Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree with half of the sentiment here. I don't know that the academic left wing "woke" solutions are the only or even most effective ways to lessen racial inequality.
But unfortunately the right has largely ceded the issue. Conservatives only seem outraged by left wing efforts to end racism, they never actually have proposals to deal with racism itself.
I really do wish conservatives would propose realistic strategies to deal with racism, police abuses, intergenerational economic inequality, etc.
Unfortunately in this vacuum, we have a massively polarized society that is growing more and more dysfunctional.
Not sure I agree with the conservatives have no strategy part.
Actually, the strategy is excellent: encourage economic development, including opportunity zones in the poorest districts, to lift everyone to prosperity and affluence.
The way out of racism is to offer the black community educational and economic opportunities that uplift them and make them respected and empowered in the country.
I agree with half of the sentiment here. I don't know that the academic left wing "woke" solutions are the only or even most effective ways to lessen racial inequality.
But unfortunately the right has largely ceded the issue. Conservatives only seem outraged by left wing efforts to end racism, they never actually have proposals to deal with racism itself.
I really do wish conservatives would propose realistic strategies to deal with racism, police abuses, intergenerational economic inequality, etc.
Unfortunately in this vacuum, we have a massively polarized society that is growing more and more dysfunctional.
At the risk of getting to political - conservatives are giving both messages - 1.) strategies on abuse and economic equality (i.e. Feds sent immediatly to MN to investigate federal charges, dramatic economic development improvements in last 4 years for minorities, prison reform), and 2.) strategies for enforcing law and order.
Regretfully one message is being drowned out by the other. It's difficult when the mainstream media also only delivers one message.
Not sure I agree with the conservatives have no strategy part.
Actually, the strategy is excellent: encourage economic development, including opportunity zones in the poorest districts, to lift everyone to prosperity and affluence.
The way out of racism is to offer the black community educational and economic opportunities that uplift them and make them respected and empowered in the country.
I agree with you there are elements of a policy: opportunity zones, support for reducing prison populations, etc.
But it's not really at the core of the conservative movement. Particularly in recent years, conservatives have really embraced a more overtly racial identity politics (see Trump, Tucker Carlson).
Conservatives are more likely to cite MLK to criticize liberals for talking about racism than they are to cite him when speaking out against actual racism.
George W Bush has forcefully denounced racism and called for social change, Trump has stoked a culture war and painted his opponents as codling looters and thugs. Who is closer to the conservative movement right now?
I agree with you there are elements of a policy: opportunity zones, support for reducing prison populations, etc.
But it's not really at the core of the conservative movement. Particularly in recent years, conservatives have really embraced a more overtly racial identity politics (see Trump, Tucker Carlson).
Conservatives are more likely to cite MLK to criticize liberals for talking about racism than they are to cite him when speaking out against actual racism.
George W Bush has forcefully denounced racism and called for social change, Trump has stoked a culture war and painted his opponents as codling looters and thugs. Who is closer to the conservative movement right now?
Trump has always been close to the black community; he was well known in NYC among the black celebs there, and had a black girlfriend at one time. He's never said or done anything to suggest racism.
The notion that Trump's racist is pure bunk, garbage peddled by Democrat strategists.
Trump was elected as a reaction to Obama, true, but his support in the black community was rising right up until the riots. In fact this rioting is perfect for the Democrats. The conventional wisdom is that if he gets just 15% of the black vote, he wins, regardless of other factors. Obviously, it's in their interest to fan the flames.
And it's in the interest of whoever writes these execrable, pious emails, to virtue signal and kiss-arse. They're not doing it for the white majority; they're doing it for their minority customers. The rest of us are expected to just glance at the email, hit delete, and move on.
I agree with you there are elements of a policy: opportunity zones, support for reducing prison populations, etc.
But it's not really at the core of the conservative movement. Particularly in recent years, conservatives have really embraced a more overtly racial identity politics (see Trump, Tucker Carlson).
Conservatives are more likely to cite MLK to criticize liberals for talking about racism than they are to cite him when speaking out against actual racism.
George W Bush has forcefully denounced racism and called for social change, Trump has stoked a culture war and painted his opponents as codling looters and thugs. Who is closer to the conservative movement right now?
The issue is right at the definition of 'racism'. There's some very different definitions of that going around and the difference is almost irreconcilable.
On the one hand we have a definition of racism that is centered around the individual and whether you hold beliefs of being superior to another person on account of their race and any acts of discrimination that are based on that belief. In that sense, most people would say with honesty that they are not racist and they don't really know anyone who is. Certainly, in public life racism of this type has been unacceptable for at least 40 years and is such a taboo at this point that anything even hinting in the direction can be considered social suicide.
