One thing is clear. The Black brand is damaged. As others have said, there are a lot of racial groups in the US and each has its own brand and the world; not just black and white. Each has its own brand. We use brands when we shop and make decisions to make better decisions based on incomplete information. I choose Tide bleach or Apple because of a complex set of experiences with that brand and product. Sometimes I see a new product like Uber and I begin to evaluate it (consciously and subconsciously) based on what information is available. Subtle connotations that the name or logo invoke, my feelings toward Silicon Valley product in general, my trust in the leader of the company of I read up a bit.
No racial brand is monolithic. People might also discriminate against a white person from Alabama in a job application process because... Or someone might discriminate against an Asian basketball player when selecting players for a team because... We say these are "stereotypes," in fact they are our perfectly natural process of making decisions based on insufficient info. We have to, have to, take these short cuts. If some subset of blacks, say a new black society was known to be zealously committed to personal discipline, family unity, education etc., we might find that, when listed on a job app, members of this society are chosen at higher rates.
No racial brand is monolithic. People might also discriminate against a white person from Alabama in a job application process because... Or someone might discriminate against an Asian basketball player when selecting players for a team because... We say these are "stereotypes," in fact they are our perfectly natural process of making decisions based on insufficient info. We have to, have to, take these short cuts. If some subset of blacks, say a new black society was known to be zealously committed to personal discipline, family unity, education etc., we might find that, when listed on a job app, members of this society are chosen at higher rates.
22
Mr. Kristof wants a "national discussion" on race, so long as it leads to liberal policy prescriptions that he prefers. For example, Mr. Kristof would never, ever want a "discussion" on the extent to which illegal immigration drives down wages for low-wage workers, thus predominantly harming blacks.
46
"The challenge is to recognize that unconscious bias afflicts us all — but that we just may be able to overcome it if we face it."
A very hopeful statement Mr. Kristof but we will never overcome "unconscious bias". It exists in every country, in every race, in every religion. What you seek is unattainable.
No matter our race or circumstances the fact is the buck stops with the parent. Being a descendant of slaves is a burden but in 2016 no child should be kept in emotional chains by parents who want society to make everything right. No, everything will not be made right, we must stand up for our children and make it right ourselves by helping them.
If we have not taken a few minutes every day to teach our preschool child his/her alphabet and numbers we should not expect a teacher to make up for our lack of parental love. If we have not taught our children respect for authority then we have irreparably harmed them. If we are not there for our children why should we expect others to be?
We must decide whether we want our children to live a life better than we have had it or not. If we want something better for them WE must give them the tools to make that happen. If our son or daughter enters preschool needing to be taught how to hold a pencil, it is our shame, our disgrace. If his clothing is unkempt he is orphan.
There will always be prejudice but that fact alone should not in itself ruin our children's lives; only we, their parents, can do that by not being a parent.
A very hopeful statement Mr. Kristof but we will never overcome "unconscious bias". It exists in every country, in every race, in every religion. What you seek is unattainable.
No matter our race or circumstances the fact is the buck stops with the parent. Being a descendant of slaves is a burden but in 2016 no child should be kept in emotional chains by parents who want society to make everything right. No, everything will not be made right, we must stand up for our children and make it right ourselves by helping them.
If we have not taken a few minutes every day to teach our preschool child his/her alphabet and numbers we should not expect a teacher to make up for our lack of parental love. If we have not taught our children respect for authority then we have irreparably harmed them. If we are not there for our children why should we expect others to be?
We must decide whether we want our children to live a life better than we have had it or not. If we want something better for them WE must give them the tools to make that happen. If our son or daughter enters preschool needing to be taught how to hold a pencil, it is our shame, our disgrace. If his clothing is unkempt he is orphan.
There will always be prejudice but that fact alone should not in itself ruin our children's lives; only we, their parents, can do that by not being a parent.
27
"When Nicholas Kristof just doesn't get it, Part One"
Mr. Kristof cites many (I assume accurate) statistics about inequality for blacks in America. He then makes an error in logic by assuming that racial prejudice is the "cause" of all of this inequality. When a highly intelligent man (like Mr. Kristof) makes the error of confusing correlation with causation it usually means he is looking for validation for his own pre-determined biased position.
"When Mr. Kristof just doesn't get it, Part Two"
The failure of black American culture is the primary reason for black inequality and ensuing anti-black prejudice and not the other way around. Other disadvantaged ethnic groups in America have overcome inequality and prejudice in one or two generations while black Americans appear to be moving at a much slower pace. A fair analysis of current black culture explains the recipe for failure. And just as an aside, why don't blacks use common white first names so they can better assimilate and avoid negative stereotyping when they apply for jobs?
Mr. Kristof cites many (I assume accurate) statistics about inequality for blacks in America. He then makes an error in logic by assuming that racial prejudice is the "cause" of all of this inequality. When a highly intelligent man (like Mr. Kristof) makes the error of confusing correlation with causation it usually means he is looking for validation for his own pre-determined biased position.
"When Mr. Kristof just doesn't get it, Part Two"
The failure of black American culture is the primary reason for black inequality and ensuing anti-black prejudice and not the other way around. Other disadvantaged ethnic groups in America have overcome inequality and prejudice in one or two generations while black Americans appear to be moving at a much slower pace. A fair analysis of current black culture explains the recipe for failure. And just as an aside, why don't blacks use common white first names so they can better assimilate and avoid negative stereotyping when they apply for jobs?
62
Mr Kristof again takes the easy route to lament the plight of blacks in America by blaming it on discrimination. Yet he mentions that 86 percent of blacks themselves, say family breakdowns are a reason for difficulties, and 77 percent cite lack of motivation as a cause of their living conditions. It would seem neither of these prominently listed factors is the result of discrimination. But Kristof never writes about this, and takes the paved route to the moral high ground by shifting the article to hiring preferences and poor schools, where white discrimination can be lambasted.
And it would seem that the mention that black babies are not breast fed as often, and that black families don't read to their children much , as cited by Mr. Kristof, have absolutely nothing to do with racial bias. Yet, he skips immediately to a study about resumes and hiring.
Maybe whites don't get it because they can't understand why blacks don't have better family structure, why blacks have "unwillingness to work hard", why their children are not breast fed or read to. And continuing to harp on well know biases is not going to solve the problem if the problem is black oriented in the first place, in the home. And shopworn articles like this do nothing to help this struggling group of Americans.
And it would seem that the mention that black babies are not breast fed as often, and that black families don't read to their children much , as cited by Mr. Kristof, have absolutely nothing to do with racial bias. Yet, he skips immediately to a study about resumes and hiring.
Maybe whites don't get it because they can't understand why blacks don't have better family structure, why blacks have "unwillingness to work hard", why their children are not breast fed or read to. And continuing to harp on well know biases is not going to solve the problem if the problem is black oriented in the first place, in the home. And shopworn articles like this do nothing to help this struggling group of Americans.
63
Thank you for another forward piece. Seems like we have a lot of deconstructing to do. Yes we all have biases but it cannot be more clear from these numbers that one group benefits from the bias either unconscious or conscious at the detriment to the other. So now what? More of what humans should be doing anyway, increase your awareness by learning more about the other rather than isolating oneself with prejudices. I still feel slavery did so so much damage to our nation. My black community was literally decimated (before it even could begin) and still reeling in from those pieces, like putting a shattered mirror back together. The slave owner still has overt and tacit influence over now institutions and everyday interactions. The abolitionist, thankfully, still exists, resisting the hate and building bridges. Is that is how it is and forever shall be? We must do our part in whatever we can in our microcosms to simply make it a better world for us all. If not for me, for my kids at least. We can at least try to get it right for them.
18
No doubt these statistics are true. Racism exists. We have a moral duty to confront and defeat it. In ourselves and our society. That will help by providing an environment within which all people can succeed.
Even in a perfectly balanced environment, individual decisions determine the outcome of individual lives. Excel in school. Complete education or training programs before having children. Do not have children out of wedlock or that you cannot afford. Delay gratification. Start saving early and keep doing it. Eat sparingly, watch your weight, your diet, and your exercise. Be nice. Always comply with the police. Don't lend what you can't afford to give. Work hard. Be faithful. Tell the truth. Be honest. Control your emotions. Keep learning.
Do those things, none of which have a racial component, and as an individual, you'll do okay regardless of the environment.
Combating racism is a shared responsibility. Individual success is not.
Even in a perfectly balanced environment, individual decisions determine the outcome of individual lives. Excel in school. Complete education or training programs before having children. Do not have children out of wedlock or that you cannot afford. Delay gratification. Start saving early and keep doing it. Eat sparingly, watch your weight, your diet, and your exercise. Be nice. Always comply with the police. Don't lend what you can't afford to give. Work hard. Be faithful. Tell the truth. Be honest. Control your emotions. Keep learning.
Do those things, none of which have a racial component, and as an individual, you'll do okay regardless of the environment.
Combating racism is a shared responsibility. Individual success is not.
24
The title of this article, while true, isn't helping, particularly among those who truly don't "get it". People like my parents, working class people who have fought so hard for everything in their life, balk when they hear the term white privilege. After I talked to them about it, they did understand. But how can we talk about this without accusations and guilt-inducing words? There really are good people out there, but articles like this are pushing them away. And the other side is all too ready to take them in.
36
Mr. Kristof said, 'The challenge is to recognize that unconscious bias afflicts us all — but that we just may be able to overcome it if we face it.'
Um, Nick, if it's unconscious, exactly how do we face it?
Instead of fantasy facing up, perhaps recognize that there is no such thing as free will, people can't help what they do, much less help what they think. We change when our behavior becomes painful enough, not out of 'choice.'
The good news is, one day all applications will be processed by machines, AI doesn't have unconscious biases. There won't be juries, the biased scourge of the judicial system, there will be a machine that takes in facts, evidence, and renders a judgment. It will be the end of the ponderous corporate appendix, the HR Dept. Eventually, it will be the end of politicians, the machine can run the country far better with less nonsense and waste than a gaggle of preposterous Congressmen. AI won't be programmed with biases, it can't be, it will learn as it goes, uncontaminated by human intervention.
If you think that sounds terrible, what is it you love so much about the sloppy, even malicious, system we have now?
Um, Nick, if it's unconscious, exactly how do we face it?
Instead of fantasy facing up, perhaps recognize that there is no such thing as free will, people can't help what they do, much less help what they think. We change when our behavior becomes painful enough, not out of 'choice.'
The good news is, one day all applications will be processed by machines, AI doesn't have unconscious biases. There won't be juries, the biased scourge of the judicial system, there will be a machine that takes in facts, evidence, and renders a judgment. It will be the end of the ponderous corporate appendix, the HR Dept. Eventually, it will be the end of politicians, the machine can run the country far better with less nonsense and waste than a gaggle of preposterous Congressmen. AI won't be programmed with biases, it can't be, it will learn as it goes, uncontaminated by human intervention.
If you think that sounds terrible, what is it you love so much about the sloppy, even malicious, system we have now?
Is there systemic racism in African countries that are predominantly black and ran by black leaders against other blacks and/or other ethnicities? Can that be considered racist or is it just discrimination? Isn't racism just a form of discrimination?
I think a complete world view on racism and understanding of countries like China with homogenous populations would help us better understand racism in humans. And then we can better tackle racism in American culture. Trying to "shame" whites and back "them" into a corner isn't going to work or produce the ultimate result Mr. Kirstoff is looking for. A majority of people in America do not read the NYtimes and they could care less about the stance of fomenting bad feelings about race. Yes, I believe in an honest debate that moves us forward and a lot of people want to keep just bringing up the past for political, economic or personal gain. How do we move forward when humans will exploit any situation for whatever reason that doesn't help move things forward?
The answer is generationally. Looking at this issue day after day is like a Mayor of a big city getting up year after year claiming that crime has gone down on their watch and because of them. Crime goes up and down as racism does. Communities change overtime and economics has a lot do with that. Are there poor white people? Are there poor black people? Should we decide who to help first or just help all "poor" people regardless of the color of their skin?
I think a complete world view on racism and understanding of countries like China with homogenous populations would help us better understand racism in humans. And then we can better tackle racism in American culture. Trying to "shame" whites and back "them" into a corner isn't going to work or produce the ultimate result Mr. Kirstoff is looking for. A majority of people in America do not read the NYtimes and they could care less about the stance of fomenting bad feelings about race. Yes, I believe in an honest debate that moves us forward and a lot of people want to keep just bringing up the past for political, economic or personal gain. How do we move forward when humans will exploit any situation for whatever reason that doesn't help move things forward?
The answer is generationally. Looking at this issue day after day is like a Mayor of a big city getting up year after year claiming that crime has gone down on their watch and because of them. Crime goes up and down as racism does. Communities change overtime and economics has a lot do with that. Are there poor white people? Are there poor black people? Should we decide who to help first or just help all "poor" people regardless of the color of their skin?
4
True story. My trainer is a white former Marine, his chest replete with decor for valor, after several tours of duty in Iraq. Despite all the talk about hiring veterans, he was finding it to be extremely difficult to find employment, although he has an outstanding undergraduate record from a top tier university. The problem was that he had few, if any, callbacks after sending out his resume over the course of many months. I reluctantly, with sadness, gave him this advice. Change the spelling of his name. He spelled it, J'son. Per my advice he changed it to Jason. And like magic, the callbacks, interviews, and a job. The lesson: do not appear black on paper if you want employment -- even if you are are great student and a decorated veteran of war. Cuts like a knife.
32
Another great article. I am excited to read "When Whites Don't Get It Part 12." Keep up the good work
3
Very well written. Author has made a very good point of accepting the responsibility and facing it. I don't think he is trying to say that whites are responsible for everything. He is simply asking to look beyond yourself and empathize with those who are not like you. As a woman from Pakistan I know what it means. I can easily talk about race, gender and other types of prejudice but I know very well that I have to take responsibility for my own cultural biases. In this day and age where we are all very well connected we need to understand and pay attention to these issues without getting trapped in victim mentality.
6
The NYtimes (and all political spheres) would do a great service to stop using labels. Labels like African American, Asian-American and Muslim-American. When can we all just be American? Or is that a dirty word also? The media and politics stir the pot by adding these labels. They need to have people divided so they can sell them something or steer them into voting a certain way. This country would do much better if those in power had to cycle out of power. Open primaries in all state and federal elections would help like minded people come together on their true ideas instead of the color of their skin. Each race has a way a shaming others who break from the norm. Think Uncle Tom.
I'm not impressed with the leaders on all sides of the isle and I've felt that Obama has not brought us closer together. I think Obama feels, along with Nicholas, that "white" people (which is an overtly, inherently and hypocritically racist way of labeling a majority of this country) need a thrashing to shame us into treating black people differently than white people. Wether that's giving them the benefit of doubt for whatever reason or feeling pity for them. That's patronizing and creates a special class of people that can be exploited by politicians for votes and the media to sell advertising.
Shame on you Nicholas for not having the courage to judge people by the content of their character and shame on Obama for not living up to his promise of bringing people of different races together.
I'm not impressed with the leaders on all sides of the isle and I've felt that Obama has not brought us closer together. I think Obama feels, along with Nicholas, that "white" people (which is an overtly, inherently and hypocritically racist way of labeling a majority of this country) need a thrashing to shame us into treating black people differently than white people. Wether that's giving them the benefit of doubt for whatever reason or feeling pity for them. That's patronizing and creates a special class of people that can be exploited by politicians for votes and the media to sell advertising.
Shame on you Nicholas for not having the courage to judge people by the content of their character and shame on Obama for not living up to his promise of bringing people of different races together.
19
All humans are biased by the multiple "tribes" we belong to--race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, economic status, education, where we live, what sports teams we root for, body type, height, weight. What one should notice immediately about this partial list is that every one of these "tribes" is accidental. We generally have no "choice" about which ones we belong to. When we analyze our "tribal" connections we can see how individuals who are not part of our "tribes" can easily be identified by us as "other". Our "hidden brains" (implicit biases) control more of our responses to "others" than we are comfortably willing to accept. Our "fast thinking", identified by behavioral economists and psychologists like Daniel Kahneman, has to be controlled by "slow thinking", a rational examination of issues and evidence that provides a check on our irrationality and feelings.
1
I just read your article in today's Times, as an African American male, age 68, I can relate to many of the pre-judgements stated in your article. I have been employed in my field for over thirty years. I enjoy some of the finer things in life. I earned it. But, it amazes me when people ask me "what do you do for a living". They can't understand, that this Black Man drives a Porsche, of all things. I've had white men, actually comment on how it "must be nice to drive a Porsche", then ask me "what do you do for a living What does my job have to do with it? I work everyday, just like them. Because I'm Black, I have to be pre-qualified before I can drive a Porsche. But, I don't pre-judge all white men because of a few that do pre-judge. My career path was helped along in many ways by white men and women, and without them, I wouldn't be where I am today. They didn't judge me by the color of my skin, or by the actions of others, they judge on my ability to perform my job. So, I don't pre-judge a group of people by the actions of a few, who just don't get it.
8
Sometimes racism is just an attempt to be rational.
At one time I managed a small business, a law firm. We had two staff people, who functioned as secretaries mostly. We hired a young black woman for this job, but she proved unsatisfactory (never showed up on time, didn't get much done when she did show up) so we fired her.
She immediately sued us for racial discrimination. The lawsuit never went anywhere, but fighting it cost us a lot of time and money.
So in the future when hiring for this position we never hired a black person again. If a white employee never showed up on time and was otherwise useless, we found that we could get rid of him or her relatively easily. We just did not have the resources to get into a fight every time we let someone go.
So were we racists? We were just trying to protect a small business.
At one time I managed a small business, a law firm. We had two staff people, who functioned as secretaries mostly. We hired a young black woman for this job, but she proved unsatisfactory (never showed up on time, didn't get much done when she did show up) so we fired her.
She immediately sued us for racial discrimination. The lawsuit never went anywhere, but fighting it cost us a lot of time and money.
So in the future when hiring for this position we never hired a black person again. If a white employee never showed up on time and was otherwise useless, we found that we could get rid of him or her relatively easily. We just did not have the resources to get into a fight every time we let someone go.
So were we racists? We were just trying to protect a small business.
59
What whites get is that can get a pack of black African Americans to do their dirty white supremacist work of black oppression for them. Both Cleveland and Baltimore had black mayors and police chiefs who excused and defended the cop murders of Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell.
See "The Mis-Education of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson; '" Invisible Man" Ralph Ellison; "The Souls of Black Folk" W.E.B. DuBois; Malcolm X on the parable of the house and field slave.
See "The Mis-Education of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson; '" Invisible Man" Ralph Ellison; "The Souls of Black Folk" W.E.B. DuBois; Malcolm X on the parable of the house and field slave.
2
A common enough theme in the comments section here and with most articles like this one - whites commenting that IF ONLY blacks would do X or Y...then their lot in life would improve. (eg; not having so many children out of marriage, and esp. dress/speak/act the way whites would prefer blacks to do.)
Now while the obvious case can be made that a shift in certain attitudes and behaviors can aid many people when seeking jobs, bank loans, school admissions, etc (talking in "street" vernaculars during any interview is not a good path for serious consideration for any race) - the underlying message seems to be; that IF ONLY blacks would do as we whites tell them, then our white prejudices and biases would lessen.
"Stop dressing a certain way, and we'd like you more. Stop speaking that way and we'd let you in our enclaves. Stop with the things that distress us whites and we'd be more forgiving towards you."
Which is just a means for many whites to keep pushing away from not only their deeply held prejudices, but those of the society around them, or the people they associate with, etc.
The fact that so many whites cant see (even after writing it down) that their message boils down to; "We cant let you in till you do what we say!" "I wont lessen my prejudices till You all stop doing, X and Y!" - is astonishing to me. Recognizing that whites demand of others membership qualifications that they dont always uphold (modes of dress, speech) is important to changing attitudes.
Now while the obvious case can be made that a shift in certain attitudes and behaviors can aid many people when seeking jobs, bank loans, school admissions, etc (talking in "street" vernaculars during any interview is not a good path for serious consideration for any race) - the underlying message seems to be; that IF ONLY blacks would do as we whites tell them, then our white prejudices and biases would lessen.
"Stop dressing a certain way, and we'd like you more. Stop speaking that way and we'd let you in our enclaves. Stop with the things that distress us whites and we'd be more forgiving towards you."
Which is just a means for many whites to keep pushing away from not only their deeply held prejudices, but those of the society around them, or the people they associate with, etc.
The fact that so many whites cant see (even after writing it down) that their message boils down to; "We cant let you in till you do what we say!" "I wont lessen my prejudices till You all stop doing, X and Y!" - is astonishing to me. Recognizing that whites demand of others membership qualifications that they dont always uphold (modes of dress, speech) is important to changing attitudes.
6
When my black co-worker divorced, he was hyper-conscious to remain a good dad, and not be "that guy." My Chicano neighbor was determined to keep his sons from ever fighting (and break the stereotype of being the modern day "fighting Irish"). A Jewish girlfriend in college was embarrassed by any of her friends who were "too Jewish" (I never quite understood what that meant). However spot-on or paranoid this type of self-consciousness might be, it's a similar lesson for whites. We need to break the stereotypes: stop being oblivious to our advantages, lose the sense of entitlement when we succeed, and abandon the anger and indignation toward others when we don't.
8
If whites don't get it, does media coverage play anything into it? After all, the only coverage I see anymore is controversy. Only local news seems to cover the black stories that aren't filled with police officer (more and more who are rejecting the "Uncle Tom" mentality in their communities) or violence or screaming demonstrators. The media doesn't ask Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson OR BLM why they are not outraged at the scourge of black on black violence, especially in Chicago.
Maybe whites don't get it because most of the blacks they know are law abiding citizens, but when the media reports only on the black white conflict, not the black black conflict or the white white conflict, prejudices are born, and solidified. The Washingtonpost did an interesting study of police shootings in 2015 and found that whites on average are shot more times by police than blacks, up to a 2::1 ratio if I recall Statistically, this is because whites are still a majority. It also showed that only 4% of unarmed shooting by police were black victims. This got zero coverage on the media outlets I regularly review.
The media has to admit it has a part in "Whites just don't get it."
Maybe whites don't get it because most of the blacks they know are law abiding citizens, but when the media reports only on the black white conflict, not the black black conflict or the white white conflict, prejudices are born, and solidified. The Washingtonpost did an interesting study of police shootings in 2015 and found that whites on average are shot more times by police than blacks, up to a 2::1 ratio if I recall Statistically, this is because whites are still a majority. It also showed that only 4% of unarmed shooting by police were black victims. This got zero coverage on the media outlets I regularly review.
The media has to admit it has a part in "Whites just don't get it."
10
The majority of the black community simply cannot get their act together, regardless of the money and resources thrown at it.
Much of what this article suggests such as family unity, working steady jobs and obeying the law are the most obscenely basic building blocks of being a successful person.
Why is it so hard for them?
Much of what this article suggests such as family unity, working steady jobs and obeying the law are the most obscenely basic building blocks of being a successful person.
Why is it so hard for them?
27
Nick, I'm retired NYPD (31 yrs) cop and I have some observations:
I've worked in precincts in Brooklyn where we experienced 'shots fired' in our streets literally every day. Later, I come home to a place on Long Island where gun shots (to best of my knowledge) have never been fired. Do you really think attitude, towards both places, remains unaffected?
In my work experience, I've personally experienced people murdered for the most of extreme frivolous issue like a 'dis', a parking spot, a fight over a female, random drive by's; but then again I go home to a place where I can't recall anyone ever murdered. Again, my attitude is unaffected?
My experience with some minority communities showed that while people were sensitive to perceptions, some true, of police brutality and related issues, some of the most outrageous conditions imaginable; drug bazaars, gangs that terrorize; streets that were shooting galleries where even small children were shot dead did not engender the outrage and insistence of strict law enforcement common to most communities, including where I live. Attitude?
I think I recognize the cause and effect on people historically robbed of body, mind and spirit and the painful consequences of being judged by other than personal charactor. Indeed I favor education based reparations to put this issue behind us once and forever, but to suggest that white America alone doesn't 'get it' subverts the complexity of this whole matter.
I've worked in precincts in Brooklyn where we experienced 'shots fired' in our streets literally every day. Later, I come home to a place on Long Island where gun shots (to best of my knowledge) have never been fired. Do you really think attitude, towards both places, remains unaffected?
In my work experience, I've personally experienced people murdered for the most of extreme frivolous issue like a 'dis', a parking spot, a fight over a female, random drive by's; but then again I go home to a place where I can't recall anyone ever murdered. Again, my attitude is unaffected?
My experience with some minority communities showed that while people were sensitive to perceptions, some true, of police brutality and related issues, some of the most outrageous conditions imaginable; drug bazaars, gangs that terrorize; streets that were shooting galleries where even small children were shot dead did not engender the outrage and insistence of strict law enforcement common to most communities, including where I live. Attitude?
I think I recognize the cause and effect on people historically robbed of body, mind and spirit and the painful consequences of being judged by other than personal charactor. Indeed I favor education based reparations to put this issue behind us once and forever, but to suggest that white America alone doesn't 'get it' subverts the complexity of this whole matter.
24
We get it. And its just fine.
4
Why is when articles are race are written, it is presented as if there are only two races? Perhaps because the acknowledgement of other races would add unwanted nuance and complexity to the debate. Asians and doing quite well in the halls of academia. Medical schools are filled with dark skinned south Asians. Systemic racism does not appear to be holding them back. What say ye to that?
25
If, with in the black community (within this CNN poll), "77 percent (OF BLACK PEOPLE) cited "lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard" as the reason for "African American difficulties", can ANY potential employer, OF ANY COLOR, be blamed for wanting to err on the side of caution?
28
Excellent article -- I teach 2 mandatory levels of writing composition at a local community college, and, while the intro level students are mostly black, the upper level students are mostly white (there are, of course, about 20% as many upper level courses as lower ones, because so many people drop out or 'defer graduation'). The ideas of the students who are black are just as good as those of the white students, but the grammar is massively worse -- to the point where, for example, many students use 'in' instead of 'and' because (I think, and I should say I am white and this may be my prejudice) they are writing sentences the way they would be spoken.
When I grade on ideas alone, the students score similarly. But is that really serving black students better later, when future employers come down on them for terrible grammar? My solution is to let everyone re-write for grammar as many times as they need, and to highlight all the mistakes -- even here, however, the black students are much more likely to simply accept failure and either scrape by with lower grades which do not reflect their ingenuity, or drop out. I do find that frank discussion with people in my classes allows for understanding and growth -- mostly on my part, although we have made strides in trying to counteract earlier problems with the education system without getting demoralized on both sides. Nicholas Kristof, in my experience, is right that we need to be honest with ourselves most of all.
When I grade on ideas alone, the students score similarly. But is that really serving black students better later, when future employers come down on them for terrible grammar? My solution is to let everyone re-write for grammar as many times as they need, and to highlight all the mistakes -- even here, however, the black students are much more likely to simply accept failure and either scrape by with lower grades which do not reflect their ingenuity, or drop out. I do find that frank discussion with people in my classes allows for understanding and growth -- mostly on my part, although we have made strides in trying to counteract earlier problems with the education system without getting demoralized on both sides. Nicholas Kristof, in my experience, is right that we need to be honest with ourselves most of all.
7
Us white peeps have linguistics problems, as the author stated. Here are 3:
The first one is that we think of "racism" as guys in white hats, and many of us just don't GET implicit racism (yes, I'm guilty of it, and so are you dear white griends).
We also don't understand non-human racism, called "systemic racism" that is, racism in the systems (courts, schools) of our culture.
Third, related to systemic racism, we benefit from the advantages of these systems. I, as a blonde white female, am constantly excused by police at stops, clerks at stores etc. (while sick, and on meds I walked out of Walgreens recently with a GALLON OF MILK and bag of hersheys kisses I neglected to pay for after picking up a prescription. Just wandered out. Amazing.) This is called WHITE PRIVILEGE but so many of us who don't feel "privileged" shut down when we hear this concept.
The first one is that we think of "racism" as guys in white hats, and many of us just don't GET implicit racism (yes, I'm guilty of it, and so are you dear white griends).
We also don't understand non-human racism, called "systemic racism" that is, racism in the systems (courts, schools) of our culture.
Third, related to systemic racism, we benefit from the advantages of these systems. I, as a blonde white female, am constantly excused by police at stops, clerks at stores etc. (while sick, and on meds I walked out of Walgreens recently with a GALLON OF MILK and bag of hersheys kisses I neglected to pay for after picking up a prescription. Just wandered out. Amazing.) This is called WHITE PRIVILEGE but so many of us who don't feel "privileged" shut down when we hear this concept.
6
Thank you Mr. Kristof for keeping the conversation going!
It's easy to say it once, twice, even six times. But we can't stop talking about this. As a white person who deeply understands what it means to be white and the remarkable/ridiculous amount of privilege this affords me, i recognize, every day, that i have to stay aware, stay conscious, and not deluded.
i can't agree with you more--"we fail these kids before they fail us." This would ideally be a refrain that your white readers keep in mind when they reply in such a strident fashion about not wanting to have to talk about race anymore. Do these readers imagine that Blacks and People of Color would have the option (albeit privilege) to suggest this?
Of course not. And therein lies the basis for what i believe you said with incredible clarity--this nation is suffering from way too much "smug white delusion!"
Keep writing Mr. Kristof. We need your voice. We need it to keep the dialogue going now, tomorrow, and the day and year after that.
A White New Yorker who is with you on this! Pam L
It's easy to say it once, twice, even six times. But we can't stop talking about this. As a white person who deeply understands what it means to be white and the remarkable/ridiculous amount of privilege this affords me, i recognize, every day, that i have to stay aware, stay conscious, and not deluded.
i can't agree with you more--"we fail these kids before they fail us." This would ideally be a refrain that your white readers keep in mind when they reply in such a strident fashion about not wanting to have to talk about race anymore. Do these readers imagine that Blacks and People of Color would have the option (albeit privilege) to suggest this?
Of course not. And therein lies the basis for what i believe you said with incredible clarity--this nation is suffering from way too much "smug white delusion!"
Keep writing Mr. Kristof. We need your voice. We need it to keep the dialogue going now, tomorrow, and the day and year after that.
A White New Yorker who is with you on this! Pam L
4
If you're wondering is Mr. Kristof is right in asserting that 'whites don't get it,' you need only scroll through the comments here to see that he is. Comment after comment after comment of white people bending over backwards to find some other logic-defying justification for ignoring the obvious. Thank-you, commenters! Thanks for the survey that tells us the real story.
8
Yet another column by a NY Times columnist eager to show Whites are biased against Blacks. My question. Does this column (and these columns) show:
a) a complete lack of understanding of research and statistics
b) a complete disregard of what a study actually shows
c) a willingness to cite any study that supposedly shows White racism, regardless of how flawed.
I don't know the answer, but I think it is probably a combination of all of the above.
All of the studies Nick cites here have serious flaws. One that he cites as providing robust evidence for prekindergarten doesn't even mention pre--K nor does it provide any stats.
The NBA study -- give me a break. The authors themselves put limitations on how you can interpret their data. And without taking into account the style with which players play -- as well as the positions -- who knows what that study shows. But once could hypothesize that many White players -- particularly those from Europe -- play farther away from the basket and perhaps with more discipline.
Moreover -- the fact that a follow up study didn't find evidence of bias means nothing more than they couldn't replicate the first. You have no evidence that being aware of our prejudices would lead to behavior change or that that's what happened in these two studies.
As for test score performance -- libs always scream racism and more funding -- but there are perhaps more proximal problems -- like parental involvement to name one.
Good grief.
a) a complete lack of understanding of research and statistics
b) a complete disregard of what a study actually shows
c) a willingness to cite any study that supposedly shows White racism, regardless of how flawed.
I don't know the answer, but I think it is probably a combination of all of the above.
All of the studies Nick cites here have serious flaws. One that he cites as providing robust evidence for prekindergarten doesn't even mention pre--K nor does it provide any stats.
The NBA study -- give me a break. The authors themselves put limitations on how you can interpret their data. And without taking into account the style with which players play -- as well as the positions -- who knows what that study shows. But once could hypothesize that many White players -- particularly those from Europe -- play farther away from the basket and perhaps with more discipline.
Moreover -- the fact that a follow up study didn't find evidence of bias means nothing more than they couldn't replicate the first. You have no evidence that being aware of our prejudices would lead to behavior change or that that's what happened in these two studies.
As for test score performance -- libs always scream racism and more funding -- but there are perhaps more proximal problems -- like parental involvement to name one.
Good grief.
27
Unfortunately when you go looking for something you usually find it. Humans are animals. We have emotions, instincts and we are all racist by nature. We want to be with people who look like us. It's a form of protection and survival. Imagine being in a crowd of black people as a white person while a warring tribe tries to slaughter your village. Do you think you would stick out like a sore thumb? And vice versa. Why do blacks want to live in and around a black community? Do they have that right? Why do whites want to live in and around a white community? Do they have that right? At what point do we draw the line at forced integration?
3
Yep....I get it I'm white and that makes me a bigot, a racist and just plain bad. This is so no matter who I am; what I do; what I support, I'm still a racist.
There seems to be a desire on the part of some to pit us against each other and I understand why. It keeps us fighting and the corporations get to walk away with the world. But who cares what I say I'm white and I'm a bigot.
I get that we all need to seek a different perspective on issues that may result from our own experiences. That's a good thing and I applaud it but I don't applaud the claim that only whites need this perspective adjustment.
But then I'm white and I'm a bigot, by definition.
There seems to be a desire on the part of some to pit us against each other and I understand why. It keeps us fighting and the corporations get to walk away with the world. But who cares what I say I'm white and I'm a bigot.
I get that we all need to seek a different perspective on issues that may result from our own experiences. That's a good thing and I applaud it but I don't applaud the claim that only whites need this perspective adjustment.
But then I'm white and I'm a bigot, by definition.
23
What is really going n here?? For the last 7 years you didn't hear much about race. Now it is all over the NYT's every day. I am really tired of everyone painting each white as a racist. Cannot we please remember that many white people voted for our first black president. We should also note, that blacks in America do better than any other large group of blacks in the world. When will the press allow us to look at a person not as black or white, but as a person......
21
I'm struck by the part of the article that says "86 percent of blacks said family breakdown was a reason for difficulties of African-Americans today, and 77 percent cited “lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard.”. These things have NOTHING whatsoever to do with white folks! This is just another "Blame Whitey" article which the facts disprove. The black communities have to justify or (preferably) remove the part of their society that lambasts the young for working hard in school because it makes them "white" and, worse yet, glorifies ghetto ad thug culture. They *will not* see the advances they want unless and until they put the work into themselves. They and they alone are responsible for the failures of their relationships and failure to develop a good work ethic.
17
Let's start with education. From 1st - 12th Grades, a child spends roughly 15% of their life in the class room. It wasn't until the Carter administration that the U.S. Department of Education was formed.
Who elects state and federal House of Representative members for districts?
How is funding meted out for education dollars on a state and federal a level?
In Texas, since there is no state income tax - and one in NOT needed because it is generates jobs and revenue, I believe education is funded by local property taxes. This presents an unfortunate conundrum and must be supplemented by the Feds.
Yes, we ALL have an unintentional bias. Having worked as an Assistant Investigator at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and not only investigated allegations of discrimination but taken 100s of charges from individuals who are making the allegations. Regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, religion, age, veteran status, disability, etc., absent of presenting "proof" a discriminatory act took place when filing the charge, it will not be investigated; YET, the individual will receive a "Right to Sue" letter.
Who elects state and federal House of Representative members for districts?
How is funding meted out for education dollars on a state and federal a level?
In Texas, since there is no state income tax - and one in NOT needed because it is generates jobs and revenue, I believe education is funded by local property taxes. This presents an unfortunate conundrum and must be supplemented by the Feds.
Yes, we ALL have an unintentional bias. Having worked as an Assistant Investigator at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and not only investigated allegations of discrimination but taken 100s of charges from individuals who are making the allegations. Regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, religion, age, veteran status, disability, etc., absent of presenting "proof" a discriminatory act took place when filing the charge, it will not be investigated; YET, the individual will receive a "Right to Sue" letter.
2
Who is responsible for NYT Picks? There are so many racist assumptions and suggestion in those comments that it is unconscionable, and I hope that the Public Editor sees this comment. I do not have time to address them one by one, but I just want to remind anyone who may have forgotten that the vast majority of African Americans in this country were brought here as slaves: generation after generation of families separated, prevented from being educated, having the right to accumulate zero wealth. If you think that it is at all reasonable to compare the state of the African-American community with the state of immigrant communities who arrived here by choice (and who, of course, also faced unbelievably odds and discrimination), you are, quite frankly, insane. WHY do people lack motivation? Because of what they believe their possibilities are. Immigrants come to this country believing it offers them great possibility. America told black people FOR CENTURIES that there is no possibility here for them. And it demonstrated that to them pretty convincingly. Black people are not defective. In fact, it is a miracle that the black community is as *healthy as it is, given the abuse it has historically faced in this country.
8
This mythical "conversation" we are always instructed to have is a two-way street. Is there entrenched and unconscious racism biased against blacks?
Yes, without doubt.
And that's where the "conversation" usually ends along with some smug "mission accomplished" type fanfare from the people commanding the "conversation" take place.
There is another part to the "conversation" that needs to happen: the black community must admit that there is a lot of work they, and they alone, must do before we can begin to talk about how much more the rest of us have to do. The number one cause for black men before middle age is other black men. It's not white Mr. Smith pulling the trigger or Mrs. Rodriguez from down the block stabbing someone for a cellphone--it's the young men who are reflexively defended by their communities (see Florida home invader shot to death and defended by sister "how else is he going to get money for shoes?!") or Mike Brown being held up as the new Christ after being shown choking a man with practiced ease to steal some cigarillos minutes before his fateful police encounter.
The black community needs to stop kowtowing to "nothing is your fault" infantalizing influences like the "reverends" and start making some big changes to basic family life before I'm willing have any more "conversations" about their issues.
Yes, without doubt.
And that's where the "conversation" usually ends along with some smug "mission accomplished" type fanfare from the people commanding the "conversation" take place.
There is another part to the "conversation" that needs to happen: the black community must admit that there is a lot of work they, and they alone, must do before we can begin to talk about how much more the rest of us have to do. The number one cause for black men before middle age is other black men. It's not white Mr. Smith pulling the trigger or Mrs. Rodriguez from down the block stabbing someone for a cellphone--it's the young men who are reflexively defended by their communities (see Florida home invader shot to death and defended by sister "how else is he going to get money for shoes?!") or Mike Brown being held up as the new Christ after being shown choking a man with practiced ease to steal some cigarillos minutes before his fateful police encounter.
The black community needs to stop kowtowing to "nothing is your fault" infantalizing influences like the "reverends" and start making some big changes to basic family life before I'm willing have any more "conversations" about their issues.
28
I wonder if Nicholas Kristof has ever considered that his own success may be due to white privilege that denied a qualified minority opportunities he's had.
8
The irony of a white Harvard man explaining--in a series running to 6 parts-- what white people don't get about the black experience to a white majority readership of an elite newspaper is of course lost on Kristof. To use the jargon, isn't this "white privilege," "mansplaining," and "cultural appropriation" all in one?
24
First of all, almost all Americans feel that they are second class citizens or worse. We easily find reasons to blame “outsiders” or “others” for our problems and those of our country, although most of us concede that we and our parents made some mistakes. We want to think that the country is on a steady uphill course or could be. We don’t understand limits, limits to how many people and how much discarded junk the planet can support, let alone climate change and the way that educational differences shape adult lives.
Most of us respond well to good attitudes, positive helping attitudes that extend outside our own ethnic enclave. The day is long past when writers, except possibly some fiction writers and poets, can be models for us. Writers and television can stir us up and make us angry. I grew up in East Texas and attended segregated schools. I knew black kids by name but never went into their homes nor they into mine. I don’t think it’s useful to call people racists unless you want to make them angry. I understand why Mr K is reluctant to lecture blacks but doesn’t see that lecturing other groups rarely has positive effects. I think that setting an example of kindness and respect for all people and to animals is the best we can do, although it doesn’t make a big splash. Our media built up Donald Trump and his ways long before 2015. They praise American culture and American history in often mindless fashion. They do more harm than good.
Most of us respond well to good attitudes, positive helping attitudes that extend outside our own ethnic enclave. The day is long past when writers, except possibly some fiction writers and poets, can be models for us. Writers and television can stir us up and make us angry. I grew up in East Texas and attended segregated schools. I knew black kids by name but never went into their homes nor they into mine. I don’t think it’s useful to call people racists unless you want to make them angry. I understand why Mr K is reluctant to lecture blacks but doesn’t see that lecturing other groups rarely has positive effects. I think that setting an example of kindness and respect for all people and to animals is the best we can do, although it doesn’t make a big splash. Our media built up Donald Trump and his ways long before 2015. They praise American culture and American history in often mindless fashion. They do more harm than good.
It seems incredibly difficult to distill the problems faced by 40 million people into an article. Even a series of articles. It seems similarly difficult to ascribe the cause of those problems to tens of millions of other individuals.
Where is that line between the actions of the individual within their own life and the failure of all those around that person? How can anyone begin to meaningfully draw that line? It is, frankly, absurd to even try.
One small study shows 'black' named individuals are less likely to get a call back for a job. But does it even really show that? Or does it show that in a small number of cases a set of people were not called back? How can we know the motivations of the person who called, or didn't call, back?
Maybe one of the best indicators that we are achieving a more racially just country is that 'whites' are less likely to think 'blacks' are discriminated against. Doesn't this indicate that more 'whites' are viewing 'blacks' as equal? Equal in ability. Equal in the view of society?
We will never be able to achieve equality in outcome. It is too dependent upon factors that our society, for good reason, doesn't control (and cannot). We will never be able to guarantee that everyone will get that call back. What we are getting much better at is guaranteeing that equality of opportunity. It is worth noting that people are, now, in the position of not getting that call back. Before they wouldn't have even applied- or been able.
Where is that line between the actions of the individual within their own life and the failure of all those around that person? How can anyone begin to meaningfully draw that line? It is, frankly, absurd to even try.
One small study shows 'black' named individuals are less likely to get a call back for a job. But does it even really show that? Or does it show that in a small number of cases a set of people were not called back? How can we know the motivations of the person who called, or didn't call, back?
Maybe one of the best indicators that we are achieving a more racially just country is that 'whites' are less likely to think 'blacks' are discriminated against. Doesn't this indicate that more 'whites' are viewing 'blacks' as equal? Equal in ability. Equal in the view of society?
We will never be able to achieve equality in outcome. It is too dependent upon factors that our society, for good reason, doesn't control (and cannot). We will never be able to guarantee that everyone will get that call back. What we are getting much better at is guaranteeing that equality of opportunity. It is worth noting that people are, now, in the position of not getting that call back. Before they wouldn't have even applied- or been able.
2
Dear Commenters and Kristof? My final submission. Am I correct in believing that you really like the non-scientific, non-logical US Census Bureau system for classifying my fellow Americans? Seems to me that you find it very convenient to see a white monolithic group against a black monolithic group and vice versa. Am I right?
The odd thing is that Kristof and Blow seem always be referring only to one of three so called black ethnicities, the one called African American. Neither Kristof nor Blow ever writes about American blacks with roots in the Caribbean or with roots in Africa (recent 1st or 2d generation immigrants. At least Charles Blow admitted that recently, stating that he only writes about African Americans but Kristof never even acknowledges this.
Would like to see replies to my question.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
The odd thing is that Kristof and Blow seem always be referring only to one of three so called black ethnicities, the one called African American. Neither Kristof nor Blow ever writes about American blacks with roots in the Caribbean or with roots in Africa (recent 1st or 2d generation immigrants. At least Charles Blow admitted that recently, stating that he only writes about African Americans but Kristof never even acknowledges this.
Would like to see replies to my question.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
7
stop focusing on color
focus on income inequality
it's a red herring
focus on income inequality
it's a red herring
15
On my good days, I think the current hostility and violence against "minorities" (in quotes because whites are really not the majority) are the birth pangs of a new world order, and the last, doomed, desperate gasp of the end days of white privilege as frightened whites lay out their end game.
On my bad days, I worry that the entrenched power structures will never be dismantled, and the world will simply trade one for another, permitting some yet to be defined minority (whoever the haves get to be) to retain access to rank and privilege forever.
Thank you, Nick Kristof, for highlighting these inequities. Today it's race and class. But it will likely never be over. Those with power will always do whatever it takes to retain it. Keep up the fight.
On my bad days, I worry that the entrenched power structures will never be dismantled, and the world will simply trade one for another, permitting some yet to be defined minority (whoever the haves get to be) to retain access to rank and privilege forever.
Thank you, Nick Kristof, for highlighting these inequities. Today it's race and class. But it will likely never be over. Those with power will always do whatever it takes to retain it. Keep up the fight.
3
Good column. Years ago I noticed my bias regarding race and gender. The only way to change it was to consciously make choices that went agent my initial response. After a while I trained myself to make more evenly balanced choices.
3
I agree with 80% of this; it's an excellent reminder of what white people often forget. I strongly disagree with the dishonesty of Kristof's elision: "That’s understandable after the shootings of unarmed blacks". Inflammatory argument by anecdote that leaves so much out.
Elite white liberal racist condescension toward the black community is not an issue well-tackled in these pages, but I think it's just an odious phenomenon in 2016 America as right-wing racism is.
Thousands more black lives are now being lost due to PC exaggerations about the police that effectively shut down policing in the hardest-hit neighborhoods -- those lives seem incidental to Kristof is his liberal obsession with painting the Police vs. Black People as a gladiatorial spectacle (he does this in many other columns, if only in this single irresponsible phrase here). He would intestinally oppose stop-frisk or broken-windows policing even if thousands of lives rested on their staying in place: How utterly cowardly.
The media will spend months on Ferguson, trying to make Michael Brown into a tacit archetype for African-Americans, while privately they would never tell their own sons and daughters it's okay to resist arrest or try to take an officer's gun.
Our society failed Michael Brown in its education system, long before his zero-sum encounter with a cop that fateful day. Our media is failing this country by inflaming racial tensions, every chance they get. African-Americans will lose the most.
Elite white liberal racist condescension toward the black community is not an issue well-tackled in these pages, but I think it's just an odious phenomenon in 2016 America as right-wing racism is.
Thousands more black lives are now being lost due to PC exaggerations about the police that effectively shut down policing in the hardest-hit neighborhoods -- those lives seem incidental to Kristof is his liberal obsession with painting the Police vs. Black People as a gladiatorial spectacle (he does this in many other columns, if only in this single irresponsible phrase here). He would intestinally oppose stop-frisk or broken-windows policing even if thousands of lives rested on their staying in place: How utterly cowardly.
The media will spend months on Ferguson, trying to make Michael Brown into a tacit archetype for African-Americans, while privately they would never tell their own sons and daughters it's okay to resist arrest or try to take an officer's gun.
Our society failed Michael Brown in its education system, long before his zero-sum encounter with a cop that fateful day. Our media is failing this country by inflaming racial tensions, every chance they get. African-Americans will lose the most.
12
I spent just over a year doing business development consulting for the owner of a very successful business. The company provides great benefits and has unusually loyal employees. But of 900 employees, mostly in trucking and warehousing that don't require special skills or training, there is not one Black employee. This being in spite of there being a majority minority city just twenty miles away and in spite of Black candidates applying for jobs on a regular basis. The only Latinos are the two women cleaning the bathrooms. Anyone who says that Blacks are systematically denied economic opportunities is either lying or lying to themselves. It makes me sad for America.
6
If we talk about race and culture then the striking disparities between black and Asian achievement should be noted too. An article in the NYT laid out that in a couple of New York model public schools they students are predominantly Asian, rather than black, though they come from similar economic backgrounds. One reason is the cultural emphasis on education and advancement. Mr. Kristof admits a reluctance to criticise black culture. I think that is entirely misplaced. If black Americans make demands on the rest of Americans, then surely the mainstream culture has a legitimate right to discuss which faults are at society's doorstep and which are part of black America's fabric. While racism surely plays a part, for pure economic effect it might help if the black community starts fixing the things they have the power to fix: focus on educational achievement and stable families, - after all divorce and out of wedlock birth are not a legal requirement, as Asian Americans aptly show.
13
I live in a poor, highly diverse neighborhood. Since all the students come from the same general economic strata and go to the same high school, much of the criticism of this article does not apply. Still some student groups are successful and other are not, why? My observations on successful students -
Two parent households.
Education is a priority.
The parents model good behavior.
The parents set rules and enforce them.
The parents are involved in their children's lives.
The parents make use of community resources, like before and after school programs.
Being poor is tough, everything takes longer, the resources are not there that people in more affluent neighborhoods take for granted, and then there is the 'street.'
Raising a child to be a righteous adult is a full time, all consuming job. Good schools are a key part, but they cannot do it alone. If the child's parents are not involved, do not walk the talk, and set standards, no amount of educational programs will over come the example set at home.
That is not discrimination, that is life.
Two parent households.
Education is a priority.
The parents model good behavior.
The parents set rules and enforce them.
The parents are involved in their children's lives.
The parents make use of community resources, like before and after school programs.
Being poor is tough, everything takes longer, the resources are not there that people in more affluent neighborhoods take for granted, and then there is the 'street.'
Raising a child to be a righteous adult is a full time, all consuming job. Good schools are a key part, but they cannot do it alone. If the child's parents are not involved, do not walk the talk, and set standards, no amount of educational programs will over come the example set at home.
That is not discrimination, that is life.
26
Racism is a joke. The statistics lie. Analyzing our generational race division is really easy. The lines between races have never before in history been more permeable. The focus on who can get a job rather than identifying the displaced youth committing acts of domestic terrorism is tragic and weak. There is no other statistical target than the make up of male inmates overcrowding the penal colony to look at and reverse.
The multitude of cross dressed marital bliss will more than displace racial divisions. Enough with the finger pointing backward looking remorse and retribution.
Racism is a joke.
The multitude of cross dressed marital bliss will more than displace racial divisions. Enough with the finger pointing backward looking remorse and retribution.
Racism is a joke.
1
I am reminded of vigorously racist opposition to low income housing in the very liberal cities (ca. 80% for Obama) of Seattle, WA and Amherst, MA. Political action stopped the housing in Seattle but Amherst lost a 10-year court fight and had to accept about 30 units. These are examples that "racism without racists" is largely incorrect. The liberals of these cites rose up as open racists as soon as soon as it looked like blacks might come to their neighborhoods. They are non-racist only when there are no blacks around.
13
One of the examples given is that people with highly racialized named are less likely to get call backs then those with more neutral names. Does think reflect racism or legitimate concerns. All through our nations history people of all backgrounds and cultures have come here and often changed their names to more Americanized ones and given their children similiar names. It was a part of the melting pot experience. If instead some people wish to adopt names which intentionally point out their differences does that also also suggest someone who may not fit in other ways? It seems like some of these problems are at least partially self inflicted.
10
I think every person should take a couple years of one's life and serve in communities of a race unfamiliar to them. I did this and it broadened my understanding of the issues involved. It might temper such articles as this one...that though well-intentioned, regurgitate the results of studies and data, but evidence nor report any personal engagement with the humans involved. Such writings as this article, honestly. They dehumanize black folk, and do nothing to allay the sometimes warranted sometimes not, fear and mistrust that whites harbor against black people, people with faces, names, and stories. Black folk who have lives to to share. If only whites would get out of their offices and cubicles and deadlines and get down in the streets and homes and neighborhoods We might get more progress.
2
Here's how it works -
As you leave for work in the morning, you pass by your doorman. - You smile and say, "Good morning Willie" -- He replies with a smile, "Good morning Mr. Armstead."
Next, you stop in to buy your coffee at the usual place, from the nice young lady behind the counter. - As she hands you the coffee, you say - "Good morning Rosa, and how are you today?" - She smiles and replies, "I'm just great Mrs. Eddlestein. And how are you?"
Feeling great about yourself, you now walk into the lobby of your office building, where you must pass the security guard. As you swipe your security card, you smile and say, "Hey George - what about those Knicks?'" - And he replies, "Gee, I don't know Mr. Richards, they need help."
You exit the elevator, and run into one of the maintenance men - dressed in his blue uniform and carrying some tools. - "Hi Roberto", you say - "Can you stop by my office later, one of the vents is clogged" -- He smiles and replies, "No problem Ms. Davis, I'll stop by later this morning".
On the way to your office, you pass by Accounting, saying "good morning" to Denise, Shawniqua and Carlos. They all return your greeting with, "Good Morning Mr Lieberman".
Later, you stop by the mail room to ask Jimmy for a Fed Ex box - He smiles and replies, "Sure Mrs Cantor".
Now - you head for your executive committee meeting - but somehow there's nobody named Willie, Rosa, Jimmy or Shawniqua sitting at the big conference table --
As you leave for work in the morning, you pass by your doorman. - You smile and say, "Good morning Willie" -- He replies with a smile, "Good morning Mr. Armstead."
Next, you stop in to buy your coffee at the usual place, from the nice young lady behind the counter. - As she hands you the coffee, you say - "Good morning Rosa, and how are you today?" - She smiles and replies, "I'm just great Mrs. Eddlestein. And how are you?"
Feeling great about yourself, you now walk into the lobby of your office building, where you must pass the security guard. As you swipe your security card, you smile and say, "Hey George - what about those Knicks?'" - And he replies, "Gee, I don't know Mr. Richards, they need help."
You exit the elevator, and run into one of the maintenance men - dressed in his blue uniform and carrying some tools. - "Hi Roberto", you say - "Can you stop by my office later, one of the vents is clogged" -- He smiles and replies, "No problem Ms. Davis, I'll stop by later this morning".
On the way to your office, you pass by Accounting, saying "good morning" to Denise, Shawniqua and Carlos. They all return your greeting with, "Good Morning Mr Lieberman".
Later, you stop by the mail room to ask Jimmy for a Fed Ex box - He smiles and replies, "Sure Mrs Cantor".
Now - you head for your executive committee meeting - but somehow there's nobody named Willie, Rosa, Jimmy or Shawniqua sitting at the big conference table --
1
WE'RE ALL AFRICANS The latest archeological findings about the earliest human remains found were from Africa, just as was the case with the last discovery of the now displaced earliest remains. That makes a strong case that we're all Africans if we go back far enough. So let's get over ourselves and move forward! As an educator who has worked for many years with mostly African American students and families, I have sadly noted that there are many cases in which very early stimulation and attachment are disrupted or minimal, as is the case with the prenatal environment they are exposed to. Brain science has shown that the prenatal period and first year of life are crucial to healthy brain development. So any programs that begin after the mothers first know they are pregnant are too late. In Denmark, when a women is pregnant, the local visiting nurse goes to her home to see how she is physically and emotionally and whether she has adequate food, clothing and shelter. Then she introduces the newly-expectant mother to other recent or expectant mothers in the area who meet as groups from then on. Here in the US there is, by contrast, an enormous amount of social isolation. The only time medical people are in the home is for the first well baby visit. If women are in financial need then they get some support, both monetary and emotional. But it's not home-based, but center. based Support groups, if they form, are temporary. We in the US have a lot of catching up to do.
4
While Kristof is entirely justified in keeping a focus on problems faced by Blacks, he does a disservice to his own cause by too readily speaking of "whites." Differences among whites are not merely semantic or trivial. They are relevant, if what we actually want is to make progress rather than simply bemoan the present or feel good because we are "right" in our judgment.
There are often substantive differences between rural and urban whites, poor and middle class whites, older and younger whites, those with a real economic future and those with none. While you cannot successfully deal with problems peculiar to the Black community without considering it as a whole, it is wrong to assume a simple race-based analysis and not consider class, demographics, and other non-racial elements, when trying to develope policies that are both effective and politically feasible.
Too often liberals prefer being right to being effective. Reality is complex and democracy is messy. That is not an excuse for maintaining the status quo; to the contrary. it is a necessary recognition in order to effect meaningful progress.
There are often substantive differences between rural and urban whites, poor and middle class whites, older and younger whites, those with a real economic future and those with none. While you cannot successfully deal with problems peculiar to the Black community without considering it as a whole, it is wrong to assume a simple race-based analysis and not consider class, demographics, and other non-racial elements, when trying to develope policies that are both effective and politically feasible.
Too often liberals prefer being right to being effective. Reality is complex and democracy is messy. That is not an excuse for maintaining the status quo; to the contrary. it is a necessary recognition in order to effect meaningful progress.
8
It's my impression that minority group members who have overcome the obstacles to personal success have absorbed an absolute refusal to indulge in self-pity or any "excuses" for failing. The nurturing of this strong character trait is something from which the whining class of white people who blame affirmative action for their problems probably would benefit.
4
It seems to me your logic is somewhat lacking due to the fact that you make so many assumptions. The studies you cite don't list the race/gender of the person receiving the resume and/or processing the rental application, etc. These key pieces of information are critical to keep perspective.
Your basic argument is flawed since you cite blacks but not Hispanics or Asians. Why not add other minority groups to this article? Oh wait, these groups of people aren't waiting around for someone to give them something or tell them their lives matter or hold their hands and lead them to a "safe place" on some college campus.
The reality is that human nature is racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. etc. etc. Why is that? That is the central question not why do people discriminate against blacks. You are a theoretician and that is your biggest strength and greatest weakness. Again, it is telling that you leave Asians and Hispanics out of your article and you fail to take into account the history of this county regarding racism and bigotry against fellow Europeans. I also note you do not list anything in here about racism against Jews or Catholics.
Perhaps some more real world experience and less living in the echo chamber and your article might be more well-rounded and encompassing.
Your basic argument is flawed since you cite blacks but not Hispanics or Asians. Why not add other minority groups to this article? Oh wait, these groups of people aren't waiting around for someone to give them something or tell them their lives matter or hold their hands and lead them to a "safe place" on some college campus.
The reality is that human nature is racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. etc. etc. Why is that? That is the central question not why do people discriminate against blacks. You are a theoretician and that is your biggest strength and greatest weakness. Again, it is telling that you leave Asians and Hispanics out of your article and you fail to take into account the history of this county regarding racism and bigotry against fellow Europeans. I also note you do not list anything in here about racism against Jews or Catholics.
Perhaps some more real world experience and less living in the echo chamber and your article might be more well-rounded and encompassing.
10
I agree with everything you say. However, despite the fact that you quote a Latino sociologist, you say nothing about discrimination against Latinos. My wife is a Mexican Immigrant, speaks with a Mexican accent, and has brown skin. I have witnessed first hand overt racism. From upscale retailers refusing to serve my wife (Until I arrive, then things change), to the police being overly aggressive with traffic enforcement. African Americans have been, and are mistreated in the United States. So are Latinos and other people of color.
5
Thank you.
1
A very insightful article. Thank you. I believe a large measure of the problem is, as you noted, a lack of dialogue regarding race in this country. In keeping with that thought, I wonder if language is part of the problem. As a white person I am often at a loss as to how to refer to a black person. As I write this, I find myself concerned with writing the term "black" person and whether it will be offensive to some. If there is to be an honest dialogue about race we need to start with acceptable language. A small point I admit but one that has to be considered.
In my opinion, there is no doubt that there is still a considerable amount racial bias in this country. Articles such as this can and will remind us that we still have a very long way to go in solving this problem.
In my opinion, there is no doubt that there is still a considerable amount racial bias in this country. Articles such as this can and will remind us that we still have a very long way to go in solving this problem.
3
People like Mr. Kristof always act as if there are only two races, probably because the acknowledgement of other races adds unwanted nuance and complexity to the debate. How do you explain the success of other races? Asians are doing astonishing well in school. What say you to that Mr. Kristof?
9
I'm waiting for Mr. Kristof and his fans to leap to the defense of workers over 55, or to the defense of people discriminated against on the basis of looks and "hotness" deficiency. When will those columns be published?
17
The real danger in ignoring the prevalence of casual or implicit racism is that it could turn us into an inward-looking society. While the former is harder to tackle, the latter is somewhat more treatable. Either way, the real danger is in ignorance, in sins of omission, in forgetting that we are not islands, but that we interact with many more people around us - whether we notice this or not. The danger of racism is that many subtler interactions (how we look at someone, whether we cross the street to avoid walking by someone, how quickly we make judgements about another person, etc) can perpetuate and exacerbate issues at hand. Racism, like many other tribal-emotional levers (xenophobia being another big one), can easily create pockets of inward looking groups in society. This only leads towards greater ignorance, intolerance and disunity. This is the darker path. Seeing how some of these issues are currently live in this election season, isn't it a good time to ask whether we want to be seen as a nation led by someone mindful rather than by someone ignorant who builds strength on disunity? The principle that made us a great nation was centered on the idea of "E Pluribus Unum"... the path we should be looking for must seek to unite, not divide... and one way to unity is to be more patient, mindful, understanding and tolerant. Want a short prescription: Stop watching news/opinion shows on TV.
1
If you send out whites and blacks "armed" with similar (and bogus?) resumes to apply for jobs and the objective of the study is to prove bias,
and the participants know it, could it be that the white participants make a real effort to make a good impression and get a call back while the blacks don't, and viola?
But not to worry. Raising the minimum wage to $15 will surely make it much easier for black high school graduates and even dropouts to find work in NYC.
and the participants know it, could it be that the white participants make a real effort to make a good impression and get a call back while the blacks don't, and viola?
But not to worry. Raising the minimum wage to $15 will surely make it much easier for black high school graduates and even dropouts to find work in NYC.
6
Kristof has laid out the reasons that Trump is doing so well. Most Americans are very tired of being lectured by the NYT and others of its ilk.
13
The author ignores the fact that blacks subject whites to the same bias. If this discussion is to be had and to be meaningful, blacks must make the same conscientious effort suggested by the author
12
What a sobering reality check. Thank you! The play of the collective unconscious on our modern world is ferociously hurtful to so many of us--all of us. The layers to the nature-nurture equation are even more complex and wondrous than ever imagined, but the disparities that show up in our everyday lives daunting and frightfully numbing.
There is unconscious racism and "rational" racism. If you're walking down the street and a group of black male (even female if one believes news reports) are coming toward you, is it rational or racist to cross the street? If your apartment building, mostly white, starts letting gov't subsidized black families in, and quality of life deteriorates, more noise, urine in elevators, etc, is it racist to decide to move? If your local school has black students bused in and white families flee in droves, as happened in the Bronx and Yonkers, NY are you a racist if you move because you see property values going down, are you racist? Unfortunately good intentions by gov't has unintended consequences. Schools are now more segregated than before busing began.
I get it, but I also have to protect my investment and my family, so I guess you can call me a racist, but I'll add "rational' before that term.
Very complicated.
I get it, but I also have to protect my investment and my family, so I guess you can call me a racist, but I'll add "rational' before that term.
Very complicated.
15
The real problem is that Whites 'get it'. Because in this country, Whites get everything.
Maybe if they didn't get the job, or the house, or the chance to advance with the same set of skills as somebody else, THEN they would 'get it'.
Maybe if they weren't allowed to sit at lunch counters, or vote, or had to endure the shame and degradation of years of being enslaved to build a country where they were still seen and treated as second class citizens, THEN they would 'get it'.
Maybe if they were lynched, and shot, and forced to sit at the back of the bus, they would 'get it'.
But of course, they will read no further than the title of this article and think; "I get it." Because, Whites get it.
Maybe if they didn't get the job, or the house, or the chance to advance with the same set of skills as somebody else, THEN they would 'get it'.
Maybe if they weren't allowed to sit at lunch counters, or vote, or had to endure the shame and degradation of years of being enslaved to build a country where they were still seen and treated as second class citizens, THEN they would 'get it'.
Maybe if they were lynched, and shot, and forced to sit at the back of the bus, they would 'get it'.
But of course, they will read no further than the title of this article and think; "I get it." Because, Whites get it.
3
Article title: Whites Just Don't Get It.
Evidence: Defensive comments about why it's not so.
But it's not only that white people themselves don't see the bias, it's that white supremacy has been federal and state policy for so long, we don't recognize any other way.
Evidence: Defensive comments about why it's not so.
But it's not only that white people themselves don't see the bias, it's that white supremacy has been federal and state policy for so long, we don't recognize any other way.
3
I am your basic white boy brought up in a small town. After a University Degree I went off into the government sector and the private sector.
Once I was in management, I asked why when we are looking to give people a job we do not do so in the following way:
1. Have HR strip anything from a resume that would show a name or age or gender and then send that to the person doing the selection.
2. When one has 3 or 4 candidates, have them brought into a room behind a screen that projects to another room. Have the audio scrambled.
In this way one would have to base their choice on the quality of their writing, their documented background, and the quality of their answers.
You would not know if they were boy or girl, black or white, skinny or fat, and the like. With the current state of technology such a "blind" interview is easy and cheep to do.
A whole industry could crop up to do blind processing so even small business could use such a system.
Of course why did I get push back on the idea? No doubt, unconscious race, sex, weight, religion -izum.
Once I was in management, I asked why when we are looking to give people a job we do not do so in the following way:
1. Have HR strip anything from a resume that would show a name or age or gender and then send that to the person doing the selection.
2. When one has 3 or 4 candidates, have them brought into a room behind a screen that projects to another room. Have the audio scrambled.
In this way one would have to base their choice on the quality of their writing, their documented background, and the quality of their answers.
You would not know if they were boy or girl, black or white, skinny or fat, and the like. With the current state of technology such a "blind" interview is easy and cheep to do.
A whole industry could crop up to do blind processing so even small business could use such a system.
Of course why did I get push back on the idea? No doubt, unconscious race, sex, weight, religion -izum.
4
I loved this article, but I just wished you picked a more sensible title. I feel like a person who can benefit the most from this discussion will turn away from reading it.
4
I reside within the professional class of Manhattan which is mostly white and driven. I never, ever hear any negative talk of blacks. Most completely avoid any discussion of race. Blacks are usually not mentioned. There is only "inner-city." I see more polite indifference than animus. Some of this discussion has to do with how we define racism. If I feel sudden fear when I see two young black males walk towards me on an empty block, I see that as a logical response. In the last few months, on three occasions, I encountered young black people working as cashiers who could not figure out how to calculate the change due. My heart breaks and I also feel a level of contempt at the same time. Yes, three events in no way capture an entire class of people. They are only minor examples of a larger problem. Maybe I don't "get it" but the contradictions seem obvious.
15
I would have more respect for Kristof's opinions on race relations if I thought he had skin in the game. But he is a globe trotting journalist who spends more time abroad than in the U.S.,has never worked in low income, high crime areas in Stockton or Sandtown,, as do many activists, black and white, for racial justice, and never visited a penetentiary where people of color r discriminated against, and who have very little recourse against those who treat them unjustly. Bref,NK has made no personal sacrifices for a cause which he purports to champion. In his "visites eclaires," to south Sudan, did it ever occur to him to sponsor a family in dire poverty there to come to the US. or even rescue a poor four legged abandoned creature and find him a good home stateside? As my students at Brandeis H.S.where I was dean for more than 2 decades would say,"mucho show,"or more form and self righteous braggadocio than positive action.Easier to write about racial inequities at, presumably, a six figure salary, than to make any concrete gestures to solving the myriad problems surrounding this issue.
4
Can't take the test on an iPad.
"Toni Morrison in her novels writes searingly about a black world pummeled by discrimination but also by violence, drunkenness and broken families."
I suspect the violence and drunkenness stems from the broken families (i.e., 'families' that were never intact to begin with). I strongly believe the biggest problem facing the black urban community is the number of single girls/women having babies with nary a thought for what that child's life might be like, especially when you consider such girls/women often have no stability in their own lives (no dependable man, low-paying job, lots of 'drama' in their lives, no savings and perhaps even some debt, etc.) I am so tired of people thinking that bringing a child into this world is no big deal, that it means a 'cute' baby, that it might bring some 'meaning' into her life, and maybe even bring around that loser of a man she 'loves'.
Certain things in life take planning, such as buying a home, retiring from your job, moving to another state, changing careers, and yes, bearing a child.
The problem is not lack of birth control. It's about self-control. It's about having the ability to understand the long-term consequences of certain behaviors.
Single parenthood can certainly work when the parent is of stable mind, financially sound, mature and 'in a good place' in their lives. It does not work when the single parent is bringing a child into an already-compromised situation, and one that has no signs of changing.
I suspect the violence and drunkenness stems from the broken families (i.e., 'families' that were never intact to begin with). I strongly believe the biggest problem facing the black urban community is the number of single girls/women having babies with nary a thought for what that child's life might be like, especially when you consider such girls/women often have no stability in their own lives (no dependable man, low-paying job, lots of 'drama' in their lives, no savings and perhaps even some debt, etc.) I am so tired of people thinking that bringing a child into this world is no big deal, that it means a 'cute' baby, that it might bring some 'meaning' into her life, and maybe even bring around that loser of a man she 'loves'.
Certain things in life take planning, such as buying a home, retiring from your job, moving to another state, changing careers, and yes, bearing a child.
The problem is not lack of birth control. It's about self-control. It's about having the ability to understand the long-term consequences of certain behaviors.
Single parenthood can certainly work when the parent is of stable mind, financially sound, mature and 'in a good place' in their lives. It does not work when the single parent is bringing a child into an already-compromised situation, and one that has no signs of changing.
20
Priests and preachers have been railing against vice for thousands of years and vice is still with us, so it’s funny Nick Kristof thinks he can write a few columns and people will stop being biased. This is the kind of namby-pamby Liberal nonsense that does nothing except encourage people to stifle speech because it sounds biased to someone. Politics is about making a better world despite our human flaws, not making better people. That’s what religion is for and we can all see what a good job they have done. We don’t live in Mr. Roger’s neighborhood, Mr. Kristof.
The problems isn’t bias, it is capitalism. In a slack labor market out groups will always be left out first, minorities, old people, fat people, anyone someone holds a prejudice towards. It isn’t right but there isn’t a whole lot you can do about it, and remain a free society. There are practical solutions to ease the inequities of capitalism from more infrastructure spending and making it easier to start small businesses to guaranteed incomes and a permanent WPA. And guess what Mr. Kristof, to make practical change in this country means bringing people together and will take all those White people you keep saying are unfit and immoral and racist, so in the end all your earnest truth telling does more harm than good.
I wish Liberals would realize it takes a lot more than preaching to people that the world would be a better place if human beings just stopped acting like human beings to actually make a better world.
The problems isn’t bias, it is capitalism. In a slack labor market out groups will always be left out first, minorities, old people, fat people, anyone someone holds a prejudice towards. It isn’t right but there isn’t a whole lot you can do about it, and remain a free society. There are practical solutions to ease the inequities of capitalism from more infrastructure spending and making it easier to start small businesses to guaranteed incomes and a permanent WPA. And guess what Mr. Kristof, to make practical change in this country means bringing people together and will take all those White people you keep saying are unfit and immoral and racist, so in the end all your earnest truth telling does more harm than good.
I wish Liberals would realize it takes a lot more than preaching to people that the world would be a better place if human beings just stopped acting like human beings to actually make a better world.
1
Another national election with the media focused predominantly on angry white people. After the year we have had, why not womens' issues? Why not issues that affect the quality of life in African American and Latino American and Asian American lives/families? Why not infrastructure, high speed transportation, extending Internet connectivity further out into the boonies? There's SOOOO many topics we as a country need to address, and we are wasting this time talking AGAIN about angry white people stirring up more angry white people.
4
Whatever we don't get, we don't further get from you,
The racial gap is invincible
When Black Lives Matter for black on black crime, we have a start, until them yawn
every verbal attack on police emboldens physical attacks, and dead attackers
look in the mirror for racism
The racial gap is invincible
When Black Lives Matter for black on black crime, we have a start, until them yawn
every verbal attack on police emboldens physical attacks, and dead attackers
look in the mirror for racism
10
People understand that everyone should be treated fairly, and, for the most part, they try. My belief is that fear of crime is the biggest barrier to black progress. People in their day to day interactions do their best to be courteous and fair but, when it comes to where they live and work, personal safety becomes a big issue. People know that young, black, males who are six percent of the population commit fifty percent of murders. Many people's chances of being killed are very slim since so much of the killing is in parts of big cities, but the fear is real. Whites are not wired to mistreat people of different colors poorly. My sense is that immigrants from Japan, India, and China are generally well treated, all people of different colors. So, this is where I think the great divide exists. If people feel safe, everything else is easier to deal with.
16
How is it wallowing in victimization to point out research showing real bias in America. Be honest. Say you don't want the hear about reality and would rather live in your fantasy world of equality that doesn't exist for the vast majority of black Americans.
3
The title of the article is, " When Whites Just Don't Get It, Part 6 " but the piece concludes by saying we are all prejudiced. Is this an example of the prejudice Mr. Kristof is referring to? Is he prejudiced towards white guilt? All efforts in the past to end disparities between whites and other groups have been through government and criticism of whites. These efforts are necessary and must continue, but experience shows they are not sufficient in themselves. More effort on the part of Mr. Kristof to present a balanced representation of the problem and to do this voluntarily rather than in reaction to criticism will bring more movement towards the society we want.
3
I get it Nicholas, you are chuck full of white guilt and for some reason think I should share your guilt. I simply don't share your guilt, I have no reason to. Keep going to part ??? it will make no difference to me, you cannot pass your guilt to me.
16
Each person receives his prejudices from his immediate family, his extended family and his personal life experiences. "The Genie of prejudice is out of the container" and there it is. It is not just black and white, so to speak. If one lives in Japan all his or her life, but is not really Japanese by DNA, He or she will never be accepted as a Japanese person. In a similar manner there was and still is, in some quarters, the idea one is not Jewish unless he or she was born of a Jewish mother. Race, Religion, Culture, Language, and other meaningful factors all tend to divide us. Living with these realities is complicated.
2
Over the years, I've noticed or believe there is another side to this. Psychological displacement occurs when a person redirects their anger towards a target unrelated to their particular source of frustration.
I've noticed that non-blacks, when believing that their efforts, (hard work or study) are insufficiently rewarded look for someone or something to "dump on". If the issue of race conjoined with taxes, welfare etc. surfaces, then you're right: those others just don't get it.
I've noticed that non-blacks, when believing that their efforts, (hard work or study) are insufficiently rewarded look for someone or something to "dump on". If the issue of race conjoined with taxes, welfare etc. surfaces, then you're right: those others just don't get it.
4
Could this be because of the policies of former politicians and their so called wars against drugs, fear and bigotry? It is very easy for some to convince folks of the reality of the times, but why must misappropriated blame always hitch a ride?
The causes and truths of why things happen often masquerade in subliminal messages and people must commit to seek truth always. Education and protest are our only hopes.
The causes and truths of why things happen often masquerade in subliminal messages and people must commit to seek truth always. Education and protest are our only hopes.
1
I notice that many of the comments follow the "it's not white people, the problem is black people" response archetype. You know, black people need to do something about violence in the community and also pull their pants up before we start talking about racism. While I recognize the value of a community organizing to address its problems, I want to note the difference in how we discuss problems that affect black people versus the problems that affect white people. For example, I've yet to hear anyone turn to a white Trump supporter and say, "Before we start talking about renegotiating trade deals to protect your jobs, you need to do something about the heroin epidemic in your community." I think most people would, rightfully, think that response is absurd, but that type of argument is well within bounds when it comes to black people.
6
A community organizing assumes that the majority of the community desires some sort of positive change.
It is clear to me that in many urban communities, this is not the case.
It is clear to me that in many urban communities, this is not the case.
7
Funny how the democrat party, the left, liberals, so-called "progressives" and Nicholas can complain all day about perceived realities based on studies that come out with a general idea of racism (when you are looking for something you usually find it) but do not want to self-reflect, look inward or take constructive criticism because it will change the balance of power.
That is not courageous and out right disqualifies "them" from the debate. Case in point. Everybody knows the teacher unions are in the tank for the democrats. They mobilize voters and have a lot of money to spend as a special interest group championing the rights of their dues paying constituents who want more money, better benefits etc. good for them and unions have that right I while heartedly agree. BUT.................
When those such as Mr. Kristoff can help educationally improve the plight of blacks in this country to compete with whites (and other races) then they can be a part of the conversation. One in this atmosphere cannot be for the rights of kids to get educated and for teacher unions rights. It's politics all the time. That's the honest debate.
That is not courageous and out right disqualifies "them" from the debate. Case in point. Everybody knows the teacher unions are in the tank for the democrats. They mobilize voters and have a lot of money to spend as a special interest group championing the rights of their dues paying constituents who want more money, better benefits etc. good for them and unions have that right I while heartedly agree. BUT.................
When those such as Mr. Kristoff can help educationally improve the plight of blacks in this country to compete with whites (and other races) then they can be a part of the conversation. One in this atmosphere cannot be for the rights of kids to get educated and for teacher unions rights. It's politics all the time. That's the honest debate.
3
People can hardly be blamed if their thoughts turn to crime when seeing an iPhone in a black hand (why the ad displays a hand at all is another question. I certainly never use photograph "me" while advertising on eBay).
I'm reminded of a short lived ad from around 1990. Shows an old lady walking down an urban street with a number of urban youth, black and white, looking on, with the legend "Since I got Social Security direct deposited, I'm not so popular with the boys anymore." The libnuts flipped their lid.
Best way not to associate blacks with crime is to do better on the statistics.
I'm reminded of a short lived ad from around 1990. Shows an old lady walking down an urban street with a number of urban youth, black and white, looking on, with the legend "Since I got Social Security direct deposited, I'm not so popular with the boys anymore." The libnuts flipped their lid.
Best way not to associate blacks with crime is to do better on the statistics.
12
Nick -- The only thing you are doing here is getting more votes for Donald Trump.
13
I don't get but I'm trying. Have you seen the recent file footage spring break. There were beaches full of black kids. Mostly I'm assuming who of which were middle class. Just saying since I couldn't afford to go to FL when I went to college. Is it possible there is such a thing as black privilege? Can you honestly compare black people who grew up in St Albans Queens to those growing up in Bedford Stuyvesant?
There was a piece about Anderson Cooper on news this morning. His mother was a Vanderbilt. Aa a white person what do I have in common with him? Do statistics explain it?
There was a piece about Anderson Cooper on news this morning. His mother was a Vanderbilt. Aa a white person what do I have in common with him? Do statistics explain it?
15
The problem with this article, and many like it, is that often what the author describes as "racism" is not blind prejudice, but are generalizations based on actual experience. ANd this is what we all do in life, black white and otherwise. We make generalizations based on our actual real life experiences. So if we start out neutral, and then read, see and hear, that of the 68 robberies that occurred in our neighborhood over the last few months, 65 of those were perpetrated by black males, then this has some effect on our view of black males. If we read in our local paper, that 85% if the murders in our city of 16% black residents, were perpetrated by black males, this has some effect on our view of black males. If we are an employer, and find over several years of experience, that the employees we had the most difficulty with, were black individuals more so than those of any other race, this has an effect upon our hiring practices going forward. If we see Black Lives Matter protest marches and watch white people walking and holding signs but black people doing looting and destruction of property, that has its effect on our view. Now granted it isnt' fair to use the actions of a few baddies to generalize on all those in a group, but human psychology isn't "fair". We have fears based on real experience.
I think "whites get it" more than you'd like to admit, Mr. Kristof -- and because whites get it, this is why many whites have the viewpoints they do.
I think "whites get it" more than you'd like to admit, Mr. Kristof -- and because whites get it, this is why many whites have the viewpoints they do.
25
As a white woman, I get at least the employment discrimination part because I have experienced and seen gender bias over and over, and I also see how many white men have a knee-jerk denial reaction when faced with the statistics. Of course they can't believe it - it's never affected them. Once you've been on the receiving end of discrimination, you know where the truth is.
7
As a white woman living in a blessedly mixed neighborhood, I urge you to keep bringing attention to racial differences and similarities. The racial conflicts in this nation are not white induced or black induced. They are both/and. Thanks for talking about the complexity.
6
"77% of blacks cited 'lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard'" as a reason for difficulties of African-Americans today. Are you still living in Scarsdale? Maybe that's why you don't get it.
13
There are two kinds of racism. 1, racism that affects the wherewithal of a group. 2, racism that does not affect the wherewithal of a group.
Though both forms are not based on reason it is obvious that type 1 is the insidious and pernicious form.
Only the majority group can practice type 1 racism.
Though both forms are not based on reason it is obvious that type 1 is the insidious and pernicious form.
Only the majority group can practice type 1 racism.
The insulting racist title of the series is enough to shut down any thoughtful consideration before it starts.
19
Thank you. An impeccable analysis.
Yrs - a very white man
Yrs - a very white man
1
Ugh, enough with this year's long harangue (part 6, just for Kristof) against white people. Divisiveness, whether or not it's for a just cause, is counter productive. If you divide to move forward, then you have to fix multiples more rifts and divisions before achieving progress. If you join together and collaborate, will all parties taking responsibility for what's within their control to solve the problem, then you will activate change.
It's all about the rhetoric. If you say, cops are only shooting black people - make it stop, white people say hey, we're getting shot too. A young man white man working for a pest control company was just shot to death by a cop while seated in a hotel hallway outside his room and pleading for his life.
Mulsims might say, hey we are targets of police over-zealousness and overstepping, too, since law enforcement has infiltrated their places of worship. The real issue, in this instance, is a militarized police force that profiles way too broadly and puts the interests of the officers way above the safety of the citizenry - black or white, christian, jew or muslim.
If you find that common ground, you can accomplish significant police reform - or reform in any area you have targeted - because you have the power of the entire populace behind it.
It's all about the rhetoric. If you say, cops are only shooting black people - make it stop, white people say hey, we're getting shot too. A young man white man working for a pest control company was just shot to death by a cop while seated in a hotel hallway outside his room and pleading for his life.
Mulsims might say, hey we are targets of police over-zealousness and overstepping, too, since law enforcement has infiltrated their places of worship. The real issue, in this instance, is a militarized police force that profiles way too broadly and puts the interests of the officers way above the safety of the citizenry - black or white, christian, jew or muslim.
If you find that common ground, you can accomplish significant police reform - or reform in any area you have targeted - because you have the power of the entire populace behind it.
3
Blacks, who make up about 12% of our population, are responsible for about 40% of all violent crime in America.
"Black lives matter" seems to apply only to those who are shot and killed by White policemen. When it comes to Black on Black murders, the community just seems to shrug its collective shoulders.
A strong civil rights law was passed in the 60's. Since that time one social experiment after another has been tried with the goal of bringing Black children's test scores up to the White level. None has worked.
The Black community cries long and loudly about civil rights, but when it comes to civil responsibilities, a thundering silence is all you hear.
None of this goes unnoticed by the White community and it is NOT racist to point these things out.
Only in America.
