Media aside, here is an experience I recently had. Just two weekends ago, I drove through Newark in NJ to go pick something up at a Home Depot there. I drive through this area for about roughly 3 mins. or so, and all I see is really shabby looking, completely dilapidated houses one after another. A really run down section of housing area. Like in a row of say 10 houses, 8 were so run down. In front of some, some cheerful looking teenagers sat cackling and gossiping. Somewhat a group of men chatting with each other. But all black. I drove on and until I came fairly close to that Home Depot, I saw perhaps almost exclusively just that section of society - and how they lived. It was my first time in that Home Depot, and even though I have been to some other parts of Newark, but not that one, it was baffling that you saw no co-mingling there at all. It was very telling. It is like 'cast aside'. Isn't that sad? I mean if people had the choice, why would they mingle? Nobody can deny that there is a certain hesitation and within some people's hearts there is fear of and hurt due to rejection, whilst others bear some loathing, almost revulsion in their hurts. How can one human being be that way to another. I mean just based on skin colour and dreadlocks? Isn't that utterly dreadful? I would feel so horribly guilty if I ever behaved that way.
I agree. But the only way this can be succesful is if people mingle naturally. You really can't have a government program to make people like each other.
All the rest, like taking to criminality and forming of ghettos are nothing but results of such ostracism and exclusion of certain groups in many ways - and what for? Because people don't like the shape of their nose, or the skin tone or hair texture? Is that what we call a 'civilised' and 'educated' society? I mean most of us, if treated normally, equally and fairly right from the start, have the chance to get education without fear of ridicule, selection in jobs based solely on merit and not on skin colour and looks, etc., would prefer to earn our bread and butter that way, instead of through theft and whatnot. I would take to that too, if I had almost no other choice and had a family to feed, or whatever. Many are forced into criminality. Others take to it out of hate and revulsion towards a certain section of society. Then the former feels they need to retaliate, and soon the whole thing is out of hand.
Have you ever been to NYC and walked around the Penn Station area? Or the 8th ave? a big part of even the posh 5th ave, and many streets in Midtown Manhattan. You will see almost 98% of the people begging are blacks. Nobody can tell me they beg and that it is such a high percentage because it is in their genes or that they enjoy it. It is because of the reasons you pointed out in your previous post. It is because of decades and decades of being socially disadvantaged, oppressed and marginalised. No wonder some blacks think, very sadly though, if you are not a thug, you are not black - I read this on a link I think somebody (I think bb, but could be wrong about that) posted on another thread, but with a different intent.
A couple of decades ago, like early 20th century, most people were probably a bit racist. But this doesn't mean most people in society were actively working on harming the black community. In fact most of them did nothing to the black community, they just had "bad" thoughts about them
The actual oppression came from the government. It was the government who passed laws preventing them from accessing better jobs, or education, and who protected a paramilitary group to hunt down and terrorize black people.
Once somebody in my social circle told me how he was taught by his father, as part of preparing him for job interviews, to practise proper grammar... things like "you was sitting down" would straight away give away that one was black, and he gave me a few other examples - like a double negative in a sentence and certain pronunciation.
Whilst nobody should be forced to do anything, or gov's should not force integration on people, but the problem is that some only 'behave' when rules are forced on them. Else, if certain people had their way, they would hire only 'their kind' going just by looks. And this would be the case in any many other areas of society.
Have you seen the movie Hidden Figures?
Here is the part I disagree.
Capitalism is color-blind. You want to hire the best person for the job. If you are not doing that, you are hurting your business, and thus the chances of profit. And in many jobs, the best qualified individual is sometimes the one who comes cheaper and has a lower cost. The one you can hire for the lowest possible salary.
Historically people were able to "compete" in the job market against better qualified candidates, by offering to work for lower salaries.
This was a strategy the black community employed to be able to compete with white people. While a white person would work, for example, for $6 an hour, a black person would offer to do the same job for $4. And this is done by a lot of people, even now days, from any race. You market your skills at a lower price in order to compete with those who have either superior skills or more experience.
Now I expect most who read this will feel "horrified" by the idea of unequal payment. However this allows people to access better jobs and have an income, which is better than not having one. And you can always re-negotiate a better salary later on, or eventually move on to a higher paying job.
First, it was the goverment who passed laws which made it harder for black people to apply to specific jobs, or interact with the general public.
It was government laws like minimum wage that actually hurt the uneducated workers more, because it removed the ability for low skilled workers (many of them minorities) to compete with college educated white people. This made it harder for black workers to find jobs which makes it harder for them to provide their children with a proper education.
When government got involved in the economy - its when you begin to have problems.
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Look at Jews, Asians or Indians. They initially suffered from some form of racism in the U.S., but there were never laws which targeted them, in contrast with the laws against black people.
Slowly, through generations, without government aid or persecution, they integrated very well and got wealthier and wealthier, and their standard of living increased, and in some cases, surpassed the average earning of white people. In a natural manner without government interference.