With that definition of racism, it is fair to say that racism does not represent a notable issue in the United States and public life at this point. There are some very isolated, small "white power" groups but they're mostly hiding away in the mountains somewhere and generally you will not encounter them. They certainly do not wield much power. Of course, no-one can look into people's hearts, so there's always going to be a degree of racism somewhere - but this applies to all humans of all groups and as long as it's kept private, it's not a massive political issue.
The other definition of racism is one in which every disparity in social and economic outcomes between racial groups is an indicator of racism. This is the famous 'structural racism'. This disparity is a reality which is undeniable. It's been studied, it's a known fact. If you believe that racism is the only possible cause of these disparities then you will believe that racism is a major issue in the country.
The problem is of course that disparities in outcomes are an essential and quasi natural part of the American system. The very idea of a meritocracy is based on the notion that your actions in life should lead to outcomes reflective of your efforts. That is held very dearly by a large % of people as a central tenet of a free society. The notion of government interfering in people's business in order to engineer outcomes on a racial group basis seems fundamentally unfair and perhaps even immoral to a large % of people. Telling people that they can't get that job because it's better for the 'greater good' if that job goes to a different person on account of their racial group membership - that's a tough sell. And yet a reality of attempts to address racism. And of course beyond that, there is plain redistribution via means such as reparations or special benefits designed for specific racial groups.
Of course that leads us to a more fundamental debate on what the role of government should be in society and how successful large-scale social engineering projects really can be even if they're done with the best of intentions. There is a collectivist approach inherent to such attempts that seems fairly alien to American culture. Many Americans - especially conservatives - pride themselves on never having fallen to the great collectivist ideologies of the 20th century - communism and fascism.
Conservatives in my view cannot and will not be able to fight a 'racism without racist individuals you can name and pinpoint' via large-scale redistribution or race-based government programs because it goes against the fundamental idea of an individualist, free society. There is therefore a conflict here that goes far beyond race and ultimately takes us back to the major battles of the 20th century between fundamentally different models of society.
Trump has always been close to the black community; he was well known in NYC among the black celebs there, and had a black girlfriend at one time. He's never said or done anything to suggest racism.
The notion that Trump's racist is pure bunk, garbage peddled by Democrat strategists.
Trump was elected as a reaction to Obama, true, but his support in the black community was rising right up until the riots. In fact this rioting is perfect for the Democrats. The conventional wisdom is that if he gets just 15% of the black vote, he wins, regardless of other factors. Obviously, it's in their interest to fan the flames.
And it's in the interest of whoever writes these execrable, pious emails, to virtue signal and kiss-arse. They're not doing it for the white majority; they're doing it for their minority customers. The rest of us are expected to just glance at the email, hit delete, and move on.
You're absolutely correct. Trump has been very close with the black community. A black singing group even wrote a song about him "Donald Trump Black Version" and he received an Ellis Island Award alongside Rosa Parks. Jesse Jackson praised Trump for his work with the black community. It wasn't until he ran for president that they turned on him for various reasons. Mostly because "those who write the checks are the boss." Plus these are weak minded individuals and vulnerable to "group think." But NO...Trump is not racist by a long shot. It's the mainstream media and others who are trying to portray him that way.
By the way....an online retailer I order from also sent me an email broadcasting their support to all the groups I COMPLETELY disagree with. LOL I wouldn't give them 1 penny. I simply deleted the email. Leftist-liberals whether they are a company, group, or individual always want to "force" people to accept their ideas and point-of-view by force about everything like diverse lifestyles, minority groups, 100 different genders, GMOs, etc....! It's ridiculous....!
You're absolutely correct. Trump has been very close with the black community. A black singing group even wrote a song about him "Donald Trump Black Version" and he received an Ellis Island Award alongside Rosa Parks. Jesse Jackson praised Trump for his work with the black community. It wasn't until he ran for president that they turned on him for various reasons. Mostly because "those who write the checks are the boss." Plus these are weak minded individuals and vulnerable to "group think." But NO...Trump is not racist by a long shot. It's the mainstream media and others who are trying to portray him that way.
Instead of telling us how Black people should think of Donald Trump NOW, why not listen to what THEY are saying?
By the way....an online retailer I order from also sent me an email broadcasting their support to all the groups I COMPLETELY disagree with. LOL I wouldn't give them 1 penny. I simply deleted the email. Leftist-liberals whether they are a company, group, or individual always want to "force" people to accept their ideas and point-of-view by force about everything like diverse lifestyles, minority groups, 100 different genders, GMOs, etc....! It's ridiculous....!
And it's going to get a lot worse. Who knows, at some point we may be forced to sign a pledge before we can even buy anything, or sign in to a web site. The social media bullying is already happening, not just to those with dissenting views but to those who are not actively promoting one view.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