"Black lives matter" seems to apply only to those who are shot and killed by White policemen. When it comes to Black on Black murders, the community just seems to shrug its collective shoulders.
A strong civil rights law was passed in the 60's. Since that time one social experiment after another has been tried with the goal of bringing Black children's test scores up to the White level. None has worked.
The Black community cries long and loudly about civil rights, but when it comes to civil responsibilities, a thundering silence is all you hear.
None of this goes unnoticed by the White community and it is NOT racist to point these things out.
Only in America.
23
Liberal welfare programs over the last 50 years costing trillions of dollars have decimated the black community and black family unit in inner cities. Liberal policies protecting big teacher's unions have decimated the education system in large urban school districts and turned black inner cities schools into gang zones. Kristoff makes no mention of the teacher strike in Chicago last week in which Chicago teacher's union is fighting merit-based pay raises and fighting new rules making it easier to fire bad teachers. I'm sure Kristoff is 100% behind the union on this because he "gets it."
14
And so this is the same story, a uniquely American story, a 403 year old story of blacks and whites on this continent. The main theme of this story is slavery, it's existence, its ending, and the century and a half of its aftermath. It reminds me of the Dylan song, "Slow Train Coming." The train of equality has been "coming" for 150 years but never arrives.
2
Everyone in the world has a bias, it's human nature and can't be fully removed. All humans have opinions that form biases for good or bad. Having white guilt won't make that go away, there is some truth in some stereotypes, I'm not saying all stereotypes are true but some truth in some stereotypes. Education in black communities can be bad due to family life and the neighborhood which is extremely dangerous. Getting teachers to risk their lives to teach is hard, students disrespect authority, teachers etc. why would anyone want to work there? No amount of money can fix that.
10
America wake up! Blacks fare worst of all, by far, in areas controlled by liberals and the liberal mindset. Black families have been utterly destroyed over the last 50 years by "Kristoffian-supported" liberal programs in the inner cities. If I were a minority, I'd throw this article in the trash. For one thing, there is no mention of one of the nation's worst public school systems (Chicago) teacher's strike. What are they striking? They don't want to lose automatic pay increases based on time of service versus merit-based pay raises. That's the liberal mindset in a nutshell.
9
Racism will always exist as people judge each other based more on what they think they know versus who the person really is. Racism only really matters to me as a black woman when it directly affects my life/family/friends & others economically or in some other serious manner. People who hate me becuse of my skin color are not worth my thoughts if their actions dont adversely affect my life. Racism for my grandmother & mother was the most important issue affecting their ability to live their lives as Americans. Today, the obstcles are Family breakdown, education & violence. We must make a commitment to ourselves while still making sure we fight racism where it exist.
4
You've probably heard of two happenings in the past week. Perhaps you've seem the video of the black female collegiate harassing a white male classmate because he had dreadlocks. Also, Actors Equity recently had to issue an apology over a casting call for replacements in the musical "Hamilton" which specified "non-white." It's always interesting how one-sided cultural diversity can be.
7
I have been around for more than 85 years, and it appears to me that if whites "don't get it". neither do do blacks. It seems that there is enough blame to go around, probably beginning with Slavery.....
2
Every generation of human beings must learn what it is to be human and how to be humane. The process often starts before one is born.
If dog puppies were raised by wolves will those puppies grow up and develop into dogs? If so, what kind of dogs?
If dog puppies were raised by wolves will those puppies grow up and develop into dogs? If so, what kind of dogs?
Oh, we get it. People make choices. Now if they're programmed machines and can't think beyond their own fear, then the result will often lead to violence. Human nature is a funny thing. Easily manipulated. There is such a thing as the rule of law and civilization. Naming called our current elitists solves nothing. And 'rigorous studies' often led to desired conclusions. Life if often not easy but there are many examples of success among all people. What makes the difference? You won't find it in your statistics.
1
I certainly agree that racism exists. But the movement of "whites not getting it" has become exactly like the Christian religion:
-Racism is original sin.
-You must confess.
-You don't need to do anything; the act is confession of your original sin.
-Preachers are self-appointed, but invariably come from the elite class. Your role is to listen & confess. Not doing so is prima facie evidence that you are a sinner (racist).
-The dogma is highly simplistic. People are literally black or white. Asians, native Americans, low income whites, social class in general are excluded, or else included only if they can be categorized as black or white.
The most pernicious aspect of this quasi religion is that the elite class of whites honestly feel that all they need to do is confess & lecture, & they're done.
I myself work in the inner city, teaching African American students. I lecture nobody. I see racism first hand but I also see a much more complex picture than an elite person who sends his kids to segregated schools, lives in segregated neighborhoods, enjoys elite privileges all the time (e.g. unpaid internships, word of mouth job placements), & then beats himself on the breast that racism still exists.
Confessing is meaningless & easy. *Action* is how we stop. For non-African Africans: One idea among many: work & shop in the inner city to flush money into a system that is increasingly cut off from the outside world.
-Racism is original sin.
-You must confess.
-You don't need to do anything; the act is confession of your original sin.
-Preachers are self-appointed, but invariably come from the elite class. Your role is to listen & confess. Not doing so is prima facie evidence that you are a sinner (racist).
-The dogma is highly simplistic. People are literally black or white. Asians, native Americans, low income whites, social class in general are excluded, or else included only if they can be categorized as black or white.
The most pernicious aspect of this quasi religion is that the elite class of whites honestly feel that all they need to do is confess & lecture, & they're done.
I myself work in the inner city, teaching African American students. I lecture nobody. I see racism first hand but I also see a much more complex picture than an elite person who sends his kids to segregated schools, lives in segregated neighborhoods, enjoys elite privileges all the time (e.g. unpaid internships, word of mouth job placements), & then beats himself on the breast that racism still exists.
Confessing is meaningless & easy. *Action* is how we stop. For non-African Africans: One idea among many: work & shop in the inner city to flush money into a system that is increasingly cut off from the outside world.
7
One of the main reasons for hiring differences is the perception, real or imagined, that a unsatisfactory hire cannot be dismissed if the employee is black. Rather than face the threat of a law suit for discrimination, the employer will simply not consider the black candidate. Unfortunately, this has been the case too many times and has created an atmosphere of mistrust when considering blacks.
11
What the purveyors of "All lives matter" don't get is that "all lives" aren't being threatened by rogue cops. What the purveyors of "Racism!" don't get is that the more promiscuously that term is used ("racist" is the new "Communist"), the more meaningless it becomes.
We'll come a lot closer to genuine equality when the perpetual victim-villain cycle is finally broken.
We'll come a lot closer to genuine equality when the perpetual victim-villain cycle is finally broken.
The media never makes clear that racism is not mere bias or discrimination, although it has these elements. Racism is a system--a political/cultural/economic system; a series of individual/collective acts within a system using money, power, authority, attitudes, and on occasion, threats and force to deny opportunity and give advantage by race--a system hidden and justified by its denials--that claims its actions and beliefs have nothing to do with race, oppression or advantage.
Racism is not a scorecard. Numbers and anecdotes point to it, but never tell the whole story of how it works.
Two examples: in voting rights, ID requirements, changed polling hours acted with commercial/cultural/political factors (transportation, documentation, poll availability) to turn seemingly insignificant requirements and changes into obstacles that disenfranchised just enough minority voters (5 to 7%) to swing elections, evident in NC. Not all minorities are affected, but shutting down "souls to the polls" (Sunday voting), an African-American cultural practice using the community's organized resources, influenced state elections.
In gentrification, housing values rapidly increase after the first sales--buys from minority home owners--only to see increases in taxes displacing the remaining elderly and poor.
In both cases, racism is denied: ballot security and budget claimed for one, market principles for the other; but both are systemic, provide an advantage--and are racist.
Racism is not a scorecard. Numbers and anecdotes point to it, but never tell the whole story of how it works.
Two examples: in voting rights, ID requirements, changed polling hours acted with commercial/cultural/political factors (transportation, documentation, poll availability) to turn seemingly insignificant requirements and changes into obstacles that disenfranchised just enough minority voters (5 to 7%) to swing elections, evident in NC. Not all minorities are affected, but shutting down "souls to the polls" (Sunday voting), an African-American cultural practice using the community's organized resources, influenced state elections.
In gentrification, housing values rapidly increase after the first sales--buys from minority home owners--only to see increases in taxes displacing the remaining elderly and poor.
In both cases, racism is denied: ballot security and budget claimed for one, market principles for the other; but both are systemic, provide an advantage--and are racist.
22
Excellent. Thank you so much for something factual and meaningful that I can share. We can never give up attempting to change the situation regardless of overwhelming odds.
1
We live in a highly competitive society, where everyone is willing to take advantage of every edge they can get. So why exactly would whites want to give up their privileges? Jobs, money, power, what's not to like?
There used to be old guys in robes who gave speeches every Sunday, about all men being brothers. They've been replaced by cable TV and smartphones.
There used to be old guys in robes who gave speeches every Sunday, about all men being brothers. They've been replaced by cable TV and smartphones.
9
What about "when men just don't get it". I think if men had women students and professors in science courses who were as good or better than the men students and professors they would eventually get it. But with too few women professors and students in STEM only very few will get it.
6
Agree with Mr. Kristof.
Re the unconscious:
“. . . the human sensory system sends the brain about eleven million bits of information a second.” Leonard Mlodinow -- "Subliminal"
Consciously we handle an estimated 16 to 50 bits of information.
The math is: consciously, we’re missing big data.
Then there's this, a possible immune response bias towards out-groups, and the generation of tribal boundaries:
“Regarding the evidence, there can be little doubt. Across the entire globe, religious and linguistic diversity map directly on parasite load, as does ethnic diversity — the higher the parasite pressure, the more religions, languages, and ethnic groups per unit area.”
That's from Robert Trivers' book "The Folly of Fools." He's citing the work of Randy Thornhill and C. L. Fincher.
Recall the devastation of Native Americans when faced with Euro-bugs, pathogens for which they had limited or no immune response for.
Add: More than half the species on earth are parasitic.
So, as another variable in the unconscious coding for relationship interface, members of "the other" are suspect, potentially "varmint ridden" threats.
Re the overcoming, from Erwin Schrodinger's "What Is Life": "Moreover, we concluded that only those modifications become conscious which are still in the stage of being trained until, in a much later time, they become hereditarily fixed, well-trained and unconscious possession of the species. In brief: consciousness is a phenomenon in the zone of evolution."
Re the unconscious:
“. . . the human sensory system sends the brain about eleven million bits of information a second.” Leonard Mlodinow -- "Subliminal"
Consciously we handle an estimated 16 to 50 bits of information.
The math is: consciously, we’re missing big data.
Then there's this, a possible immune response bias towards out-groups, and the generation of tribal boundaries:
“Regarding the evidence, there can be little doubt. Across the entire globe, religious and linguistic diversity map directly on parasite load, as does ethnic diversity — the higher the parasite pressure, the more religions, languages, and ethnic groups per unit area.”
That's from Robert Trivers' book "The Folly of Fools." He's citing the work of Randy Thornhill and C. L. Fincher.
Recall the devastation of Native Americans when faced with Euro-bugs, pathogens for which they had limited or no immune response for.
Add: More than half the species on earth are parasitic.
So, as another variable in the unconscious coding for relationship interface, members of "the other" are suspect, potentially "varmint ridden" threats.
Re the overcoming, from Erwin Schrodinger's "What Is Life": "Moreover, we concluded that only those modifications become conscious which are still in the stage of being trained until, in a much later time, they become hereditarily fixed, well-trained and unconscious possession of the species. In brief: consciousness is a phenomenon in the zone of evolution."
4
There are a lot of forces that keep us divided from each other as human beings in this country--whites vs. blacks, men vs. women, South vs. North, Christians vs. Muslims, rich vs. poor.....
Sadly, whatever progress we made in trying to instill tolerance and respect in us and our children is being systematically shredded by the likes of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and pretty much the entire Republican Party. Since President Obama took office, this political party and right-wing media have worked diligently to give permission to the citizenry to abandon kindness, good manner, and respect--what they mislabel "political correctness"--and get back to stereotyping, divisiveness, white supremacy, and bigotry.
Why? It's the old Marxian argument: As the rich pursue their wealth by any means and get richer, keep groups of people turned against each other who feel themselves at a disadvantage in a materialistic society.
Heaven forbid, we middle- and working-class people realize we are all in the same leaking boat allowed us by the power elite and caught for decades in the doldrums in survival mode. What the Republicans especially do not want is for us to realize our situation and get together in large numbers and demand a more equitable and just society.
The media has done much to support stereotypes. Think about blacks--scene after scene of slums, criminal activity, gangs and gangsters. But little attention to white collar crime, white poverty, white ignorance.
Sadly, whatever progress we made in trying to instill tolerance and respect in us and our children is being systematically shredded by the likes of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and pretty much the entire Republican Party. Since President Obama took office, this political party and right-wing media have worked diligently to give permission to the citizenry to abandon kindness, good manner, and respect--what they mislabel "political correctness"--and get back to stereotyping, divisiveness, white supremacy, and bigotry.
Why? It's the old Marxian argument: As the rich pursue their wealth by any means and get richer, keep groups of people turned against each other who feel themselves at a disadvantage in a materialistic society.
Heaven forbid, we middle- and working-class people realize we are all in the same leaking boat allowed us by the power elite and caught for decades in the doldrums in survival mode. What the Republicans especially do not want is for us to realize our situation and get together in large numbers and demand a more equitable and just society.
The media has done much to support stereotypes. Think about blacks--scene after scene of slums, criminal activity, gangs and gangsters. But little attention to white collar crime, white poverty, white ignorance.
10
I believe there exists bias. I believe there is racism. I believe there is hate, distrust, and fear of the other. What I don't believe is that whites or blacks have a clue about how to change this human behavior in a truly dramatic way, except for making the problem worse than it already is. A white cop shoots an unarmed black, a black man cuts a firehose used by a white and black fireman. A Jewish immigrant comes to America and Anglicizes his name to get a better job, a native-born black changes his given name to an alien name to vent his rage at Christian society and compounds his chances for failure in that society. Both sides are lacking in wanting change. Racism cuts both ways is not an excuse for prejudice, it's the cause of its persistence. All Lives Matter cannot exist peacefully with Black Lives Matter self-righteousness. It never will. Regretfully.
16
It's ridiculous to pretend that these two kinds of racism are equivalent. The majority of people in power are white, so their racism can cause damage that black on white racism cannot.
2
Check out Emile Bruneau's work at the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Dept. at M.I.T. (See NYT's "The Brain's Empathy Gap", March 19, 2015)
Research shows that at least some of the "bigotry toward others not like me" is evident in brain activity. Bruneau believes that it may be possible to identify environmental interventions that can override biases and move people toward greater empathy for "others".
Research shows that at least some of the "bigotry toward others not like me" is evident in brain activity. Bruneau believes that it may be possible to identify environmental interventions that can override biases and move people toward greater empathy for "others".
2
It's easier to scapegoat whites. How about more diversity in the NBA and NFL?
21
Do you mean in terms of team ownership and coaches? Yes! What a good idea. Almost all of those people are white!
3
Somebody should write an article about how important it is for African Americans should take responsibility for their own well being. There are many blacks that are doing well and there is a need for the others to join in.....everything that happens to them cannot be the fault of the whites.
25
Kristoff addresses this in the article
3
If I could recommend your comment a thousand times, I would. Thank you.
1
Everyone is racist. Whether conscious or unconscious. Caucasians, asians, africans, blacks, whites ,yellows, browns, anyway people differentiate each other visually by race. If you did not know that, read history. If you did not know that, look at every nation on earth and see what you find. Go to an a school that is majority black. Go to a school that is majority asian. Go to a school that is majority white. See how the children act.
17
To limit these discussions to ones of color simplifies mans's basic tribal behavior and labels certain activities as racist when they may not be. For example, Hispanics are not a monolith. In South Florida, Cubans have behavior that tends to isolate them from those of Puerto Rican background. Jews will often hire other Jews in preference to Gentiles. The chaos in the Middle East is a result of Sunni-Shia enmity, while both those groups are Muslim. Humans tend toward preserving their group identity. These groups have survived for centuries, if not longer. To frame this discussion as solely based in color is to simplify very complex behavior that is not likely to change anytime soon. What makes America so unique in the world is that these groups have, for the most part, made some sort of peace with each other and tried to live in some harmony. But it will take much more time before these inherent barriers fall.
16
Doesn't always happen, but am always glad when I can agree with a Kristof piece. And this one reminds me of the old NYT's editorial page--the liberal one.
2
"In one study, researchers sent thousands of résumés to employers with openings... A white name increased the likelihood of a callback by 50 percent."
Recently I sent out letters to 100 potential employers in the North. I was blessed by my parents with a snow-white name. And letters tend to be color-neutral unless there are specific ethnic idioms or if potential employers are using Zip-Code discrimination to screen their correspondence (Many still are, sadly).
I got a 33 percent response rate, a rate that I doubt would have occurred had my first and last name not been Anglo-American in origin. But of course the story doesn't stop there: I drove from the South to the North recently in order to visit and interview with a handful of the 33 percent that responded. And now here comes an African American, dressed in a suit and tie combination from London, UK, to the North to present my skills, abilities and qualifications to predominantly White employers in the North.
I have no parking tickets, no misdemeanors or felonies on my record, and an academic record that includes a bachelor's with honors and 2 master's degrees, all EARNED from predominantly white to snow-white universities. I have significant work experience in all 3 sectors of the economy and even have owned a small business.
I wonder if I will get a callback for a subsequent interview from the handful of employers that I visited? I doubt it: I probably sounded a lot "taller" in my letter than in person!
Recently I sent out letters to 100 potential employers in the North. I was blessed by my parents with a snow-white name. And letters tend to be color-neutral unless there are specific ethnic idioms or if potential employers are using Zip-Code discrimination to screen their correspondence (Many still are, sadly).
I got a 33 percent response rate, a rate that I doubt would have occurred had my first and last name not been Anglo-American in origin. But of course the story doesn't stop there: I drove from the South to the North recently in order to visit and interview with a handful of the 33 percent that responded. And now here comes an African American, dressed in a suit and tie combination from London, UK, to the North to present my skills, abilities and qualifications to predominantly White employers in the North.
I have no parking tickets, no misdemeanors or felonies on my record, and an academic record that includes a bachelor's with honors and 2 master's degrees, all EARNED from predominantly white to snow-white universities. I have significant work experience in all 3 sectors of the economy and even have owned a small business.
I wonder if I will get a callback for a subsequent interview from the handful of employers that I visited? I doubt it: I probably sounded a lot "taller" in my letter than in person!
28
Hey David, what's your field? You sound like someone I'd love to hire. And we don't care about "height"....
3
Oh I so hope that you are wrong but you've been living in this unjust system forever so you are probably right.
1
When the Monica Lewinsky scandal emerged,families stopped naming new daughters Monica. A little brand management may be in order.
22
Evidence place? I thought William took a nose dive around 1994, actually and it hasn't recovered. Maybe once Bill's gone.
Huxley said this: "In their propaganda today’s dictators rely for the most part on repetition, suppression and rationalization — the repetition of catchwords which they wish to be accepted as true, the suppression of facts which they wish to be ignored, the arousal and rationalization of passions which may be used in the interests of the Party or the State. As the art and science of manipulation come to be better understood, the dictators of the future will doubtless learn to combine these techniques with the non-stop distractions which, in the West, are now threatening to drown in a sea of irrelevance the rational propaganda essential to the maintenance of individual liberty and the survival of democratic institutions." Mr Huxley said plenty more that has come true, but why would we listen to someone who tells the truth for the betterment of humanity? Is it not more democratic to believe the hate, lies and rhetoric? With the GOP you have the two choices offered up by the bankers Ted Cruz Missile and Donald Trump The Chump then there is Hillary The Insincere. It is abundantly clear the Bernie Sanders is channeling Huxley. Is anyone listening this time?
5
The New Math
The Talented Tenth
Fully accepted – all’s well
The rest? - who’s counting
The Talented Tenth
Fully accepted – all’s well
The rest? - who’s counting
2
I've suggested to young black men that if they dressed nicely, say like Tiger Woods, they will be treated a lot more nicely than if the dress like a street thug, and throw hard looks around.
It's a matter of perception.
The bigger problem is that blacks are being replace in the workforce by Mexicans. They take care of their own, and the blacks are the first to go.
It's a matter of perception.
The bigger problem is that blacks are being replace in the workforce by Mexicans. They take care of their own, and the blacks are the first to go.
27
Seems like your advice doesn't prove out. When those Black boys wear the same resume as White boys, they still don't get the job.
1
Tiger Woods? Seriously?
1
Racism is bad. Bad choices are bad. Society is worse from both. Yawn.
17
@wooden
And it is precisely this kind of response which all but guarantees things won't change.
It's not difficult to guess which side of the fence you're on, and if you were American, who you would be voting for.
And it is precisely this kind of response which all but guarantees things won't change.
It's not difficult to guess which side of the fence you're on, and if you were American, who you would be voting for.
1
Well... I think you have good data and a wrong conclusion. People want to interact, hang with, and do business with others who are like them. This is 100,000 years of evolution. It is not going away. And, a black person will never be white. But just as a black person can be president, other black people can get what they want if they focus on doing what it takes rather than focusing on the truth that they may have to work harder for the same result. It's not fair, but it is real, and cursing the darkness does not make it light.
6
Once upon a time, everyone in the orchestra KNEW that women couldn't play first violin with as much feeling as a man so they were almost never selected. When auditions were held behind a screen so no one knew the gender of the player, of course women were selected nearly as often as men. That example stands when anyone cites statistics about African Americans and their incarceration rates and default on rental property or just about anything that can be tied to lack of education, opportunity and poverty in general. This country should be ashamed of how "exceptional" we really are.
3
It is not self loathing of whiteness, it is the realization of cultural norms ....norms that are accepted by many but that are not acceptable when thought about.
Please, think about it. It is not whiteness that is being called out, it is privilege and discrimination.
Please, think about it. It is not whiteness that is being called out, it is privilege and discrimination.
4
Thank you for keeping up these articles. They are a great public service and are certainly needed.
4
When whites just don't get it, it is as frustrating as when Mr. Kristof doesn't get it, as is the case with his views on education. Improved education for Blacks will not cure workplace bias, as the study on Black Harvard MBA graduates revealed. Although Black men in the study had the best education money could buy, they too were discriminated against in the workplace, especially when they had Black-identified names. Racism is our tragic flaw, an integral thread in the fabric of our nation, tightly woven at its birthing. Add this to the innate tribal nature of human beings in a society that values competition above all, and you know racism is a response that requires eternal and vigilant resistance. Thinking that a conversation is going to address this dilemma just reveals Mr. Kristof's erroneous reading and superficial understanding of research, just like his animus about teachers and public schools, reflects his own unexamined assumptions and "unconscious bias."Perhaps Mr. Kristof's reflections merely reinforce his patronizing and privileged stance.
2
A very sobering column, even for NY Times readers who think of themselves as progressives.
Although there are other cultures where there's a disastrous racial divide and racial prejudice (e.g., India), in the United States, our institutionalized racism stems at least in part from our history of slavery and the way we treated the slaves once they were free. Today, the problem of institutionalized racism is deeply aggravated by the way our criminal justice system, increasingly relying on for-profit prisons, incarcerates blacks at a far higher rate than whites--almost half our staggeringly high prison population is now African American. The NAACP web site notes that if trends continue, we'll reach the point where 1 in 3 black men born today will spend some time in jail.
We decided in our legislatures to "get tough on crime" and fight a "war against drugs," which, in a racist society, treating blacks much more harshly than whites who are convicted for the exact same crimes.
We need to ask, Who is responsible for this particular part of our racism? Mostly white legislators, judges and yes, we voters.
It's time to have an enormous conversation about our history, and how we replaced enslaving black people with institutionalizing racism, which in turn led to a lot of dysfunctional black families. My own thinking has gradually moved toward the idea that we should pay some sort of reparations--not individually, but by investing enormous sums in black inner city schools.
Although there are other cultures where there's a disastrous racial divide and racial prejudice (e.g., India), in the United States, our institutionalized racism stems at least in part from our history of slavery and the way we treated the slaves once they were free. Today, the problem of institutionalized racism is deeply aggravated by the way our criminal justice system, increasingly relying on for-profit prisons, incarcerates blacks at a far higher rate than whites--almost half our staggeringly high prison population is now African American. The NAACP web site notes that if trends continue, we'll reach the point where 1 in 3 black men born today will spend some time in jail.
We decided in our legislatures to "get tough on crime" and fight a "war against drugs," which, in a racist society, treating blacks much more harshly than whites who are convicted for the exact same crimes.
We need to ask, Who is responsible for this particular part of our racism? Mostly white legislators, judges and yes, we voters.
It's time to have an enormous conversation about our history, and how we replaced enslaving black people with institutionalizing racism, which in turn led to a lot of dysfunctional black families. My own thinking has gradually moved toward the idea that we should pay some sort of reparations--not individually, but by investing enormous sums in black inner city schools.
4
The title of this series. "Whites Just Don't Get It" is so incredibly insulting and condescending. Kristof is a great journalist who has brought our attention to many international and national problems, but he fails to understand the majority of white Americans. I recommend that Kristof reexamine the lives of ordinary white Americans by visiting small towns and cities where plenty of Americans work harder and get less. Instead of educating "whites" on how they don't understand the plights of others maybe he should spend some time trying to understand what life is really like for the majority of white Americans.
47
Are you inviting Mr. Kristof to visit Cherry Hill, NJ, which according to the 2010 census has a median income for a household of $87,392, and a median income for a family of $104,983?
1
Totally agree. The title is extremely insulting. Can you imagine an article with the title "When Blacks Just Don't Get It"? Can you imagine the reaction? Somehow though, it's alright to put down white people - ALL white people. Kristof paints with an extremely broad brush.
6
Bruce from Cherry Hill -- The fact that you omitted a very important word from the title ("When...") in your attack on Mr. Kristof says that you may have missed his point. That conditional is exactly the point he's making.
I agree with you that plenty of white Americans still face challenges and that not every white American has Donald Trump's money in the bank. The fact remains though that the average white American, regardless of their economic status, still faces a better chance of fair treatment walking into a school, store, bank, court room, job fair, etc. in comparison to the average Black or Latino. As Mr. Kristof has stated in all of the columns in this series, the research is indisputable in supporting this assertion.
I agree with you that plenty of white Americans still face challenges and that not every white American has Donald Trump's money in the bank. The fact remains though that the average white American, regardless of their economic status, still faces a better chance of fair treatment walking into a school, store, bank, court room, job fair, etc. in comparison to the average Black or Latino. As Mr. Kristof has stated in all of the columns in this series, the research is indisputable in supporting this assertion.
1
It (Racism / Bias) is well beyond "Black & White" Mr Kristof, & until THAT is acknowledged, there is very little hope anything will change. I see very little said about this either in your Preaching or in the comments (where one can usually go to get the real story).
3
We do "get it" we see on a daily basis how the black community destroys itself and blames others.
We see on a daily basis how the democratic poverty plantation reaps the rewards of the new slavery and the blacks volunteer to be the new house slave.
We saw how for eight years the least qualified, least capable POTUSA in history played the race card at every turn of the wheel.
We see every day the last vestiges of overt racism are played out by BET, NAACP, Miss Black America and the Black Congressional Congress but you never get called on your hypocrisy.
We see every day how a black man is 85 times more likely to get killed by another black man but a Hispanic, George Zimmerman is the face of death in the black community.
We see your false claims and we reject them.
We get it. We just aren't buy your bovine scat this time around.
We see on a daily basis how the democratic poverty plantation reaps the rewards of the new slavery and the blacks volunteer to be the new house slave.
We saw how for eight years the least qualified, least capable POTUSA in history played the race card at every turn of the wheel.
We see every day the last vestiges of overt racism are played out by BET, NAACP, Miss Black America and the Black Congressional Congress but you never get called on your hypocrisy.
We see every day how a black man is 85 times more likely to get killed by another black man but a Hispanic, George Zimmerman is the face of death in the black community.
We see your false claims and we reject them.
We get it. We just aren't buy your bovine scat this time around.
25
I think it is clear that whites in this country represent a range of views and opinions. I don't doubt that there is an unconscious level of racism or bias that exists.
But I wonder if anyone has studied the impact the above point of view has on racism and bias? In 2016, where does the above perspective come from? I swear I feel like we must be from other planets or something (or maybe that is just my unconscious wish)
But I wonder if anyone has studied the impact the above point of view has on racism and bias? In 2016, where does the above perspective come from? I swear I feel like we must be from other planets or something (or maybe that is just my unconscious wish)
1
I'm...actually, I'm pretty sure you don't get it.
2
think that you are completely wrong about President Obama.....he was ready....he was smart ....he was capable....and did do amazing things in office....and I don't believe he used the so-called "race card"...whatever that really means.....President Obama showed that he was the smartest and bravest and most resourceful president we have had in decades and I so wish that he could remain in office another 20 years....but i don't think he wants that.
5
'When whites just don't get it...'
Perhaps another more telling title is...'Many are just indifferent...'.
People, in general, do not demonstrate the capacity to act on pervasive, systemic challenges including racism, wealth inequality, climate change or the prevailing issues of the day. Many engage in 'point A to point B' habits & demands of daily lives that include personal relationships, work, health and 'self rewards'. Most will nod in agreement about issues, even grave circumstances, but are unable to sustain an action-oriented position in their lives...until, something significant happens to you or a loved-one.
Positions of opinions are common, positions in sustained action are rare.
Perhaps another more telling title is...'Many are just indifferent...'.
People, in general, do not demonstrate the capacity to act on pervasive, systemic challenges including racism, wealth inequality, climate change or the prevailing issues of the day. Many engage in 'point A to point B' habits & demands of daily lives that include personal relationships, work, health and 'self rewards'. Most will nod in agreement about issues, even grave circumstances, but are unable to sustain an action-oriented position in their lives...until, something significant happens to you or a loved-one.
Positions of opinions are common, positions in sustained action are rare.
5
Mr. Kristof, why don't you look around and examine who writes for the NYT? Except for Charles Blow, I don't see any black writers on the Op-Ed page on a regular basis. In the sports section, there is Mr. Rhoden, but as far as the regulars, I am unable to discern any black writers. In fact, in most sections of your paper, what we do see, is an incestuous group who are related by blood or by a small social network.
If you are going to lecture about racism, why not first trot down the hall and speak with the Editor-in-Chief and the head of your HR department?
Clean up your own house first before you tell others what to do.
If you are going to lecture about racism, why not first trot down the hall and speak with the Editor-in-Chief and the head of your HR department?
Clean up your own house first before you tell others what to do.
14
New York City is THE most segregated city in the USA -- provably so. It has the most segregated public school system in the nation; Alabama and Mississippi have nothing on NYC in this regard. The South was forcibly desegregated by Civil Rights legislation and Federal troops in the 1960s. But NYC got a "pass".
If the pundits, columnists and Editorial Board here were forced to reveal where they lived, the racial balance in those areas -- their average income -- where they sent their children to school -- you would quickly see how wealthy & privileged they are, and the WHITE liberal cocoon of affluence they live in.
If the pundits, columnists and Editorial Board here were forced to reveal where they lived, the racial balance in those areas -- their average income -- where they sent their children to school -- you would quickly see how wealthy & privileged they are, and the WHITE liberal cocoon of affluence they live in.
2
I will pay more attention to self righteous lectures like this when Mr. Kristof admits what previous NY Times articles have pointed out: The group suffering the most from employment discrimination is the over 55 demographic, particularly women over 55. Even though the Times published an article on this problem, liberals like Kristof have been strangely silent on the subject. Why the blindness to ageism, Mr. Kristof?
23
Self-righteous older white men and racial minorities think that they can use the word "racism" without hurting people's feelings. But racism stings the souls of white people. It hurts to be shamed and to feel condemned for behavior that is more historical than current. (My three teenage children have banished almost any racism from me.) It makes people feel powerless and hopeless about their own lives to be shamed, while bolstering the egos of minorities. Sometimes I wonder if this newspaper realizes what a chore it has become to read this stuff, for white people. Do you realize that calling a white person a "racist" is like calling any member of a minority by their derogatory "names".
6
Recently interviewed many people for a part time job. All but one were white. Wanted to hire the black man but he wouldn't call us back. Never was sure why. Perhaps because we were white??
11
This white person recognizes full well the not-so-unconscious bias that lurks beneath the surface of my thoughts. On encountering a black person (especially a black man) I don't know, I often have a momentary feeling of mistrust and intimidation, something I don't feel in the same situation with a white or Asian person. I suspect most people, white and black, experience similar feelings, not just when it comes to race but also with other characteristics such as weight, sex, and dress. But race and sex are probably the most pervasive, and - because whites and blacks tend to live apart from each other, in relatively segregated communities, unlike, say, men and women - race is the most pernicious and damaging.
What I find curious is that I was never "taught" to be prejudiced. My biases seem to be the product of a process of some kind of cultural osmosis, making them all the harder to resist. I also suspect that blacks experience the same prejudice against other blacks. We live in a culture in which blacks have long been portrayed as untrustworthy, lazy, unintelligent (while Asians are seen as the opposite and whites somewhere in between). As we have seen, such impressions last generations, and are far harder to combat than the "classic" racism of lore.
What I find curious is that I was never "taught" to be prejudiced. My biases seem to be the product of a process of some kind of cultural osmosis, making them all the harder to resist. I also suspect that blacks experience the same prejudice against other blacks. We live in a culture in which blacks have long been portrayed as untrustworthy, lazy, unintelligent (while Asians are seen as the opposite and whites somewhere in between). As we have seen, such impressions last generations, and are far harder to combat than the "classic" racism of lore.
5
"Some of my best friends are black." As a white woman, I synthesized the article to this: Black women could help their children mightily for no cost, and without much support from anyone else by breastfeeding, giving them names that are more mainstream, and reading and speaking to them non-stop. One of my black colleagues and friends speaks about the issue of baby-naming frequently: "Why do black parents limit their children from birth with these names?" If we know that a person with a black name gets fewer callbacks in the job market or the real estate market, why saddle your child with this problem? There's a reason that CEO's still are named John, Philip and Michael: their parents projected the child to what they considered a high ranking position in adulthood, and chose a name to reflect that. Past these three easy fixes that will help their children is another thought. The Jews, almost comically, have an expression, "It's a shanda for the goyim", meaning, "don't do anything to shame our group in the eyes of the non-Jew." I know many blacks are exquisitely tuned to behaving in the most proper way to avoid scandalizing their race. Mothers can teach their children to behave in a way that doesn't cause others to see their group in a negative light. It's a free country; do what you want, but both whites and blacks need tactics in this Game called Life. Blacks should know that many, many whites are rooting for your team to succeed on non-athletic playing fields.
13
Thank you Mr. Kristof. I appreciate when white people tell the truth, and cannot be accused of playing "victim" or pursuing "special interests". I am 59 years old. My father was born in 1914. My grandpa was bedridden when I was a boy. I remember his kind voice and spirit. My great-grandfather got married in 1870, was born as property, could have been killed for reading, education denied by white racism. My grandfather went to marginal, poor black schools for only two years. He could barely sign his name and used the "X". He carried sharpen pencils for his grandchildren. My father went 8 years in segregated black schools. My first 4 years was in the same school. Books were discarded books from white schools, with white children's names still in them. During cotton picking black children were "vacationed" in order to pick cotton, white children kept going to school. For defensive white people who ignore slavery and place its consequences far from the present, my son, Josiah, born in 1977, is the first man in my family afforded a full and equal educational opportunity, tracing back to Hamble Lake, born in 1798 in Georgia, in slavery. White families, and America's accumulation of wealth is directly related to longterm exploitation of African Americans, still is. The cotton growing slaveholders were "the richest class of people in the US, maybe even in the world". Racial equity in America depends on addressing racial injustice in America. Let's get started.
4
I'm going to explain racism in a way that will be threatening to whites. I'm white & female. Everyone, regardless of skin color has prejudices. Prejudice by itself isn't racism. Prejudice + power/privilege = racism. Who has power & privilege in our society? Whites! Everything in life is viewed through our white lenses, our institutions and culture. We're the most populous race & own the majority of the wealth. Blacks came to the US as slaves, as property and have been considered "less than" ever since.
Whites can't ever truly know what it is like to live with black (or any other color) skin. We can imagine, but we can't really know how that feels or impacts a person or entire race.
Here's the shocker. All whites are racist. Imagine a continuum blatant racists (KKK/neo-nazis/hate speech) on one end and real allies on the other. Both ends are in the minority. And the majority of us fall somewhere in between. We aren't responsible for the actions of others (past or present), only for our own.
People of color don't have power/privilege. People of color can't be racist if prejudice + power/privilege = racism, but they can be prejudiced and some are.
We DON'T need to feel guilt/shame/anger about this. If we devoted the rest of our lives to learning what living in brown/black skin, we still can't really know what it's like. We aren't bad. We have much to learn. It IS like addiction in that until you know you have a problem you can't do anything about it! Deal with it!
Whites can't ever truly know what it is like to live with black (or any other color) skin. We can imagine, but we can't really know how that feels or impacts a person or entire race.
Here's the shocker. All whites are racist. Imagine a continuum blatant racists (KKK/neo-nazis/hate speech) on one end and real allies on the other. Both ends are in the minority. And the majority of us fall somewhere in between. We aren't responsible for the actions of others (past or present), only for our own.
People of color don't have power/privilege. People of color can't be racist if prejudice + power/privilege = racism, but they can be prejudiced and some are.
We DON'T need to feel guilt/shame/anger about this. If we devoted the rest of our lives to learning what living in brown/black skin, we still can't really know what it's like. We aren't bad. We have much to learn. It IS like addiction in that until you know you have a problem you can't do anything about it! Deal with it!
6
I'm going to call rubbish on this. Anyone of any race can be racist.
4
Nick
Jews have faced discrimination for millennia. What have we done about it? We have looked to our own community to further our interests. I'm not suggesting that the African American community should be discriminated against. Of course not. What I am saying, though, is that as long as they have to rely on the government to impose rules like affirmative action, or rely on the New York Times editorial page to guilt white people into behaving better, there will be little progress. You cannot legislate against bigotry, but you can enable and encourage people to help themselves.
Jews have faced discrimination for millennia. What have we done about it? We have looked to our own community to further our interests. I'm not suggesting that the African American community should be discriminated against. Of course not. What I am saying, though, is that as long as they have to rely on the government to impose rules like affirmative action, or rely on the New York Times editorial page to guilt white people into behaving better, there will be little progress. You cannot legislate against bigotry, but you can enable and encourage people to help themselves.
25
There seems to be racism among whites as well as blacks as well as Asians. Travel the world and you will find that race is a major factor in discrimination everywhere. Racism can be as suble as the human mind can devise or sometimes down right blatant, but it exists everywhere. We live with it everyday. We are one of the few societies where the dominant race chides itself constantly about racism. Whites do get it, but there is only so much that whites can do about it. There are so many other aspects to our lives that are just as important. Blacks who are internally motivated to build better lives tend to succeed here. The same is true of whites. Now that we all know that we are racists, let's study and get to work to build a better society and better world. Aren't we past the stage of wallowing?
5
On the job call backs: I think it depends whether the person finished high school and had a degree. As for the prison record: was the person in for criminal drug activity or theft? I wouldn't call back anyone (regardless of color) if the other person was better qualified and if I thought the character was too flawed with any candidate. People representing business are responsible for who is hired and would be responsible for the dire consequences if a hateful situation occurred to the company or people working at that company due to a wrong selection.
2
Thank you Mr. Kristof. I appreciate when white people tell the truth, and cannot be accused of playing "victim" or pursuing "special interests". I am 59 years old. My father was born in 1914. My grandpa was bedridden when I was a boy. I remember his kind voice and spirit. My great-grandfather got married in 1870, was born as property, could have been killed for reading, education denied by white racism. My grandfather went to marginal, poor black schools for only two years. He could barely sign his name and used the "X". He carried sharpen pencils for his grandchildren. My father went 8 years in segregated black schools. My first 4 years was in the same school. Books were discarded books from white schools, with white children's names still in them. During cotton picking black children were "vacationed" in order to pick cotton, white children kept going to school. For defensive white people who ignore slavery and place its consequences far from the present, my son, Josiah, born in 1977, is the first man in my family afforded a full and equal educational opportunity, tracing back to Hamble Lake, born in 1798 in Georgia, in slavery. White families, and America's accumulation of wealth is directly related to longterm exploitation of African Americans, still is. The cotton growing slaveholders were "the richest class of people in the US, maybe even in the world". Racial equity in America depends on addressing racial injustice in America. Let's get started.
2
Some of the biases are unconsciously created by what the words black and white connote in language while referring to non-humans - black arts, black sheep, white light - you get the idea.
2
Refer to Mayor Nutters', of Philadelphia, speech to a mostly black congregation on YouTube, interesting.
1
White and female in Baltimore. You are spot on ..........keep up the pressure for us whites to recognize prejudice and discrimination when we see it in ourselves and our friends. President Obama recalled walking down the street as a young black man.....white people locked their car doors, picked up the pace or quickly walked to the other side of the street. A young Barack Obama had no baggy pants falling down or hoodie....he just had black skin.
