To My White Friend,
You insist that the system is not rigged. That America is the best country and we should all be thankful to live in a such a land of opportunity. We have a black President and our next one is likely to be a woman. You get tired of hearing people complain about the system - you know it's unfair but life isn't mean to be fair. If you work hard and make smart decisions you can find success regardless of where you started. That's amazing and special and worth celebrating.
You're not entirely wrong - our country is a great one and our world is much better than it once was in terms of equality and opportunity - but you're missing the bigger picture. One black President, or one woman, does not prove equality. For all that we have achieved as a nation, much of it was built on the backs of those who never had a fair chance. To celebrate our victories without acknowledging our failures does a disservice to everyone who ever fought their way up through a structure of discrimination to contribute to our success. We owe it to them, to ourselves, to be honest.
You're my friend because I like you, and I like because you're a good person. You’re a fundamentally decent human being who treats others with respect. You’re smart and hard-working and have earned a certain level of success in this world. But you’re also advantaged by the unfair system, even if it’s through no fault of your own. Me too. I’m as privileged as they come. I don’t think that undermines the quality of the person I am in any way, but it does make it more important that I speak out for all the people who are disadvantaged.
I look at it this way: I’ve been given a head start in the race. I’m white, my parents were middle class. I received a decent public education and knew the police were there to protect me (not arrest me). I had tons of positive role models around and I was always expected to succeed. I didn’t ask for a head start. I didn’t need a head start – I’m a pretty fast runner – but I still got a head start. If I don’t acknowledge that and simply talk about what a great race I ran and how great the competition was it makes me kind of a dick towards all those other runners who had to start way behind me. They probably would have lost anyway, ‘cause I worked my ass off and ran as hard as I could. But still, I started with an unfair advantage. Even if there wasn’t any racism or sexism today, minorities and women would still be at a disadvantage because of the past – as an econ guy you should know that the effects of capital accumulation last for multiple generations, and I don't hear anyone denying that the past was definitely unfair.
But’s it’s not really fair today either – it’s not enough that African Americans started behind because of centuries of slavery, followed by Jim Crow laws and segregation, followed by racism and discrimination that left them woefully behind. There is a TON of data that shows racism is still prevalent and powerful today.
So my race course was level and open. Everyone cleared a path for the well-educated white guy to run through. I’ve never experienced any racism or sexism. But people of color face all kinds of obstacles – their health care is worse, their education is worse, they’re more likely to be viewed as responsible for their actions at a younger age and thus more likely to get suspended from schools and placed in juvenile detention. That’s before they even become adults. Then they have to deal with things like the fact that employers will more likely give an interview to a resume with a white sounding name than a minority one – even if it’s the exact same resume. They face a tougher time getting home loans – especially if they dare to live the American dream and move out of their poor black neighborhood into the suburbs. African Americans use drugs at about the same rate as whites but they’re three times more likely to be arrested for it. When the cops do show up, studies using simulations have shown that they are more likely to view black people as threats, they are quicker to use force, including lethal force, based on the color of their skin. Even if they do overcome those obstacles and make it to lucrative careers, they still get paid less. So, yeah, lots of obstacles that I haven’t had to face. Once again, if I talk about the race I’m winning, what a great runner I am and how fast my friends are, but ignore these differences, I’m only contributing to the problem.
Most people are decent people. Most of us who had a head start didn’t ask for it. Most of us are not actually putting up the obstacles in other people’s path, at least not consciously. We’ve got our heads down and we’re busy trying to run hard and get ahead fair and square. We’re good people. But is that really enough? If we refuse to acknowledge the unfairness in the system, if we brush off any complaints and point out that things are better than they used to be and they’re slowly getting better all the time, excuse me I’ve got to get back to running now - if that’s all we do then we’re complicit in letting unfairness perpetuate. The disadvantaged people don’t have a voice, at least it isn’t listened to as much as ours is, so I try to speak up for them. I don’t want to win at any cost. I have a really good life and I’m pretty far ahead. I can afford to wait to for them to catch up. Maybe even use my time to try to get a few of the obstacles out of their way. At the very least I can tone down my bragging about what a great race this is.
What you seem to consider negativity is what I consider being a gracious winner. Our country has done amazing things – but it was founded and built on slavery. We have innovated and revolutionized the world – but our tech industry would be much stronger if we actively engaged 50% of the population and allowed them to contribute fully.
Our system was created by a bunch of rich, white men. For centuries it was dominated and controlled by a bunch of rich, white men. If you look at the positions of power in industry and government today, the system is still run by an overwhelming majority of rich, white men. You may not want to use the word rigged, but it’s not coincidence. It’s not some cabal of evil super-villains sitting around a table deciding who gets ahead and who doesn’t; it’s thousands of tiny decisions influenced by those in power who are fighting for their own self-interest, just like they’re supposed to. It’s not the intention but the result that matters. The system is structured so some have a head start and face fewer obstacles and that disparity perpetuates itself so those who started ahead stay ahead and pass on their advantages to their children.
You and I are not rich and powerful, but we are certainly white men. We’re on that side of the system. If we say the system is fair enough, that it will get better without our help, that people shouldn’t be so negative, then we’re complicit in maintaining the status quo. We’re walking away with our gold medal and thanking the committee for putting on such a nice event. That's not right.
We might not agree on how best to fix the system. But I don’t think anyone who points out the problems – the factually true and well-evidenced problems – is being negative. Fighting for improvement, fighting for others who don’t have the privilege to be effective fighting for themselves is not negative, it’s the greatest tradition of this country. It’s why a bunch of rich, white men fought a revolution to create a system that would give more white men a chance to join in their prosperity. Continuing their struggle, expanding it to include women and people of color is not un-American but the very best part of what America is and can be. That’s why I ask you to reconsider your characterization of such comments as negative. I ask you to reconsider a blanket defense of the system as it currently exists. You’re a good person, probably a faster runner than I am, and I’m sure your voice will reach farther than mine. Take some time and consider what you want to say with it when you’re standing at the finish line.
