It occurs to me that perhaps the reason why I'm suspicious about Republican's claims of color-blindness is simply that I don't have enough information. So I'm going to ask an open-ended question and ask for responses.
There is a well-known disparity between the percentage of African-Americans in general society, versus the percentage of them in prison. They also tend to be sentenced more severely and serve longer sentences than caucasions for similar crimes. Given these numbers (which are not in dispute as far as I've heard), liberals and African American advocacy groups generally blame racism for the problem.
So what is the alternate explanation? Or explanations.
Monday, September 08, 2008
More About Racism
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17 comments:
Multiple answers:
1. He who has the money, doesn't go to jail. Or not as long, anyway. Our legal system doesn't care if you are black or white, just that you have green. For example, Robert Downey Jr. was allowed to make movies while in jail. Robert Blake. OJ.
2. Under-educated people tend to commit more crime (or get caught more frequently than people with money).
3. Minorities as a group tend to have lower levels of education.
4. I recall a study when I was in college that showed that not having a male authority figure in the household increases the odds of a criminal in the household at a later point. Minority households are frequently without a male authority figure.
What is/are your explanation(s)
As I said, I think it's racism. Unconcious racism to be sure, but racism nonetheless. Your answers raise other questions for me:
Why are African Americans more likely to be poor, get worse education, and not have fathers available?
Maybe those are questions to pose to your black readers.
It can't be that we don't give schools enough money, because inner-City schools in DC get the most, yet have the worst results.
I can't tell you why many black fathers don't seem to care about being part of a family they created. Perhaps growing up in a fatherless home taught them that being a father carries little to no responsibility. You realize, of course, I'm speaking in general terms here.
If a black man robs a liquor store in downtown Detroit, how is that racism?
Lack of education causes a lack of money down the road. The more education one attains, the better ones lot in life, generally.
How is it racist if a child decides it's more fun to play XBox than study, and mom lets the child do that?
At what point does personal responsibility come into play?
Jesse Jackson didn't know his father, was raised on the rough streets, yet still was able to get educated and make a success out of himself.
Now we're getting somewhere.
I don't believe that black people are inherently worse students or more prone to criminal behavior than white people. That doesn't make sense to me, at least from the standpoint of genetics.
On the other hand, if there is a cultural reason for it, such as peer pressure, I could see that. But that wouldn't explain the longer prison sentences.
Oh, and black readers? I WISH!
KIRY writes "There is a well-known disparity between the percentage of African-Americans in general society, versus the percentage of them in prison."
"Them"? That sounds kinda racsist in the way it was written, Piker.
I know it won't help your post-belief, however, as for a little ADOC info update for you. ADOC = Arizona Department of Corrections.
I am a DEATH ROW volunteer for Christian Services. I try to make it down to Death Row 1 time a week, altho lately, I cannot make that claim. I have been going for about 2 years.
I can't speak for the rest of the US, however, here in AZ, of the 120 Death Row inmates, approximately 85 are white, and the remainder are split between Hispanic & Black.
So, here in AZ, your comment doesn't hold much water.
But, just like you "educated" me on universal heatlh care, even tho I have been in the health insurance business for 14 years, I am confident you will correct me about the AZ prison system, as well.
Piker:
I thing we all start out the same, but what happens to us as we get older is what shapes our future.
For whatever reason, the black community does not put a high value on education. Again, I am speaking in general terms.
Without education, one is limited in what they are able to achieve in their adult life.
Why do you feel that blacks do poorly in school, and have higher crime rates?
And "racism!" isn't an answer. Specifics, please.
I appreciate your posting on this one, GWK.
I'm not limiting the discussion to Death Row inmates at your facility though. The numbers here include all inmates at all facilities, across the country. If you have numbers which dispute that, I'd certainly look at them.
Longer prison sentences - cultural leanings can't account for that. No one is asking to get more jail time.
Racism alone isn't responsible for the conditions described here, but it plays a major part. I think African Americans are harassed by the police more often, not given as much encouragement in school, and more often passed up for promotions and raises. As a result they find themselves in a culture of failure and they more easily slip into the role of losers. It's just less work than proving society wrong.
It's a self-perpetuating loop. It was getting better for a while during the civil rights movement, but as we roll back those changes it's getting worse again.
There we go.
It's Bushs' fault!
I never brought the guy up. Play fair.
In fact, forget affirmative action, which I was proposing as a solution. Assume I have no solution and argue from that point.
I'll go the other direction.
We've had afirmative action for quite some time. If AA was working, wouldn't conditions for minorities have advanced more in the time that AA was in effect?
Perhaps. However, Affirmative Action by itself can't eliminate racism, any more than including black licorice in boxes of red vines can make people like black licorice.
The difference in this analogy is the stakes are higher with racism - black licorice can't get fed up and riot.
So what can/will eliminate racism?
Awareness.
White people have to realize they have a tendency to treat black people differently and adjust; black people have to realize they regard white people with suspicion automatically and adjust that.
Ultimately we all have to remember that no matter what we look like or what accents we have, we're all individuals. Any time I think "well those "X" always..." I'm wrong. People are people. Once you start modifying with creole people or latino people or eskimo people, thats when the trouble starts.
If I treat someone differently, how do you know if it is based on the color of that person's skin, on their gender, because of their political leaning, style of that persons clothing, the hairstyle they chose, if they have tattoos, or if they have bad breath?
Who judges how a person behaves? How can anyone know what is in another person heart?
In the example that starts this discussion, I'm going by sheer numbers. It could be a coincidence that the the incarceration numbers are so different than the general population numbers, but that would be awfully implausible. And in every individual case, there were surely perfectly good explanations for the more severe sentences.
So we have to guard against racism when sizing up people.
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