5
I am white. I grew up on Chicago's southside in the 50's and 60's. My family moved twice because of "white flight". My parents were evangelical protestants who preached loved to all but were scared to death of black people. So, I learned to be the same. Not until I was 50 years old and was assigned to manage a staff that was 90% black did I finally get it. The black faces that I feared and judged turned out to be just as beautiful and flawed and strong and weak as any white faces I'd ever known. What surprised me was the sense of community they created to survive together. We are more the same than we are different. But it's easy to retreat to our tribes and defend ourselves against the evil ones so we label and treat them as less than us. I think of those amazing people and their struggles whenever I see examples in the news. All you need is love.
3
Kristof,like many well-intentioned progressives, is the problem not the solution.
He portrays Blacks, as a group, as poorly educated with poor work skills and with high poverty and crime rates. His Opinion column is then accompanied by a photo of confrontation with police.
Then he laments the stereotyping of Blacks which he has reinforced himself.
Depicting Blacks as separate and different than other Americans is divisive and counterproductive.
He portrays Blacks, as a group, as poorly educated with poor work skills and with high poverty and crime rates. His Opinion column is then accompanied by a photo of confrontation with police.
Then he laments the stereotyping of Blacks which he has reinforced himself.
Depicting Blacks as separate and different than other Americans is divisive and counterproductive.
14
Racism plays a role in the problems of the USA, but it is often confused with prejudice against the poor. Recent reports of conservative invective against whites living in poverty fall back on the ideology of personal responsibility to assert that their suffering is their own fault.
We need to demand a degree of personal responsibility in order for society to function, but we should also recognize that we have less ability to take control of our destinies than conservatives would like to believe. I think that reality is part of the appeal of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.
We need to demand a degree of personal responsibility in order for society to function, but we should also recognize that we have less ability to take control of our destinies than conservatives would like to believe. I think that reality is part of the appeal of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.
1
What is often not discussed are the ways job discrimination reinforces criminality. You've got to make a living somehow. But beyond that is learned helplessness. If you've searched for jobs for months on end with no result, most people give up. Add in the competition from illegal immigration for jobs at the lowest rungs of the employment ladder and the presumption of guilt when you interact with the justice system, and an ambitious but poorly educated and poorly socialized young black man has few realistic options. It is not simply job discrimination, or lack of good educational opportunities, or an impoverished social network, or a reality based distrust of the legal system, or the lack of familial wealth, or housing discrimination which limits your ability to move to areas with better opportunities. It is the synergistic effects of all of these things that weaves a web of constraints that only individuals with the right combination of luck, talent, and determination an escape. Lack one of those three and you're trapped. It's an odds game. And the odds are stacked against young black men and women. To fix the problems we need to stop rigging the game at all levels.
1
"an ambitious but poorly educated and poorly socialized young black man has few realistic options"
They could always join the military provided they were high school graduates without a criminal record.
They could always join the military provided they were high school graduates without a criminal record.
1
excellent column.
i'm a white 'non-racist', but I too react differently to blacks and even
folks of lesser economic means. maybe it's a fear of being in their place.
i'm a white 'non-racist', but I too react differently to blacks and even
folks of lesser economic means. maybe it's a fear of being in their place.
6
You will never have a "just school funding system" if the government is responsible for both the "justice" and the "school funding system."
Remove the government from that equation - turn education back to the free market it once was - and you will see the following:
- many more schools & tutors
- a wide range of prices for a wide range of educational paths
- many more forms of scholarship
If Apple or Google or Microsoft or Ford or Walmart or Coca-Cola or Exxon found it profitable to operate schools - say, for instance, in an attempt to find the next Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Sam Walton, Asa Candler, or John D. Rockefeller, or maybe even the next Thomas Edison or Nicola Tesla - they would do so. Why are they not? Answer: Because government makes it unprofitable to do so.
Remove the government from that equation - turn education back to the free market it once was - and you will see the following:
- many more schools & tutors
- a wide range of prices for a wide range of educational paths
- many more forms of scholarship
If Apple or Google or Microsoft or Ford or Walmart or Coca-Cola or Exxon found it profitable to operate schools - say, for instance, in an attempt to find the next Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Sam Walton, Asa Candler, or John D. Rockefeller, or maybe even the next Thomas Edison or Nicola Tesla - they would do so. Why are they not? Answer: Because government makes it unprofitable to do so.
2
Two responses to your statement a free market education system would help solve these issues:
One - You write that a free market education system used to exist. Could you describe when that was and what grade levels or ages of students it covered?
Two - Could you write about how that free market system you refer to worked for everybody - including those we often refer to as marginalized by which I mean the poor, disabled, immigrants, people of color, those with mental health issues, those with intellectual challenges.
You see the intention of the system we have is that it serve ALL people. That is what we, the people, have directed our tool, the government, to do. Universal education appropriate to each individual child and youth is the stated goal. How did the free market do that? Or how might it do that in the future?
One - You write that a free market education system used to exist. Could you describe when that was and what grade levels or ages of students it covered?
Two - Could you write about how that free market system you refer to worked for everybody - including those we often refer to as marginalized by which I mean the poor, disabled, immigrants, people of color, those with mental health issues, those with intellectual challenges.
You see the intention of the system we have is that it serve ALL people. That is what we, the people, have directed our tool, the government, to do. Universal education appropriate to each individual child and youth is the stated goal. How did the free market do that? Or how might it do that in the future?
2
I wonder what role affirmative action plays in all of this. I am not talking about an African-American seeking employment with a CV that includes 20 years of proven experience and achievement; it is the newly-minted graduate from college seeking his first job. An employer looking to hire might wonder whether the perspective employee was a recipient of affirmative action and then conflate affirmative action with sub-par academic achievement.
6
I would be more inclined to agree with your position, Mr. Kristof, if I hadn't actually spent a long time in the working world. I have spent several years in the manufacturing sector and saw stark differences in the performance and ethics of different racial groups. One set of workers would work steadily, performing their established objectives and didn't cause trouble. The other group didn't work as steadily and wasted time entertaining each other and even deliberately slowed their part down to extend their jobs into more profitable overtime. Which group would you hire, if you were running a company?
My wife is an elementary school teacher. In her very diverse school she has little trouble with one group in getting her lesson plan accomplished but with another group she has discipline problems, inattention, and even occasional violence. Which group will be successful in completing school and using the benefits of education?
There are cultural and behavioral issues that are unaddressed in this discussion that go far beyond the color of skin. If these issues aren't part of the discussion, how can anything be fixed?
My wife is an elementary school teacher. In her very diverse school she has little trouble with one group in getting her lesson plan accomplished but with another group she has discipline problems, inattention, and even occasional violence. Which group will be successful in completing school and using the benefits of education?
There are cultural and behavioral issues that are unaddressed in this discussion that go far beyond the color of skin. If these issues aren't part of the discussion, how can anything be fixed?
15
The civil rights movement, once something all reasonable whites could get behind, changed from "equality of opportunity" to "equality of results" almost 50 years ago. (If you read MLK, with his timeless and crystal-clearly correct quotations, or Malcolm X, with his insistence on personal responsibility, in the original you will be shocked at how different it was before.) Mainstream black culture has expanded greatly (I grew up with the children of black physicians and professors who wanted no part of imitating street toughs). We're treated to such things as the black unmarried-children rate going from 21% in 1961 to 70% in 1990 and then being blamed on slavery, and baseball’s Jackie Robinson (not even the first black in the majors) wallowing-in-the-abuses-of-the-past obsession. Since the late 1960s, black bigots such as Sharpton, Farrakhan, and West, and their followers, have enjoyed not only plentiful but POSITIVE press coverage - the Times, the Post and the like have printed things from them they never would touch if the races were reversed - and when something truly ugly happens, we hear how it shows how whites REALLY think, a severe insult to those of us who could never be bigots if we wanted to. Avoiding perception of racism has become job #1 among many whites, and those on the far left stretch to accuse them of it. Cultures are not all equally adaptive - do you think Jews, Armenians, and Chinese have done so well outside their homelands because of their looks?
4
Mr. Kristoff is attempting to advance a very old liberal stereotype that only white people can be racists. He ought to crawl out of his ivory tower at the Times and discover black racists and segregationists. He should come to my neighborhood in Detroit where blacks have no desire to live in white neighborhoods, go to white schools, wear white people's clothing, listen to white people's music or have a white person's dog (my German Shorthair Pointer for example.) To paint them purely as victims is terribly provincial and wrong. The recent explosion of Black on black violence in Chicago is another example. Blacks are not blameless in the bad things that happen to them.
14
Read the article. Did you miss the discussion of "racism without racists"?
1
Excellent comment, it is spot on. Thank you.
2
"Political Correctness" is often invoked in American discussions on racism; sadly in both small, csual forums as well as larger, more political ones. My experience is anecdotal: I recently received a pile of National Lampoon magazines from the 1970s and 1980s; they can be very funny, and are foundational for modern American comedy. They also rely heavily on ethnic humor which would be unprintable in 2016, even on the internet. Here's the thing - - most of that ethnic humor is NOT FUNNY. Ten per cent - - tasteless, but hilarious. The rest - - DISPOSABLE and FORGETTABLE. NOT EVEN CLOSE. Yet, it's ubiquitous. I think our country was very comfortable with it's racism for a long time, and it will take just as long to shed that extra fat. It's a crutch for "street-smart" and "cool" - - and as pathetic as that sounds, the knuckleheads who believe in it are very hard to persuade.
One obvious solution is to mandate those shimmering novels of Toni Morrison as required reading in every campus across America!
2
The past few years have been eye opening for me (white, middle class, naive believer that race issues had been managed but for the economic margins). Of course, for American blacks it was nothing new. This will sound very "white", but I thought it a curious coincidence that Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman" was recently released and the "backstory of Atticus Finch" served as a metaphor for just what we (the white subculture) were learning about ourselves and our nation - we hadn't fixed anything by electing a black president or supporting musical forms or sports that showcased black innovators. That was the easy stuff, all the hard stuff remains. The complexity and depth of the problems are further illustrated by clear evidence of bias everywhere and in resentments no longer hidden, now shouted without shame, from the hearts and minds of men (enter support for Donald Trump).
4
Yes!
White people get it, they want to secede with their families, in business and education. White people hire people who share values and culture. Just like NBA and NFL owners, they hire the best for the positions available. No one is calling out the NFL or NBA for hiring practices. Stop calling white people out for doing what is best for them.
4
Ok, before I start I confess I'm white and southern so go ahead and form your bias...but...While I agree with 100% of this piece I think the single most important aspect has been admitted. That is education and whites, often of good intentions, abandoning public education. Education will go a long way in fixing these problems but only a top rate education system(read not cheap). That will only happen when whites with money and power have their kids in the system. I know so many well intentioned whites (in California and Boston and the south ) who want to improve things but their lack of proximity makes it almost impossible. With their kids in public, integrated schools, they see the problem and za zam, so many problems get fixed. Also without proximity we will never begin to understand each other as people. So I ask all of us where is your kid in school and if you are a church goer what does your congregation look like this AM?
5
Mr. Kristof, racists attitudes come from empowerment.
If our world was dominated by the African warlords or if the earlier Muslim invaders from Persia or Asia minor called Timur Lang and other Mughal Kings had prevailed instead of Alexander the Great or in later years Napoleon etc., the Whites will be talking in the same language like Blacks and minorities.
And you'd be writing articles like 'Blacks don't get it' or the 'Mughals don't get it' etc.
So as we can see its all about who controls this country or the whole world.
And since it's been White domination throughout the history of this country and the whole world, we see a guy called Brendan gets a call back after applying for a job whereas a guy named Jamal never hears from the same employer although both them have same experience,educational and of same age.
So, your articles called 'When Whites Just Don't Get It, Parts 1 to 6' hit the race relations in America head on because of centuries old White domination, the Whites in America just taken the White privileges for granted.
For most of them, these discussions about racial tensions are totally frivolous and they don't like to hear it.
For them, it is a subject that should not be discussed because they do not see any disparities in the way the Blacks and minorities are treated in this country or elsewhere.
And even after '3 generations after Brown v. Board of Education', we didn't see any change nor we ever will.
Only because many 'Whites Don't Get It'. Period.
If our world was dominated by the African warlords or if the earlier Muslim invaders from Persia or Asia minor called Timur Lang and other Mughal Kings had prevailed instead of Alexander the Great or in later years Napoleon etc., the Whites will be talking in the same language like Blacks and minorities.
And you'd be writing articles like 'Blacks don't get it' or the 'Mughals don't get it' etc.
So as we can see its all about who controls this country or the whole world.
And since it's been White domination throughout the history of this country and the whole world, we see a guy called Brendan gets a call back after applying for a job whereas a guy named Jamal never hears from the same employer although both them have same experience,educational and of same age.
So, your articles called 'When Whites Just Don't Get It, Parts 1 to 6' hit the race relations in America head on because of centuries old White domination, the Whites in America just taken the White privileges for granted.
For most of them, these discussions about racial tensions are totally frivolous and they don't like to hear it.
For them, it is a subject that should not be discussed because they do not see any disparities in the way the Blacks and minorities are treated in this country or elsewhere.
And even after '3 generations after Brown v. Board of Education', we didn't see any change nor we ever will.
Only because many 'Whites Don't Get It'. Period.
4
..."but we fail these kids before they fail us". I have recently read on the Fixes NYT column about an amazing program called "Thread". I think it proves beautifully the point that when WE don't fail kids, THEY don't fail. The rate of success of this program is astounding.
www.thread.org
www.thread.org
Please write an article about "When Blacks Just Don't Get It" I'd love to see it and respond.
14
"to interview for low-wage jobs". But what if the equals - or even non-equals with the white having a superior resume and the black an adequate resume - were interviewing for a middle or high income job at a Fortune 500 company? Or for an admission to any Ivy League school. Or for admission to a medical school? Or for a law clerk position at a prestigious court? Or for even a NYC fireman's job? Then, Mr. Kristof - best bet is that the black would get the job or the admission.
No doubt - there always is bias, which scientific studies show that we are born with. Also, no doubt that many strong biases are obtained from life's experiences. I've been robbed by black males - never by whites - how wrong is it for me to be especially wary when needing to cross a group of young black males? Yet - I deal with black people every day - salespeople, medical professionals, trades people, etc. - and it all works out fine. While that direct interaction greatly lessens the bias, the incredible rate of violent black crime - which has little direct impact on me - raises it.
It seems that there are no simplistic solutions to the bias. Whites cannot be told to simply recognize one's bias and be done with it - although they should work at it. But it's also essential that blacks and black leaders particularly deal with the destructive causes and developments in black communities.
No doubt - there always is bias, which scientific studies show that we are born with. Also, no doubt that many strong biases are obtained from life's experiences. I've been robbed by black males - never by whites - how wrong is it for me to be especially wary when needing to cross a group of young black males? Yet - I deal with black people every day - salespeople, medical professionals, trades people, etc. - and it all works out fine. While that direct interaction greatly lessens the bias, the incredible rate of violent black crime - which has little direct impact on me - raises it.
It seems that there are no simplistic solutions to the bias. Whites cannot be told to simply recognize one's bias and be done with it - although they should work at it. But it's also essential that blacks and black leaders particularly deal with the destructive causes and developments in black communities.
7
While we cannot legislate the elimination of the inherent biases Mr. Kristoff describes in this column, we CAN legislate justice in the funding of public schools, we CAN provide clean drinking water to all citizens, we CAN provide the kinds of initiatives that reduce disparities. We AREN'T doing it because one political party panders to those who are explicitly racist and another party refuses to call them out on it or advocate the kind of legislation that might address the injustices you cite. Unfortunately for the future of our country, the one party who panders to racism appears to be ready to nominate a candidate who unapologetically wants to seal our borders to prevent "more of their kind" to enter our country while the other party appears to be ready to reject the only candidate who is explicitly calling for economic and racial justice.
2
Why is skin color the defining factor? Can't we just be people in black skin or people in white skin, brown skin, red skin, yellow skin? But people first, not skin color. Which brings us to this: If some people in white skin hate people in black skin so much, why do they rush to wear black every time they want to look chic, polished, sexy and successful? If you hate people in black skin, why are you covering yourself in black?
1
Was it really necessary for Nicholas Kristof to rip open this ugly Pandora's box of blaming whites for all of the racial evils in this country with another installment of his tired old "when in doubt everything is the White man's fault" column??
What happened to phony limousine liberal Nick Kristof? Did bashing Donald Trump non stop all the time suddenly lose its appeal?
What happened to phony limousine liberal Nick Kristof? Did bashing Donald Trump non stop all the time suddenly lose its appeal?
8
What too many White Americans (I'm one.) don't get is that equality for Black Americans is in their own interest. Black American equality would enhance life for all Americans. Black American equality does not require White American sacrifice.
As Nicholas Kristof has himself pointed out in the past (And I wish he'd remind his readers as often as he talks about inequality.), the most advanced world economies are those which empower women, half their populations ("Half the Sky"), economically, politically, socially. Black Americans are not half of our population nationally, but they do comprise close to half or more of local populations across the country, particularly in major cities. All Americans are adversely affected by Black American inequality, just as all citizens of countries where women are economically, politically and socially disenfranchised are adversely affected.
Macroeconomics are not ruled by the dynamics of microeconomics. Micro-economics may be in some ways a zero-sum game. But macro-economics does not tend to be a zero-sum game. In macroeconomics, policies can make the pie larger or smaller, and pieces of the pie proportionately larger and smaller.
Politicians who sell a micro-economic either/or myth are scamming for themselves and their donors. They are simply too stupid, or too incompetent, or too stingy, to grow the pie.
What White Americans don't get is that what harms Black Americans hurts White Americans, all Americans.
As Nicholas Kristof has himself pointed out in the past (And I wish he'd remind his readers as often as he talks about inequality.), the most advanced world economies are those which empower women, half their populations ("Half the Sky"), economically, politically, socially. Black Americans are not half of our population nationally, but they do comprise close to half or more of local populations across the country, particularly in major cities. All Americans are adversely affected by Black American inequality, just as all citizens of countries where women are economically, politically and socially disenfranchised are adversely affected.
Macroeconomics are not ruled by the dynamics of microeconomics. Micro-economics may be in some ways a zero-sum game. But macro-economics does not tend to be a zero-sum game. In macroeconomics, policies can make the pie larger or smaller, and pieces of the pie proportionately larger and smaller.
Politicians who sell a micro-economic either/or myth are scamming for themselves and their donors. They are simply too stupid, or too incompetent, or too stingy, to grow the pie.
What White Americans don't get is that what harms Black Americans hurts White Americans, all Americans.
3
Whites who want to do what they can to help African-Americans should vote for Bernie Sanders. His economic policies would be best for poorer Americans, among whom blacks are disproportionally represented. And, they should pressure our next president and Congress to reduce immigration, which would tighten up US labor markets, again helping poorer Americans, who tend to work in jobs with larger percentages of immigrant workers depressing their wages.
Or, whites can follow Nicholas Kristof's suggestion and worry about our moral purity, i.e., whether or not we are prejudiced, and if so, how much. We can even take a test on the topic ...
Or, whites can follow Nicholas Kristof's suggestion and worry about our moral purity, i.e., whether or not we are prejudiced, and if so, how much. We can even take a test on the topic ...
2
"...77 percent cited “lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard.” But let us be clear about why blacks see it that way. It is because they see whites in the workplace and society in general giving each other promotions,etc. when the person getting the benefit didn't earn it. Blacks know no matter how hard they work they won't get what they deserve. Trump followers are white people who didn't educate themselves and work hard because they felt other whites would always give them jobs, etc. And it has worked until now. But hey, demographics are destiny. things will reverse in the future.
2
A lecture by Nicholas Kristof is just what the America needs. Can Nicholas
Kristof be wrong? Nicholas Kristof is on the board of overseers at Harvard,
a Rhodes Scholar, a world traveler to more than 150 countries, a two time
winner of the Pulitzer Price, and a best selling author of numerous books.
This article is simply too vague. Mr. Kristof should live in Newark or
Camden, and then come back with his insights.
Kristof be wrong? Nicholas Kristof is on the board of overseers at Harvard,
a Rhodes Scholar, a world traveler to more than 150 countries, a two time
winner of the Pulitzer Price, and a best selling author of numerous books.
This article is simply too vague. Mr. Kristof should live in Newark or
Camden, and then come back with his insights.
7
Well.... if having faux African names is a handicap, why not give your child a break and give a more "American" name like Jane, Susan, John, Jacob? A typical American sounding name indicates a willingness to blend in with main stream American culture. Whites don't want to deal with a person with a chip on his / her shoulder and the faux African or made up names gives (whether it's true or not) that impression. The second thing is dress. When I'm interviewing, I'm not looking for saggy clothing, gangsta look outfits, and cheap flashy outfits, regardless of race. I'm looking for clean, neat, pressed, conservative clothing, people who appear to be able to do a job in a professional manner. I don't hire people who start dancing around the waiting room while they wait to be interviewed. Major, aggressive tattoos which show outside your clothing are a turn off, and that includes all races. It isn't color which causes discrimination, it's the search for serious, industrious people who will not scare off or alienate customers and potential customers.
10
There is, frankly, too much on the issue of race to be addressed in a column or even a series of columns. Rather than a quick survey, with need to look deeply and carefully, point by point.
Take money. If you or your family have money, if you can dress well and have the sense of social command that money allows, you are automatically taken as being something more than ordinary, black or white. Many black people lack this essential "trait". This is presumed to be a fault, whether consciously or not.
Billions of dollars have been taken out of the black community by what were, perhaps, unintended racist actions. Constant incarceration, threat of arrest and general harassment break up families, prevent the accumulation of modest wealth and, generation by generation, there is little or noting to pass on. Historically, the anti-black riots of the early 20th century, along with lynchings and other mob actions, took away many more sources of potential wealth, including growing black owned businesses that could have formed the foundation of progress.
When I lived in Dallas many years ago, I noticed that an expressway, North Central, had been built right through what had been a thriving black area, cutting it in two, preventing further growth. This was no mistake, but a common type event in many cities across America.
We have re-oriented much of our society away from racism, but we haven't addressed the underlying unfairness and structured inequality.
Doug Terry
Take money. If you or your family have money, if you can dress well and have the sense of social command that money allows, you are automatically taken as being something more than ordinary, black or white. Many black people lack this essential "trait". This is presumed to be a fault, whether consciously or not.
Billions of dollars have been taken out of the black community by what were, perhaps, unintended racist actions. Constant incarceration, threat of arrest and general harassment break up families, prevent the accumulation of modest wealth and, generation by generation, there is little or noting to pass on. Historically, the anti-black riots of the early 20th century, along with lynchings and other mob actions, took away many more sources of potential wealth, including growing black owned businesses that could have formed the foundation of progress.
When I lived in Dallas many years ago, I noticed that an expressway, North Central, had been built right through what had been a thriving black area, cutting it in two, preventing further growth. This was no mistake, but a common type event in many cities across America.
We have re-oriented much of our society away from racism, but we haven't addressed the underlying unfairness and structured inequality.
Doug Terry
3
Many good points in the article:
First, blacks need to lose those ridiculous "black names" like Jamal, La'Quan, etc. How did that deplorable habit start, anyway?
Second, they need to lose the pants hanging lower than their rear ends and lose those stupid baseball caps turned at 135 degrees. Who is going to hire somebody dressed like that?
And lose the habit of moufing rap lyrics and being too loud (a la the women thrown off the train in California last year.)
First, blacks need to lose those ridiculous "black names" like Jamal, La'Quan, etc. How did that deplorable habit start, anyway?
Second, they need to lose the pants hanging lower than their rear ends and lose those stupid baseball caps turned at 135 degrees. Who is going to hire somebody dressed like that?
And lose the habit of moufing rap lyrics and being too loud (a la the women thrown off the train in California last year.)
2
Why do they need to lose their names? How about you lose your name, James? Or, better yet, people could just not discriminate.
1
A welcome reminder, but a tiresome one, too. Some of us know racism is rampant in America. We know that the Civil War is far from over, and may be approaching a more dangerous new phase. And we know that the Southern Strategy, and the thinly veiled racism of Reagan contributed to all of that--not to mention Fox and its unholy apostles of the bent truth and the glib lie.
I remain amazed that so many of my fellow white males continue to miss the boat when it comes to this issue. White males, regardless of much anything else, have enjoyed "white male privilege" for decades, even centuries. We don't see it because we are it. We also do not get that it takes longer than a few decades to undo the damage done by enslaving an entire race of people, convincing them they deserve slavery, splitting up their families and then blaming them for not having a stable family structure. We were very poor when I was a child, but my parents shielded me from that reality. It was my white privilege that put me over the edge I needed to succeed. I'm aware of that and often ashamed of it.
5
This is a good one for covering several facts and possible facts.
"plenty of black leaders (including President Obama) have bluntly spoken about shortcomings in the black community." this is untrue. the effect of the catastrophically high percentage (72%) of black children born and raised by single mothers is hardly ever mentioned (although Daniel Patrick Moynihan raised this issue back in 1965). and nobody ever mentions the words of Malcolm X in 1963 (which can be directly posted at Hillary today) when he said: "The real criminal is the white liberal, the political hypocrite, using civil rights as a political football to gain more legislation and power for itself. Our people are being used as pawns in the game of power politics by political hypocrites. The white liberals are nothing but political hypocrites who use our people as political footballs only to get bills passed that will increase their own power. They use civil rights as a political football to gain more legislation and power for itself. Our people are being used as pawns in the game of power politics by political hypocrites.". why is Malcolm X totally ignored today?
24
I agree with your point of view.
4
Because Malcolm X was scary.
1
The axiom "awareness reduces racial bias" contains one key to a lot of what ails us, but it's difficult to develop that awareness because there isn't enough diversity where people work, play, live, and worship. The level of inequality that manifests itself in jobs, education and housing telescopes into the social fabric - making friends, developing a sense of community, and even pursuing a spiritual path with kindred spirits at a local church are often racially polarizing endeavors. Conversely, there's always the elements of society like sports, the arts, and the physical architecture of an area that can bring harmony amongst people of various races.
Even a cursory look at the set of issues that form the divisions reveals that though some progress has been made over the past 50 years, it will take many more years to accomplish anything resembling racial equality in this country. And that will only be possible if the government does its job to provide quality educations to those who do not have the income to live in good school districts, without which the other barriers cannot be broken down. The need of the family unit to stay intact so children have a strong sense of identity and a belief in their future is also critical - hence social safety net issues like affordable housing and food stamps (and security) should also rank high on the government's list of "to do" priorities. Clinton is versed in these issues, and is needed to keep and expand the progress.
Even a cursory look at the set of issues that form the divisions reveals that though some progress has been made over the past 50 years, it will take many more years to accomplish anything resembling racial equality in this country. And that will only be possible if the government does its job to provide quality educations to those who do not have the income to live in good school districts, without which the other barriers cannot be broken down. The need of the family unit to stay intact so children have a strong sense of identity and a belief in their future is also critical - hence social safety net issues like affordable housing and food stamps (and security) should also rank high on the government's list of "to do" priorities. Clinton is versed in these issues, and is needed to keep and expand the progress.
Food stamps and welfare created this problem; they won't solve it.
You might recall that Mrs. Clinton's HUSBAND signed the bill to "end welfare as we know it".
The need of the family unit to stay intact? Welfare did more to disrupt and fracture the black family than 200 years of slavery!
And quality education? Your beef is not with "the government" but with immensely wealthy teacher unions and their unholy power over education in this nation. They are an intransigent force that refuses any reform or accountability, and it is they who have horrifically failed black children.
You might recall that Mrs. Clinton's HUSBAND signed the bill to "end welfare as we know it".
The need of the family unit to stay intact? Welfare did more to disrupt and fracture the black family than 200 years of slavery!
And quality education? Your beef is not with "the government" but with immensely wealthy teacher unions and their unholy power over education in this nation. They are an intransigent force that refuses any reform or accountability, and it is they who have horrifically failed black children.
5
could you please cite the study that suggests that an ipod with a white hand in the picture garners more offers?
is it this one: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268111001739 ?
If so, the abstract suggests the problem is far less straightforward than you imply:
'White names receive higher prices for distinctively white products, and black names receive higher prices for distinctively black products. But price differences only emerge for sellers who have low eBay feedback scores in less competitive markets.'
Still a problem, but by simplifying I believe you do your argument an injustice.
is it this one: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268111001739 ?
If so, the abstract suggests the problem is far less straightforward than you imply:
'White names receive higher prices for distinctively white products, and black names receive higher prices for distinctively black products. But price differences only emerge for sellers who have low eBay feedback scores in less competitive markets.'
Still a problem, but by simplifying I believe you do your argument an injustice.
4
I also wondered about THIS:
Several years back, the Gates Foundation gave our local schools huge grants, and one was for giving every kid from 7th grade onward, their own iPad. The iPad was pretty new then, and a very highly coveted piece of Mac technology.
So they did. Our schools are 95% black and the area is working class, with plenty of poverty and welfare and lots of kids on free lunch.
Within a few months, 60% of the expensive iPads had "disappeared. Some kids claimed they were lost -- others that they had been robbed. A few verified cases of muggings and robbery existed, but most that claimed theft had no evidence.
Because they were so expensive, detectives followed up on this, and many of the missing iPads turned up on craigslist or ebay. In short, the PARENTS of the children had stole their iPads and were selling them online for cash.
So it might be that the reason white people hesitate at buying tech products held by a black hand is the worry the item was stolen. Of course a white person could have stolen it also. But in a neighboring suburb of ours, which is almost all white, they also had iPads and none of their were "stolen" by parents. DO THE MATH.
Several years back, the Gates Foundation gave our local schools huge grants, and one was for giving every kid from 7th grade onward, their own iPad. The iPad was pretty new then, and a very highly coveted piece of Mac technology.
So they did. Our schools are 95% black and the area is working class, with plenty of poverty and welfare and lots of kids on free lunch.
Within a few months, 60% of the expensive iPads had "disappeared. Some kids claimed they were lost -- others that they had been robbed. A few verified cases of muggings and robbery existed, but most that claimed theft had no evidence.
Because they were so expensive, detectives followed up on this, and many of the missing iPads turned up on craigslist or ebay. In short, the PARENTS of the children had stole their iPads and were selling them online for cash.
So it might be that the reason white people hesitate at buying tech products held by a black hand is the worry the item was stolen. Of course a white person could have stolen it also. But in a neighboring suburb of ours, which is almost all white, they also had iPads and none of their were "stolen" by parents. DO THE MATH.
8
This isn't about race this is about culture. Race is a red herring.
5
We are trying to unwind evolution here. Our DNA holds dear those who are most like us, in fact, that carry similar DNA. And those who are different have less value or are to be suspected. Of something.
Once upon a time the stranger was not coming to your small band to sing Kumbaya. He was there, most likely, to cause problems. Big ones.
So, here's a thought: Don't give your children ethnic names? Sure, it shouldn't matter, but it does! That's the reality.
Once upon a time the stranger was not coming to your small band to sing Kumbaya. He was there, most likely, to cause problems. Big ones.
So, here's a thought: Don't give your children ethnic names? Sure, it shouldn't matter, but it does! That's the reality.
6
Finally some common sense
1
All names are ethnic.
1
Can you give me a list of approved "non ethnic" names?
1
This is an insightful report on racism and a window to the complexity of human nature. Learning by trial and error is a life-long pursuit.
In my opinion, racism can stem from multiple factors which are not necessarily grounded on cognitive science.
This "unconscious bias" you have mentioned is deeply rooted in our homes, in the values our parents stand up for; in the way we apprehend those values and in our ability to pass them on to our own children.
My ancestry trails back to the Celts and the Arabs. One could say I am a white person with a colorful past. My parents, though, were sensible enough to understand that neither our blood nor our skin-color are representative of humanity´s rich racial make-up.
When I was little, my mother gave me a black doll as a birthday present.
Later, my sister wished to have a second one. And we shared both.
At the time, I didn´t know what my mother´s wise choice belied.
As to your cognitive approach, Mr. Kahneman would probably confirm that "superficial thinking is a flaw in the reflective mind."
And I would dare go further and state that our emotions powerfully affect judgment. For example, the fear of losing a loved one can cripple the mind. Exponentially, collective anxiety can generate unprecedented side-effects - as evidenced by the aftermath of terror in Europe.
I also feel we should be more humble and own up to our fallible condition. History proves the quest for self-improvement yields fruit in any community big or small.
In my opinion, racism can stem from multiple factors which are not necessarily grounded on cognitive science.
This "unconscious bias" you have mentioned is deeply rooted in our homes, in the values our parents stand up for; in the way we apprehend those values and in our ability to pass them on to our own children.
My ancestry trails back to the Celts and the Arabs. One could say I am a white person with a colorful past. My parents, though, were sensible enough to understand that neither our blood nor our skin-color are representative of humanity´s rich racial make-up.
When I was little, my mother gave me a black doll as a birthday present.
Later, my sister wished to have a second one. And we shared both.
At the time, I didn´t know what my mother´s wise choice belied.
As to your cognitive approach, Mr. Kahneman would probably confirm that "superficial thinking is a flaw in the reflective mind."
And I would dare go further and state that our emotions powerfully affect judgment. For example, the fear of losing a loved one can cripple the mind. Exponentially, collective anxiety can generate unprecedented side-effects - as evidenced by the aftermath of terror in Europe.
I also feel we should be more humble and own up to our fallible condition. History proves the quest for self-improvement yields fruit in any community big or small.
1
I accept as true the continuing white bias described by Kristoff, although I imagine flaws can be found in some of the studies. White attitudes must change if we are to have a better America. Here's my problem. Once more, an examination of African Americans fails to adequately address the other root cause of dysfunction in the black community: the stupendous illegitimate birth rate that hovers around 70 percent. The same types of studies that show endemic white bias have shown that the absence of stable, two-parent households stacks the deck against black children the day they are born.
The core of my dilemma: changing deeply held white biases is a horrendously difficult task, but altering the black ilegitimate birth rate requires the simple act of black females using birth control. Birth control would be an amazingly cost-effective way of achieving nearly miraculous results in improving the lot of blacks in America. Fewer unemployable black males needing assistance would free up more money to be used to support the social programs Krstoff cites as working. Yet, this simple, cheap tool for improving black lives is ignored. Why?
The core of my dilemma: changing deeply held white biases is a horrendously difficult task, but altering the black ilegitimate birth rate requires the simple act of black females using birth control. Birth control would be an amazingly cost-effective way of achieving nearly miraculous results in improving the lot of blacks in America. Fewer unemployable black males needing assistance would free up more money to be used to support the social programs Krstoff cites as working. Yet, this simple, cheap tool for improving black lives is ignored. Why?
8
You are making the same fatal flaw in thinking that most white upper-middle class liberals make: you are assuming that black women (and men for that matter) feel exactly as you do. YOU wished to postpone childbearing until you finished college and got a job, possibly putting it off into your 30s.
These young women do not. They are not interested in college or education, and have no role model of an adult with a career who goes to work daily. Their role models are welfare dependence and "getting your benefits".
In fairness, their culture highly values babies and motherhood. A young woman gains status from becoming a mother -- not for getting good grades. A young woman gets thousands of dollars per year for having a baby, in government benefits -- but absolutely NOTHING for being a good student. There is no punishment for dropping out of school and getting pregnant. But there is NO REWARD for going to school, doing homework and graduating on time.
You get to a great degree, what you incentivize. In this case, we have incentivized unwed childbearing by giving those young women a welfare "package" which altogether equals about $35,000 -- far, far more than they could earn at a job with their skills and education.
BTW: every young girl in a poor family has gotten FREE birth control from Medicaid for 40+ years (and today, it is free everywhere from Obamacare). Has the birth rate dropped? NO! it went way up.
These young women do not. They are not interested in college or education, and have no role model of an adult with a career who goes to work daily. Their role models are welfare dependence and "getting your benefits".
In fairness, their culture highly values babies and motherhood. A young woman gains status from becoming a mother -- not for getting good grades. A young woman gets thousands of dollars per year for having a baby, in government benefits -- but absolutely NOTHING for being a good student. There is no punishment for dropping out of school and getting pregnant. But there is NO REWARD for going to school, doing homework and graduating on time.
You get to a great degree, what you incentivize. In this case, we have incentivized unwed childbearing by giving those young women a welfare "package" which altogether equals about $35,000 -- far, far more than they could earn at a job with their skills and education.
BTW: every young girl in a poor family has gotten FREE birth control from Medicaid for 40+ years (and today, it is free everywhere from Obamacare). Has the birth rate dropped? NO! it went way up.
64
Flaws in some of the studies and birth control does not address your own personal bias, sir. Deflecting the core premise of this article is the most simplest thing you can do. Looking inside yourself and even attempting to move your own proverbial mountain of bias can't be that difficult. Probably as easy as taking a birth control pill.
4
interesting that the solution to inequality is birth control. I would assume you voted for Ben Carson. Ann Coulter wrote in a book of hers that wealth inequality is a generational phenomenon. The government has invested millions of dollars for things like the Louisiana Purchase. This benefited land owners with free lands at a time blacks were not able to own land. So as assets were passed from one generation to the next blacks were allowed in schools or able to vote. Seems like to overcome ignorance proper american history should be taught in schools.
4
I'm beginning to wonder whether the younger generation is more biased than my generation. All of the discussion and information and experience over the last 50 years and we seem to be no better than 1967, maybe worse because today it seems to be more subtle and ingrained.
5
The young generation (15-30) today lives in a very competitive international world with much lower probability of upward mobility that we faced.
1
Racism is to whites as sin is to Lutherans. I sin even when I don't know I am sinning. I sin worst when I think that I do not.
8
Is this really about whites? Is there evidence that non-black minorities behave any differently versus black people than white people do? Should the opinion piece be entitled "When Non-Blacks Just Don't Get It, Part 6"? But maybe such a title would itself raise more questions than the author would like to at one time.
55
The worst bigotry and racism I have seen comes not from whites, who since the 60s have been paralyzed by political correctness, and who fall over backwards to be extra nice to black people -- but from other minorities -- especially Asians. Asians have as a group great resentments for blacks, who they think get all kinds of extras but who have not succeeded like Asians. Hispanics don't necessarily like blacks (and vice versa -- blacks see illegal aliens getting jobs that blacks don't get).
It is not this binary world that Kristof imagines, with a lot of rich snotty whites being "mean" to poor, trampled on black people (and no other races even exist!). That world never existed, and the stereotypes that prevail are now 50 years out of date.
A poor, working class family in a trailer in West Virginia -- themselves on food stamps and no jobs -- watching Beyonce and Jay-Zee on TV, would think Kristof's comments to be insane.
It is not this binary world that Kristof imagines, with a lot of rich snotty whites being "mean" to poor, trampled on black people (and no other races even exist!). That world never existed, and the stereotypes that prevail are now 50 years out of date.
A poor, working class family in a trailer in West Virginia -- themselves on food stamps and no jobs -- watching Beyonce and Jay-Zee on TV, would think Kristof's comments to be insane.
11
Touché
1
A problem with these well-meaning and mostly accurate commentaries is that they selectively report the facts and apply the ideology, and the NYT is an expert at it. That is a form of hatred and prejudice.
Moreover, these commentaries paint with too broad a brush. Just like the right has its "dog whistles," the left also has them too. "White" means "white, Christian, straight, old man" - that's discrimination within every protected class.
Moreover, these commentaries paint with too broad a brush. Just like the right has its "dog whistles," the left also has them too. "White" means "white, Christian, straight, old man" - that's discrimination within every protected class.
7
The very short version here: Kristof, along with the whole staff at the NYT, is being paid and hectored and pushed to promote Hillary. Hillary needs those black votes desperately. Obama got them by virtue of his skin. Hillary has to earn them, and she hasn't done a very good job.
The other thing that annoys me: Mr. Kristof is a wealthy columnist at the NYT; he and his family are undoubtedly living in a very nice home in a segregated area with "good schools" (i.e., majority white). He is not being honest. He is a typical liberal who wants to lecture others about how THEY live, but never talk about how HE lives. On top of that, he cares more about his "lefty creds" than being fair. You get lots of lefty creds from promoting "white guilt".
The other thing that annoys me: Mr. Kristof is a wealthy columnist at the NYT; he and his family are undoubtedly living in a very nice home in a segregated area with "good schools" (i.e., majority white). He is not being honest. He is a typical liberal who wants to lecture others about how THEY live, but never talk about how HE lives. On top of that, he cares more about his "lefty creds" than being fair. You get lots of lefty creds from promoting "white guilt".
5
Excellent. I find myself repeating a line I learned in business school back in the seventies. "Figures don't lie, liars figure" of course it was probably a white guy
1
Opportunities are not equal. And - some of it is due to racism. Some is due to bad experience. It might be that the bad experience with black workers/employees was caused by racism that led to poor work ethics, etc., etc. but to an employer that's irrelevant. I have worked with blacks and whites - some are heaven sent; some are not and the ratios and attitudes for the two are not the same.
There is a lot of racism on both ends of this issue; what is needed is to separate the racism from the facts and both blacks and whites have some work to do. You
will not get anywhere with guilt trips where they do not belong.
I have been mugged - by blacks; a cousin was raped - by a black man, a girlfriend was mugged with a gun placed to her temple - by a black man, 10 non-resident kids ran rampant in my apt building causing lots of damage - all black. No doubt Kristoff wil claim that it was all due to my intrinsic racism (assuming this ever see print).
".... even N.B.A. referees were more likely to call fouls on players of another race..."
That study showed bias against whites and against blacks. Not just against Blacks.
People of all colors are racist?! Surprise.
There is a lot of racism on both ends of this issue; what is needed is to separate the racism from the facts and both blacks and whites have some work to do. You
will not get anywhere with guilt trips where they do not belong.
