mentioned previously, there is a huge "cultural" problem in the community.
I was a bad student in high school, but one day, for whatever reason, I decided to do my math homework. I turned it in the following day and the teacher makes an announcement to the class that I was the only person who did so (D.C. public school of course). A few people kept asking who this person was and I stayed quiet, I had to (I was new and no one knew my name). It wasn't "cool" to do your homework, and in some cases you would be heckled and/or bullied to a mild degree if they knew you were. Knowing how things got this way, while significant, isn't going to motivate people to change the outcome.
Victim-hood breeds low expectations. Opportunities are there to be taken by any and all ethnicity's. We don't have any excuse today, hell we've got affirmative action still being exercised. How many mainstream people/entertainers have been criticized and/or fired for making racial comments about Black people? How often does the reverse happen (racial comments toward White people)?
I'm not trying to minimize what happened in the past, but it's time to address what's happening today. There is no easy solution, but in my opinion, a strong start would be getting rid of any notion of unfairness. We all know it exists and we're ALL guilty of being prejudiced, we're human after all, but lets get beyond this and actually strive to achieve and become respected players in this game.
As a successful Black man myself, I see absolutely no point in bringing up the historical plight of Black people. It doesn't help us move forward "today". Everyone gets dealt a particular hand in life and you have to make the most out of whatever situation you arrived in. When people tell you you're oppressed or not given a fair shake, it changes the way you feel about yourself. Some people use it as an excuse and/or crutch not to achieve anything worthwhile. Its gotten to the point where it sickens me to hear it.
I disagree. What culture chooses to ignore their past? There are thousands of people who sacrificed in the civil rights era so that that those after them could get a "fair" shake. What they went through shouldn't be remembered and understood? My wife's parents living in NC couldn't even buy homes in the white neighborhoods even if they had the money. Their only option was to live in the black neighborhoods. Whose house do you think quadrupled in value and whose didn't? So, now that her father intends to sell his house, how much wealth can he gain from it while those in the neighborhoods who redlined him gain from their homes?
How will redlining come into play when wealth is transferred to the next generation? How much wealth do you think black people could hand down from that generation so that at least our generation could get a leg up on society? I'm thinking not much if my wife's parents' experience is any indication. That plays a part in the current data showing the wealth gap between races.
Not every black person will get a PhD or a white collar job. There will always be those blacks who are wealthy and those who are poor. But there are still inequalities in all categories when compared to whites. We need to learn the origins of those numbers so that we can better understand them and position ourselves to mitigate the effects as a people.
There has to be an understanding of the past so that we can work to make the future better. Understanding the past is not an excuse for laziness or irresponsibility. But it is better to understand what odds may be stacked against you. That should motivate you, not cause you to give up and make excuses.
Education provides a better chance to make higher salaries. The higher salaries provides access to better neighborhoods. Better neighborhoods have better schools. But when an entire race lags in education, a key to all of that, one HAS to look at how those inequalities came to be. Blacks aren't born dumb. So, the natural question is why has education levels been unequal for so long? The disparity in education stems from policies a long time ago. A few decades of desegregation, fair real estate regulations, and non-discriminatory school redistricting won't solve those inequalities overnight.
Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Historical relevance is very important in society. The numbers I presented in the original post tells a story that is greater than irresponsibility and excuses. I fail to believe an entire race underachieves because they are irresponsible and make excuses for their lot in life. We're talking about all stratospheres of the black population being unequal. That includes the wealthy, educated, and hard-working as well as the poor.
Unless people are okay with this status-quo of inequality, I think history should be referenced often until all people can gain a historical perspective that empowers them to make choices void of prejudice and perception; racial or otherwise. Otherwise, no matter how hard we try as a people, we'll always be perceived as second class. My success or the success of others in my race should not hinder us from understanding the plight of black people and their history. It all connects and it is all still relevant...unfortunately.
The only way change can happen is for everyone, especially those in power and influence, to change their mentality when it comes to race and socioeconomic disparity. First, they have to accept the fact that things just aren't equal. Not for the lack of efforts of those at the bottom, but because the playing field was never level from the start. In other words, social change has to take place from top to bottom. That doesn't take a few years or even decades.
Second, those at the top have to understand that when everyone gets to participate in the success of the country, they would benefit more and those at the bottom would be better off than they are. This was evident in the golden era during the 50s when the middle class prospered the most providing great profits to companies. Imagine if blacks were able to participate as equals during that time.
I have also read, "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander which gives an interesting look at the history of institutional racism designed keep blacks as second-class citizens and now the new Jim Crow type systems can be seen in the prison system in how blacks are disproportionally incarcerated which severely impacts the prospects of gainful employment once released.
Those books are what are skewing your worldview. Their titles' might as well be "White People Are The Devil: Book 1" and "Book 2."
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