Simple Math, can you count?

Question

White Americans are the majority in this country. True Fact. Yet people believe that minorities are the majority of welfare users. Mathematically this is impossible. If you take the amount of Americans below the poverty line, white Americans are still the majority. Can someone address this belief? If America is not bias explain this. If white Americans are the majority, then why are more blacks by percentage locked up than blacks. Does this mean more minorities are criminals, Or are minority neighborhoods being policed (harvested) for criminals? I think that if the same presents was in the white community would would find the same amount of criminals lingering and roaming free. Can someone address the reason more minorities are locked up than the majority in this country?

I would like to thank 3 of you for writing eloquently about this subject. But judging the answers there are some built in biases that some of you have about the numbers. "lying with statistics" is a wonderful concept that the masses believe. And it is proven here in the tone of some of your answers. I know understand how numbers can be twisted to appease an argument. For example the unemployment numbers have always been flawed cause it does not take in account the number of people who have exhausted the benefit. It counts those numbers as people who are no longer getting the benefit and boost the numbers of claims. But keeping in mind the poverty line , which white Americans still are the majority, how can you dispute the fact that minorities would be the majority in this area. American misconception.

Answer 1

The problem with statistics is that they can be written to say what ever you want.

I took a course in collage called "Lying With Statistics" that covered hundreds of ways to make the numbers fit what ever argument that you wanted to make.

For example, people that use radar detectors get less speeding tickets than people that do not use them.

Statistically speaking you could make a false correlation saying that people using the detectors are safer drivers but we all know that is not true.

Answer 2

Yes.

When you slice a population different ways, it is entirely possible to get a 'minority majority' in one of those slices. Whether that slice is by geography or some social factor. So, no, it is not mathematically impossible for the overall majority to make up a minority of some subset of the population. For instance, whites are indisputably a small minority among rap stars.

It is true that certain minorities have long been over-represented in the ranks of the poor. I'm not aware if, combined, they constitute a 'minority majority' of the poor, though.

Again, prison population, being a small subset of the whole population, could have different percentages of certain demographics. Men, for instance, are disproportionately represented in the prison population.

The prevelance of crime - and thus, to some extent, of police 'fighting' crime - is higher in poor neighborhoods, which, as you point out, are not always entirely minority neighborhoods. Crime is also more prevelent in urban areas, where, due to social projects of past decades, low-income housing is disproportionately consentrated.

Answer 3

You flunked math didn't you? And apparently you did'nt do too well in english either. How can more blacks be locked up than blacks? I don't know the statistics but it is certainly possible for minorities to make up the majority of welfare. Back to school!

Answer 4

Mathematically whites are in the majority, mathematically by percentages minorities commit more crimes per capita.(Example) In other words, 1 out of 3 minorities will commit a crime, whereas 1 out of 8 in the majority will. Now do you get it?

Answer 5

They are poorer and commit more crime. Usually against their own people.Should we leave them alone to rob, main, and terrorize their neighborhoods?