I have been mugged - by blacks; a cousin was raped - by a black man, a girlfriend was mugged with a gun placed to her temple - by a black man, 10 non-resident kids ran rampant in my apt building causing lots of damage - all black. No doubt Kristoff wil claim that it was all due to my intrinsic racism (assuming this ever see print).
".... even N.B.A. referees were more likely to call fouls on players of another race..."
That study showed bias against whites and against blacks. Not just against Blacks.
People of all colors are racist?! Surprise.
99
Aren't NBA players overwhelmingly black which may account for the foul call disparity? Glad the "study" didn't include WALKING!
3
Racial bias in general can start in infants as early as 3 months old.
This early racial bias can apparently be reversed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/children-racial-bias-study_us_55df5e...
The racial divide in the US, though, may be beyond the pale of repair. What there is though is plenty of liberal and conservative hypocrisy.
This early racial bias can apparently be reversed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/children-racial-bias-study_us_55df5e...
The racial divide in the US, though, may be beyond the pale of repair. What there is though is plenty of liberal and conservative hypocrisy.
3
I agree with what most of your writing on this topic. Humanity is one race but we have many klans or subgroups and have for 30k years. We have fought, killed and enslaved different groups for various reasons, including different genetic background but also religions and desire for power and control. We do this with other species as well. I think it is in our human DNA, hard wired. This was a needed characteristic in hunter gatherer times, but now we have way too many humans fighting over shrinking resources. The seas will rise and humans will adapt, maybe not in the same numbers. I see no solution, as humans have fatal flaws. So much of the world is effected, it is hard to indentify a country without inequality. It is not that whites don't get it, it is that humans don't get it. We keep killing our own species, other species, seeking power, and destroying the planet. When I talk to people about what is important to them, they focus on personal needs, not the needs of their town, their country or the world. It is that selfishness and arrogance that will be our downfall.
1
Nicholas Kristof, you have now had 6 chances to tell us that whites just don't get it and you are of course correct, many American whites focus their racism on the largest of the three ethnicities subsumed under the USCB "black race", African Americans.
May I suggest that it is time for you, world traveler, to start a series on a virulent form of racism expressed almost every day in the New York Times comment section, racism directed against muslims from the Middle East.
These comments become Times Picks and appear at the top of the charts of Readers' recommendations. Here is a Times Pick sample:
"I blame...Merkel, (who invited)... these mostly poor and unskilled Muslim migrants in, who come from socially backward & misogynistic countries, where life is a living hell of their own making." URL at *
These migrants from Syria and Iraq and Kurdistan (in Syria and Iraq) belong to the US Census Bureau's White Race: USCB "A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa."
The racism expressed daily against these members of the USCB's "white race" matches the racism expressed often against members of the USCB's "black race".
Kristof, Blow, and Yancy (The Stone) decry the latter racism as they well should, but Times reviewers praise comments with the former racism.
Is it not time for you Kristof to address the new normal racism rewarded in the Times?
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
*http://nyti.ms/1Ma7cVw
May I suggest that it is time for you, world traveler, to start a series on a virulent form of racism expressed almost every day in the New York Times comment section, racism directed against muslims from the Middle East.
These comments become Times Picks and appear at the top of the charts of Readers' recommendations. Here is a Times Pick sample:
"I blame...Merkel, (who invited)... these mostly poor and unskilled Muslim migrants in, who come from socially backward & misogynistic countries, where life is a living hell of their own making." URL at *
These migrants from Syria and Iraq and Kurdistan (in Syria and Iraq) belong to the US Census Bureau's White Race: USCB "A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa."
The racism expressed daily against these members of the USCB's "white race" matches the racism expressed often against members of the USCB's "black race".
Kristof, Blow, and Yancy (The Stone) decry the latter racism as they well should, but Times reviewers praise comments with the former racism.
Is it not time for you Kristof to address the new normal racism rewarded in the Times?
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
*http://nyti.ms/1Ma7cVw
2
Problem is, Larry, that Islam is a religion. It is not a race. There are Muslims of all colors, including white. The wife of Grover Norquist is a Muslim (so is he!). She's white.
Most American Muslims by far are BLACK. Most Arab-Americans are Christians. Nobody in the US has the slightest problem with either group. Black muslims are not terrorists. Christians of Arab ancestry are not terrorists.
You might know some of these things if you lived in the US, but you abandoned your own nation more than 20 years ago. You've only been back on vacations (to all-white Vermont). So frankly, you have no idea what life is like here.
Most American Muslims by far are BLACK. Most Arab-Americans are Christians. Nobody in the US has the slightest problem with either group. Black muslims are not terrorists. Christians of Arab ancestry are not terrorists.
You might know some of these things if you lived in the US, but you abandoned your own nation more than 20 years ago. You've only been back on vacations (to all-white Vermont). So frankly, you have no idea what life is like here.
10
I was a tour guide for Gray Line for a decade. On the west side of Seventh Avenue between 47th and 48th with my fellow guides, White and Black, I would stand waiting to be assigned to a bus. The longest amount of time elapsing between non verbal negative reactions to my Black co workers by people passing by was less than five minutes. Seeing a Black person ahead, strangers walking by would touch their purse or wallet, turn their rings and watches, avert their gaze, scowl, and what not. This went on all day long, no matter the weather. no matter the time of day. My Black co workers trained themselves to ignore it and to pretend that it didn't exist. I don't see they could survive otherwise. Most all were the recipients of a negative reaction of some sort at least once a minute, every minute of the day.
3
I honestly think that the black community as a whole is getting worse not better. I was reading yesterday that the murder rate in chicago was up 86 percent in the first 3 months of the year, as the police were under pressure to stop aggressive traffic stop tactics that blacks didn't like. the second that they pulled back, the murder rate shoots to the moon. Cameras everywhere now bring the dysfunction and violence of a lot of black communities into everyone's living room on the evening news. Black "leaders" have got to become outraged at this and start talking about it, and not just if a white cop is involved. Black on black crime is tearing apart their communities and the country.
8
I do not dispute that there is overt discrimination in our country and the much of it is racially based, but I wonder if some of the bias is more socio-economic than racial.
From my admittedly anecdotal perspective, what I see is African-Americans who have joined the Middle and Professional Classes as having a fairly similar life and slate of opportunity as any other group. I also see lower income and disadvantaged Americans of any ethnic, cultural or racial group facing an essentially similar set of difficulties. This makes me wonder how much of what is attributed to race is actually due to income, class and zip code.
We rarely see the problems filtered to show the rates of African-Americans broken out by race, class, education and geography instead of being lumped together in a pile. I would suspect that the challenges faced by the child of successful African-American parents living in an upscale community with a high income diverge significantly with those living in a hardscrabble community with low income and not just regarding job prospects.
My bottom line contention is that if the numbers were looked at more from a basis of income, education and community rather than race many of the problems attributed to race would be instead be seen as primarily issues related to class. Poor people of every stripe increasingly seem as alike as do wealthy people of every background.
From my admittedly anecdotal perspective, what I see is African-Americans who have joined the Middle and Professional Classes as having a fairly similar life and slate of opportunity as any other group. I also see lower income and disadvantaged Americans of any ethnic, cultural or racial group facing an essentially similar set of difficulties. This makes me wonder how much of what is attributed to race is actually due to income, class and zip code.
We rarely see the problems filtered to show the rates of African-Americans broken out by race, class, education and geography instead of being lumped together in a pile. I would suspect that the challenges faced by the child of successful African-American parents living in an upscale community with a high income diverge significantly with those living in a hardscrabble community with low income and not just regarding job prospects.
My bottom line contention is that if the numbers were looked at more from a basis of income, education and community rather than race many of the problems attributed to race would be instead be seen as primarily issues related to class. Poor people of every stripe increasingly seem as alike as do wealthy people of every background.
4
And what do black children read to less than white children by their parents? Who is responsible for that? And the whole conversation about blacks in the US does not taken into account the elephant in the room: the fact that black Africa is in a mess. Who is responsible for that?
6
I don't know.
I looked at the "implicit bias test" and stopped at the question about black people and sports, with the obvious result that if I had that association, that would show my bias.
It's not bias, it's personal experience. I was a sprinter on my high school's track and field team. Most of the other team members were black. I was good enough to the county championships. I was the fastest white guy in the 200 finals. Also the only white guy in the 200 finals (4th place).
So if a study asks me about those associations and *assumes* they are due to bias, when they are in fact due to lived experience, then that study is hogwash and just serving an agenda.
And when 77% of blacks cited "lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard" as problems in their community, maybe it isn't bias to view resumes from that community more critically, but common sense. Yes, this is not fair and sucks for the individual, but I am not sure what society can do about it, apart from improving those stats so they no longer play a role.
As an example, as a young man, may car insurance rates as a new driver were astronomical (175% of the base rate). Was this fair? Not the least bit. I had never caused an accident, and proceeded not to cause accidents. However, the insurance company had to figure out a way to rate me, and without a crystal ball to know how I will perform, group characteristics play a role, and as a group, young males cause a lot of accidents.
I looked at the "implicit bias test" and stopped at the question about black people and sports, with the obvious result that if I had that association, that would show my bias.
It's not bias, it's personal experience. I was a sprinter on my high school's track and field team. Most of the other team members were black. I was good enough to the county championships. I was the fastest white guy in the 200 finals. Also the only white guy in the 200 finals (4th place).
So if a study asks me about those associations and *assumes* they are due to bias, when they are in fact due to lived experience, then that study is hogwash and just serving an agenda.
And when 77% of blacks cited "lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard" as problems in their community, maybe it isn't bias to view resumes from that community more critically, but common sense. Yes, this is not fair and sucks for the individual, but I am not sure what society can do about it, apart from improving those stats so they no longer play a role.
As an example, as a young man, may car insurance rates as a new driver were astronomical (175% of the base rate). Was this fair? Not the least bit. I had never caused an accident, and proceeded not to cause accidents. However, the insurance company had to figure out a way to rate me, and without a crystal ball to know how I will perform, group characteristics play a role, and as a group, young males cause a lot of accidents.
7
The photo accompanying this article should be called "black suffering porn". There is a plethora of it in the media- showing anguished blacks striking defiant poses in front of the police or a protests. It seems an attempt make blacks s symbol of human suffering. Sorry, but at this point in time most black suffering is self inflicted and encouraged by cultural norms and community leaders to try and force whites to do for blacks what they could and should be doing for themselves. I am embarrassed at how whites fawn all over blacks the moment they cry racism and the horrific exploitation of this by opportunists who use it for financial extortion and a license to be abusive. I witnessed the same thing as a college student in the 80's. The incident that happened at SFSU last week involving a black college student rudely confronting a white student for wearing dreadlocks, assaulting him, then accusing him of assaulting her, then registering shock and anger when she realized she was filmed and assaulting the cameraman, came as no surprise to me at all. If it hadn't been caught on tape he probably would have been expelled due to her false claim he was the aggressor and had his reputation tarnished for the rest of his life. Since it's the other way she will not suffering any long term consequences.
15
Racism is real, and is both conscious and unconscious. But there is no country on earth with a substantial share of black people where the black population even comes close to approaching educational, occupational, or economic equality with other races. Either non-black people are irredeemably racist against black people, or there are real and persistent differences between the races -- or both. But it should give pause to anyone who thinks that full, successful integration can and will happen, and that mass immigration from African countries into other parts of the world will go smoothly or have good results. There is something going on on at least one side, and maybe both sides, of the racial divide, that is not to be ignored or dismissed. As Africa's population explodes to 4 billion by the year 2100, making up 3/8 of the world's population, the world needs to be more realistic about its own ability to handle the demographic impact.
5
Anyone in denial of the pervasiveness of racial bias against Black Americans needs to educate themselves. Read up on black authors like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Toni Morrison, to name just two. Support the candidate who is more likely to push for policies that redress the root causes of continuing racial inequality, as expressed so eloquently by Michelle Alexander in the MSNBC interview with Chris Hayes:
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/extended-interview-with-michelle-alexa...
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/extended-interview-with-michelle-alexa...
4
@ kzc - nobody doubts but right now in the NYT the worst bias in comments has Muslims as the target.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
1
Says a poster in all-white Switzerland.
It is must be very illuminating reading Ta-Nehisi Coates by the shores of Lake Lucerne, while sipping a hot chocolate.
It is must be very illuminating reading Ta-Nehisi Coates by the shores of Lake Lucerne, while sipping a hot chocolate.
8
I'm so sorry you have a problem with Switzerland, which is anything but all white, by the way. I guess you haven't been here in a long while, if ever. And believe me, the shores of Lake Lucerne are very windy and cold, and hot chocolate here is, like most everything else, a lot more expensive than in the US. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, because even low-wage earners earn significantly more than their US counterparts. It's all part of what makes for a more stable society and democracy.
I do hope you take the trouble to read Coates and Morrison. Given the bigoted replies of many commenters here, whose delicate sensitivities Mr. Kristof's findings have obviously upset, I am very, very glad to be living outside the US so that I don't have to encounter such attitudes on a daily basis.
I do hope you take the trouble to read Coates and Morrison. Given the bigoted replies of many commenters here, whose delicate sensitivities Mr. Kristof's findings have obviously upset, I am very, very glad to be living outside the US so that I don't have to encounter such attitudes on a daily basis.
1
I made a friend, who lives with a physical disability, and it was through the process of that friendship where I learned about how unconscious bias came into play.
Slowly, I realized what they way I was acting, the way I was thinking, wasn't me. It was almost me, but without the ability to acknowledge my discomfort and inexperience. Those feelings led me to make decisions and take actions I normally wouldn't have made. THIS is when I understood how difficult it must be to acknowledge privilege. To take responsibility and ownership over something you never considered to be an advantage or a privilege. White skin gives you an advantage in society, similarly to how my ability to drive, bike, or walk wherever I want to go advantages me. I don't know if there is a solution, however I remain optimistic, knowing that more and more conversations similar to this one are being had all around America.
Slowly, I realized what they way I was acting, the way I was thinking, wasn't me. It was almost me, but without the ability to acknowledge my discomfort and inexperience. Those feelings led me to make decisions and take actions I normally wouldn't have made. THIS is when I understood how difficult it must be to acknowledge privilege. To take responsibility and ownership over something you never considered to be an advantage or a privilege. White skin gives you an advantage in society, similarly to how my ability to drive, bike, or walk wherever I want to go advantages me. I don't know if there is a solution, however I remain optimistic, knowing that more and more conversations similar to this one are being had all around America.
1
Indeed, I've been struggling with my own cultural biases for decades, especially racial biases. I used to over-compensate by going out of my way to engage with folks whose apparent race was different from mine. After a while, I recognized I was risking all kinds of social harm by doing this.
Alas, no matter how much I recognize it, I can never quite avoid a feeling of discomfort when I meet people for the first time who arouse some cultural bias or other that I have been struggling with. So, I just try to observe these reactions with minimal judgment, just to acknowledge that they are there and gently move on as best I can.
Alas, no matter how much I recognize it, I can never quite avoid a feeling of discomfort when I meet people for the first time who arouse some cultural bias or other that I have been struggling with. So, I just try to observe these reactions with minimal judgment, just to acknowledge that they are there and gently move on as best I can.
3
No, Mr. Kristof, it's you who still don't get it. It's NOT about race, but CULTURE. And some blacks get that. It's about blacks, and other ethnic/race groups, wanting to enjoy the benefits of white culture but refusing to integrate and uphold the values that make success possible in that culture. For example: excelling in education is becoming white. The whites do get it, Mr. Kristof. That's why blacks want to move to white neighborhoods. That's why non-whites desperately want to move to white countries. I don't hear of anyone demanding to be taken into Mexico, or of blacks desperate to move to Africa. Moreover, blacks are racist, too. They discriminate against Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics. Many black Americans even refuse to accept that many Hispanics are black, too. And there's more discrimination against Hispanics, regardless of race, than against blacks. I once taught in a public school with half the population black and half Hispanics of mostly Native American descent. The blacks were given more opportunities to reform and the Hispanics were expelled more often. Even white teachers could see that bias. Yes, employers are afraid of hiring individuals that will not do the work and then they will be unable to terminate because most likely they will be accused of racism. Blacks are aware of this, and use the race card to intimidate and control whites in everyway.
7
I agree about the value of becoming aware of unconscious bias. When I was a teacher there was a program that trained parents to observe and record who teachers called on. Participation by teachers was voluntary; and we were the only ones who saw the results. I volunteered to be observed and was shocked to see the data showed that I called on boys far more often than girls. After that I made a conscious effort to change. I don't know if it worked because there was not provision for a follow up and the program (like so many others) soon faded away. But I never forgot it.
2
These studies ignore the concept that people are fine with hiring blacks but that they don't want to hire people with stereotypical black names.
4
And when will Mr Kristof start writing about the problems of poor, non college educated whites? This is a group that is greatly suffering from the lack of jobs, breakdowns of families and poor health. But somehow the crime rates of these communities doe snot seem to be an issue.
Sometimes I feel that Mr. Kristof is ashamed to be who he is, a white male....
Sometimes I feel that Mr. Kristof is ashamed to be who he is, a white male....
2
"When Blacks just don't get it" black men, at 6% of the population, on any given year are responsible for 48% of all national homicides. Quit being a fraud and print that headline and maybe folks like me won't embrace Trump.
10
I'd be interested to see how white Americas would react with similar levels of joblessness, discrimination, a legal system that presumes their guilt but turns a blind eye when their rights are trampled, and an inability to move freely without harassment. The frustration is real. The anger is real. And we have no one to vent it on other than ourselves.
2
to be honest I completely understand. I've been in this situation where police come up to you and say you fit the description. and I am Caucasian. but to be really honest it's the police policies that they have how they're trained. I lived in Clarksville Indiana I've lived in Jeffersonville Indiana I've lived in Louisville Kentucky I feel more safer walking down the streets in the West End of Louisville that I do in Clarksville Indiana and that's because of the Clarksville police force. they have nothing better to do in fact the police nowadays try and find a reason to search you or your property just by you standing up and being an informed citizen makes them upset and if they're irritated they're going to use that to their advantage and say that you're not cooperating with them so then they can say that you're having disorderly conduct. I'm actually had a police officer tell me that they will keep someone outside that's when it's cold outside like 15 below zero so they can get the K-9 unit out there search your car and then canine falsely hits on your car so they can search you and your car no that's not right even if they have to wait an hour for the K-9 unit to get there you're standing out in the cold there aren't they there to protect and serve that's not protecting and serving. all forms of government need to be reformed the whole Judicial System starting with criminal law family law civil law etc. in law enforcement practices and policies need to be reformed.
1
The problem with discussing racism in the American context is that most people think they know what it is. They don't. Racism can mean at least two different things: an ideology and a prejudice. Only the first one is truly dangerous. The ideology of racism is the belief that certain biological/racial groups are inherently inferior and/or evil and the society at large has to resort to extraordinary measures to protect against them. This is the kind of ideology that motivated the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda where the victims were explicitly designated as non-human. The same ideological racism was the justification for American slavery. It does not matter whether the targeted group is a real or imaginary race (neither the Jews nor the Tutsis were distinguished by skin color from their killers). Ideological racism still persists in the US and underpins much of the systematic discrimination against African-Americans. The second kind is individual prejudice and stereotyping, and this is relatively benign. Nobody has to like anybody else; and any attempt to legislate against individual preferences will backfire, leading to an ugly backlash like the support for Trump. If a man thinks Chinese women are more beautiful than black women, should he be sued? Leave prejudice alone and focus on the spoken or unspoken ideology of racism.
1
Racism is a scourge, no doubt and NK is right and to be lauded for tackling it; kudos too to the NYT. But, seriously, I am not to blame and I am tired of being blamed for acts of racism. I, personally, have always been color-blind and so have, surely many Americans.
I have no truck with blacks. I voted for and adore President Obama. I am sorry that today's blacks are discriminated against and are pushed to the corners. Indeed, there are too many single black moms; too many blacks in jail. not enough blacks CEO's or CFO's, or owners of coops on Park Avenue or homes in my American hometown.
But with all that, there have been so many success stories. Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, Prof Cornel West--the list goes on. Try to look at the positive. I know it's been a long, hard road. My ancestors were also discriminated against. They were right color but prayed to the wrong God.
Black-Americans shall overcome. It just takes time.
I have no truck with blacks. I voted for and adore President Obama. I am sorry that today's blacks are discriminated against and are pushed to the corners. Indeed, there are too many single black moms; too many blacks in jail. not enough blacks CEO's or CFO's, or owners of coops on Park Avenue or homes in my American hometown.
But with all that, there have been so many success stories. Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, Prof Cornel West--the list goes on. Try to look at the positive. I know it's been a long, hard road. My ancestors were also discriminated against. They were right color but prayed to the wrong God.
Black-Americans shall overcome. It just takes time.
1
Judging from your location, you are Jewish. Jews were not considered white for centuries -- they were considered a "brown skinned people" like Arab muslims.
Many people even today talk about Jews as if they were a separate and distinct race from Christian whites.
Also: I really don't think the Jewish God is different than the Christian God. It's just that Christians ALSO believe in Jesus and the Holy Trinity and other Christian theology. They are monotheists whose religion developed from Judaism, which is why we call our culture "Judeo Christian".
BTW: ditto for Islam. Islam respects and worships Jesus, and Judeo Christian monotheism.
Many people even today talk about Jews as if they were a separate and distinct race from Christian whites.
Also: I really don't think the Jewish God is different than the Christian God. It's just that Christians ALSO believe in Jesus and the Holy Trinity and other Christian theology. They are monotheists whose religion developed from Judaism, which is why we call our culture "Judeo Christian".
BTW: ditto for Islam. Islam respects and worships Jesus, and Judeo Christian monotheism.
3
You r right are right: I am Jewish. Believe me when Hitler and his henchman pushed my ancestors into the gas chambers, he didnt care what color they were. (As it happens I am strawberry blonde but he killed plenty of blondes.)
That is what racial hate does.
Why do you say this??
"Many people even today talk about Jews as if they were a separate and distinct race from Christian whites"
We r all children of God and/or the good Earth.
That is what racial hate does.
Why do you say this??
"Many people even today talk about Jews as if they were a separate and distinct race from Christian whites"
We r all children of God and/or the good Earth.
"Why do we discriminate? The big factor isn’t overt racism. Rather, it seems to be unconscious bias among whites ..."
He spends most of the article talking about poor choices made by blacks:
"In a CNN poll, 86 percent of blacks said family breakdown was" the problem.
"the average black student is at a school at the 37th percentile in test performance."
He then cites two results of these negative choices:
1. Poverty and Jail - "median black household in America still has only 8 percent of the wealth of the median white household." Is it any surprise that the result of bad choices to drop out of school (29% of blacks) or to have kids outside of marriage (72%) results in poverty ? Same with crime where blacks commit more crime.
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the...
2. Generalization - He then cites a number of studies which purport to show racism. Inherent in life is the need to make snap judgments without knowing someone well. When the security guard pays closer attention to the young black than the white grandmother, this is due to young blacks committing crime at a far higher rate. Is this fair to the law abiding black ? Of course not! But such quick perceptions are unavoidable. If a black person wants to avoid such negative association, then blacks as a whole need to commit fewer crimes, stay in school and form stable two-parent families. The perception will change when the underlying facts change.
He spends most of the article talking about poor choices made by blacks:
"In a CNN poll, 86 percent of blacks said family breakdown was" the problem.
"the average black student is at a school at the 37th percentile in test performance."
He then cites two results of these negative choices:
1. Poverty and Jail - "median black household in America still has only 8 percent of the wealth of the median white household." Is it any surprise that the result of bad choices to drop out of school (29% of blacks) or to have kids outside of marriage (72%) results in poverty ? Same with crime where blacks commit more crime.
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the...
2. Generalization - He then cites a number of studies which purport to show racism. Inherent in life is the need to make snap judgments without knowing someone well. When the security guard pays closer attention to the young black than the white grandmother, this is due to young blacks committing crime at a far higher rate. Is this fair to the law abiding black ? Of course not! But such quick perceptions are unavoidable. If a black person wants to avoid such negative association, then blacks as a whole need to commit fewer crimes, stay in school and form stable two-parent families. The perception will change when the underlying facts change.
5
Boy…, most of the comments sound like something you would hear at an anonymous alcoholic’s therapy session: “And then it I realized that drinking beer constantly is not OK” or “When I woke up and poured myself a glass of Jack I realized I need help”. It’s just that here the comments are like: “I woke up one day and realized how guilty I am for being white” or “Good friends of mine helped me understand the wickedness of my whiteness”. I am sorry but this all sounds very strange. I don’t understand why all of you people hate yourselves so much.
7
It is not self loathing of whiteness, it is the realization of cultural norms ....norms that are accepted by many but that are not acceptable when thought about.
Please, think about it. It is not whiteness that is being called out, it is privilege and discrimination.
Please, think about it. It is not whiteness that is being called out, it is privilege and discrimination.
2
White guilt and white self-hatred are the pillars upon which lefty liberalism has been constructed.
5
Thank you for, as usual, speaking truth but avoiding vitriol. Antiracism work is hugely challenging, even for those of us of European descent who are willing to step into that arena.
For European Americans, our collective history as whites for the last few hundred years is the root and the lion's share of the problem.
To deconstruct racial bias, it's crucial to recognize how and why the concept of whiteness was developed. People from very diverse cultures and histories, often in conflict in their native lands, quickly learned upon arriving in America to identify with a newly-concocted notion of unified "whiteness." In exchange for paltry degrees of economic perks, and despite discrimination they themselves faced, European immigrants adopted that new identification, rather than to have natural affinity with others based on overcoming common hurdles of poverty, oppression, lack of opportunity, and injustice.
That fiction of collective whiteness created division and hierarchy among the poor and oppressed, whether white, red, black, brown, yellow or shades in between. It indeed worked to the significant benefit of the dominant ruling group, to minimal benefit of the undesirable, uneducated majority of "whites," and to the blatant detriment of all others, bar none.
Hundreds of years later, we have yet to see through the smoke and mirrors, to disentangle ourselves from that dysfunctional and deadly fiction and the system which it was devised to support.
For European Americans, our collective history as whites for the last few hundred years is the root and the lion's share of the problem.
To deconstruct racial bias, it's crucial to recognize how and why the concept of whiteness was developed. People from very diverse cultures and histories, often in conflict in their native lands, quickly learned upon arriving in America to identify with a newly-concocted notion of unified "whiteness." In exchange for paltry degrees of economic perks, and despite discrimination they themselves faced, European immigrants adopted that new identification, rather than to have natural affinity with others based on overcoming common hurdles of poverty, oppression, lack of opportunity, and injustice.
That fiction of collective whiteness created division and hierarchy among the poor and oppressed, whether white, red, black, brown, yellow or shades in between. It indeed worked to the significant benefit of the dominant ruling group, to minimal benefit of the undesirable, uneducated majority of "whites," and to the blatant detriment of all others, bar none.
Hundreds of years later, we have yet to see through the smoke and mirrors, to disentangle ourselves from that dysfunctional and deadly fiction and the system which it was devised to support.
2
The media never makes clear that racism is not mere bias or discrimination, although it has these elements. Racism is a system--a political/cultural/economic system; a series of individual/collective acts within a system using money, power, authority, attitudes, and on occasion, threats and force to deny opportunity and give advantage by race--a system hidden and justified by its denials--that claims its actions and beliefs have nothing to do with race, oppression or advantage.
Racism is not a scorecard. Numbers and anecdotes point to it, but never tell the whole story of how it works.
Two examples: in voting rights, ID requirements, changed polling hours acted with commercial/cultural/political factors (transportation, documentation, poll availability) to turn seemingly insignificant requirements and changes into obstacles that disenfranchised just enough minority voters (5 to 7%) to swing elections, evident in NC. Not all minorities are affected, but shutting down "souls to the polls" (Sunday voting), an African-American cultural practice using the community's organized resources, influenced state elections.
In gentrification, housing values rapidly increase after the first sales--buys from minority home owners--only to see increases in taxes that displace the remaining elderly and poor.
In both cases, racism is denied: ballot security and budget claimed for one, market principles for the other; but both are systemic, provide an advantage--and are racist.
Racism is not a scorecard. Numbers and anecdotes point to it, but never tell the whole story of how it works.
Two examples: in voting rights, ID requirements, changed polling hours acted with commercial/cultural/political factors (transportation, documentation, poll availability) to turn seemingly insignificant requirements and changes into obstacles that disenfranchised just enough minority voters (5 to 7%) to swing elections, evident in NC. Not all minorities are affected, but shutting down "souls to the polls" (Sunday voting), an African-American cultural practice using the community's organized resources, influenced state elections.
In gentrification, housing values rapidly increase after the first sales--buys from minority home owners--only to see increases in taxes that displace the remaining elderly and poor.
In both cases, racism is denied: ballot security and budget claimed for one, market principles for the other; but both are systemic, provide an advantage--and are racist.
5
The most common refrain heard from whites goes something like this: I know a Vietnamese person who came the US with only $20 in his pocket. He worked hard and now makes $100k. Why can't African Americans be more like that??
Kudos to the Vietnamese fellow but if it weren't for the African Americans and their fight for Civil Rights, the Vietnamese chap wouldn't see the light of day in this country. Equality over jobs, pay, housing etc is far from equal and is particularly worse for African Americans.
Kudos to the Vietnamese fellow but if it weren't for the African Americans and their fight for Civil Rights, the Vietnamese chap wouldn't see the light of day in this country. Equality over jobs, pay, housing etc is far from equal and is particularly worse for African Americans.
4
Mr. Kristof, save your breath. I'm a male, 62, white and born in America. I KNOW I hit the life lottery. But I'm surrounded by relatives, co-workers, neighbors and various white's you see and hear in day-to-day living activities, and they don't get it. Rich, poor or in the middle, THEY are the persecuted; THEY are the disadvantaged; THEY have every right to be indignant about the unfairness of America, 2016.
There is no getting through to these folks. Obama's election made them spring into action with all kinds or irrational claims about the "other", which is any non-white, reaping the undeserving benefits of a different color of skin, while the hard-working, industrious, earned-everything-I-ever-got, whites, are now second-class citizens in THEIR country!
These whites rival anything the Germans in the 1930's could foment as far as scapegoating. You can't reason with a mob in full fury. There is no self-reflection, no understanding of the past, no empathy. Only rage.
There is no getting through to these folks. Obama's election made them spring into action with all kinds or irrational claims about the "other", which is any non-white, reaping the undeserving benefits of a different color of skin, while the hard-working, industrious, earned-everything-I-ever-got, whites, are now second-class citizens in THEIR country!
These whites rival anything the Germans in the 1930's could foment as far as scapegoating. You can't reason with a mob in full fury. There is no self-reflection, no understanding of the past, no empathy. Only rage.
5
YOU may have hit the life lottery, but I suspect your relatives and co-workers in OHIO -- a struggling, Rustbelt state with massive job losses -- are not doing as well as YOU.
That's why they are unhappy. I guess you must be tone deaf to their genuine struggle, problems and job losses because you despise them for not agreeing with your lefty politics.
That's why they are unhappy. I guess you must be tone deaf to their genuine struggle, problems and job losses because you despise them for not agreeing with your lefty politics.
4
Submit two identical college applications, one with the race box checked white and the other as black, and see which student gets accepted.
Or better yet, submit two non-identical college applications: 1) a strong application from a white student from a poor, working class high school and 2) a weaker application from a black student from Greenwich, CT.
Which student gets accepted?
Your examples are valid and important. But the lack of opportunity for poor whites is real, too.
Institute opportunity-based affirmative action, not race-based affirmative action. People who work hard to overcome their assigned lot in life deserve a hand up, regardless of race. There are more disadvantaged blacks, so more blacks will benefit from an opportunity-based approach. Race-based affirmative action, as currently implemented, fans the flames of racial resentment and obscures class inequities which need more attention.
Or better yet, submit two non-identical college applications: 1) a strong application from a white student from a poor, working class high school and 2) a weaker application from a black student from Greenwich, CT.
Which student gets accepted?
Your examples are valid and important. But the lack of opportunity for poor whites is real, too.
Institute opportunity-based affirmative action, not race-based affirmative action. People who work hard to overcome their assigned lot in life deserve a hand up, regardless of race. There are more disadvantaged blacks, so more blacks will benefit from an opportunity-based approach. Race-based affirmative action, as currently implemented, fans the flames of racial resentment and obscures class inequities which need more attention.
4
Think: Barack Obama. Obama undoubtedly benefitted from Affirmative Action, which is why after 7 years he won't release his college transcripts. (Bush did, and he was a lousy C student!)
Obama is half black and half white, and he was raised by his white grandparents in an affluent part of Honolulu -- an oceanfront condo -- his grandmother was a bank vice-president.
You wouldn't believe all the people I have spoken to in the last 7 years who have solemnly told me that their hero Obama grew up in poverty on the Southside of Chicago, with a single BLACK mother and struggled to grow up amongst bigotry and lack of opportunity, only to finally succeed and become the First Black POTUS.
If you tell the the facts, they get mad at you.
Obama is half black and half white, and he was raised by his white grandparents in an affluent part of Honolulu -- an oceanfront condo -- his grandmother was a bank vice-president.
You wouldn't believe all the people I have spoken to in the last 7 years who have solemnly told me that their hero Obama grew up in poverty on the Southside of Chicago, with a single BLACK mother and struggled to grow up amongst bigotry and lack of opportunity, only to finally succeed and become the First Black POTUS.
If you tell the the facts, they get mad at you.
5
I took the free online test and the results were that I had a slight preference for African Americans. It was evidently based upon how quickly I responded to the mixed categories on the test, for whatever that is worth. My perception of myself is that no one gets a free pass or suspicion based upon the color of their skin, instead what others may perceive as bias comes from circumstances and associations within the circumstances. An example would be people at work. They get a 'free pass' for decisions and actions at work, but outside of work it may be a different matter depending upon how well I know them. Another example would be travelling thru a low income Hispanic neighborhood, one with a chronic high crime rate. A younger Hispanic male with an attitude and who dresses and acts the part of a gang member will make me suspicious, but his actions may make me less suspicious as I've lived in neighborhoods where a Hispanic gang had control and it was quiet, as they didn't bother 'civilians'. This has been the case in the integrated neighborhoods that I lived in overseas decades ago as an Air Force brat, in affluent primarily white neighborhoods, black ghettos, the military, etc.
Circumstances may result in favorable or unfavorable associations that are largely based on race, but one needs to try to understand circumstances and give individuals a chance based upon their actions, not the color of their skin.
Circumstances may result in favorable or unfavorable associations that are largely based on race, but one needs to try to understand circumstances and give individuals a chance based upon their actions, not the color of their skin.
2
Mr. Kristof fails to acknowledge the extent to which whites depend on the advantages of skin color to preserve social status. Whiteness means a degree of entitlement that people have come to expect in all areas of life. To the extent that many are disturbed on those occasions when things don't go their way.
Fact is most whites rely on a social system that underwrites their interests with near impunity. This extends from the justice system to the workplace. It can be witnessed in incidents as common as restaurant clerks jumping to serve whites even when a minority customer is ahead of them in line. The advantage of whiteness is so pervasive, yet subtle, that even progressive whites rely on the perks of skin color to hold advantages in the workplace and society.
The struggle for many non-white professionals is related to their isolation in the workplace. Lacking networks of support makes it very difficult for them to counter the system of white assumption. The unspoken truth is that many whites tacitly support the advantages because it preserves their status.
The notion that whites would have an interest in acknowleging the privileges, much less a true desire to create a level playing field, defies the reality of group interest. This problem has roots in racial tribalism and will not change easily.
Fact is most whites rely on a social system that underwrites their interests with near impunity. This extends from the justice system to the workplace. It can be witnessed in incidents as common as restaurant clerks jumping to serve whites even when a minority customer is ahead of them in line. The advantage of whiteness is so pervasive, yet subtle, that even progressive whites rely on the perks of skin color to hold advantages in the workplace and society.
The struggle for many non-white professionals is related to their isolation in the workplace. Lacking networks of support makes it very difficult for them to counter the system of white assumption. The unspoken truth is that many whites tacitly support the advantages because it preserves their status.
The notion that whites would have an interest in acknowleging the privileges, much less a true desire to create a level playing field, defies the reality of group interest. This problem has roots in racial tribalism and will not change easily.
4
If some white mope with tattoos up and down his or her arms asks me for a job compared to a non-tattooed person, I'll hire the non-tattooed. It's my point of view. I'm a white guy. The racial problem is economic--if blacks had jobs they would have families and security and much of the racism would decline. Capitalism is a brutal system.
4
I see no studies showing a comparison of people of similar economic situations do. Or even how upper middle class blacks do versus poor whites. For instance do upper middle class blacks breastfeeding more than poor whites.
Let's talk about male privilege. Everyone knows males are better of than females. Yet girls do better in school and graduate more than boys. Conclusion girls need more programs to get ahead because of male privilege.
It's hard to figure liberals out. Can it be said that white and male privilege exist but regarding the poor it ain't saying much.
Let's talk about male privilege. Everyone knows males are better of than females. Yet girls do better in school and graduate more than boys. Conclusion girls need more programs to get ahead because of male privilege.
It's hard to figure liberals out. Can it be said that white and male privilege exist but regarding the poor it ain't saying much.
4
White people are not the reason why black people in America have such pathetic high school graduation rates and low in-wedlock birthing rates. That's the problem, not all of us evil white people.
4
That's the kind of thing the English said repeatedly by the peoples they subjugated. One member of the Ascendancy, a Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, said: "Give Cath'lics good jobs and they'll stop breeding like rabbits."
Funny how such peoples prospered when the English left or were tossed out. As an Irishman, I say to white American males, change willingly or fate will make the changes.
Funny how such peoples prospered when the English left or were tossed out. As an Irishman, I say to white American males, change willingly or fate will make the changes.
2
Just would like to point out that the study Kristof cites doesn't prove much of anything. A study by Harvard sociologists that involved two test teams of three people each. Six people total? Let's see pictures of those people and let us decide for ourselves. The study gives only vague details about the test subjects, such as they "dressed similarly."
4
Agreed
1
"That’s why it’s so important for whites to engage in these uncomfortable discussions of race, because we are (unintentionally) so much a part of the problem."
Please, we've been through these discussions and they inevitably become liberal monologues. When crime increased in our Detroit neighborhoods we tried to seek relief from the Democratic party leaders. They said we were whites who were just "afraid of the unknown". But there was nothing unknown about the crime and violence we experienced. When things became worse we raised our voices more but were accused of wanting the Black administration in Detroit to fail. We went to the same schools as African-Americans. When things became so bad we moved out of the city I wondered who would then be blamed for the problems of the city. Surprise - I found out it was still all my fault - with Kristof now taking part in the amen choir. On and on it goes, the perpetual motion machine of liberal blame.
I wonder if Kristof lives in a racially integrated neighborhood. How racially segregated are the public schools in progressive New York city? Some of the most progressive comments on this board are from cities and areas of the country that have little or no African-American population. (Bernie are you there?) Maybe you should implement bussing for the purposes of racial integration in those schools. Then write back and tell the world how that worked out in the midst of Kristof and his fellow progressives.
Please, we've been through these discussions and they inevitably become liberal monologues. When crime increased in our Detroit neighborhoods we tried to seek relief from the Democratic party leaders. They said we were whites who were just "afraid of the unknown". But there was nothing unknown about the crime and violence we experienced. When things became worse we raised our voices more but were accused of wanting the Black administration in Detroit to fail. We went to the same schools as African-Americans. When things became so bad we moved out of the city I wondered who would then be blamed for the problems of the city. Surprise - I found out it was still all my fault - with Kristof now taking part in the amen choir. On and on it goes, the perpetual motion machine of liberal blame.
I wonder if Kristof lives in a racially integrated neighborhood. How racially segregated are the public schools in progressive New York city? Some of the most progressive comments on this board are from cities and areas of the country that have little or no African-American population. (Bernie are you there?) Maybe you should implement bussing for the purposes of racial integration in those schools. Then write back and tell the world how that worked out in the midst of Kristof and his fellow progressives.
8
Ironically, New York City is the most racially segregated city in the US -- provably so -- nobody even denies it, but you rarely read it HERE. No city in the South has anything on NYC in terms of racial segregated. NY State is also the most racially segregated state.
Liberals talk a good story, but then do the opposite.
Note that some of the comments on this thread have come from SWITZERLAND...JERUSALEM....and SWEDEN (from a poster who hails from Burlington, VT, the whitest state in the union).
It's pretty easy to be snooty and judgmental when you live that far from the problem. I live in a majority-black city, in a neighborhood that is about 65% black and where the schools are 95-98% black, and where most kids are on free lunch programs. You want to talk, come talk to ME.
Liberals talk a good story, but then do the opposite.
Note that some of the comments on this thread have come from SWITZERLAND...JERUSALEM....and SWEDEN (from a poster who hails from Burlington, VT, the whitest state in the union).
It's pretty easy to be snooty and judgmental when you live that far from the problem. I live in a majority-black city, in a neighborhood that is about 65% black and where the schools are 95-98% black, and where most kids are on free lunch programs. You want to talk, come talk to ME.
5
In Regents of U. of California vs Bakke in 1978 the late U. S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun said “In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race.”
Many whites simply don’t want to “take account of race,” much less acknowledge the powerful statistics provided by Nicholas Kristoff. Such attitudes feed the cynicism that only ugly confrontations like those in Birmingham, Selma, Watts, Newark, Ferguson and Baltimore (of late), generate any racial “progress.” Trying to explain to young black victims of racism the intellectual and moral differences between reactions to those clashes bounces like “water from a duck’s back.”
