Overcoming Inequality

Bryan Leininger
SOC 210: Race and Ethnic Relations
01 September 2012

Is Reaching For the Stars Too Much Too Ask?

Throughout this course we have learned about as well as discussed the challenges that we face when dealing with overcoming inequality. This class along with reading the text helped me in opening my eyes and realizing that even though we may not care about the color of a person’s skin we still face an uphill battle in absolving inequality. After reading the text my views have not really changed in regards to people getting along with other people of a different color, however, my views on inequality have changed from that of being an easy fix to one of being a complex fix and one that honestly has no real answer. The
text said, when the constitution is interpreted in an originalist framework, meaning with an aim to preserve the original intention of the document, inequality is prevalent. Many originalists believe that there is a lack of interpreting the constitution for today’s purposes. I feel that thinking like that is dangerous. When the constitution was written it was written by immigrants that fled Western Europe. The constitution laid a foundation for future American’s to live by and it is what gave us our freedom. What people don’t understand is that when the United States’ Constitution was written it was written by men who would be charged with treason should they lose the Revolutionary War. I think that the fact that they had the foresight to allow the addition of amendments is a great idea. Just because those in power today add amendments that will benefit them should not impact the way we interpret the Constitution today. The author of the text, Mona Scott does have a lot of proposals and ideas that are key to our abolishing inequality. Asset-building strategies are ways individuals, governments and communities increase the assets of citizens. This idea is good, because it will help those who are low-income help not only themselves but their children and their future. These programs would not just be limited to a certain class of people, but be available to all citizens. While this program is good in theory there are two problems this program faces. 1. Not everyone will have the same access to financial counseling allowing them to build assets. 2. Individuals in today’s society want the newest and best things (including housing). People want to start off with “the best” right away and may not understand that them attaining “the best” right off the bat may hurt them in the future/near future.
The asset-building strategy is a strategy that could work, if and only if people across the board are told what they can realistically attain at that point in time and not allow them to “go for more than they can afford”. The six aspects of social development are another way in which we can abolish inequality. The six aspects of social development are: 1. Economic Development 2. Physical Development 3. Cultural Development 4. Moral Development 5. Interpersonal Development 6. Political Development
I believe that all but one of the aspects of social development can be attained. I believe that all but one of the aspects goes hand in hand with the other. I believe that it all starts with interpersonal, moral and cultural development. If you can get people working together as one you open the door for economic development. If people earn a wage that allows them to live you open the door for physical development. Physical development is the overall health of an individual and/or society. However, the social development program ultimately depends on political development. Attitudes formed within, and as a product of, institutions are important if the entire system is to move upward. The political development aspect in my opinion will be the backbone of social development as a whole. Sure, people will be able to attain portions of the other five aspects for a while, however, without political development the other aspects will be short lived. This theory is good in practice, but could never be achievable because those individuals that hold office never allow the income gap to shrink. If the income gap were to shrink and people of lower incomes would have the means to “make it” then those in power would lose control. