I looked EQUALITY up in the dictionary that got me through high school (THE NEW MIRIAM WEBSTER POCKET DICTIONARY- 1968 Printing). The word equality came in the definition of equal. Equal was defined as: 1 Of the same measure, quantity, value, quality, number or degree as another: EVEN, EQUIVALAINT. 2: IMPARTIAL 3: free from extremes 4: able to cope with a situation or task syn same, identical – equality noun, equally adverb.
As defined and as I learned it, our founding fathers were determined to make this country one in which everyone had an equal opportunity to achieve their goals. There was no guarantee of outcome because we all have different abilities, talents, drive, energy levels… (NOTE: I understand that there was a contradiction when it came to slavery- it is my understanding that this country was among the first to fix that terrible mistake- but I will cover that in depth another time).
Equality has been a political topic for many years. I believe, at one point, it was a very valid topic. I have come to believe that it is now being used to mislead voters. I also assert that the politicians who pander to minorities about economic status are hurting those communities by ignoring many relevant facts.
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System released results of their latest study in 2019 (The most recent I could find) stating that the typical White family has eight times the wealth of the typical Black family and five times the wealth of the typical Hispanic family.
Is Racism or White privilege the reason?
I concede that Racism may be a small part of the problem but, as with most problems, there are many factors that are ignored by the race baters and the Main Stream Media. I do not believe there is such a thing as “White Privilege”- if there is such a thing, please show me where to get my White Privilege card, because this late in my life I have not collected on any of the bonuses I am said to be “entitled” to under the “White Privilege” umbrella.
SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES AND ECONOMIC POSITION:
According to an article released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (https://www.aecf.org) using 2019 statistics (The most recent available), 64% of Black children are raised by a single parent, followed by American Indians (52%). Whites (24%) and Asian (15%) children are least likely to be raised in a single parent environment. Rounding off the study are Latino children and those who identify as two or more races, in this final category approximately 40% of the children are raised in single parent homes.
I find it odd (sarcasm intended) that a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report (May 2018- Covering 2014-2016/ the most recent I could find) shows the same order in their listing of economic rankings. Blacks have the lowest pre-tax household income with $48,871. Next are Native Americans at $50,000, followed by Hispanics/Latinos slightly over $50,000. Those claiming more than one race are next at around $80,000 per household. A category that was not included in the Annie E. Casey Foundation study (Native Hawaiian/or other Pacific Islander) came in next with approximately $100,000 in household earnings, they were followed by Whites ($100,000 also) and Asians ($125,000).
EFFORT:
I could not find any studies that attempted to categorize the effort put forth by different groups. However, it does not seem fair to me that politicians who blame “White Privilege” and/or racism are not questioned. How did they come to their conclusion? Where is their evidence? And, again, where do I go to collect my share of “White Privilege”- if they found it!
I worked as a regional manager for a large window washing concern. We had job interviews on a regular basis and I was shocked to find, the first day I was assigned to interview candidates, that 3 out of 5 of my applicants, who were mostly minority, made no attempt to impress me or sell themselves. After several “dud” interviews I went to an associate’s office and asked if I was being “punked.” He laughed and told me, “No, these are our welfare guys. They have to show they’re looking for jobs, so they go to 4 or 5 interviews a week hoping not to get hired.” I asked how he handled them, and he told me that he can spot them (Many are regulars) so he doesn’t complete the interview. He just asks if they require proof that they were at an interview, and then sends them on their way. According to him, that saves him time and he doesn’t have to sit through a frustrating interview.
I worked in a jail for 6 years and, when I was assigned to process inmates in, I would ask a required question- where do you work? Many would respond that they don’t. I would follow up with, where did you work last? Many would respond that they had never held a job. Some of these guys were in their 20’s or 30’s, some older. A lot of them were big guys who were fit and could have easily done manual labor- I know, I also asked them required medical questions. All of those I mentioned were minorities.
With one guy, who was older than I was, I asked, “How have you gotten away with never holding a job?” He proudly responded, “My family’s been on welfare my whole life. I know the tricks, what you have to say, what papers to fill out. While you’re killing yourself working, I’m watching the game and drinking beer!”
My point for bringing this up is that these people are listed as lower income. These are among the group that pandering politicians are telling us need to be given more!
I know they are not in the majority; I hope they are not in the majority!
EFFORT II:
Have any of you ever worked beside someone who was just taking up space. Someone who couldn’t spell “Work ethic” much less have it?
I have. I worked at a factory as summer help when I was in college. The two guys I started with and I were assigned to check circuit boards. We were grouped with about 5 other people, all grizzled veterans who had been on the job for several years. We were soon surprised to learn that we were completing more cards than they were and had less errors. After about two days of this, one of the veterans walked slowly behind us and whispered that we should slow down, we were making them look bad. He continued, “If you do your best today, they will expect you to do your best every day.” He thought that was deep thinking, I thought it was deep BS
I work in a high school as my retirement, dealing with the inflation, job. I see several students in the halls all of the time. Some seem to be in all 4 lunch periods. I stop them and send them to the dean, who punishes them in some way and sends them back out.
After school a lot of students stay. Some of them are on sports teams, some stay to tutor, some stay to be tutored, some stay for the chess club, speech club and other activities and then, there are those who stay to cause trouble, running in the halls, damaging the restrooms and pushing the limits. I can’t help but think that, in the future, some politician is going to be explaining why my tax dollars- or yours when I’m gone- should support them because they are not being treated equally.
THERE ARE MANY SUCCESSFUL MINORITIES:
How is it that some minorities thrive in this racist/White privilege country? Did you notice that Asians were doing best in the statistics I cited above?
One of my closest friends at my last job was Black, he was raised in Joliet, a Southwest suburb of Chicago. His father worked full-time. His mother worked sometimes. He was one of six children. He held several jobs before taking a job as a Deputy Sheriff in a county jail and then testing for the same police department I retired from. He retired a year after I did.
I was raised in Elmhurst, a Western suburb of Chicago. My mother and father both worked full-time. I was one of six children. I worked several jobs and then took a job as a Deputy Sheriff in a county jail. I then tested for the police department I retired from so I could work patrol instead of corrections. I was forced to retire due to my age.
These two summaries sound pretty similar to me. I wonder how that could happen in this racist society I hear disparaged by many politicians. Maybe there is equality, just saying!
In my working life I was supervised by, reported to, an Italian immigrant who bought a restaurant in my town and hired me as one of his many workers. I was a busboy. My next job was at a movie theatre where my boss was a girl two years older than I was. My next job was pumping gas at a gas station owned by a German immigrant who worked for Hitler in WWII. I went to college, on a student loan- no help from my parents or White Privilege. While there I was a bouncer at a bar in Carbondale where my supervisor was a foreign exchange student from Iran. I worked at the gas station for most of the summer breaks. I worked at the factory I mentioned above and my supervisor was a White female. When I graduated, I came back to the gas station. My brother had bought the station from the man who had been our boss and he asked me to stop looking for advertising public relations jobs (My major) and manage the repair garage for him (The large petroleum company that owned the property had kept control of the gas pump portion of the business). He moved to Las Vegas, and I bought the garage business from him. The gas company refused to renew my lease after I was there two years- It was a female area manager who suggested my lease be terminated.
I got married and took jobs managing a gas station and the window washing company I mentioned above. Then came the police jobs I mentioned above where I was supervised by male Whites, female Whites & Hispanic males. In my current job my boss is a very dark skinned Hispanic.
I mention the history above to point out that I was supervised by males, females & Hispanics. I was not promoted in my police jobs even though I had seniority, education (Master’s Degree) and did better on the written tests than almost all of the people who were eventually promoted. Where does a White male go to sue for discrimination?
OLD MONEY- THE ONE PERCENTERS:
When politicians promote the disparity between races they are not taking into account the “OLD MONEY” or the “ONE PERCENTERS.” Families that have been rich since before my parents were born, and that goes back a long way. Between my family and the Rockefellers there are millions, if not billions, of dollars- that doesn’t make me rich. I’m still struggling, but the Rockefellers are very rich.
Saying that Whites are rich because some are, is like saying all gun owners are murderers or all Blacks are poor. Some Whites are rich- most are not. Some gun owners are murderers- a gigantic majority of them are not. Some Blacks are poor- most are not.
Thank you for letting me rant. I hope I opened a new train of thought for you or helped you with some information you might not have had or considered. Please comment on what you agree with and where you believe I am wrong. If you liked this tell a friend, if you didn’t, tell me why.
Thanks again,
Phil