Many whites simply don’t want to “take account of race,” much less acknowledge the powerful statistics provided by Nicholas Kristoff. Such attitudes feed the cynicism that only ugly confrontations like those in Birmingham, Selma, Watts, Newark, Ferguson and Baltimore (of late), generate any racial “progress.” Trying to explain to young black victims of racism the intellectual and moral differences between reactions to those clashes bounces like “water from a duck’s back.”
2
This is Kristof's 6th column in which he sees America in simplistic terms of black race, white race. What he writes about is racism, a subject deserving of analysis, no question about that. But by conflating "race" with "racism" he is showing an inability to think clearly.
Why does this matter? I have already filed one comment partially explaining why. But then I discovered that the main Editorial today provides a very strong reason for him to explain what he means by "race".
Over at "Race and the Death Penalty in Texas" http://nyti.ms/1SJaoXH you can read this key sentence:
"In fact, the psychologist who testified in Mr. Buck’s case also said there was a link between race and dangerousness in five other cases with black or Latino defendants who were sentenced to death."
But what is meant by race there and in Kristof? In the Editorial we simply read about a man with skin color, "black", yet the psychologist uses the same term used by Kristof, “race”.
Does the psychologist actually mean that these black and Latino defendants are genetically programmed to be dangerous?
The psychologist and Kristof both should tell us. Kristof has had 6 chances to do this, but never has. This does matter.
Only-neverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
Why does this matter? I have already filed one comment partially explaining why. But then I discovered that the main Editorial today provides a very strong reason for him to explain what he means by "race".
Over at "Race and the Death Penalty in Texas" http://nyti.ms/1SJaoXH you can read this key sentence:
"In fact, the psychologist who testified in Mr. Buck’s case also said there was a link between race and dangerousness in five other cases with black or Latino defendants who were sentenced to death."
But what is meant by race there and in Kristof? In the Editorial we simply read about a man with skin color, "black", yet the psychologist uses the same term used by Kristof, “race”.
Does the psychologist actually mean that these black and Latino defendants are genetically programmed to be dangerous?
The psychologist and Kristof both should tell us. Kristof has had 6 chances to do this, but never has. This does matter.
Only-neverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
14
Larry, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
3
Nicholas, Carolyn Egeli, provides a single sentence I have written often here in comment land:
"Racism is alive and well, unfortunately."
Racism in its ever shifting forms is a universal phenomenon, so it might be worthwhile for you to write about universal racism and then place this specific form of American racism in the universal context.
I fault this column for two reasons:
1) You tell us absolutely nothing new.
2) You write:"Most of the public debate about race focuses on law enforcement", a sentence that tells me that you confuse the American concept of "race" with a pattern of thought and behavior, "racism".
Why don't you and Charles Blow get together and watch this Ted Talk by Professor Dorothy Roberts:
http://www.ted.com/talks/dorothy_roberts_the_problem_with_race_based_med...
She speaks so eloquently that I choose to quote only onee phrase from her opening. She tells us she is to take part in a research study and is confronted by that American question: "What is your race, please check a box black, white, Asian, Native American." She, who spent 6 years of her life studying the Fatal Invention, "race, says "I wasn't quite sure how to answer the question."
Look, listen, and then talk with her. Then get back to us and give us something new.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
"Racism is alive and well, unfortunately."
Racism in its ever shifting forms is a universal phenomenon, so it might be worthwhile for you to write about universal racism and then place this specific form of American racism in the universal context.
I fault this column for two reasons:
1) You tell us absolutely nothing new.
2) You write:"Most of the public debate about race focuses on law enforcement", a sentence that tells me that you confuse the American concept of "race" with a pattern of thought and behavior, "racism".
Why don't you and Charles Blow get together and watch this Ted Talk by Professor Dorothy Roberts:
http://www.ted.com/talks/dorothy_roberts_the_problem_with_race_based_med...
She speaks so eloquently that I choose to quote only onee phrase from her opening. She tells us she is to take part in a research study and is confronted by that American question: "What is your race, please check a box black, white, Asian, Native American." She, who spent 6 years of her life studying the Fatal Invention, "race, says "I wasn't quite sure how to answer the question."
Look, listen, and then talk with her. Then get back to us and give us something new.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
1
When Condescending, Cliche-Spouting, Smug Columnists Don't Get It, Pt. 4,348,578,752:
For starters, it might interest Mr. Kristoff to learn there are more than two racial groups in the United States.
For starters, it might interest Mr. Kristoff to learn there are more than two racial groups in the United States.
131
ML: Kristof is married to a member of another ethnic group. But we're all one race. Problem is the political reality of the continued injustice to certain groups, particularly African Americans. White Americans created the myth of difference, and that's the myth we confront and must demolish. Waffling about academic definitions or about multiplicity of ethnicities obscures the issue.
2
I think NYT should publish more Thomas Frank and less Nicholas Kristof.
1
Thank you. Nuff Said
1
A most important article. Discrimination is so common and well established that we have become immune to it, the issue becoming invisible unless we educate ourselves; first, because it has been proven we favor those that look (and talk) like us; and second, because we develop 'blind spots' that really do not become conscious unless and until we make ourselves aware of. This, because there is real harm to real folks out there, if we persist in our tribal (white) behavior.
3
While Kristof is entirely justified in keeping a focus on problems faced by Blacks, he does a disservice to his own cause by too readily speaking of "whites." Differences among whites are not merely semantic or trivial. They are relevant, if what we actually want is to make progress rather than simply bemoan the present or feel good because we are "right" in our judgment.
There are often substantive differences between rural and urban whites, poor and middle class whites, older and younger whites, those with a real economic future and those with none. While you cannot successfully deal with problems peculiar to the Black community without considering it as a whole, it is wrong to assume a simple race-based analysis and not consider class, demographics, and other non-racial elements, when trying to develope policies that are both effective and politically feasible.
Too often liberals prefer being right to being effective. Reality is complex and democracy is messy. That is not an excuse for maintaining the status quo; to the contrary. it is a necessary recognition in order to effect progress.
There are often substantive differences between rural and urban whites, poor and middle class whites, older and younger whites, those with a real economic future and those with none. While you cannot successfully deal with problems peculiar to the Black community without considering it as a whole, it is wrong to assume a simple race-based analysis and not consider class, demographics, and other non-racial elements, when trying to develope policies that are both effective and politically feasible.
Too often liberals prefer being right to being effective. Reality is complex and democracy is messy. That is not an excuse for maintaining the status quo; to the contrary. it is a necessary recognition in order to effect progress.
2
I don't contest that racism exists and is prevalent, but the examples Nick Kristof provides in this column are flimsy at best. the same studies of renters (including Airbnb landlords) has also shown that black landlords are less inclined to rent to applicants with "black" sounding names. But there's a detail often left out of this discussion, which is that the names chosen in these experiments aren't names like "Otis" (Redding) or "Mavis" (Staples) or "Roebuck" (Staples) or even the more neutral sounding Michael, or James, or David, but rather "Black" names that only became popular among African-Americans of a particular social stratum beginning in the late 1960s. What's being communicated through the choice of these names isn't merely race, but affinity for a particular world view, which many employers (and landlords) may prefer to avoid. In an era of white kids getting names like Devin and Brendan and Patrick that hint at ethnic origins, many of us may have forgotten that for decades beginning in the early 20th century, most ethnic whites strived for assimilation and success not by giving their children ethnic names but by giving them names that facilitated assimilation and success. If an Italian-American family in New Orleans had decided to name their children after Sacco and Vanzetti, or a Jewish couple had decided to name their children after Leopold and Loeb or Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, is societal racism to blame or poor parenting choices?
3
African American here. What you write about is true. There is even MORE interpersonal bias based against brown skin and wooly hair in the social sphere in the USA than in the employment, sphere, believe me. Having said that, it can work both ways. Remember the 1980's white running back from the Washington Redskins, John Riggins? He also faced biased - he was as good as any black running back superstar in NFL history, but since he was going against stereotype of whites making poor running backs, his colorful personality was demonized to a certain extent in the media.
3
Nicholas you are very good at pin pointing the problems that underlie the racial divide in this country...not so good in suggesting a solution. Obviously this is an issue that is very important to you....stick your neck out there....tell us what you would do to fix the problem. It's hopelessly naive to think that whites engaging in uncomfortable discussions of race will ever change anything. That would not even begin to address the problems you have cited. Give us a list .....twelve steps to turn this thing around...but be honest...don't put the entire burden on whites....there will have to be significant change on both sides if we are ever going to resolve this.
3
really mr christof? maybe we could start by asking why amongst all minorities that despite some overt govt help, and admittedly things that persist that are indefensible (ie police shootings), black americans continue to underperform compared to every other group out there.
you say in your own column that black mothers breastfeed less, read and talk to their kids less, have higher family breakdown rates and yet these most basic of *controllable parental and family behaviors* you blame "society" in general and "whites" in particular? really??
if a parent lacks in the very things which you yourself write in your column as facts, for you or anyone else to blame the real culprit *the parents*, then you're just a sad sack apologist. this is personal responsibility 101, nothing more, nothing less.
because until we can discuss these situations and behaviors which you yourself cite as "facts", we're only tackling half the problem. and no Obama does not speak to black child raising shortcomings except in the most general of terms. what I have personally heard him say is true and way way too watered down.
so breast feed you kid. talk to them (not just yell at them), read to them and take an interest in them. quit having kids unless you can afford them. dont name them roquantkeesha and le'tavionmoneeshus.
and AFTER you do those things come back and see us. if you make progress, we can help. if not, thats your problem. we'll work on the cop shooting gallery racist thing.
you say in your own column that black mothers breastfeed less, read and talk to their kids less, have higher family breakdown rates and yet these most basic of *controllable parental and family behaviors* you blame "society" in general and "whites" in particular? really??
if a parent lacks in the very things which you yourself write in your column as facts, for you or anyone else to blame the real culprit *the parents*, then you're just a sad sack apologist. this is personal responsibility 101, nothing more, nothing less.
because until we can discuss these situations and behaviors which you yourself cite as "facts", we're only tackling half the problem. and no Obama does not speak to black child raising shortcomings except in the most general of terms. what I have personally heard him say is true and way way too watered down.
so breast feed you kid. talk to them (not just yell at them), read to them and take an interest in them. quit having kids unless you can afford them. dont name them roquantkeesha and le'tavionmoneeshus.
and AFTER you do those things come back and see us. if you make progress, we can help. if not, thats your problem. we'll work on the cop shooting gallery racist thing.
4
Not sure I disagree with you. But I've been hearing the same thing since the late sixties. The "serious conversations" about race, tend, pedagogically speaking, to employ a odd synthesis of accusation, statistical analysis and shaming. These conversations generally end-in my experience which is, sad to say, considerable (I was, decades ago, profoundly enthusiastic about them- to conclude with white participants, more or less passively admitting white privilege, and moving on, carrying with them a vague sense that they have not been treated fairly, have not been heard. I'm not sure what to do about it. I don't think we've done vary well. Not only that, I think we often disdain the white working class participants-when there are any-who participate in such discussions, but have yet to learn the proper language their more privileged, and more cryptically racist, white "betters" have learned. So much is about language. So little is from the heart.
1
I understand what Mr. Kristoff is talking about, since I have had a lot of black friends who would not have been my friends if I did not play sports with them and get to know them. Sometimes I hear whites say they don't like blacks because of so called "black culture." But, I have been entrenched in "black culture" and I still chose to be friends with blacks. Now I live in a place with very few blacks and I find that my students have a horrible view of blacks because they can never get to know them. Whites need to not be afraid of the unfamiliar.
1
There is very little racial mixing in the U.S. There aren't that many marriages and there aren't that many friendships. Taste in movies, popular music, foods and drinks, dialects, slang, holiday celebrations, home furnishings, family relationships and child-rearing styles are, on the whole,l pronounced. Not many of us are sufficiently motivated to cross all the barriers between us. Whites and black are generally more comfortable among our own. White people are in the majority, so when they shut out blacks it's racial prejudice. Blacks shut out most whites, too. Call it what you want. We haven't made much progress over the years. Anyone who isn't aware of pervasive racism isn't paying attention. Making them aware isn't going to help. There is little grounds for optimism. Don't kid yourself.
4
Stop with the white privilege talk It is the economy that hurts both races Tell the unemployed coal miner that he is special or the 50 year old with two low paying part time jobs.Tell all the whites with diminishing life expectancy due to lack of hope who smoke, drink too much,do drugs and commit suicide who see special affirmative action for blacks.
The answer is economic justice feel the Bern
The answer is economic justice feel the Bern
The head-in-sand economic argument holds sway for Sanders supporters, turning heads from more complicated issues and (maybe even inadvertently) supports white male privilege.
2
A person of color who presents themselves in a professional manner not only has an equal chance of getting a job, they have a substantially better chance of getting job in any corporate setting. I can tell you this as a fact as someone who has been hiring for a decade and knows many other people who do the hiring in other companies. A white person who does not look professional and has traits that make them seem unprofessional is discriminated against just the same as a person of color can be. Mr. Kristoffs article cites stats that are meaningless. We as human beings cue off of lots of different factors, sure race in one of them but I would argue that in todays day and age most people are overly sensitive to not being biased on race and actually give minorities the benefit of the doubt when they present as capable and professional. Just because the stats don't stack up doesnt prove that racism has occurred. Whether or not racism has played out previously in a persons life to impact that individuals ability to present as an equal is another story altogether but it has nothing to do with the person making the present day hiring decision.
5
I agree - whites don't get it, never will, and a society where whites are the largest of the different ethnicites will never be satisifactory to other ethnicities. So from there where do we go? Maybe our separate ways.
Takes two to tango. Looking forward to "When Blacks Just Don't Get It, Part 1" anytime soon, possibly mentioning how, for example, black on black crime is a scourge outweighing anything the police might do and no politician dares say a word about it. Similarly, the fact that for many black woman, the path to economic stability is by having babies to be supported by the taxpayer, rather than with marriage, is a major concern. The generations of effectively fatherless youth that has followed is something we will be living with as long as we live, as our inner cities rejoin Baltimore as no-go areas for whites.
Billy Joel said it well, "Honesty is such a lonely word". Hope you don't mind a few home truths.
Billy Joel said it well, "Honesty is such a lonely word". Hope you don't mind a few home truths.
9
Re alleged NBA and MLB bias.
Justin Wolfers, a Wharton professor, claimed that for 1991-2004 white referees called fouls at a greater rate against black players than against white players. Black officials called fouls more frequently against white players, although supposedly not favoring their own race as often.
An NBA study for 2004-07 then drew on data matching specific referees to specific calls (Wolfers examined only box scores), and found no significant differences in how often white and black referees collectively called fouls on white and black players.
Three ”independent experts,” examining the two studies for the Times, found Wolfers’s conclusions “far more sound.” A Times Editor’s Note then stated that one of the three had been chairman of Wolfers’s doctoral thesis committee, that Wolfers’s updated study included acknowledgements to two of the Times’s experts, and admitted serious errors in the Times “independent expert” report.
A long time Times NBA columnist wrote, “there are way too many variables beyond mere data solely extracted from box scores to draw meaningful conclusions from this.”
A computer study claimed that an umpire will call a pitch a strike about one percent more often if the umpire and the pitcher are of the same race. A Times article concluded that the variance “was puny by the standard of other industries, by most accounts nothing over which to get one’s double-knits in a twist.”
None of which matters to Nicholas Kristof.
Justin Wolfers, a Wharton professor, claimed that for 1991-2004 white referees called fouls at a greater rate against black players than against white players. Black officials called fouls more frequently against white players, although supposedly not favoring their own race as often.
An NBA study for 2004-07 then drew on data matching specific referees to specific calls (Wolfers examined only box scores), and found no significant differences in how often white and black referees collectively called fouls on white and black players.
Three ”independent experts,” examining the two studies for the Times, found Wolfers’s conclusions “far more sound.” A Times Editor’s Note then stated that one of the three had been chairman of Wolfers’s doctoral thesis committee, that Wolfers’s updated study included acknowledgements to two of the Times’s experts, and admitted serious errors in the Times “independent expert” report.
A long time Times NBA columnist wrote, “there are way too many variables beyond mere data solely extracted from box scores to draw meaningful conclusions from this.”
A computer study claimed that an umpire will call a pitch a strike about one percent more often if the umpire and the pitcher are of the same race. A Times article concluded that the variance “was puny by the standard of other industries, by most accounts nothing over which to get one’s double-knits in a twist.”
None of which matters to Nicholas Kristof.
6
Racism has always and continues today to be with us daily.White Privilege and Black Lives Matter do matter and exist in society. What whites have done to Blacks throughout history is unforgivable.Why we continue today is unbelievable. Hasn't over 400 hundred years taught us anything?And Learned anything?And changed anything? Doesn't seem like it has.
1
When it comes to race, I always operate by that famous line Joe Biden likes to quote regarding advice he received from Mike Mansfield: "Joe, never question another man’s motive. Question his judgment but never his motive".
While I was a student in the U.S. some years ago, I always avoided attributing any ill motive to the various things that were said to me or experiences I had, recounting the above quote from Biden.
However, I had one white classmate who, to me, seemed to have a bias (I never thought it was racism). Whenever I did well in a class, he would tell me that professors tend to favor minorities (on three occasions). When his financial aid was reduced sometime during our studies, without knowing what my status was, he told me that I was very lucky since "people like me" are always favored in receiving assistance (my financial aid had also been reduced but he did not know this).
Despite all the challenges that the U.S. faces, I am one person who remains optimistic that things will change for the better. Times are tough, no doubt, but it remains indisputable that positive (though small) steps are continuously being made.
While I was a student in the U.S. some years ago, I always avoided attributing any ill motive to the various things that were said to me or experiences I had, recounting the above quote from Biden.
However, I had one white classmate who, to me, seemed to have a bias (I never thought it was racism). Whenever I did well in a class, he would tell me that professors tend to favor minorities (on three occasions). When his financial aid was reduced sometime during our studies, without knowing what my status was, he told me that I was very lucky since "people like me" are always favored in receiving assistance (my financial aid had also been reduced but he did not know this).
Despite all the challenges that the U.S. faces, I am one person who remains optimistic that things will change for the better. Times are tough, no doubt, but it remains indisputable that positive (though small) steps are continuously being made.
3
It's not racism if a hiring employer is afraid that an employee candidate is more likely to be a criminal. It's simply odds...but not racism.
If black on black crime decreased in a meaningful way, that perception would not exist.
If black on black crime decreased in a meaningful way, that perception would not exist.
2
More disturbing than the "white people who don't get it" are the white people who DO get it, yet turn a blind eye, lend a deaf ear, and speak out with mute support.
4
NYT doesn't allow anti-recommendations, otherwise my post would receive a plenty of those. Methinks the research based on presenting the equally qualified resumes with "black" and "white" names is defective from the scratch. What the hiring managers are biased against is not the blackness of the applicants, it is their (or more likely, their parents) desire to separate themselves from the majority white nation by choosing the "black" name. If you run the same test using U.S.-born Chinese-American applicants presenting themselves as Michael Wu and Ming-Ling Wu, you will be surprised by how many more calls Michael would get. If you want to keep yourself separate from the rest of the melting pot, be prepared to pay for it.
And yes, whites get it.
And yes, whites get it.
16
Is it racist to acknowledge that Black Males who represent 6% of the total US population commit 50% of the total US homicides? Is it racist that Asian and White families sacrifice for their kids' education with time and resources whereas Black families embrace victimhood and expect the schools to care for their kids without their involvement? No, in both cases it's just the facts. Besides, it's not White, Asian privilege that causes a majority of Black kids to grow up in dysfunctional families. Until Blacks give up victimhood they will remain bystanders in achieving the American Dream.
12
I grew up in the 40's and 50's when white males had it made. And had control, for example, over where highways went (often for the benefit of white suburbs). Levittown on Long Island prohibited blacks. There were so many other obstacles thrown at blacks then that it is a wonder that some made it out of the ghetto. We whites have a lot to answer for and that Obama has met with such obstruction from Congress is just another example of holding back a black man and denying him power. I recognize this because I lived through a time when prejudice was a fact of life. But in this "enlightened time", there are still obstacles to blacks given power. Mitch McConnell has a lot to answer for.
6
"Obama has met with such obstruction from Congress is just another example of holding back a black man and denying him power."
"Mitch McConnell has a lot to answer for."
So True!
Separation of powers...just another form of racism!
"Mitch McConnell has a lot to answer for."
So True!
Separation of powers...just another form of racism!
3
Yes, 'white privilege' writing has become a lucrative industry and source of academic accolade.
The truth, however, is that bias and discrimination goes both ways. It is irresponsible, to say the very least, to claim that "whites don't get it' - a title implying that others -blacks? Asians? Latinos? - do. It is patronizing to propose that it is the duty of whites (why?) to 'save' the blacks, as if the black community is incapable of bringing itself together. I see many unprivileged communities, Asians in particular come to mind, who start with nothing and succeed within a generation.
In other words, Kristof is enabling the inertia, the refusal to join the culture, the welfarism where handouts are expected, the reproductive irresponsibility, etc. An eloquent column, well-meaning, but one that perpetuates the problems we see around us.
The truth, however, is that bias and discrimination goes both ways. It is irresponsible, to say the very least, to claim that "whites don't get it' - a title implying that others -blacks? Asians? Latinos? - do. It is patronizing to propose that it is the duty of whites (why?) to 'save' the blacks, as if the black community is incapable of bringing itself together. I see many unprivileged communities, Asians in particular come to mind, who start with nothing and succeed within a generation.
In other words, Kristof is enabling the inertia, the refusal to join the culture, the welfarism where handouts are expected, the reproductive irresponsibility, etc. An eloquent column, well-meaning, but one that perpetuates the problems we see around us.
154
Exactly.
1
It's not the duty of whites to "save" Blacks. That totally misses the point. Racism is not the exact same thing as the prejudice or bigotry that perhaps other groups experience but are able to overcome. Racism, as Norman says in his comment, is a white pathology. Whites need to do the work to become aware and change their attitudes. You can still be mad at or disapproving of bad behavior, which Blacks do not have a monopoly over, by the way, but racism is a different thing altogether.
Think about it. That would be a start.
Think about it. That would be a start.
3
what you don't get Kristof is that racism is more than black/white
open your eyes
open your eyes
2
I have often wondered what it must feel like to live free of the burden of being "the other". I am a 58 year old black man. I resent the notion that somehow black folks haven't earned the exact same privileges and opportunities that white folks have enjoyed from day one. We have been dealing with white racism for hundreds of years, and yes there has been progress but it has been a struggle every step of the way. Mr. Kristof, racism is a white pathology and unfortunately we blacks don't have the luxury of ignoring it. That sickness affects every aspect of our lives, and it is pervasive. Thank you for doing your part to keep this conversation going by providing some education on the topic of racism. A good dose of medication for the pathology.
187
I'm a 62 year old white guy. I was in line with an African-American couple en route to visit their daughter abroad. We struck up a wide-ranging conversation. (This was a slow line!) They are successful professionals in the sciences and live in a prosperous suburb of a large Southern city. They told me how they have to remind their younger son, a slight, bright, courteous child, to be very careful. We white folks generally have little, if any idea, of what it feels to be 'the other', constantly suspected of criminal behavior, this despite the fact that the vast majority of African-Americans never commit any crime. I am reminded of a friendship I had with an African-British woman who was staying at a neighbor's house on exchange while they taught at each other's universities. She described being tailed in stores, a constant object of suspicion. 'Black Lives Matter' protesters, who courageously risk their safety in hostile, white crowds, are committed, articulate intellectuals, not rabble rousers. I was horrified to see a well-dressed young Black man sucker-punched in the head by an old, rage-filled white man at a Trump rally. That violent white man intimated the next time he might kill the protester. I am proud of and grateful for our first African-American president, who has led us with a steady hand, refusing to be baited by overtly the racist comments of his white colleagues. Thank God for President Obama's sense of humor in the face of such irrationality.
4
And your resentment - and that of many, many others in this racialized environment - is what would make me hesitate to hire Jamal over Brendan: the concern that you would be much more likely to be hypersensitive and a potential source of conflict and disruption in the workplace.
2
I truly hate articles like this. This piece and its other installments can only scratch the proverbial surface; the accompanying comments bear that out:
The "it's not white folks fault..." to using two "extremes" to represent Blackness in America- the "acting-white" Barack Obama to the "Chicago South-side Thug" (as one commenter below sums up Black diversity).
With almost 40 million people in this Country identifying as Black according to the last Census [2010], I am one of those almost Forty Million Blacks.
We are too numerous and diverse to pigeonhole [which should by now not need to be a qualifier-but...], however, there are great similarities in our American Experience with racism, bigotry, discrimination and "otherness".
Whether we are "white-like", or "South-side ghetto-like" and a million other "likes" in between; whether we live in the North, East, South or West; Rural or City dweller; wealthy, poor or in between; educated or not. There is a strain of unabridged racism running throughout this nation, day after day, week after week, month after month;year after year, decade after decade and Century after Century:
This is the reality of both Blackness in America and Whiteness in America.
The "it's not white folks fault..." to using two "extremes" to represent Blackness in America- the "acting-white" Barack Obama to the "Chicago South-side Thug" (as one commenter below sums up Black diversity).
With almost 40 million people in this Country identifying as Black according to the last Census [2010], I am one of those almost Forty Million Blacks.
We are too numerous and diverse to pigeonhole [which should by now not need to be a qualifier-but...], however, there are great similarities in our American Experience with racism, bigotry, discrimination and "otherness".
Whether we are "white-like", or "South-side ghetto-like" and a million other "likes" in between; whether we live in the North, East, South or West; Rural or City dweller; wealthy, poor or in between; educated or not. There is a strain of unabridged racism running throughout this nation, day after day, week after week, month after month;year after year, decade after decade and Century after Century:
This is the reality of both Blackness in America and Whiteness in America.
82
And racism is really a white problem, not a black one. It is the whites who behave as racists, whether consciously or not, and whites are the people that should be working to eliminate racism. First to become aware and second to change the behavior. The unconscious racism is the worst, the "Who, me?" folks.
Another point is that it would surely help if people didn't refer to Blacks as a big monolithic group. There is the same diversity of outlook, income, education, etc. among them as among whites. It has just been a lot harder to succeed when the system is run largely by whites and is rigged against blacks.
Another point is that it would surely help if people didn't refer to Blacks as a big monolithic group. There is the same diversity of outlook, income, education, etc. among them as among whites. It has just been a lot harder to succeed when the system is run largely by whites and is rigged against blacks.
1
I am convinced as an older, white, socially liberal person that a many white Americans are racists without even knowing it. This unconscious racism is most likely to occur among self-identified Republicans, but not always.
This insidious racism does not happen because Republicans nurture racism, although in the last twenty or thirty years prominent Republicans have done exactly that. The unaware racist is simply attracted to the Republican Party because he or she holds conservative views about life which are compatible with a negative view of black people.
Besides conservative views, Republicans generally are more affluent than Democrats and have had less everyday social contact with blacks as youngsters than have Democrats.
Talking with conservative white friends and business associates over the years, I have heard many express frustration with black Americans. I have often told the speaker that he or she was frustrated with a stereotype of black folks which was greatly exaggerated or completely false. Always, the speaker would claim a firmly held belief that the opinions were absolutely true. He or she would deny any racial bias.
I believe these white people were sincere. I believe that if given a lie detector test and asked if they were racists, they would all deny it and would pass the exam with flying colors.
There are unabashed racists who make life miserable for black Americans, but there are unaware racists who do more damage because there are many more of them.
This insidious racism does not happen because Republicans nurture racism, although in the last twenty or thirty years prominent Republicans have done exactly that. The unaware racist is simply attracted to the Republican Party because he or she holds conservative views about life which are compatible with a negative view of black people.
Besides conservative views, Republicans generally are more affluent than Democrats and have had less everyday social contact with blacks as youngsters than have Democrats.
Talking with conservative white friends and business associates over the years, I have heard many express frustration with black Americans. I have often told the speaker that he or she was frustrated with a stereotype of black folks which was greatly exaggerated or completely false. Always, the speaker would claim a firmly held belief that the opinions were absolutely true. He or she would deny any racial bias.
I believe these white people were sincere. I believe that if given a lie detector test and asked if they were racists, they would all deny it and would pass the exam with flying colors.
There are unabashed racists who make life miserable for black Americans, but there are unaware racists who do more damage because there are many more of them.
59
One example of the double standards that the black community faces is in the mainstream (i.e. white) view of drug use. Black drug users are criminals who should be locked up. White drug users are victims who need care and treatment. The recent discovery by whites that addicts deserve help will be of little consolation to the thousands of African-Americans already imprisoned.
5
There is still racism and there are real racists, but this column and a whole new series on how white people just don't get it is counterproductive. Whites are not the only ones who don't get it, and we are past the time for you and other pundits to call out Black leaders and groups like Black Lives Matter for the way they are more concerned about the Black men killed by police even though most of them were dangerous criminals preying on the Black community instead of the thousands of Black men killed by other Black men.
The remnants of structural racism, i.e. dysfunctional housing patterns and the impact of multi-generational poverty, have been replaced by cultural attitudes that are far more pernicious for the future of Black Americans. It is not okay for so many children to be raised by single parents. It is not okay for so many people earning a living through a whole panoply of illegal activities. It is not okay to be more concerned about who is disrespecting you than getting a job or going to school. Those attitudes are not the fault of white people, even racist white people.
When Black Lives Matters, Al Sharpton, and all those who preach victimhood start challenging the dysfunctional values so prevalent in inner city Black communities then it will make sense to complement those efforts with calls to end white racism. Until that time, too many whites will find self-justification for their racism in the behaviors they see so often on the evening news.
The remnants of structural racism, i.e. dysfunctional housing patterns and the impact of multi-generational poverty, have been replaced by cultural attitudes that are far more pernicious for the future of Black Americans. It is not okay for so many children to be raised by single parents. It is not okay for so many people earning a living through a whole panoply of illegal activities. It is not okay to be more concerned about who is disrespecting you than getting a job or going to school. Those attitudes are not the fault of white people, even racist white people.
When Black Lives Matters, Al Sharpton, and all those who preach victimhood start challenging the dysfunctional values so prevalent in inner city Black communities then it will make sense to complement those efforts with calls to end white racism. Until that time, too many whites will find self-justification for their racism in the behaviors they see so often on the evening news.
8
And here we have a perfect example of one who doesn't get it, at all. Maybe if these whites got off the couch, turned off the TV, and actually got to know some Blacks, they would see how even the news reflects those unconscious biases, and is not likely to reflect the reality of most Blacks.
2
There comes a time when stereotypes have the right to be accepted
because they are more true than false.
Given the levels of violence/percent in prison/continued poverty/
low levels of education - the African American Community has to
sit down and be honest with ourselves.
How does it help our children when the majority of children do not
grow up with two parents ?
How does it help our children when they do not try as hard as they
can in school and we do nothing to support our child's teachers ?
What good does it do our children when we refuse to believe that a
a well convicted criminal is actually guilty and was only convicted
because of the colour of his skin.
What good does it do anyone when I refuse to identify a likely suspect ?
Our African American community must either get on board with the
standards set by the vast majority of Americans or be left behind.
Asians and Hispanics feel no guilt over slavery.
It has been 150 years since Slavery,
60 Years since the Civil Rights Bills.
The vast majority of Whites know nothing of Jim Crow and Segregation
and the number is only increasing.
Can you not see that Affirmative Action is dying on the vine ?
That the Millennials have no qualms about moving into the Inner City
and forcing African Americans out via rising rents ?
President Obama did not sent his children to DC Public Schools.
The most segregated neighbourhoods and schools in the US are
found in Manhattan.
We need to change or get left behind forever.
because they are more true than false.
Given the levels of violence/percent in prison/continued poverty/
low levels of education - the African American Community has to
sit down and be honest with ourselves.
How does it help our children when the majority of children do not
grow up with two parents ?
How does it help our children when they do not try as hard as they
can in school and we do nothing to support our child's teachers ?
What good does it do our children when we refuse to believe that a
a well convicted criminal is actually guilty and was only convicted
because of the colour of his skin.
What good does it do anyone when I refuse to identify a likely suspect ?
Our African American community must either get on board with the
standards set by the vast majority of Americans or be left behind.
Asians and Hispanics feel no guilt over slavery.
It has been 150 years since Slavery,
60 Years since the Civil Rights Bills.
The vast majority of Whites know nothing of Jim Crow and Segregation
and the number is only increasing.
Can you not see that Affirmative Action is dying on the vine ?
That the Millennials have no qualms about moving into the Inner City
and forcing African Americans out via rising rents ?
President Obama did not sent his children to DC Public Schools.
The most segregated neighbourhoods and schools in the US are
found in Manhattan.
We need to change or get left behind forever.
10
I want my kids to have all the advantages.
After that, equality can prevail.
After that, equality can prevail.
Having some advantages --but not all -- is probably best for most children.
1
once again,blacks and liberal types JUST DONT GET IT! the amount of lingering from the distant past racism that you think constitutes the majority of white prejudice pales in comparison to newly developed outrage to current black behaviors. ever hear of driving while white? if every single time you're being tailgated or cut off in traffic by a car with darkly tinted windows,you're not going to think too highly of african americans.
1
Racism will alive as long as humans are alive in the world.
3
Seems to me that if blacks want to be treated equally with whites in the United States, then they need to reduce their per capita crime rate to the same level as whites. Which implies this is something for the black community alone to work on. Or am I missing something?
5
"It’s true that I would be wary as a white person of lecturing to blacks about race"
And I commend you for your attitude, I totally agree. Now, if we could just get the same response from black people about lecturing white people about race, perhaps a discussion could take place with much less heat and more light.
And I commend you for your attitude, I totally agree. Now, if we could just get the same response from black people about lecturing white people about race, perhaps a discussion could take place with much less heat and more light.
4
I would like to see more writing that are less linear and binary and more inclusive of the actual complex identities many of us have - so, how about examining the intersections of racism, sexism, and homophobia - or the intersections of classism, ableism, and ageism....what is life like for Latina gay women, or working class white people who are disabled in some way, or...you see the point. Given a chart with plusses for privilege and minuses for where we lack privilege, many of us have a combination of both; for example, a black straight man has male and heterosexual privilege, but experiences racism, so what does that mean? How can we create a society where each and every one of us is privileged and has our needs met in ALL ways?
1
very well said...i would also like to add 'athletic' privilege....male athletes are glorified and privileged in countless ways, and a huge proportion of them are,yes,BLACK
2
If Trump has done anything for America, it is to demonstrate that Archie Bunker racism is alive and well in America, despite Bill O'Reilly's and Ann Coulter's claims to the contrary. The video of a white male Trump supporter yelling "Go back to Africa" pretty much says it all. "Go back to Africa" is pretty much much an equivalent to "Black people should be white people's slaves." Vicious anti-black racism still clearly exists in America, despite a lot of efforts of well meaning people. I am only sorry she didn't respond, "Why don't you go back to Europe?"
90
An honest debate would understand that whites are feeling the burn and acting out. Maybe Trump is just dishing back in kind. Nobody likes to be called a racist and nobody knows how they will react when that happens. Do you really think Trump has a KKK hood in his closet? Get a clue.
2
As a non-black immigrant (so defined by our illustrious PC government) I have been a US resident for well over 40 years, and still fail to understand the deference paid to blacks as opposed to the screaming silence when it comes to Native Americans.
As a non-black immigrant (South American by birth) I’m part of a minority larger than the black minority, but I read columns like this one and my skin crawls at the injustice and unfairness.
As for the conversation being more honest within the black than white community, I disagree. My personal experience is that blacks stick together no matter what, while whites can tear each other apart at the drop of a hat. Some misplaced sense of loyalty is at work, but I have yet to hear ONE black person make negative comments about any other black familiar to the group in which private conversations are taking place.
Don’t mean to offend anyone, but if we are supposed to have a ‘conversation’, some no-nos must be allowed to fly out the window.
As a non-black immigrant (South American by birth) I’m part of a minority larger than the black minority, but I read columns like this one and my skin crawls at the injustice and unfairness.
As for the conversation being more honest within the black than white community, I disagree. My personal experience is that blacks stick together no matter what, while whites can tear each other apart at the drop of a hat. Some misplaced sense of loyalty is at work, but I have yet to hear ONE black person make negative comments about any other black familiar to the group in which private conversations are taking place.
Don’t mean to offend anyone, but if we are supposed to have a ‘conversation’, some no-nos must be allowed to fly out the window.
110
Thing is, except for Native Americans (you're right, they're as disadvantaged as anybody), we're *all* immigrants or descendants of those who were. And no matter how strong the prejudices about the latest immigrant group, their kids and grandkids look much like whatever community they grew up in. Blacks, aside from the other baggage, usually *look* like blacks.Their great-grand-parents did and their great-grand-kids will. Folks who look white can be anything, by inheritance, but usually it's minimally if at all black African-American. So, aside from what goes on in the parts of town where most folks, black or white, don't want to be, what do you think the boundaries of your world are, should you have the ambition to think about getting to some other part of town? For blacks, when you check into a fancy hotel, or tell the receptionist you're here for an interview with Mr Jellybeancounter, or show up in a suburban church, or enroll your kids in the best school -- I'm not saying anyone will stop you from doing it if you look black, but just getting the looks, the hesitations -- do you think folks are blind? Whites can show up dressed however, blacks often feel they can't. Whites can act pretty inappropriately without getting tossed out of fancy places, blacks don't "belong" there in the first place. Think of it. A lifetime of this. Why aren't more blacks totally nuts, given even this minimally agressive form of racism throughout their lives?
3
Is it possible that the poor performance of black children in inner city schools is because of lead in the old water systems? We know that Flint and Newark have lead problems, and the suggestion has been made that many other cities do also.
1
This is just so much knee-jerk liberal nonsense. I have an Asian-American friend who went to a majority black high school in New York where she was called all kinds of horrible names by the black students. Nonetheless, she perservered and went on to an Ivy League school while her classmates even failed to graduate high school. Stop making excuses for bad behavior and systemic cultural failure. The company I work for has made it clear that there will be minority hires only going forward. Blacks have more chances than ever to succeed and yet they continue to fail.
8
I have worked for blacks, employed blacks, slept overnight in their
houses, attended their funerals, their graduations, their weddings and
their christenings. On one occasion, I posted bail for two of them.
There will be no significant racial healing in this country until blacks, largely working by themselves, stem the tide of violence and family breakdown in their own communities.
houses, attended their funerals, their graduations, their weddings and
their christenings. On one occasion, I posted bail for two of them.
There will be no significant racial healing in this country until blacks, largely working by themselves, stem the tide of violence and family breakdown in their own communities.
183
Wait. I don't get it. All those good people you employed, stayed with and attended family functions with are to blame for the bigotry of white people?
5
Blacks have made enormous progress in this country over the past 25 years. The gaps between them and whites have been greatly diminished in many fields and white bigotry, while still present, is much reduced. Responibility for completing the job of healing, particularly in our inner cities, rests largely in their hands.
3
True and while your at it, go talk to White people to stop killing their own too.
Because it's not just our community with problems of crime and violence. Too often, unless its sensational or vicious, White crime and violence isn't even discussed.
For example, only now, after a generation of locking people up who have an addiction are White people realizing its not a crime but a problem. Not to belittle any family's suffering but this reversal in policy is only after White children and adults have suffered by getting arrested and/or dying of overdoses. Now the powers that be think that maybe, just maybe we're doing it wrong. Too late for all of those Black lives destroyed. They were obviously not important.
And while your at it, kick all of those White people off of welfare, since they're on the dole more than we are. And oh, tell those White women to stop having babies out of wedlock. Its a sin that as you put it "breaks down the family". Didn't you know? They're the majority of single mothers. And no you can't have an abortion either. Please do take note of my intense sarcasm.
It exists and I'd personally prefer people to work within their own communities to work on their own problems before they tell anyone else what to do.
Because it's not just our community with problems of crime and violence. Too often, unless its sensational or vicious, White crime and violence isn't even discussed.
For example, only now, after a generation of locking people up who have an addiction are White people realizing its not a crime but a problem. Not to belittle any family's suffering but this reversal in policy is only after White children and adults have suffered by getting arrested and/or dying of overdoses. Now the powers that be think that maybe, just maybe we're doing it wrong. Too late for all of those Black lives destroyed. They were obviously not important.
And while your at it, kick all of those White people off of welfare, since they're on the dole more than we are. And oh, tell those White women to stop having babies out of wedlock. Its a sin that as you put it "breaks down the family". Didn't you know? They're the majority of single mothers. And no you can't have an abortion either. Please do take note of my intense sarcasm.
It exists and I'd personally prefer people to work within their own communities to work on their own problems before they tell anyone else what to do.
5
Back in 1992 Leonard Cohen recorded his song Democracy about how and from where Democracy will come to America. To me the most important place Cohen mentions of where Democracy will come from is "the holy places where the races meet" I have been to those places. I am getting old I hope live to see Democracy come to America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU-RuR-qO4Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU-RuR-qO4Y
2
So - if I understand you correctly - whites don't 'get' it generally - but specifically - in this case - don't 'get' young black men.
Young black women have made huge strides - and left their confreres behind
African black men perform at levels higher than average... so it can't be all african americans.
