Do white people think racial economic differences have nothing to do with history?

Question

Honestly, when white people consider the economic disparity between whites and blacks, do you guys think it has nothing to do with slavery which gave way to Southern terrorism (lynching) which begat segregation which begat white flight which begat discriminatory housing policy (especially in the post-Depression era when many Americans had to start from scratch) which begat lower-funded public schools in the segregated black areas which is the beginning of the cycle that produces crime and poverty.


This is not about making white folks feel guilty or even finding a solution to these problems really. I just wonder how many even good-natured white folks think "history has nothing to do with the way things are today". Sometimes it just seems that they think things that happened before 2003 don't effect attitudes and circumstances today.

Great answers, Qwerty especially... the myth that one's success is based on individual merit isn't true. It's not all about where you start but a nice beginning helps.

To a previous response, it's not about producing more "white guilt" but maybe "white realization" which may cause them to not look down upon those screwed over a little bit by the aftershock of the past.

GEM: I'm talking about the effects on a culture, not so much individuals. Hell, even in the 1800s you had Frederick Douglass... but in the circumstances back then, you weren't going to have millions of Frederick Douglass's popping out of plantations.

TomT. Thoughtful, and a productive way to view things but sport is not really a good analogy. Sport, to a large extent, has NEVER been about WHO you know, but what you can do, especially when so few can compete at a high level. That's why racism in sport broke down relatively early. Most other paths of life are a LOT about who you know and your network, in fields where many can perform the same job capably.

Trinco, Chicago is/was a MAJOR "white flight area": Blacks flee the South to Chi. beginning 30s and 40s -> get blue-collar jobs alongside whites, but segregated into shabbier communities and intentionally underfunded schools (housing) so forth and so on... Effect of history very strong.

Answer 1

Yes, many do. On the other hand others don't think about it at all.

Answer 2

I view opportunities in America as I view a football or basketball team in which slavery plays no part at all. There are no "programs" for weaker players, no affirmative action for minority players. They go out and compete and the best qualified guy gets to play the game. According to your premise, professional sports should be staffed only by whites. It isn't, because lots and lots of blacks guys left the slavery mentality far behind and went out and competed. That attitude also works in our society and anyone who goes out and competes has an infinitely better chance of success than someone who doesn't. No excuses and no crutches, just make an honest effort. History is about the past and while is can have lingering effects, it's today with which we have to deal.

Answer 3

I think there is some truth in what you said but I don't think it is the whole story. There has been a history of economic inequalities between whites and blacks. Blacks have also been given a lot of opportunities. There are black scholarship funds and racial quotas in schools and jobs. Laws have been enacted (and for the most part work) that guarantee equal treatment. These laws have been in effect and effective for many years. How long does it take before black leaders quit making excuses and encourage young people to stand up at make their own future.

Answer 4

I don't know of one white American than would disregard the fact that there was indeed a major segregational society a few decades back..but that doesn't mean we are living by those standards today. I think blacks and whites and ALL races have been doing much better since then. It's annoying how some people just ignore that.

Answer 5

My family came to this country as indentured servants, which is a really pretty way of saying slave.

Now there are doctors, lawyers, federal judges, movie makers and even poor white trash in the extended family. They made it when there were no hand outs or legs up. The successful are such because they chose to assimilate into this country and work their butts off.

What happened 100+ years ago cannot have a direct causal effect on the now, unless you wallow in self pity and choose not to use the tools you available to you.

And since it is now completely legal to not hire a white person based on their skin color, not on their aptitude or skills, I have to say I cannot see the correlation.

In my state, we pay more taxes to send more tax money to the schools in the primarily black population. As they do not have the tax base to support their own schools. They have chosen to buy millions of dollars of art, take fabulous vacations, draw fabulous salaries and support a work culture where hard work gets derision and being lazy and ineffictive gets you promoted. They choose to do this, no white man is making them.

So, I ask you again, how would something that happened 100+ years ago change anything today?

Here is the reality in this world: you can either be limited by your past, or choose to change your thoughts and rise above. Successful people choose to not be limited by things that are irrelevant and outside of their control.

Answer 6

of course history has a lot to do with what the world is today, esp with the racial differences. and i myself, a white woman, believes that.
think back to all the major, racial historical events.
differences between blacks and whites since the colonial times. even george washington believed that slavery was wrong, but the blacks helped economic labor in those times, increasing with cash crops and such.
this led to more blacks in the South than whites, esp in VA and southern states.
there is no way that white people think racial economic differences have nothing to do with history because they are bombarded with this kind of idea everyday where i live.
some many folks are hot on the subject of this, and can trace back racial disputes yrs ago, like Holocaust for example

Answer 7

I'm not white and I'm not black. I think I've had (believe it or not) my share of struggles and discriminations, etc...because I'm different. But guess what, that did not stop me as I'm very determined to make a success story out of my life. What I'm saying is "It does not matter who your mother or father is/was and what circumstances you were exposed to. It is what you endured and learned, i.e., "I did without and will have to start from zero...but, I;m gonna do it ...for me!" I did just that. I surrounded myself around successful people to learn all mannerisms and tricks of the trade. I re-assessed my thinking ..modelled after them. I chose my destiny. No excuses! We choose our failures and we choose our successes.

In the end, there is no one to blame, no historical event helped me study or work late when everyone else was sleeping.

Nor was there anything I can recall that helped in my decision making process to act as a lawful abiding citizen of my community. Me (myself)

I stand alone and am responsible for my actions and my future. If I fail, I fail alone. If I succeed, I succeeded alone.

Answer 8

I don't think it has much to do with the way blacks were treated. I think it has more to do with them dwelling on what happened, therefore holding themselves back. There is no reason that a black student can't do well in school, graduate, go to a university, and get a decent job. Women were treated unfairly too, but we don't complain about it.

In return, I have a question for you. I noticed in high school that the black students were the loud ones, the ones who didn't pay attention in class, didn't do there homework, spent the whole class period rapping (because they think they're actually going to be famous) and then get mad when they have a bad grade. Why is it that they find the need to act so unruly?

Answer 9

I am white, and personally think that history has everything to do with the state of things today.

However, I know many white people who refuse to believe that history is relevant. It's really tempting for them to believe that their own good fortunes are due to their personal worthiness ("I deserve everything I have!"). As a corollary, that means that other people's misfortunes must be due to personal unworthiness ("Why don't they just get over it and get a job?"), or some such nonsense.

It can be so frustrating to deal with these short-sighted, self-serving attitudes. People who put on those kind of blinders are unwittingly endangering our society. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

Answer 10

How many times are white people going to be blamed for your peoples shortcomings?

It seems everywhere blacks go, crime, poverty, bastard children, and degeneration follows. When the white man arrived in africa, there was nothing but primitive tribes .

You should be thanking us that we pay for blacks to live for free in their air conditioned projects while letting you go to schools our tax dollars pay for. If we were Asians, Indians, or any other race blacks you'd still be tilling the fields as slaves.

the truth hurts.

Answer 11

While im sure this DOES have something to do with economic disparity in the U.S. we may want to delve into looking at other races and how they have have succeeded after being oppressed. Take Jews for example....