That is not a uniquely black experience.
You could remove race from the whole thing and the same would be true for anyone coming from the same economic starting point.
This is not a black tax. All those struggles are the same regardless of race.
You could remove race from the whole thing and the same would be true for anyone coming from the same economic starting point.
This is not a black tax. All those struggles are the same regardless of race.
You’ll have more job opportunities presented to you, more people willing to take risk. Of course it also helps not to have hundreds of years to systemic racism on your next as well which allows other members of your family to likely not be poor — thus able to support you.
You can’t erase race because you don’t understand it and it makes you uncomfortable to acknowledge that being white has its benefits. That’s why the American Dream is so far out of reach to many: https://andrew.im/essays/a-journey-to-the-american-dream
"Self-aware" refers to white people who realize they are racist.
Edit: Removed my own opinion from this to try to make it purely factual.
You misunderstand. The comments are not about race, but the individual decision that's always available to you, to break away from a losing game.
Likewise, I was dragged down by my family who defined what I should aspire to (ex: being a doctor or a professor or a lawyer while I liked computers) and what I should do (ex: give them money to help them). I tried to do what I was told and realized it caused failure.
> which allows other members of your family to likely not be poor — thus able to support you.
After noticing and analyzing the pattern of failure in my family, I decided it would stop with me - by disassociating from them.
From your post:
> That is why it should come as no surprise that so few Black people have successfully built generational wealth: we’re always actively trying to keep the current generation alive
That's your mistake.
Eventually, I decided "screw them, I don't give a flying fuck even if they starve to death" -best decision of my life!
Yes, it involved a lot of risk, as I knew they would never help me again in return, but being in the US it was almost a given I would never return.
Now I'm a young retiree.
I was asked money- more than once, especially after they knew I had made it. I told them in very clear term I'd rather burn my money and become a bum than give them a single dollar. That stopped the claims :)
> That’s why the American Dream is so far out of reach to many: https://andrew.im/essays/a-journey-to-the-american-dream
You're so wrong. The American Dream is out of reach because selfishness is unfortunately not taught. We give people wrong values (help your friends, support your family etc) and act all surprised they fail in life.
It's a honest mistake to make- the same as having kids in the hope they will help you in the future (they might) while they will certainly cost you in the present and the future (they sure will)
This comment ignores large scale affirmative action programs in education and in large corporations. How do you know for sure there are in fact less opportunities for one group or another?
The way opportunity plays out for various people is fantastically complex, how do you know you’ve figured it out to a degree that is useful for creating change?
While I acknowledge your point of view and opinion, I do not agree with your premise. Racism is not as important as the current political discourse would have us believe.
I leave these topics of race to comedians who bring so much needed levity. Theo Von
However, it does seem to me like the specific things you speak about in this essay could be considered to be more of a Poor Tax, which disproportionately affects Black Americans more than White People, due to the factors above. But taking just this specific essay, one could replace every instance of the word "Black" with "immigrant" or "Latino" or "Native American", etc, and it would be just as true.
Again, not to take away from the main point that Black people have it harder than many other races in the Americas (and some other places). But as an immigrant to the US, from a family that sends streams of money and goods to support our family members back home, it's nearly impossible not to think "hold on, this isn't an exclusively Black experience" when reading this essay.
Around here at least almost everyone in positions of power are old white men. And some white employees gossip among each other about the incompetence of black superiors. (Though in their defense some have praised those black coworkers they've seen working hard for themselves.)
Different regions probably have different dynamics. Yet all the stats I've read about imply skin tone is a huge filter for opportunity in life.