Men of color other than young black men form companies - attend exclusive schools - pursue and attain STEM and esp. engineering degrees in a greater proportion than their white counterparts - so it can't be young men of color.
It is just those pesky young black men who kill each other and innocent by-standers in Chicago and many other cities with abandon that we don't seem to 'get'.
Could it be because - on a given day - more young black males are in prison than are enrolled in colleges and universities and on an average day in 1996, more black male high school dropouts aged 20–35 were in custody than in paid employment and by 1999, over one-fifth of black non-college men in their early 30’s had prison records.
Nahhhh... of course it couldn't be.
Young black women have made huge strides - and left their confreres behind
African black men perform at levels higher than average... so it can't be all african americans.
Men of color other than young black men form companies - attend exclusive schools - pursue and attain STEM and esp. engineering degrees in a greater proportion than their white counterparts - so it can't be young men of color.
It is just those pesky young black men who kill each other and innocent by-standers in Chicago and many other cities with abandon that we don't seem to 'get'.
Could it be because - on a given day - more young black males are in prison than are enrolled in colleges and universities and on an average day in 1996, more black male high school dropouts aged 20–35 were in custody than in paid employment and by 1999, over one-fifth of black non-college men in their early 30’s had prison records.
Nahhhh... of course it couldn't be.
6
I'll never forget the horrible blown call that Jim Joyce made that ruined Armando Galaragas perfect game. I will never accept that it wasn't racism, maybe not overt but racism none the less.
The New York Times quite correctly notes that people are irrational and hold many false beliefs. The paper also generally avoids making sweeping statements about groups of people based only on physical characteristics. The exception is of course when the paper is writing about a group they call "whites" without defining this group. So the sole variable in the success of one group versus another is this astounding discovery by the paper of "white racism." So if you thought the world was a complicated place, it turns out to be quite simple: failure is caused by white people. Let's look no further, and the corollary is that other groups have no prejudices that might affect their success. Alas, time to find a new paper.
7
While I agree with Mr. Kristof that bias against blacks exists, I suspect the magnitude of its effects are similar to the well-documented bias experienced by people who are short, or fat, or ugly.
And if 77% of blacks acknowledge that a "lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard" is a cause of difficulties in the African-American community, do you think it might be possible that the people hiring for those low wage jobs in NYC had previous unsatisfactory experience with more of the blacks than of the whites they hired?
I also dispute the allegation Mr. Kristof makes regarding school funding. It certainly doesn't apply here in Ohio. The urban and suburban school districts spend about the same amount per pupil. In fact here in Central Ohio, the Columbus schools spend more per pupil than all but 2 of the 15 suburban districts. It's the predominantly white rural school districts that bring the state average down. Now I will admit that urban districts have a greater concentration of low income, ESL, and special needs students but an analysis [http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/11/20/new-analysis-al...] that took this into account still found Columbus in the middle of all suburban schools and way ahead of the rural schools in spending.
But if you really want to help blacks do better educationally, support school choice.
And if 77% of blacks acknowledge that a "lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard" is a cause of difficulties in the African-American community, do you think it might be possible that the people hiring for those low wage jobs in NYC had previous unsatisfactory experience with more of the blacks than of the whites they hired?
I also dispute the allegation Mr. Kristof makes regarding school funding. It certainly doesn't apply here in Ohio. The urban and suburban school districts spend about the same amount per pupil. In fact here in Central Ohio, the Columbus schools spend more per pupil than all but 2 of the 15 suburban districts. It's the predominantly white rural school districts that bring the state average down. Now I will admit that urban districts have a greater concentration of low income, ESL, and special needs students but an analysis [http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/11/20/new-analysis-al...] that took this into account still found Columbus in the middle of all suburban schools and way ahead of the rural schools in spending.
But if you really want to help blacks do better educationally, support school choice.
92
Suspecting that the magnitude of the effect of racial bias is similar to that experienced by the short, fat, or ugly seems to me to be a symptom of the problem.
When was the last time you heard about a short, fat or ugly 12 year old with a toy gun being gunned down in nanoseconds by the police?
When was the last time you heard about a short, fat or ugly 12 year old with a toy gun being gunned down in nanoseconds by the police?
3
There's no value in being defensive. Sure, the other guy isn't perfect, but pointing out all his faults does not justify ours. This is not new:
"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"
Dealing with our own shortcomings is our responsibility. For others, our responsibility is offering a hand up when we can, or at least a chance, to those who'll take it.
As to "short, fat and ugly" being like black in America, we never enslaved people based on short, fat and ugly, we never had signs in buses saying "Short, fat and ugly, seat from rear," we never had separate public accommodations for "short, fat and ugly," and... you get it. I don't think parents tell their short, fat ugly sons to be very polite and keep both hands in plain sight if pulled over by a police officer, because you might otherwise be shot and killed.
So, should people of color encountering barriers consider what they can do to help themselves? Yes. Should whites consider what barriers they are putting up for people of color, and try their best to take them down? Also yes. Which comes first? Depends who you are. Being a white man, I can't try to be a better black man. I can try to be a more fair white.
Jim, I don't know how short, fat and ugly you are, but if I've caused you any grief because of it, I do apologize.
"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"
Dealing with our own shortcomings is our responsibility. For others, our responsibility is offering a hand up when we can, or at least a chance, to those who'll take it.
As to "short, fat and ugly" being like black in America, we never enslaved people based on short, fat and ugly, we never had signs in buses saying "Short, fat and ugly, seat from rear," we never had separate public accommodations for "short, fat and ugly," and... you get it. I don't think parents tell their short, fat ugly sons to be very polite and keep both hands in plain sight if pulled over by a police officer, because you might otherwise be shot and killed.
So, should people of color encountering barriers consider what they can do to help themselves? Yes. Should whites consider what barriers they are putting up for people of color, and try their best to take them down? Also yes. Which comes first? Depends who you are. Being a white man, I can't try to be a better black man. I can try to be a more fair white.
Jim, I don't know how short, fat and ugly you are, but if I've caused you any grief because of it, I do apologize.
2
Agree with you. And I don't see NYT, Kristof, the current POTUS and his Administration jumping to the defense of fat, short, or ugly people. And it's a pretty safe bet that short, fat, and ugly people DO face discrimination in hiring and advancement in the workplace. In fact, I believe numerous studies have confirmed that lookism exists, better looking people make more money, etc. Why hasn't Kristof written about appearance discrimination?
2
So sorry, you are wrong. Sadly, many "Conservative" Whites do get it: they have automatically been on top for a long time and like it that way.
5
As an old white guy who lives in white rural America, I hear lots of racist comments on a regular basis. A local TV anchor was fired last week for racist comments about the likely perpetrators of a heinous shooting that killed 6 people. It took two weeks for her to be fired, and she had many supporters who thought she was just exercising her right to free speech.
Keep writing Nicholas. You are on the right side of history and a true chronicler of the struggle. And you NYTimes, keep supporting this national treasure.
Keep writing Nicholas. You are on the right side of history and a true chronicler of the struggle. And you NYTimes, keep supporting this national treasure.
6
Two weeks! The horror! Maybe she could just have been publically executed, would that have made you happier? How dare someone think differently? Being on the right side of history is more important than moderation or careful thought. After all, there's no danger we'll make a mistake about what the right side of history is, like they did in Russia in 1918 and China in the Great Leap Forward.
4
A black professor who teaches social justice at Oberlin college made racist comments about Jews on her Facebook page just like the TV anchor. Among other things she claimed Jews were responsible for the Paris terrorist attacks. One of those attacks involved a black man massacring Jews. She got enormous support from African American anti-racist activists and will not lose her job. There was no condemnation of her anti-Jewish racism from the social justice/anti-racist/equality activists or organizations. Why?
4
You say that 77 percent of blacks say that laziness and lack of motivation is a big problem in the black community. Sounds a little like oppressed people believing the main narrative. Basically, Stockholm syndrome.
5
While it certainly could be that, if it is not you would be doing a disservice to the community by giving them an excuse to continue less desirable behavior. In one of Chris Rock's comedy routine he says that books are like Kryptonite to members of his community.
1
Maybe they see it with their own two eyes everyday.
1
That's a reasonable conclusion, but it's interesting that the author doesn't mention it. Instead he follows it by saying that the conversation within the black community seems to me to be more mature and honest than the one among whites. That statement is true, but it seems an odd conclusion to draw right after citing the CNN poll. Are 77% of blacks being honest when they say "lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard" is an issue in the African-American community? I'm sure he wouldn't consider that an honest statement if 77% of all whites said that.
4
I just don't get it. The SBA 8(a) program -- set-asides in government contracting for socially disadvantaged persons -- was enacted in 1978. A large number of current participants in those programs arrived from India in the past 16 years. How can a recent immigrant from India claim this status? More significantly, how many black-owned businesses have lost out to bids by such ostensibly disadvantaged businesses?
10
Lots of migrants have big networks at home set up to exploit the US system, in league with US large employers and US govt. Hence Silicon Valley lobbying for MORE H1-B visas when we have a huge cadre of qualified residents of the US. Yet many of these same companies are at the top "white liberal" - and bringing in large numbers of brown migrants with their families guarantees that black communities will sink lower on the opportunity scale, as we have seen with US indebted college grads.
5
You're right. Plain and simple.
Actually, the "other" receives somewhat similar treatment (dialed down a notch or two depending on what the bias is). People with obviously Muslim, Jewish/Israeli. Hispanic, Hindu/Asian Indian, and Native American names suffer from the same problem especially if they don't speak standard American English (like having a Southern, Indian or NYC accent).
Having been a member of a religious minority all my life, I have watched the prevailing US ethnic group (Christians of Europe ancestry) and their discomfort with the "other." Pretty soon, they will be in the minority in this country, but sadly until there is more financial equality, they may continue to have more influence then suits their numbers.
Face it folks, we all have implicit biases. the step to dealing wit them is to acknowledge them (and as Kristof puts it, "be less defensive about it.") because without that action, we can't deal with them.
Actually, the "other" receives somewhat similar treatment (dialed down a notch or two depending on what the bias is). People with obviously Muslim, Jewish/Israeli. Hispanic, Hindu/Asian Indian, and Native American names suffer from the same problem especially if they don't speak standard American English (like having a Southern, Indian or NYC accent).
Having been a member of a religious minority all my life, I have watched the prevailing US ethnic group (Christians of Europe ancestry) and their discomfort with the "other." Pretty soon, they will be in the minority in this country, but sadly until there is more financial equality, they may continue to have more influence then suits their numbers.
Face it folks, we all have implicit biases. the step to dealing wit them is to acknowledge them (and as Kristof puts it, "be less defensive about it.") because without that action, we can't deal with them.
7
Isn't the prevailing group awful for letting people like you in? Maybe there could be turnabout and you could punish them for being dumb enough to let people like you in. That will really encourage other majorities around the world to invite in minorities when they realize that what the minorities wanted was just to turn the tables and punish them, and make sure they had less influence and were reduced to a minority position in the land they were born in.
3
Funny - and I thought there was only one race (the human race)!
8
Science and DNA should disprove your notion pretty rapidly.
1
I took the bias test and was surprised at how much harder it was to force myself to combine the negative words with white people than with Asians. I grew up in a town that was half white and half Asian, my first girlfriend was Asian. I never considered that I had any racism at all toward Asians, but there it was.
No matter how evolved we may think we are, I guess we will never get rid of that reptilian part of our brains.
No matter how evolved we may think we are, I guess we will never get rid of that reptilian part of our brains.
5
Yes, and all the more reason to become aware of it to the fullest possible extent. Awareness is always the first step.
3
There has always been a disparity in educational funding. Much of this stems from local funding of school districts. Districts where voters consistently vote for tax increases for schools have good schools and districts where voters consistently vote against school funding have poor schools. What happens over time is that the property values in the district with good schools increase and the property values in districts with poor schools decrease. Even when school funding is decentralized to a state level, voters will not approve increases to educational funding and wealthier districts will pick up the difference through property or sales taxes. Hard to get around it. The only way around this is disproportional funding of schools based on income, i.e.poorer schools receiving a larger portion of state funding per pupil. This really doesn't go over well with voters as they will demand equality rather than equity.
1
What you suggest has already been done in New Jersey, in the so-called Abbott districts, which now receive funding at or above the state average and far above the national average. It has not narrowed black underperformance, nor the underperformance of poor school districts as a whole.
6
Anne, that is not remotely how school funding works.
2
"In a CNN poll, 86 percent of blacks said family breakdown was a reason for difficulties of African-Americans today, and 77 percent cited “lack of motivation and unwillingness to work hard.”" I am white, and not making excuses for African-Americans when their own people say they lack motivation and are unwilling to work hard, but if working hard does not lead to positive results in the same degree that it would for people of other races, I can understand this dis-incentive.
On the other hand, my husband, who was born in the Philippines, had an African-American employee who he was glad to be rid of because the employee complained and caused problems much more than other employees did.
And finally, there are people who are consciously racist and see no need to change their opinion, but this article was not written for them.
On the other hand, my husband, who was born in the Philippines, had an African-American employee who he was glad to be rid of because the employee complained and caused problems much more than other employees did.
And finally, there are people who are consciously racist and see no need to change their opinion, but this article was not written for them.
8
“The N.B.A. study caused a furor (the league denied the bias), and a few years later there was a follow-up by the same economists, and the bias had disappeared. It seems that when we humans realize our biases, we can adjust and act in ways that are more fair. ”
Or, alternatively, it could simply mean that the results of the study weren’t reproducible. You’re aware, are you not Mr. Kristof, that reproducibility is a critical aspect of science, something separating it from “cargo cult science” or sorcery?
Or, alternatively, it could simply mean that the results of the study weren’t reproducible. You’re aware, are you not Mr. Kristof, that reproducibility is a critical aspect of science, something separating it from “cargo cult science” or sorcery?
25
While Kristof is entirely justified in keeping a focus on problems faced by Blacks, he does a disservice to his own cause by too readily speaking of "whites." Differences among whites are not merely semantic or trivial. They are relevant, if what we actually want is to make progress rather than simply bemoan the present or feel good because we are "right" in our judgment.
There are often substantive differences between rural and urban whites, poor and middle class whites, older and younger whites, those with a real economic future and those with none. While you cannot successfully deal with problems peculiar to the Black community without considering it as a whole, it is wrong to assume a simple race-based analysis and not consider class, demographics, and other non-racial elements, when trying to develope policies that are both effective and politically feasible.
Too often liberals prefer being right to being effective. Reality is complex and democracy is messy. That is not an excuse for maintaining the status quo; to the contrary. it is a necessary recognition in order to effect progress.
There are often substantive differences between rural and urban whites, poor and middle class whites, older and younger whites, those with a real economic future and those with none. While you cannot successfully deal with problems peculiar to the Black community without considering it as a whole, it is wrong to assume a simple race-based analysis and not consider class, demographics, and other non-racial elements, when trying to develope policies that are both effective and politically feasible.
Too often liberals prefer being right to being effective. Reality is complex and democracy is messy. That is not an excuse for maintaining the status quo; to the contrary. it is a necessary recognition in order to effect progress.
16
All valid points. However, race is a visible trait and all too often triggers an immediate and perhaps unconscious bias. All whites, even poor whites, benefit from favorable bias with respect to skin color.
2
While we're distinguishing between rural and urban whites, poor and middle class whites and older and younger whites, let's note the biggest distinction of all... whites who "get it" and whites who don't. Mr. Kristoff mentions that a majority of whites believe that job opportunities are equal for whites and blacks. I looked up the PBS survey and he's right, 52% do feel that way, but 42% do not. 42% is a minority, but it's a substantial number. White folks who do understand that racism is still pervasive and make a continued effort to combat it should be recognized. Lumping us all together as "whites" does everyone a disservice.
3
We cannot legislate our way out of ingrained racism or bigotry or xenophobia or misogyny, but we can stop perpetuating it and promoting it by voting for people who want our differences to define us politically. Republicans appeal to the very worst in us in seeking votes.
This election will determine whether we continue to progress socially or become some kind of fascist/theocratic pseudo democracy. I will be voting for the Democratic nominee for the Presidency.
This election will determine whether we continue to progress socially or become some kind of fascist/theocratic pseudo democracy. I will be voting for the Democratic nominee for the Presidency.
2
Tiresome. Yours is a one note song and guess what?
11
It's not. Even if it were, the message of the song will need shouting from the rooftops until certain people finally hear it.
1
If you have nothing of worth to say please refrain from troubling us with your negativity.
1
Folks, can we read what the column says? Kristof isn't assigning "white guilt" or "singling out" white people for blame. Rather, he's pointing out two facts (both supported by plenty of serious research) that some people (esp. white people) aren't aware of, and that should cause concern for anyone who believes we should live in a meritocratic, race-blind society.
1. Blacks and whites don't face equal opportunity, even when you account for all other factors.
2. This inequality is often the result of "implicit bias" -- which can affect well-intentioned people who sincerely believe in equality.
A well-educated public should be aware of these facts. So, why all the accusations of "white guilt"? It seems that some people aren't able to face facts that make them uncomfortable... apparently "political correctness" runs both ways.
1. Blacks and whites don't face equal opportunity, even when you account for all other factors.
2. This inequality is often the result of "implicit bias" -- which can affect well-intentioned people who sincerely believe in equality.
A well-educated public should be aware of these facts. So, why all the accusations of "white guilt"? It seems that some people aren't able to face facts that make them uncomfortable... apparently "political correctness" runs both ways.
5
Race bias is not only a white problem, but counter-intuitively as pioneering work by psychologist, Claude Steele, demonstrated even African-Americans unconsciously buy into it and performed worse when they were told they were competing against whites. Fortunately, Steele developed strategies for combating this, but, as you note, whites must also learn to be color-blind to eliminate or, at least, minimize race bias. Again, there is excellent psychological work currently being done that does this, but it needs widespread support to be used in places where it matters most like police departments.
4
"and a black applicant with a clean criminal record did no better than a white applicant who was said to have just been released from 18 months in prison."
This is so absurd, you have to question the study's validity, if any. What was the offense? It's hard to believe any employer would hire a white applicant who just served time for, say, grand larceny or a violent assault over a black applicant equally qualified with a clean record.
The other factor not addressed: fears of discrimination claims are ever present if you have to fire someone or evict a tenant--whether real or,as is increasingly common, totally fabricated.
This is so absurd, you have to question the study's validity, if any. What was the offense? It's hard to believe any employer would hire a white applicant who just served time for, say, grand larceny or a violent assault over a black applicant equally qualified with a clean record.
The other factor not addressed: fears of discrimination claims are ever present if you have to fire someone or evict a tenant--whether real or,as is increasingly common, totally fabricated.
10
The fashion today is to find racism behind every claim of it no matter how irrational or absurd the claim of racism. African Americans are well protected legally against racism. Try firing an African American for just cause and see where you get.
4
In the studies where resumes or e-mail were sent out how would you know if the bias was unconscious or conscious without studying the participants?
While I would agree that we all possess unconscious biases and we often are most comfortable with people that are most like ourselves, we need to remember that conscious bias is alive and well and voting for Trump.
While I would agree that we all possess unconscious biases and we often are most comfortable with people that are most like ourselves, we need to remember that conscious bias is alive and well and voting for Trump.
1
What makes tumbling back into the lower half so bad is the conditions of life in the lower half. We have decided that a good percentage of our population will live paycheck to paycheck, because a good percentage of the jobs have that wage level. That decision is not discussed; discussing it would be socialistic. What is discussed instead is the racial composition of this percentage, and in particular the fact that blacks are overrepresented there. So we discuss how to help blacks get down to their fair share of poverty and hardscrabble
If we decided that the lowest-paid of our citizens should earn enough to have security and a modest degree of comfort, the exact racial composition of our lowest-paid citizens would still be problematical, but their situation would be much more livable.
If we decided that the lowest-paid of our citizens should earn enough to have security and a modest degree of comfort, the exact racial composition of our lowest-paid citizens would still be problematical, but their situation would be much more livable.
5
You believe that being white, places a burden on you to pontificate blacks on their shortcomings. Just like Hillary thinks being a woman obligates her to determine if Bernie (or anyone) is pro-women enough.
But as you say, the root of the problem is not always institutional. Issue like single parent, divorces, crime, drug abuse, and education can all be traced to personal behaviors.
Only blacks can solve these problems, others can only facilitate. In that sense, black leaders have utterly failed their community. What is sadder is that even after two terms of a black president, their lives do not matter anymore than they did seven years ago.
But as you say, the root of the problem is not always institutional. Issue like single parent, divorces, crime, drug abuse, and education can all be traced to personal behaviors.
Only blacks can solve these problems, others can only facilitate. In that sense, black leaders have utterly failed their community. What is sadder is that even after two terms of a black president, their lives do not matter anymore than they did seven years ago.
5
Well said, good references...now, this needs to be repeated every day, forever! It will only be when the "white supremist" gene in all white is named, and renamed by all of us, then, and only then, will real progress be made.
Real progress will be made when most blacks begin to behave and perform as well as most whites.
3
Imagine if Mr. Kristof wrote a column titled "Why Black People Don't Get It."
Just imagine the reaction.
This white person is tired of being condemned for being white.
Just imagine the reaction.
This white person is tired of being condemned for being white.
37
This white person's attittude is Well, maybe as a white I have profited unduly. So then what? Facts are facts. Live with them.
2
Nicholas Kristof just doesn't get it.
4
I would be curious about the White and Black applicants with the identical resumes. How did both groups speak? One thing that is hard to ignore, though it is changing, is that it is obvious simply by speech to distinguish not just Whites and Blacks but Blacks from second and later generation Latinos and Asians. Racism is unlikely to disappear anytime soon and if that is a requirement then Blacks are indeed in big trouble. That said I would not be surprised if they way people speech give clues to how they will perform.
3
I'm curious about the methodology used. Was it scientific? Many of these study results are from lobby groups with an agenda.
1
Have you noted that there are fewer and fewer speakers of Black English around?
1
As a white, Christian, straight, 48 year old man (who is also cis-gendered), I'd like to push back against the prior comment. Liberal ideology does not say that everyone is the same except for people like me. What it does is acknowledge that by virtue of those things I have had access to advantages that I did not ask for, and in many cases were completely unaware of, compared to folks who are not like me. Of course within the category of white, Christian, straight men there will be variation of experience and advantage. Nothing that Kristof wrote, or for that matter most authors writing about white privilege write, denies that or says that they are evil people who aught to be pilloried for being born white, male, straight, and professing Christianity. What Kristof and others (like Peggy McIntosh in her groundbreaking essay on the Invisible Knapsack - Google it, it's worth the quick read) are saying is that we do have advantages whether we realize it or not. The problem is that when these discussions are held, many whites instinctively react with blame, shame, or guilt. We need to move past that, to acknowledge what we've been given that others haven't, so we can work to address those issues for others regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or gender expression.
8
You definitely have valid points about the privileged position you describe, but what about immigrants from East Asia, say, who came to this country without knowing the language, but worked hard and raised children who were regularly top achievers?
2
The argument that "white, Christian, old, straight men" are oppressed and have had it "so hard" is the plainest expression of political correctness that I have ever heard. This "white, old, straight man," who grew up in the 50's and 60's in a small, all-white, mid-western town, knows how good we have had it. Our parents may have overcome obstacles to provide for us but we rode the wave of the post-WWII opportunity and prosperity that opened for baby boomers. Our cup truly runneth over. Let us speak honestly of the problems that we have left in our wake including a willingness to tolerate discrimination.
3
Obviously, one of the first things anyone notices about anyone else is race.
It's there, right in front of everyone, right away.
Also, the fact is, black-on-white crime is far higher than white-on-black crime.
So it is natural, even prudent, for a white person to be more guarded or suspicious toward a black stronger than toward a white stranger, at least at first, until more about the specific stranger becomes known.
It is even natural and prudent for a black person to be less guarded or less suspicious toward a white stranger than toward a black stranger.
Better for everyone to be treated as an individual??
Rather than as a member of a race??
Yes.
But that means more time and effort, to find out more about the specific stranger, before making a decision.
It also obviously means no race-based "affirmative action":
None. No end-runs.
Not merely no bald racial quotas.
Also, no racial "factors" to be "considered".
Not even some sort of "holistic" credit toward racial "diversity".
Rather, a duty to treat everyone as an individual, not as a member of a race,
and to find out more about the specific person before making a decision.
Where ought that duty be greatest??
Right at the top:
The government itself.
And hiring personnel, in both government and in the private sector,
again, starting at the top, with the largest companies,
and likewise in the so-called "non-profit" sector,
again, starting right at the top, with the largest non-profits.
and admission committees for colleges.
It's there, right in front of everyone, right away.
Also, the fact is, black-on-white crime is far higher than white-on-black crime.
So it is natural, even prudent, for a white person to be more guarded or suspicious toward a black stronger than toward a white stranger, at least at first, until more about the specific stranger becomes known.
It is even natural and prudent for a black person to be less guarded or less suspicious toward a white stranger than toward a black stranger.
Better for everyone to be treated as an individual??
Rather than as a member of a race??
Yes.
But that means more time and effort, to find out more about the specific stranger, before making a decision.
It also obviously means no race-based "affirmative action":
None. No end-runs.
Not merely no bald racial quotas.
Also, no racial "factors" to be "considered".
Not even some sort of "holistic" credit toward racial "diversity".
Rather, a duty to treat everyone as an individual, not as a member of a race,
and to find out more about the specific person before making a decision.
Where ought that duty be greatest??
Right at the top:
The government itself.
And hiring personnel, in both government and in the private sector,
again, starting at the top, with the largest companies,
and likewise in the so-called "non-profit" sector,
again, starting right at the top, with the largest non-profits.
and admission committees for colleges.
7
Living in New York at 101st and Amsterdam, walking down 101st to Broadway to the Gristede’s for ice cream, my girl friend and I debated whether it was racist to cross to the other side when there were three 1) black 2) white males approaching on the same side. Black on white crime was said to be three times greater than white on white crime in NY at that time. I argued that crossing the street to avoid three blacks was not racist but statistically prudent, my girl friend argued that it was racist. We settled the matter by me carrying a lead pipe and not caring which race the three people on the same side of 101st Street were.
2
I belong to a very fortunate demographic group in this country, one which should be grateful for their status: older, educated, white, well-traveled, highly cultured baby-boomers. I know my fellow travelers but I also know many of those who are politically conservative, culturally narrow, of dubious piety and reluctant if not unable to admit that there is anything wrong with their views. I blend in easily (until I reveal my own attitudes and politics) so I get to hear the truth behind their angry reactions to articles like this. Their words speak of a personal awareness but as Kristoff points out, their actions belie any belief in the equality that should be fostered for any playing field. Because it's so pervasive in all levels of society, it is essentially institutionalized. Again and again I hear - "I don't have anything against African-Americans willing to work hard. I can't be blamed if I only hire qualified employees. I don't pretend to know where my tax dollars do the most good. I read about the black on black crime all the time. Why doesn't the black community do anything about that?"
Racism, bias, prejudice. I have never understood any of it. I'm already running out energy trying to get my kind to open their eyes to their intransigent, self-protective attitudes, so I'm grateful to Kristoff for his efforts.
Racism, bias, prejudice. I have never understood any of it. I'm already running out energy trying to get my kind to open their eyes to their intransigent, self-protective attitudes, so I'm grateful to Kristoff for his efforts.
5
'Reasons for inequality involve not just institutions but also personal behaviors. These don’t all directly involve discrimination. For instance, black babies are less likely to be breast-fed than white babies, are more likely to grow up with a single parent and may be spoken to or read to less by their parents.' ~ NK
Yet again, Nicholas, you fail to mention perhaps the most important difference in personal behaviour for American teenage girls and young women between those of Northern European descent, African Americans and Mexican Americans: adolescent pregnancy rates.
http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/...
'In 2014, Hispanic adolescent females ages 15-19 had the highest birth rate (38 births per 1,000 adolescent females), followed by black adolescent females (34.9 births per 1,000 adolescent females) and white adolescent females (17.3 births per 1,000 adolescent females) (see Figure 1).
Estimates from 2013 data show that 11 percent of adolescent females in the United States will give birth by her 20th birthday, with substantial differences by race/ethnicity: 8 percent of white adolescent females, 16 percent of black adolescent females, and 17 percent of Hispanic adolescent females.'
Yet again, Nicholas, you fail to mention perhaps the most important difference in personal behaviour for American teenage girls and young women between those of Northern European descent, African Americans and Mexican Americans: adolescent pregnancy rates.
http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/...
'In 2014, Hispanic adolescent females ages 15-19 had the highest birth rate (38 births per 1,000 adolescent females), followed by black adolescent females (34.9 births per 1,000 adolescent females) and white adolescent females (17.3 births per 1,000 adolescent females) (see Figure 1).
Estimates from 2013 data show that 11 percent of adolescent females in the United States will give birth by her 20th birthday, with substantial differences by race/ethnicity: 8 percent of white adolescent females, 16 percent of black adolescent females, and 17 percent of Hispanic adolescent females.'
9
Do you think lack of affordable birth control might play into these figures? I would love to see if poor whites have similar teen birth rates as poor minorities?
1
I doubt Nicholas Kristof attended a black majority public school growing up. I doubt his children do. If he did, or if they do he would understand what he does not seem to.
22
I think he grew up in Montana, so you're probably correct.
2
We cannot let the conversation be stopped just because people are afraid of it. We, white people, have a responsibility to take the next step. If we agree racism exists, we have to understand the reality of white privilege. White people get defensive the moment we get there. At my school we look at in terms of racism without racists. While there truly are still racist people, the vast majority of Americans do not support racist views. Thanks, Nicholas, for staying with it.
4
Great column by Kristof. (As usual.) We all are 'prejudiced', i.e. we pre-judge. When I'm walking down a street at night I automatically feel less safe if the man walking 20 feet behind me is black rather than white. Many of us have grown up with that reflex and it's difficult to get rid of it. When I read this insightful column I was wondering this: Do blacks feel that same way? That is, less safe if they are followed by another black man? Or more safe?
Thank you Nihcolas. Some years ago I met you as you were leaving the NYTimes building on 43rd and we walked together for a few blocks. You were as friendly as insightful then as you are now. Thanks for remaining the same!
Thank you Nihcolas. Some years ago I met you as you were leaving the NYTimes building on 43rd and we walked together for a few blocks. You were as friendly as insightful then as you are now. Thanks for remaining the same!
5
So the NBA is biased against black people?! Really? The NBA?
"Findings" like this discredit what might otherwise be interesting research.
Research reports can be easily skewed. The author attracted my interest until he reported that the NBA, of all organizations, was biased towards white people. This obviously ludicrous example illustrates biased studies rather than evidence of racial bias.
"Findings" like this discredit what might otherwise be interesting research.
Research reports can be easily skewed. The author attracted my interest until he reported that the NBA, of all organizations, was biased towards white people. This obviously ludicrous example illustrates biased studies rather than evidence of racial bias.
12
You should re-read what Kristof actually wrote. He did NOT write that the NBA is biased against black players. He said that "NBA referees were more likely to call fouls on players of another race." In other words, white refs were more likely to call fouls on black than on white players; black refs are more likely to call fouls on white players than on black. I don't know whether the research is good. But I do know what Kristof did and didn't write.
2
So, you didn't bother to even go to the actual study that was linked to the article? How about the follow-up study? You just prefer to think it cannot be true.
2
This is extremely painful to read, as is the comment here by Outisde the Box, which seems like just more Trumpist whites-are-the-victims nonsense. What about built-in, institutional racism can't white America understand?
5
Okay. If blacks know that black boys named "Jamal" are more likely than black boys named "Brendon" to suffer discrimination then why not stop naming black boys "Jamal" ? It is important for blacks to engage in these uncomfortable shifts in attitude rather than continuing to blame all of their social and economic problems on whites who don't, and may never, get it.
6
Perhaps because Jamal is a family name?
Perhaps because names that speak to their family and racial experience have more personal dignity than a name that an oppressive society might find more "acceptable" i.e. white-sounding?
Perhaps because their children should take pride in their family heritage just as Brendan should in his?
Perhaps because names that speak to their family and racial experience have more personal dignity than a name that an oppressive society might find more "acceptable" i.e. white-sounding?
Perhaps because their children should take pride in their family heritage just as Brendan should in his?
2
And imagine my chagrin and embarrassment when I saw that the person, let's call him Taylor Heatherington, who received me, after a phone call where my hidden racist self heard White English, turned out to be a black graduate of an Ivy college? I thought he would be a WASP.
1
And you are definetly one of the ones that just don't get it. Think about what you just wrote stop naming there children names like Jamal is not someone excepting someone for who they are.
1
As I write this, there is only one comment published online. Of course it is similar to the vast majority of defensive, angry replies that the columnist got to his previous "Whites Don't Get It" column. It only proves his point. Frankly, I'm sick to death of white people failing to open their eyes by now (I'm white) and I'm glad I arrived at this week's column online before I have to see all the dopey replies from aggrieved, clueless readers.
5
Thanks Nick - As a boomer white guy in predominantly white Oregon, appreciate the article. It is so easy to slip into numbness about these issues. Whenever I read your stuff, I feel happy that you, an Oregon kid, made good!
7
I appreciate your column very much. We whites need to be reminded that bias does not need overtly racist talk or action to exist, and much of the state of race relations is due to decent people holding unconscious biases. Rather than a knee-jerk angry reaction, we all need to examine our biases and then work to overcome them. This issue is not "political correctness"--it is simply human decency.
3
Honestly, most white people just don't care. It's not like they don't understand. They don't like blacks and couldn't care less about what happens to them. America is a white dominated country and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
4
Most anti-Semitism I have experienced has come from blacks. It is made abundantly clear that black leftists have nothing but contempt for Jews and make zero effort to show the same sensitivity towards us that they demand for themselves. They seem almost proud of their lack of compassion. I have noticed blacks have this same pattern with Asians, gays, and black males are very sexist towards women. Lets stop pretending it's only whites who need to address their hostility and bias.
9
I am a person who has worked as a substitute teacher in the schools of Bridgeport. The educational component of Kristof's column is cogent. There are lowered expectations and potential for greatness being squandered as a result. Too often we are content to just survive.
2
I find not one thing here that I don't agree with ...except perhaps the (unintentionally) in this sentence: That's why it's so important for whites to engage in these uncomfortable discussions of race, because we are so much a part of the problem. " You are too easy on us Kristof.
I grew up in a racist South b. 1940 where everyone I associated with used the "n" word. And then I went to college and changed and my parents changed and my siblings went to college and my family worked with and for equality whether it be teaching, health care, politics or mental health. I have taught at Barber Scotia, Tuskegee U, a predominately black high school James Kenan in Duplin County, NC; lived 17 years out of the USA and worked in Ethiopia and Cameroon and France Honestly, We have not made progress. Any slight increase in equality for Blacks is crushed by advancement by Whites. Oh, and I had a cross burned on my lawn back in 1969 or 70 when the white school in Alachua, FL was finally forced to integrate.
I grew up in a racist South b. 1940 where everyone I associated with used the "n" word. And then I went to college and changed and my parents changed and my siblings went to college and my family worked with and for equality whether it be teaching, health care, politics or mental health. I have taught at Barber Scotia, Tuskegee U, a predominately black high school James Kenan in Duplin County, NC; lived 17 years out of the USA and worked in Ethiopia and Cameroon and France Honestly, We have not made progress. Any slight increase in equality for Blacks is crushed by advancement by Whites. Oh, and I had a cross burned on my lawn back in 1969 or 70 when the white school in Alachua, FL was finally forced to integrate.
3
One of the problems with the resume statistic is rooted in a generation of policies designed to provide a leg up to African Americans. It is well established that blacks receive an academic acceptance advantage to colleges in the form of lower SAT entrance scores (Asians face a 140 pt disadvantage). This applies to an even greater degree to business school. It is hardly surprising that a hiring manager ascribes difference when confronted with credentials that provided to academically less qualified people. It means that the resumes are in fact not equal and there for study is flawed.
4
Both biologists and biological anthropologists (myself) now claim that "race" does not apply to human populations. All humans today (versus 30K yrs past when Homo sapiens neandertalensis was around) are all Homo sapiens sapiens--this means we all belong to the same "race." Or, put another way, there are no human races; our differences do not reach racial differences. Skin color merely reflects where ones ancestors lived (near the equator means dark skin; far north means very little skin pigmentation). Our entire system of organs reveal the same range of similarities and differences. Once we agree that human race does not exist, then racisms days are numbered.
3
Oh, please. Gimme a PC break.
If DNA can tell one's dominant, observable features; male/female, geographic origins, there is race.
To believe that there is no race is equivalent to insisting the emperor is wearing clothes.
If DNA can tell one's dominant, observable features; male/female, geographic origins, there is race.
To believe that there is no race is equivalent to insisting the emperor is wearing clothes.
5
Stop already.
"There are no human races"?!
That kind of PC babble is self defeating.
If you believe that then what are we talking about? The world is hallucinating?
My suggestion is that we ditch the PC. Then we can make progress.
"There are no human races"?!
That kind of PC babble is self defeating.
If you believe that then what are we talking about? The world is hallucinating?
My suggestion is that we ditch the PC. Then we can make progress.
4
You pushed a lot of buttons for whites from every strata of our society. Fairly and well-researched. I suppose I like the last point you made - it gave me hope - from researchers, "Awareness reduces racial bias." I guess my question is, how do we go about that? Or has it, in fact, already begun. Even though there has been even more antagonism as the issues arise, in both blacks and white, perhaps it's important that we allow events and actions to take place, engage in the debate fully, and continue to tackle the hard stuff. Thanks for your thoughts and the research you provided, Nick - as always, thought-provoking.
4
It's not a Black and white world.
Asians outperform whites in every category the reasonably measures accomplishment in U.S. society. Four-year degrees, post-graduate degrees, income - Asians lead in all these categories. An unmeasurably small percentage of NBA athletes are Asian. The NBA is 74% Black, 24% white, and 2% Hispanic. Interestingly, no one screams racism about the composition of NBA teams.
Mr. Kristof clearly cherry-picks his information. The opening photos claims to depict a Freddie Gray protest, cropped to show an all white police force. And yet three out of the six officers charged in Freddie Gray's death are Black. The only officers likely to be found culpable of anything in the Freddie Gray case are Black. 60% of Baltimore's cops are minorities. Over half the command structure is minority. The mayor is Black, the DA is Black, how is this because of white racism?
Blaming the plight of some Blacks in our society on white racism just doesn't hold up any longer. If white racism is so pervasive, how is it that Asians have been so successful in this country?
Asians outperform whites in every category the reasonably measures accomplishment in U.S. society. Four-year degrees, post-graduate degrees, income - Asians lead in all these categories. An unmeasurably small percentage of NBA athletes are Asian. The NBA is 74% Black, 24% white, and 2% Hispanic. Interestingly, no one screams racism about the composition of NBA teams.
Mr. Kristof clearly cherry-picks his information. The opening photos claims to depict a Freddie Gray protest, cropped to show an all white police force. And yet three out of the six officers charged in Freddie Gray's death are Black. The only officers likely to be found culpable of anything in the Freddie Gray case are Black. 60% of Baltimore's cops are minorities. Over half the command structure is minority. The mayor is Black, the DA is Black, how is this because of white racism?
Blaming the plight of some Blacks in our society on white racism just doesn't hold up any longer. If white racism is so pervasive, how is it that Asians have been so successful in this country?
43
Because whites treat Asians as honorary whites? Because Asians were not brought here as slaves?
3
Mr. Kristof, I think I DO get it, or maybe some of it. I am distressed by America's stubborn institutional obtuseness about the matter. You write about a "black world pummeled by discrimination but also by violence, drunkenness and broken families." I don't mean to suggest a false equivalency, but increasingly we are seeing such a white world as the middle class is whittled gradually out of existence and social dysfunction emerges out of the marginalization formerly experienced mainly by minorities.
Marginalized white folks form the core of Donald Trump's support base. GOP bigwigs recognize this and they don't like it. The depth of contempt shown toward struggling, white blue-collar males by elitists like Kevin Williamson of the National Review is breath-taking. In a classic "blame the victim" diatribe, Williamson wants these people literally to die. We have not even yet begun to witness the depth of collapse waiting for the GOP.
In establishment GOP-speak, the apparent disgust is aimed, color-blind, at the baleful ravages of poverty. In this sense, "Republican" is an equal-opportunity party.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Marginalized white folks form the core of Donald Trump's support base. GOP bigwigs recognize this and they don't like it. The depth of contempt shown toward struggling, white blue-collar males by elitists like Kevin Williamson of the National Review is breath-taking. In a classic "blame the victim" diatribe, Williamson wants these people literally to die. We have not even yet begun to witness the depth of collapse waiting for the GOP.
In establishment GOP-speak, the apparent disgust is aimed, color-blind, at the baleful ravages of poverty. In this sense, "Republican" is an equal-opportunity party.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
1
Thank you for this column. We whites need to look at and acknowledge the many unconscious biases we carry, if we are ever to address them. Much of the state of race relations in out country today is due, not to overt racist talk or actions, but to these unrecognized assumptions. This issue is not "political correctness"--it is one of human decency. As a decent human being would, let's all work together for a better life for all of us.
4
Yes, not "politically correct," but "correct."
1
"Three generations after Brown v. Board of Education, American schools are still often separate and unequal. The average white or Asian-American student attends a school in at least the 60th percentile in test performance; the average black student is at a school at the 37th percentile. One reason is an unjust school funding system that often directs the most resources to privileged students." So black children are failing, and you just blame the schools?
