[afrakabob]

there are some real bigoted idiots in this sociology course i'm taking.
today we were discussing poverty and welfare. the guy who sits behind me (and considers himself an expert on everything) raised his hand and commented:

"I think it's interesting when you look at how small the percentage is of African-American and Latino people living in the United States, and then compare it to the large portion of them who are living in poverty. To me, that indicates that they have a lack of motivation or drive to succeed. I have a friend who started working at McDonalds and then became the manager. Any of his co-workers could have done the same, but they didn't want to so most of them just ended up in jail!
I have read what Bill Cosby has to say on this matter, and he seems to feel the same way. I've done some personal research myself, and in fact, I've even been to Africa. When you look at how Africans in Africa act, it's a completely different story. They have a completely different work ethic."

....complete idiocy. i always thought that people are supposed to know better than to publicly admit to holding racist views.
congratulations, my friend, for:
1) committing the gross error of lumping all black people in the world together, and assuming that disparate groups of people with completely distinct histories should all act the same.

2) failing to regard the fact that this nation has a not-so-distant record of actively trying to keep African-Americans in their "place"-- slavery, sharecropping, literacy tests, segregation (legal as recently as the 1960's) . subjugation and oppression don't disappear overnight; they leave a lasting legacy. why else do people talk endlessly about the Holocaust (which ended in the 1940's)? somehow, whenever one brings up slavery, people seem to simply roll their eyes and say it's time for African-Americans to move out of the past. no one's trying to claim that the legacy of slavery exempts African-Americans from personal responsibility, but it's definitely an important factor to keep in mind when making sweeping judgments about why they supposedly "fail to succeed".

3) ignoring the fact that there are limited work opportunities for people in the inner city, especially if they have less access to education (whether they dropped out to support their family, were unable to afford higher education, or whatever reason). that's not to mention the stigmas associated with certain manners of dress, having a language barrier, or even speaking with a particular accent-- all frequently perceived as signs of low intellect or class in a corporate setting.

4) taking one anomalous success story as representative of the norm-- assuming that minimum wage jobs actually provide vast opportunities for upward mobility, if only people have the will to move up in the ranks. nevermind that even veteran employees of such jobs make little more than their starting wage. and nevermind that there's an endless supply of people seeking such jobs (especially in areas where few alternative, legitimate jobs exist), so employees are essentially disposable.

5) taking an actor (who happens to be known and criticized for his blame-the-victim opinions), and equating him with some kind of well-read authority on all black people (since he's African-American, of COURSE he must be an expert)

anyway. i was fuming by this point, but i made sure to tell off this classmate and point out that he was equating occupational prestige with character qualities. i asked
him how someone who works at a low-prestige job (or sometimes multiple such jobs) with long hours and meager benefits can be considered lazy if his hard-earned salary is still insufficient for bringing him out of poverty, as is often the case.
if anything, i see that as the highest standard of work ethic. much more admirable than that of any high-powered corporate executive with 8-hour workdays and paid overtime.

any thoughts?