In my opinion, poor whites and poor blacks have more in common with each other than they do with rich people who look like them. Poor people are pretty much in the same boat, in some respects. However, poor whites are generally in better parts of that boat and are more easily persuaded that things aren't so bad the way they are, so far as racial privileges go.
I agree with Oines that race discrimination is a problem, and blacks are, on average poorer, less educated, and more incarcerated than whites because of it. However, I disagree with Oines' whole approach to dealing with it. Racism exists because the upper class has the means, motive, and opportunity to perpetuate it. If eliminating racism served their interests, racism would be history. Eric and I define racism differently and have fundamentally different approaches to fighting racism. Counterposing desegregation to antiracism doesn't make sense to me because I see segregation as a tool of white supremacy, and desegregation as a tool that can be wielded to bring about an end to white supremacy. Most blacks experience victimization to varying degrees, according to public opinion polling, but are not powerless victims, in my opinion. That's one of the reasons I don't agree that racism should be defined as "prejudice plus power." See my last post on this thread for additional comments about defining racism. I see racial discrimination as a problem for most blacks and a majority of whites in the sense that it has a negative impact on them. Of course blacks generally feel the most direct and intense effects of racism. I expect that whites who recognize racism as a problem for them (as part of a working class and / or personally for other reasons) are willing to support effective action to fight racial discrimination and the policies / practices that effectively help to perpetuate race-based discrimination though "colorblind" methods. It is difficult to impossible to tell in at least some instances whether race is the decisive factor when someone gets or doesn't get a job, a house, good table service at a restaurant, etc. Race is not always the determining factor. Whites are far less likely than blacks to not get the job, the house, acceptable table service, and so forth on account of race, when race is the decisive factor. Whites often don't recognize that racial discrimination is as widespread as it is for several reasons: It is generally done covertly, a majority of whites are not personally involved with blacks enough to know, from first hand experience, that blacks are often treated differently than whites in a variety of settings, there is not an obvious motive for racial discrimination in some settings where it happens a lot (such as at full service restaurants), and there are laws on the books against race discrimination in jobs, housing, etc. There is also a dominant ideology, psychological defense mechanisms, average differences between racial groups, one's point of view and other factors that influence perceptions about race and generate racial stereotyping. For example, I have talked to high school students who say they are doing well in school, and they almost invariably attributed their success to being smart and hardworking. And many students also voiced the opinion that students who are not doing well are lazy and / or stupid. I have also noticed how children have a remarkable ability to live up to, or down to the expectations of their teachers, especially when the students are publicly identified as being basically smart, normal, and stupid, then grouped accordingly for instructional purposes. The "smart" students are educated quite differently than the "stupid" students, though methods used to educate the "smart students" generally work well for nearly all students, including most of the allegedly "stupid" ones. There is really no reliable way to even roughly estimate and compared the "innate learning capacity" of at least 90% of public school students. Differences in the performance of most public school students are largely attributable to factors like teacher expertise, the type of curriculum employed, and self-image that mirrors teacher expectations. Yet, students are far more likely to blame themselves than anyone else if they fail to thrive academically. Family background characteristics, like household income and the educational attainment of one's parents are significant factors that affect student performance. However, in my opinion, those factors have been greatly exaggerated by the Minneapolis school board. And in any event, until the school board starts choosing parents for their students, the board school should focus on things that are under their immediate control, and do what they can do to close the education achievement gap between blacks and whites. -Doug Mann Author of "Flight from Equality: School reform in the US since 1983" - REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? 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