3
I don't think the schools were solely blamed. Kristof also mentions lack of breast-feeding, single parenting and children not being spoken to or read to. These 'personal behaviours' are a factor and are the types of thing about which the African-American community must ask itself. I think this is a very balanced article which made me-- raised in a middle class, white community in New Jersey-- think hard about my own attitudes to minorities.
3
All studies you present are done by liberal academics with and agenda to worst case the findings in favor of proving discrimination and ignoring other factors. The liberal domination of our Universities is shamefull, especially on a topic like race. When you can present studies to present a counterpoint to all your conclusions, then maybe someone will pay attention.
10
I think that the question is “Why are there so many ‘liberals’ in American higher education?” Would you entertain for a moment the fact that higher education tends to attract smarter, thinking people? Smarter, thinking people tend to be “liberal.” No conspiracy there, sorry.
2
Thank you for this reminder that most of us operate with unrecognized assumptions and opinions. We whites need to stop our knee-jerk reactions to criticism, and examine the ways in which we contribute to the racial inequality in our country. Most of us may not participate in overtly racist talk or actions, but the issue is not "political correctness"--it is one of human decency.
4
OR, WHEN BLACKS DON'T GET IT AS WELL . . .
.....when police who work in the euphemistically referred to inner cities they are far too often confronted with dysfunctional children who come from dysfunctional families imbedded in dysfunctional "communities" so they may have begun working with general negative stereotypes ... and now they are confronted with realistic manifestations which reinforce their prejudices.
Mostly illegitimate children with no positive male role models and brought up by grandmas and aunts. Education is considered not to be cool ... and if a kid does well ... he is considered to be acting "whitey" and is often punished by his peers.
Then all of us see kids ... mostly black and Hispanic on TV arrested for violent crimes ... so even some of these attitudes are the result of reality.
And, the many police departments tend not to draw from the population as a whole ... rather military type people ... not social worker types. As each sector exacerbates the other.
Then, there are Sharptons who encourage these impressionable folks to be victims ... rather than take advantage of the many positive changes.
If one considers themselves to be a victim ... it can become a self fulfilling prophesy ... adding to the problem.
The answer is modeling by more sensitive social worker types ... especially women to become part of the community ... to be seen as protectors rather than the enemy.
Until PC type attitudess are replaced by reality, this problem will fester.
.....when police who work in the euphemistically referred to inner cities they are far too often confronted with dysfunctional children who come from dysfunctional families imbedded in dysfunctional "communities" so they may have begun working with general negative stereotypes ... and now they are confronted with realistic manifestations which reinforce their prejudices.
Mostly illegitimate children with no positive male role models and brought up by grandmas and aunts. Education is considered not to be cool ... and if a kid does well ... he is considered to be acting "whitey" and is often punished by his peers.
Then all of us see kids ... mostly black and Hispanic on TV arrested for violent crimes ... so even some of these attitudes are the result of reality.
And, the many police departments tend not to draw from the population as a whole ... rather military type people ... not social worker types. As each sector exacerbates the other.
Then, there are Sharptons who encourage these impressionable folks to be victims ... rather than take advantage of the many positive changes.
If one considers themselves to be a victim ... it can become a self fulfilling prophesy ... adding to the problem.
The answer is modeling by more sensitive social worker types ... especially women to become part of the community ... to be seen as protectors rather than the enemy.
Until PC type attitudess are replaced by reality, this problem will fester.
14
I’ve always admired Bill Cosby and Toni Morrison for having the guts to emphasize the negatives of much of black life in America. But I’ve never taken it very seriously. I understand the desire by black leaders to moderate this reality. However, if you herd only 12.3% of a population into ghettos for many decades after having enslaved them for centuries, told their children that they’re inferior, denied them quality education and voting rights, and generally denied them access to the middle classes, what we see can’t be terribly surprising.
A major reason why whites just don’t get it is that our black population REMAINS at 12.3% of Americans. If it were 25% or 30%, you can bet that things would be different. Hispanics represent 17% of our population and that demographic is increasing; and look at the relative attention lately to THEIR needs and challenges. This is a reality that bears disturbingly on the plight of blacks in a society that is often more thoughtless than actively racist. To change things dramatically requires that priorities shift from the 87.7% of Americans who AREN’T black to the 12.3% that are. How likely is that?
This isn’t a matter of collecting more taxes, because if we did they would be dedicated to where numbers suggest higher priorities. It requires that we accept a burden we created ourselves as Americans, one that electing a black president doesn’t really mitigate. And the nature of people and interests suggests that this will be tough to do.
A major reason why whites just don’t get it is that our black population REMAINS at 12.3% of Americans. If it were 25% or 30%, you can bet that things would be different. Hispanics represent 17% of our population and that demographic is increasing; and look at the relative attention lately to THEIR needs and challenges. This is a reality that bears disturbingly on the plight of blacks in a society that is often more thoughtless than actively racist. To change things dramatically requires that priorities shift from the 87.7% of Americans who AREN’T black to the 12.3% that are. How likely is that?
This isn’t a matter of collecting more taxes, because if we did they would be dedicated to where numbers suggest higher priorities. It requires that we accept a burden we created ourselves as Americans, one that electing a black president doesn’t really mitigate. And the nature of people and interests suggests that this will be tough to do.
11
I think this is the second time this year I'm agreeing with you. A record!
3
Who "herded" blacks into ghettos for decades?
2
Blacks male up 12.3% of the population but you would think it was more like 80% given the amount of time the Democrats and left fawn all over them. I lived in a city that was 70% white, 20% Asian, 5% black, 4% Hispanic, and 1% other. Given the attention and social services given you would think it was 85% black 14% white and 1% everyone else. There was several million dollars in city grants for specifically black organizations and delegated for "the black community". They are now demanding a principle for black males only. No one else gets these things. It's unreasonable and opportunistic.
2
Racism is alive and well, unfortunately. It's the primitive brain, with a knee jerk response.
22
@ Carolyn, I agree as you well know with the first sentence and make the point often but I want to see the research that supports your second sentence. Svante Pääbo's researchers and others in that field have shown that we coexisted briefly with Neanderthals and Denisovans and that there was sexual activity among these three so that you with a Norwegian line of descent and I with a Swedish line of descent have a bit of Neanderthal in our genome that my Somali friends here in Sweden do not have.
Perhaps our forebears killed off the Neanderthals back then but if so we do not know exactly their motives. What we do know is that racism is alive and well within ethnic groups, not only between them, which suggests to me that asserting racism lies in the primitive brain is to go too far.
Tack
Larry
Perhaps our forebears killed off the Neanderthals back then but if so we do not know exactly their motives. What we do know is that racism is alive and well within ethnic groups, not only between them, which suggests to me that asserting racism lies in the primitive brain is to go too far.
Tack
Larry
It's "the primitive brain" that ensured our survival. Nothing primitive about survival, is there? "The other" a million years ago did not interact to hold hands and talk about getting along. No, they came to take and rape.
Yes, it's time to work past our "primitive brain." But until you understand why it is there, you are doomed to failure by oversimplification.
Yes, it's time to work past our "primitive brain." But until you understand why it is there, you are doomed to failure by oversimplification.
1
The fact that you continue to push yourself on the topic of "racism" IS part of the lesson. Until I began to do the same, I didn't realize how automatic some of my thinking was. I made myself listen to my own voice - both in my head and speaking. Two things that I have made a practice in trying to become a 'better' person: 1) stop taking criticism so personally. Take criticism as information that might 'help' you understand 'them' (whoever it is - could be mom - and maybe you have to bite your tongue), and just as important, you will better understand yourself. 2) people get to tell their own story and 'you' don't know their story better than they do. If you begin any sentence with "your problem is.." you are NOT listening (this applies to 'mom' too). Think of all the people 'you' would not scold or confront about who they are - you wouldn't confront an old person with "your problem is that old people...", or "the problem with blind people..." I'm an PNW Indian and I get told all the time, "the problem that Indians have is..." And I know they are NOT trying to pick a fight - these kind of words seem to come almost naturally if you don't stop and think. I usually reply, "Thank you, I didn't know that. I'll email the Tribes when I get home." So maybe there's a 3rd lesson: keep your sense of humor. Thanks for your work - and it is work - forever.
406
Janis Aimee, I laughed out loud when I got to, ' "Thank you, I didn't know that. I'll email the Tribes when I get home."' which is priceless, graceful, and beautiful humor. Thank you.
And Mr. Kristof, keep writing. Awareness = consciousness; and do we ever need to raise ours in this time of Trump!
And Mr. Kristof, keep writing. Awareness = consciousness; and do we ever need to raise ours in this time of Trump!
3
Mx Kristof's piece will click well to the millennial hipster set who has been told, repeatedly, often, that they have white privilege that they must act to destroy like it was original sin. Not that they believe in sin, of course.
3
Ageism is at least as pervasive as racism.
4
I salute you for your courage and perseverance. Having toured the Southeast a year ago, I was startled to discover how different that part of our country is from my own, Northern California. From experience, I know that every one of the prejudices that exist in housing, employment, education, and so on, are absolutely true. We white MUST come to see our biases and how it plays out in our everyday lives, as you
say, if we are able to ameliorate the racism that exists in this country. As a woman, I feel that there has been considerable improvement in women's rights in the last 20 years, although we have a long way to go. Much of that improvement has come about because people like yourself have been courageous enough to
take a stance and to help men and women understand the issues, and how we can improve things. I believe that A World that is Good for Women is Good for Everyone, and the same is true of A World that is Good for Blacks as well as Whites is good for Everybody.
Bless you for your wonderful work.
say, if we are able to ameliorate the racism that exists in this country. As a woman, I feel that there has been considerable improvement in women's rights in the last 20 years, although we have a long way to go. Much of that improvement has come about because people like yourself have been courageous enough to
take a stance and to help men and women understand the issues, and how we can improve things. I believe that A World that is Good for Women is Good for Everyone, and the same is true of A World that is Good for Blacks as well as Whites is good for Everybody.
Bless you for your wonderful work.
259
Well said. I just love the way you present!
I would be curious to know what in the Southeast you saw that so seared your soul. Please tell us what it was amid the casual tourist set of KFC, Speedway gas station, and possibly, the local Piggly Wiggly. Possibly you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express the night before.
4
Great progressive thought from you Peggy.
Kentfield CA has 0.5% African-American population. Sounds like you came from the Bernie Sanders school of progressive talk.
Kentfield CA has 0.5% African-American population. Sounds like you came from the Bernie Sanders school of progressive talk.
7
"Whites don't get it" because they believe there are priveleges and benefits to holding on to racism through whiteness. Many, if not most have indeed benefited in small, if not consequehtial ways. To hierarchy color has always been utilized in the American trope to keep a rigid class structure in place. The white overseer didn't get it during the enslavement period. The KKK or White Citizens Council didn't get it during Jim Crow, and, Trump and Cruz supporters don't get it in 2016. A choice is been made and perpetuated that equality, fairness and justice for people of color signifies less for them, the whites. Clearly, after all these centuries, for them not to realize their plight is just as bad, and, in some cases, worse than African Americans, is really pretty pathetic At least we've not bought the illusion. Perhaps, if they understood what Dr. King was attempting to do at the time of his assassination with the Poor Peoples March, they would be better off. None of the 1%, including the Clinton's are genuinely interested in the whites who don't get it or people of color. Lastly, Mr. Kristoff, we do this issue a disservice by speaking and separating the issues: housing, employment, incarceration, education; all need a comprehensive approach. The dissecting only permit programs and projects created for good to be diluted, altered or eviscerated.
11
The white overseer got it. He was nearly as low in social status as the slaves he associated with, and remember, they could kill him in an instant. Usually it was someone who had very few choices in employment.
1
Well said and thanks for reviving "When Whites Just Don't Get It."
44
The title of these articles is not helping. I thought we were done with piling on the white guilt but I see Kristoff is back at it. And yes, plenty of whites do "get it" - you're singing to the choir here at the NYT. It's terrible that lack of education, lack of a stable family and poverty create these problems. But how is that white people's fault? I know that statement will draw some nasty reply, but really. I get tired of the constant wallowing in victimhood, enough already.
202
" It's terrible that lack of education, lack of a stable family and poverty create these problems. But how is that white people's fault?"
Well, it's not just Whites vs. Blacks, but the issues around poverty, poor education, and the other social ills that tend to go along with them, are not a natural product or something magic, they come from the way in which the affluent divide themselves from the poor and use politics to entrench this divide further. That's what happens when zoning issues are decided, when highways are built in the midst of poor neighborhood to facilitate suburban commuters, when inner city schools receive less founding than those in affluent areas, and so on and so forth. It just so happens that Blacks are disproportionally poor and Whites are disproportionally affluent. It's not whiteness per se that produce the problem, but in practice it is often whites who quite directly contribute to the plights of Blacks. That's how is white people's fault for you.
Well, it's not just Whites vs. Blacks, but the issues around poverty, poor education, and the other social ills that tend to go along with them, are not a natural product or something magic, they come from the way in which the affluent divide themselves from the poor and use politics to entrench this divide further. That's what happens when zoning issues are decided, when highways are built in the midst of poor neighborhood to facilitate suburban commuters, when inner city schools receive less founding than those in affluent areas, and so on and so forth. It just so happens that Blacks are disproportionally poor and Whites are disproportionally affluent. It's not whiteness per se that produce the problem, but in practice it is often whites who quite directly contribute to the plights of Blacks. That's how is white people's fault for you.
17
Completely agree. And when I discuss this topic with friends whether black, brown or white (and I work in a VERY diverse environment) I always ask: where are the community leaders? Who's telling these kids to stick with school and stay the course to a better education? Who is there to tell these young women that getting pregnant is different than gaining self-respect? And who, for crying out loud, is telling the young men NOT to run from the cops? And more often than not they agree the answers stem from the home and neighborhood.
I can't pretend to know an environment I did not grow up in. But support of what's going to get you further in this life, I can. I grew up in a circumstance where my life could have gone down a different path. But it, thankfully, did not.
Serious involvement and fewer excuses from the parent(s) and the community message at large starts this progress.
I can't pretend to know an environment I did not grow up in. But support of what's going to get you further in this life, I can. I grew up in a circumstance where my life could have gone down a different path. But it, thankfully, did not.
Serious involvement and fewer excuses from the parent(s) and the community message at large starts this progress.
9
"White peoples fault" is it not the problem, the problem is faulting blacks for being black - read today's editorial: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/opinion/sunday/race-and-the-death-pena...
6
These biases will persist of course but they will continue to plague us as long as America continues to (unconsciously) incentivize these behaviors.
15
Like most white people, I grew up believing I was relatively free of the sort of bias discussed in this article. Gradually, through a combination of caring friends whose opinions I valued and a growing level of open-mindedness, I developed an awareness of my distorted views. I realized that a great deal of these distortions came from my upbringing, but that I nevertheless had to confront them. Through the years I've endeavored to do exactly that, and based on feedback I get from others, I seem to be making some progress.
I have to add that the process was not easy. I had to experience a major, life-or-death dilemma before I was able to be jarred from my comfortable nest of satisfaction with the beliefs I held. I don't recommend it to anyone - but without that experience, I would be just like many of the others intent on defending rather than critiquing their personal value system. Most people don't experience what I did, and therefore have no reason to examine their own beliefs.
I doubt that I will ever be able to completely eradicate all of the negative stereotypes that were burned into my psyche as a child growing up in a racist and sexist post-war America. But I know that as long as I consistently remind myself of them, I have a pretty good shot at not allowing them to control my interpersonal relationships.
And isn't that the goal, after all - to be able to live in peace & harmony with one another?
I have to add that the process was not easy. I had to experience a major, life-or-death dilemma before I was able to be jarred from my comfortable nest of satisfaction with the beliefs I held. I don't recommend it to anyone - but without that experience, I would be just like many of the others intent on defending rather than critiquing their personal value system. Most people don't experience what I did, and therefore have no reason to examine their own beliefs.
I doubt that I will ever be able to completely eradicate all of the negative stereotypes that were burned into my psyche as a child growing up in a racist and sexist post-war America. But I know that as long as I consistently remind myself of them, I have a pretty good shot at not allowing them to control my interpersonal relationships.
And isn't that the goal, after all - to be able to live in peace & harmony with one another?
162
There are abundant written efforts by black journalist as pointed out by NK that speak to a broad range of topics.
The truth is more AA read the New York Times than the entire population of Wyoming. We need to expose more African American journalists through the mainstream platforms. Charles Blow is very important to me in my sourcing of opinion and reflection. There are hundreds if not thousands of other ethnocultural journalists, we are all ethnic shortly when we become a great nation without an ethnic majority.
The truth is more AA read the New York Times than the entire population of Wyoming. We need to expose more African American journalists through the mainstream platforms. Charles Blow is very important to me in my sourcing of opinion and reflection. There are hundreds if not thousands of other ethnocultural journalists, we are all ethnic shortly when we become a great nation without an ethnic majority.
7
Mr. Kristoff....
Always read your column. Agree with almost of what you write. But, sometimes, I think you live in a rarefied air. Those who make the regulations and the laws that the control the majority of the population in this country, also are distanced from daily reality. Like your self, I believe them to be observers, keen observers, but, still observers.
"Awareness reduces racial bias." One must ask through what prism is the awareness viewed?....
I will continue to read and enjoy your column.
Always read your column. Agree with almost of what you write. But, sometimes, I think you live in a rarefied air. Those who make the regulations and the laws that the control the majority of the population in this country, also are distanced from daily reality. Like your self, I believe them to be observers, keen observers, but, still observers.
"Awareness reduces racial bias." One must ask through what prism is the awareness viewed?....
I will continue to read and enjoy your column.
7
I grew up in a place and a time when racism against black (and brown, to a lesser extent) people was on the surface and right out in the open. When I was a child, the blue collar people in my neighborhood used the "N" word openly, and it was taken for granted that all white people felt the same way.
As I grew up and gained higher education, I was repelled by racism, and so were my friends. Nonetheless, racism persists to this day. It is like a cockroach hiding under a rock. Any honest white person has to admit that they hear occasional racist comments from other white people, sometimes people you wouldn't expect it from.
I totally believe that black people very often don't get a fair shake. Things are better but I know I won't live long enough to see racism eradicated from the United States. It makes me sad.
As I grew up and gained higher education, I was repelled by racism, and so were my friends. Nonetheless, racism persists to this day. It is like a cockroach hiding under a rock. Any honest white person has to admit that they hear occasional racist comments from other white people, sometimes people you wouldn't expect it from.
I totally believe that black people very often don't get a fair shake. Things are better but I know I won't live long enough to see racism eradicated from the United States. It makes me sad.
123
I am honest, I hope, and I do not remember any white person of my acquaintance using the n word. Ever. My father, a child of the Taft years, would occasionally use the the occasional politically incorrect phrase, "Of course you can do that. You're free, white, and 21." but all he meant by that was the sentiment about independence. I see all these carefully constructed tales about how they grew up in the Sixties and never even realized they were were unconsciously racist until they Saw The Light.
3
Great article. Iris Bohnet's new book touches on many similar topics and is another great read.
4
Excellent points. As a white "child of the 60's", and educator, parent and activist, I'm deeply disappointed that we have not made more progress on eliminating gaps of opportunity & outcome.
32
Well, you say you are white, and here it says "whites don't get it" so you are guilty as charged and have no right to lay blame on others.
It is all your fault, white person.
Or is it that you get it and its not your fault...if just because of people who are just like you?
It is all your fault, white person.
Or is it that you get it and its not your fault...if just because of people who are just like you?
1
Well said. The fundamental issue is the lack of opportunity. Even after the civil rights movement black Americans had far less opportunities in the workforce. This has just cascaded into poor schools, housing, family breakdown etc.
1
I just completed a doctorate in Educational Leadership with a focus on postsecondary education. When the term "White privilege" was first discussed, I bristled, but I now realize just how real and pervasive White privilege is in the real world. Those of us who work daily to improve outcomes for community college students must operate from a stance of understanding the powerful effects of race in student outcomes. It's not because we're "racist." It has more to do with the universal truth that people are most comfortable with those most like themselves, which means in my world that we must intentionally recognize that reality. Only then can we take effective action to "level the playing field," as it is commonly conceptualized. The playing field as it is today is still far from level. Whites do have privileges that are not accorded our peers and colleagues of color - just the assumption of best intentions is a prime example. Only by recognizing our unconscious biases, as you frame it, can we work to mitigate them.
46
Don't forget "Asian Privilege" either.
3
Tina, biases are definitely there and 'people are most comfortable dealing with people like themselves' maybe true. However I don't think that this encompasses the notion of "white privilege". My understanding of white privilege is more so the privilege of not having to deal with the things that black folks do, quite often on a daily basis.
3
RIght on all counts, Kristof. Keep it up!
36
Here is one white guy (75 two days ago) who thinks you get it. I have given up being optimistic that we will ever get past our racial biases. I think we are hard wired to suspect people who look and sound different. However I think you are right that on a personal level we can choose how to treat others and that awareness of our own biases is the place to start.
166
l love what did you write Mr.Kristof, l am a 81 years old white man from middle east and l am a Muslim, l do not talk about this with every body, why because it is like been black, looking at me why you are killing all these people or where is your bomb and so fort, one of my doctors is black, nice hair cut, tie so fort , so when we were talking , l call him SIR, he said do not call me sir, and l said l do call you sir because l do respect you not because you are a DR. but you are a gentlman, if muslims act like a normal persin not looking like a killer and black dress and talk like a regular person l thing most of the problem will go away, it is what it is, is it fair no it is not, but we have do what it works for our country and for our world
40
seek immediate medical attention. I think you might be having a stroke.
Of course the weekend mods here at the NYT will never post this reply, since it does not contain a trigger warning.
Of course the weekend mods here at the NYT will never post this reply, since it does not contain a trigger warning.
OK, I think I get it, but....
Prejudice consists of pre-judgment, where the actor judges the acted-upon based on a pre-existing set of information rather than on the facts as they relate to that person. The problem is that the pre-existing set of information, although stereotypical, has some basis in fact. Young black men with their pants ready to fall off are more likely to mug you than are elderly white ladies carrying canes. A black job applicant with suitable credentials can sue you if he doesn't work out and has to be let go, whereas a straight white male under 30 can't. On average, black tenants are more likely to default on the rent, fail to maintain the property, or sue you if you try to evict them. Of course it is unfair to judge people you have never met using these generalized facts about their racial categories, but why take chances?
And, while we're at it, modern politics has come to be more about identified groups than individuals. So why not judge people by their perceived group characteristics?
Our better angels tell us to get past the stereotypes and deal with people as they are. I try to do this myself, although it is not always easy. And being scolded (not by you, but by the diversity police) doesn't help.
Prejudice consists of pre-judgment, where the actor judges the acted-upon based on a pre-existing set of information rather than on the facts as they relate to that person. The problem is that the pre-existing set of information, although stereotypical, has some basis in fact. Young black men with their pants ready to fall off are more likely to mug you than are elderly white ladies carrying canes. A black job applicant with suitable credentials can sue you if he doesn't work out and has to be let go, whereas a straight white male under 30 can't. On average, black tenants are more likely to default on the rent, fail to maintain the property, or sue you if you try to evict them. Of course it is unfair to judge people you have never met using these generalized facts about their racial categories, but why take chances?
And, while we're at it, modern politics has come to be more about identified groups than individuals. So why not judge people by their perceived group characteristics?
Our better angels tell us to get past the stereotypes and deal with people as they are. I try to do this myself, although it is not always easy. And being scolded (not by you, but by the diversity police) doesn't help.
351
Young black men with pants hanging low are no different than young white men with pants hanging low. Likewise, elderly black women with canes are just as safe as elderly white women with canes. A black job candidate cannot sue you if things don't work out. In rare cases he can try to sue you if you blatantly and intentionally discriminate against him. But guess what so can everyone else. Whites have sued for discrimination and won as well. POOR tenants are more likely not to pay. I can see why Kristof's story does not help in this instance. Beliefs are already set in concrete.
5
I'm white and female. When we lived in south central Los Angeles, we walked the dogs every night, together or alone, and when either of us saw a group of young teenaged men, we called hello and talked with them. Maybe a just a comment on the weather. Sometimes we'd ask about the basketball game they'd just played at the local park or school. They'd surround us in a circle, eager for adult attention, sirring and ma'aming. They were uniformly Nervous around the dogs, posturing bravery. They were all kind to our baby. What might have been fearful became sweet.
Kids are kids. If you speak politely to a kid with his pants hanging down, likely as not, he'll haul them up and apologize. He knows they're silly. The difference between the average white person and me might be that I know that I, too, once wore stupid clothing that inconvenienced me, so I see myself in them, just as I saw myself in that older white lady tottering home last week from Easter church service, clinging to her husband so she didn't fall off her four-inch heels. .
Kids are kids. If you speak politely to a kid with his pants hanging down, likely as not, he'll haul them up and apologize. He knows they're silly. The difference between the average white person and me might be that I know that I, too, once wore stupid clothing that inconvenienced me, so I see myself in them, just as I saw myself in that older white lady tottering home last week from Easter church service, clinging to her husband so she didn't fall off her four-inch heels. .
10
I don't think there is a lot of any active pre-judgment going on in racism and biases. It has become so automatic over the generations racism and biases just happen, like instinct. That's why it is so difficult to come to terms with it. It's like telling me NOT to pull my hand out of the fire.
1
It fascinates me that after all these years the issue of racial inequality as it pertains specifically to whites and blacks still comes down to a sole "perpetrator"--white America. Now you argue that the bias is no longer conscious but subconscious.
But why does the same problem not apply to whites-Asians or whites-Indians?
Similarly why is it that blacks who "act" white --Barack Obsma being the clearest example-- "make it" in a white America? Maybe because he went to Harvard and chose to play by white social rules?
Is an African-American gangster in South Chicsgo going to have the same opportunities as his President from the very same city?
There IS a a cultural divide. And mainstream non-racist whites are scared to death about what goes on in South Chicago and elsewhere. That socio-cultural schism is what's driving our racial crisis today. But whose responsibility is it to drive the urgent chang?. Perhaps that could be the subject of a future column.
But why does the same problem not apply to whites-Asians or whites-Indians?
Similarly why is it that blacks who "act" white --Barack Obsma being the clearest example-- "make it" in a white America? Maybe because he went to Harvard and chose to play by white social rules?
Is an African-American gangster in South Chicsgo going to have the same opportunities as his President from the very same city?
There IS a a cultural divide. And mainstream non-racist whites are scared to death about what goes on in South Chicago and elsewhere. That socio-cultural schism is what's driving our racial crisis today. But whose responsibility is it to drive the urgent chang?. Perhaps that could be the subject of a future column.
97
"But why does the same problem not apply to whites-Asians or whites-Indians?"
Actually, the social situation of Native Americans is overall quite bad. The biggest difference with other groups, however, is that only Blacks were brought here a slaves, kept here as slaves for two centuries and then some, and then freed without giving them any property or compensation, and thus starting basically from scratches (with the added burden of being subject to very overt and often very violent racism back then) in an already established society where almost the totality of the resources were controlled by whites, many of whom were their ex-masters.
Where you come from matters, and statistically you wouldn't expect much better from a group that started so disadvantaged, and was still subject to overt discrimination from generations since.
Actually, the social situation of Native Americans is overall quite bad. The biggest difference with other groups, however, is that only Blacks were brought here a slaves, kept here as slaves for two centuries and then some, and then freed without giving them any property or compensation, and thus starting basically from scratches (with the added burden of being subject to very overt and often very violent racism back then) in an already established society where almost the totality of the resources were controlled by whites, many of whom were their ex-masters.
Where you come from matters, and statistically you wouldn't expect much better from a group that started so disadvantaged, and was still subject to overt discrimination from generations since.
13
We are all biased. All of us. The key is trying to recognizing your own biases. This doesn't mean you need to live next door to Chicago gang-bangers, regardless of if they're black or white. And Obama is not "acting" white. He learned long ago that he didn't need to act or speak a certain way to be a black male. He recognized that he sometimes would be treated differently based on his skin color, and he learned how to make others who did not look like him comfortable around him. Except those who cannot see past his skin color. Obama will forever be an "other" to them.
93
Dear Peter,
I am very curious about this response. What did you think about the studies where identical job applications are rejected at a higher rate if they seem to come from black people than if they come from white people?
What does that have to do with gangsters having the same opportunities as the president?
When you ask whose responsibility is it to drive urgent change, are you saying that every black person should be judged by the actions of the worst them - and that such an approach is fair and correct?
I am very curious about this response. What did you think about the studies where identical job applications are rejected at a higher rate if they seem to come from black people than if they come from white people?
What does that have to do with gangsters having the same opportunities as the president?
When you ask whose responsibility is it to drive urgent change, are you saying that every black person should be judged by the actions of the worst them - and that such an approach is fair and correct?
12
I've noticed on youtube videos reviewing watches and various items. When there a black hand reviewing something, there's more negative comments and negative "thumbdowns."
9
It's absolutely true that discussions of race must continue despite the discomfort many feel about the subject. Everyone loses when talented people are denied opportunities because of unconscious bias. It is particularly heartbreaking when young people who have worked assiduously to fulfill their dreams face discrimination from decision-makers unwilling to open doors, return phone calls, or schedule interview opportunities because of unconscious biases and prejudices. Kudos to Kristoff for bringing continuous attention to one of America's most despicable and persistent challenges.
61
I agree with you. I as a nurse encouraged the young black mothers to name their babies white names, to avoid the discrimination that you face. I don't think anyone looked at it like that. Guess they just thought that whitey was telling them what to do. But history sees it another way. The Asians, Mexicans, the Irish, the Italians, etc. who comes here to live, name their children, at least by the second generation, "American" names. This is one little thing that can erase most of the prejudice from the job application, the college application, etc. Wish it would catch on, as it might help.
2
Seriously, personal responsibility it at the top of my list: implement what you value: Education
Who has failed both Black and Whites? The Teachers Unions. (Yes, I recognize that teachers have a larger responsiblity for managing student behavior) but the Teachers Unions have exacerbated the learning issue by enforcing and demanding tenure. School Choice is a measurable solution. The Democratic Party has failed both the Black and White communities, in my humble opinion. Need change, Vote for Change.
Who has failed both Black and Whites? The Teachers Unions. (Yes, I recognize that teachers have a larger responsiblity for managing student behavior) but the Teachers Unions have exacerbated the learning issue by enforcing and demanding tenure. School Choice is a measurable solution. The Democratic Party has failed both the Black and White communities, in my humble opinion. Need change, Vote for Change.
17
@Recycler
School Choice is just Segregation 2.0. Reminder: school choice was first proposed by the U. of Chicago economist Milton Friedman in 1955, the year after Brown v. Board of Education. School choice has become an effective way to maintain school segregation.
School Choice is just Segregation 2.0. Reminder: school choice was first proposed by the U. of Chicago economist Milton Friedman in 1955, the year after Brown v. Board of Education. School choice has become an effective way to maintain school segregation.
4
How about the inequitable funding of school districts, so affluent neighborhoods have good schools, while poor ones are dilapidated, undersupplied and usually get the most rookie teachers? Read the article about Kansas under Governor Brownback, and then come back and tell me how it's all the fault of Democrats and teachers unions.
If you want your pick of high-quality, low-salary teachers again, we could retreat a century or two, and make teaching one of only three or four jobs open to women, regardless of their abilities or academic credentials. Ah, the good old days!
If you want your pick of high-quality, low-salary teachers again, we could retreat a century or two, and make teaching one of only three or four jobs open to women, regardless of their abilities or academic credentials. Ah, the good old days!
4
Recycler, how is it that no matter how little money states put into education it is always the whitest schools that get the most money? How is it that in the states that cling most closely to "Christian love" teachers are vilified along with women's rights? How is it that the states that work the hardest to suppress poor and elderly and college age student voters are invariably the ones that are led by Republicans? I submit to you that the leading candidates for the Presidency in the Republican Party are misogynists and homophobes and racist anti-immigrant bigots, by their own words.
What part of their responsibility for bias do you not get? And let's not forget that the Congress has been dominated by Republicans in both houses for 7 years and have failed to address immigration in that time . . .that today the Republican Senate refuses to its job to hold hearings on a SC nominee? It isn't the Democrats that have failed the nation. And BTW it is also the reason that the Republican base has voted for a non-politician who turns the blood of the party insiders to jelly. The base holds the party responsible for doing nothing. Bias has a cozy home among many Republicans: ye shall know them by their deeds. Yeah, Republicans have a penchant for blaming the victims of their policies and washing their hands of "responsibility."
What part of their responsibility for bias do you not get? And let's not forget that the Congress has been dominated by Republicans in both houses for 7 years and have failed to address immigration in that time . . .that today the Republican Senate refuses to its job to hold hearings on a SC nominee? It isn't the Democrats that have failed the nation. And BTW it is also the reason that the Republican base has voted for a non-politician who turns the blood of the party insiders to jelly. The base holds the party responsible for doing nothing. Bias has a cozy home among many Republicans: ye shall know them by their deeds. Yeah, Republicans have a penchant for blaming the victims of their policies and washing their hands of "responsibility."
5
Thank you for this thoughful article! The problem is that talk about race is such a discomfort because it covers so much - not the least of which are fear and insecurity.
13
I came to this article from Mr Kristof's excellent email newsletter. From his description of this article, I expected the sort of aggressively argued, preaching to the choir piece that convinces nobody who wasn't already in agreement. I only clicked on the link because that isn't how Kristof's articles are normally written.
I was pleasantly surprised to read a normal Kristof article, with reasoned arguments and a sensible degree of emotion. Yet another example of why he is one of my most valued NYT writers.
I was pleasantly surprised to read a normal Kristof article, with reasoned arguments and a sensible degree of emotion. Yet another example of why he is one of my most valued NYT writers.
18
"The apartment just got rented." "The house just went into contract>" "We just filled the job." All of these are white lies. Unfortunately, the same lies exist as they did 50 years ago.
83
My eyes were opened wide to the systemic bias in the US when I viewed the documentary Race: the Power of an Illusion. The Center for the Healing of Racism in Houston TX held showings followed by dialogue among those who attended, facilitated by Cherry Steinwender. Cherry has been doing Healing work thru education for 25 years or more. We whites can't help being infected with the disease of racism, as it is woven into our culture. But we do have a responsibility to be a part of the cure, and do our part in educating ourselves and dismantling inequitable systems.
22
Yes, the fact is that whites don't get it, and don't even understand what "it" is and why they don't get it. The racist bias against black people is so deep-seated and strongly conditioned in whites that they are unable or unwilling to discern and confront it.To do so would require them to examine their every inner movement, reaction, thought in situations involving their black confreres, and to watch attentively for signs of bias and how the mind can rationalize them. This conditioning is what makes white people react with denial and defensiveness when confronted with facts that illustrate their racism.
It's not PC to be racist, so white people will find ways to justify their subtle racist behavior and that of their institutions, just as so many Republicans are defending their party's racist policies and campaign themes. Until white people are willing to confront the racism with which they've been inculcated, we will be trapped in this quagmire of prejudice, which harms every one of every color.
It's essential that I watch my inner movements all the time. In them I see the clear evidence of my own deep discriminatory conditioning toward black people, and only then can I, a white man, neutralize it.
It's not PC to be racist, so white people will find ways to justify their subtle racist behavior and that of their institutions, just as so many Republicans are defending their party's racist policies and campaign themes. Until white people are willing to confront the racism with which they've been inculcated, we will be trapped in this quagmire of prejudice, which harms every one of every color.
It's essential that I watch my inner movements all the time. In them I see the clear evidence of my own deep discriminatory conditioning toward black people, and only then can I, a white man, neutralize it.
27
You are watching your "inner movements" for racism towards black people all the time? No time spent watching for racism towards Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans? No time spent watching for sexism, homophobia, Islamaphobia or anti-Semitism? No time spent watching for bigotry towards the fat, unattractive, short, disabled, or old? No time spent thinking about the weather, food, nature, or sex? Wow, I can't imagine what it's like to be you!
If I was a black person I'd be unnerved to meet someone who only thinks about their racism towards me 24/7.
If I was a black person I'd be unnerved to meet someone who only thinks about their racism towards me 24/7.
7
I like to think of myself as open minded and fair, but you make me feel uncomfortable. This is a good thing. We need to be more aware of the inequities in our society.
14
I'm with you--up to the point of "unconscious bias." I suspect that the bias is quite conscious, but unspoken. And as a psychologist, I should caution that many of my colleagues have real concerns with the assumption that the Implicit Associations Test really measures unconscious racism. None of this, however, is to deny that racism is real and pervasive in America and that we have an obligation to root it out.
9
If only whites would acknowledge some of this.
It is so evident when folks I know (almost all white-as am I ) lower their voice when they say black when referring to a black person or a black matter.
It is so evident when folks I know (almost all white-as am I ) lower their voice when they say black when referring to a black person or a black matter.
13
But unless the topic of discussion is race, why the need to refer to someone as black in the first place?
5
I know you are too intelligent to run for president, but I wish you would. And yes, I'm white.
5
This was a very interesting article. I couldn't agree more, and I am white. I see all around me evidence of this unconscious bias: for example, if I go to a major league ball game, the majority of the fans are white, but the concession vendors are disproportionately black (at least in my relatively small sample size). The same in my office building: the security and janitorial staff are generally black, while the office workers are white. I have often wondered why.
17
"A majority of whites believe that job opportunities are equal for whites and blacks"
That's sad and shows that they do not pay attention. It's not as if studies like the one you cite are new. Another one had blacks and whites hail cabs. The blacks were passed up far more often than whites.
Sadly, the right wing has tried to avoid the issue by focusing on what they call "equal justice," which they define as 'equal opportunity, not equal outcome.' They then sing the praises of America as "the land of opportunity" suggesting that anyone who tries can be a success. Yet, we have only to look at Flint's lead crisis to see how opportunity is not equal. Residents there, many of whom are black, were ignored and shunted aside by government officials for too long. If those young black kids (especially the boys) develop behavior disorders or act out violently in coming years, it will be blamed on black culture, irresponsibility, or the breakdown of the black family. Yet, such is the often the after effects of lead on the developing brain.
I do not want to absolve the rest of us. We all have responsibility for allowing the racism and inequality so embedded in our culture. We can and must do better.
That's sad and shows that they do not pay attention. It's not as if studies like the one you cite are new. Another one had blacks and whites hail cabs. The blacks were passed up far more often than whites.
Sadly, the right wing has tried to avoid the issue by focusing on what they call "equal justice," which they define as 'equal opportunity, not equal outcome.' They then sing the praises of America as "the land of opportunity" suggesting that anyone who tries can be a success. Yet, we have only to look at Flint's lead crisis to see how opportunity is not equal. Residents there, many of whom are black, were ignored and shunted aside by government officials for too long. If those young black kids (especially the boys) develop behavior disorders or act out violently in coming years, it will be blamed on black culture, irresponsibility, or the breakdown of the black family. Yet, such is the often the after effects of lead on the developing brain.
I do not want to absolve the rest of us. We all have responsibility for allowing the racism and inequality so embedded in our culture. We can and must do better.
74
Let us not forget that it was black cab drivers as well as whites who passed up young black men hailing cabs. (Older black men were considered safe.) Were the black cab drivers racist? Or were they just trying to lower the odds of being robbed?
16
As if one anecdotal example undermines all that was put forth in this article. Nice try at distraction. Your intent was quite clear.
When Kristof says "white," he means "white, Christian, old, straight men." Maybe in another column he could explain the liberal ideology that everyone is the same except for white, Christian, old, straight me, or explain why political correctness applies to everyone except white, Christian, old, straight men.
But for now it would be nice if he could just explain why he thinks all white, Christian, old, straight men are the same.
Most people, and that includes white, Christian, old, straight men, are good, hard-working people who overcome enormous obstacles to take care of themselves, their families, their communities, and their families. So please don't single out "those people" as bad people.
But for now it would be nice if he could just explain why he thinks all white, Christian, old, straight men are the same.
Most people, and that includes white, Christian, old, straight men, are good, hard-working people who overcome enormous obstacles to take care of themselves, their families, their communities, and their families. So please don't single out "those people" as bad people.
87
The statement was not that anyone was "bad," but rather than we are all humans. We are tribal; we tend to look out for our own kind; we often do not see inequalities which benefit us and harm others. Yes, we have worked hard and overcome obstacles. Yes, we are mostly good people. There are still inequalities of opportunity which cry out for our attention.
76
Most authority figures in this country happen to be white and also happen to be male and heterosexual. That's not a matter of bias on Mr. Kristof's part. It's just a fact.
22
Wow. It's pretty obvious that you didn't even read the article.
5
There is a lot more than just one minority class in the US which cries foul and it appears white men under 40 are the only people by law that don't have some protected status. All these protected classes have diluted the impact of what a protected class means and everyone wants the microphone to tell everyone else why they are aggrieved. It has turned into a cacophony of noise.
More importantly white families are not so white anymore. There are minorities (black and Hispanic) in many families so the stereotypical "white folks" paradigm is disintegrating. At the same time economic calamity is hitting poor minorities and poor whites pretty much the same. Without a middle class poor minorities and poor whites are stuck.
What all this means is that it's better to make plans and take positive actions and choices that look forward then looking backward because the ground is shifting underneath our feet. This does not set aside any grievances or realities that people face from their own backgrounds but you can't drive forward by looking in the rear view mirror. The CNN poll points in the right direction. Children who have a strong family have a great chance to be successful.