Blacks Are So Unfair

“Two years ago for some reason, my agency got a huge budget windfall. Hiring more workers to handle the influx of clients that we got due to the recession was first on the list. The top supervisor then was black. She hired 11 new people that year. In a county that is 30% black she hired 7 of the 11 as black women (just like her) and plus one black man. The other three new hires were women (like her) but white. I know her well and don’t consider her a racist.” – Carlton

Maybe she is a racist. But without more information it is rather hard to determine. For example, you said that the county is thirty percent black and yet she hired eight black people. But you did not specify what the overall ratio of black workers to white workers in the organization. Is the organization itself thirty percent black or more? Are black people already overly represented and your friend is only adding fuel to the racial disparity? Or were blacks already under represented in the organization and your friend took it upon herself to do something to help restore a proper racial ratio.

You see, when conditions are such that there is a history of racial discrimination, that condition cannot be corrected unless effort is given to restore balance. In order to do that, someone is going to have to take it upon his or her self to hire more black people to restore that balance. While you might see that as some form of reverse discrimination, a perspective that will no doubt protect white interest and continue the status quo of racial discrimination, I see it as trying to correct the history of racial discrimination.

But if white people in your area are already suffering from black people discriminating against them because the vast majority of black people in your area are in positions to further black interests and white people are under represented in positions of authority and are dealing with much higher rates of unemployment, and your friend continues to hire the majority of black people, then yes I would have to reluctantly admit that she might be a racist. So what is the overall ratio of black to white workers in this particular organization? Without more information it’s hard for me to make a determination.

“The chasm IS furthered by this behavior of the corporate world. Can you point out where I say it is inconsequential?”

Are you serious? Right here…

“Whites don’t have white unity.”

“As for white unity-I have to insist that it’s an illusion…”

“Whites would be having the same problems we do if there were fewer of them.”

All of these statements imply there is no problem.  Discrimination against the black community is nothing more than an illusion.

You claimed that white people don’t support other white people. But in one of your previous comments, you made a reference to the Devah Pager study which, as a psychology major with a minor in sociology, you claimed to have known about for years. You claim to have made many references to the study and summed it up as saying that “if the interviewer is white, there’s a better chance the guy hired is gonna be white.” Is this not discrimination and white people supporting each other?  Yet, you are constantly making the choice to dismiss this form of racial discrimination, implying quite clearly that it is inconsequential, and focus primarily on defending white interests.

You are constantly dismissing dominant community discrimination against black people. It’s all you’ve done since you’ve been here. You’ll say something like,

“If I see something wrong, I tell you. And I’m just as honest with white folks as I am with black folks.”

When are you honest with white folks? Certainly not in any of the comments you made here.

Now, can you point out where you said that we should confront it and demand changes? That would be a big, resounding no. You never addressed the problem of corporate discrimination. Your focus of condemnation for racial intolerance has been aimed solely and squarely on black people. This is another one of your quotations.

“If it seems as if I am moving to protect the interests of white people too much that’s because some people among us are too quick to unnecessarily group and attack them.”

Now we can see your enthusiasm for calling black people out and saying that black people are wrong. Poor white people simply can’t get a break. But where exactly do you address the problems of corporate America? Maybe I missed it. Instead, you’ve given us statements like:

“I DON’T want to upset the status quo in most areas.”

“If we don’t want white people screwing up our culture, why are we trying to infringe on theirs?”

Now I see that you want to dismiss me as nothing but an angry black man with obviously angry tones. If I sound angry it is only because I have a passion for the interests of the black community that many people in the racially generic dominant community want to paint as problematic. It’s never racism that’s the problem, it’s always black people who want to point racism out that’s the problem. And to hear intelligent black people make rather simplistic arguments similar to the best way to fight racism is to ignore it, let it continue and let the disparity against the black community continue is particularly troubling for me.

It would be nice to see you take your own advice some time. One quote from you that I think deserves special attention. It sounds good, but I seriously doubt if you comprehend the depth of what you said.

“Attack racism wherever it lives…”

When are you going to attack the racism from the dominant community of America?

Peace