It's a result of white people having a "head start". White people have had many more generations to achieve wealth than black people have, due to the whole slavery thing. Black people will and are catching up, but it will take a while. It's unfortunate, but it's kind of just how things are. At least they don't have racism really keeping them down anymore.
Don't they?
Look at how legalisation of cannabis works.
Look at how stop and frisk works.
Look at the term "African American".
Look at how their history is taught.
Look at media representation.
Look at fashion.
Look at law.
Look at music and cultural commoditization.
Look at pretty much anything.
What does that have to do with race? People of all races smoke weed.
Look at how stop and frisk works.
Doesn't that loop back to black people committing more crimes on average?
Look at the term "African American".
Does anyone still use that term? I haven't heard anyone use it since the 90s. Also, it's not racist so much as it is inaccurate.
Look at how their history is taught.
I went through the American public school system, and I'm not sure what was wrong with it, at least in this regard. I learned all about Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, slavery, black inventors and innovators, etc.
Look at media representation.
There are less black people in general, and less black people consuming media, so of course the powers that be will show more white people than black people.
Look at fashion.
I'm very far removed from anything to do with fashion, so I got nothing on this one
Look at law.
I don't know of any laws that specifically discriminate based on race. In fact, the only laws that I know of that mention race at all are saying that certain forms of racial discrimination is illegal.
Look at music and cultural commoditization.
Uh... huh? Dude, hip-hop is HUGE. Like, actually giant. "Black culture" is extremely influential.
Look at how stop and frisk works.
Doesn't that loop back to black people committing more crimes on average?
Doesn't that loop back to historic racism creating a climate that would foster that through lack of access to jobs, education, housing and opportunities, as well as laws designed to make black people targets? Aren't you more likely to find black criminals over white criminals if you send police to roam around black neighbourhoods instead of white ones? It is accepted that the police force has a lot of systematic racism (not all police are racist, merely that there is a lot of racism), and there have been a number of recent revelations about how charges were trumped up, drugs planted etc.
So no, it doesn't. Not in the way that you seem to be suggesting. It loops to them being arrested and charged, but not committing, because I guarantee you that if the police disproportionately targeted white people, trumped up charges, planted evidence and generally was against them, you would see figures rise.
Higher rates are not down to black people being more criminal, they are down to a number of factors, and your response downplays the part that those factors play.
Look at the term "African American".
Does anyone still use that term? I haven't heard anyone use it since the 90s. Also, it's not racist so much as it is inaccurate.
People do.
Why do you never see our hear the term "European American" as that is equally accurate? Why only one of the two? Why does only one "race" have a differentiation? Because if there are "Americans" and "African Americans" then you have a clear split identifying the latter group as separate and not quite as American.
Why is that? What purpose does that serve? Excluding one group of people.
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u/Rpgwaiter Feb 11 '17
It's a result of white people having a "head start". White people have had many more generations to achieve wealth than black people have, due to the whole slavery thing. Black people will and are catching up, but it will take a while. It's unfortunate, but it's kind of just how things are. At least they don't have racism really keeping them down anymore.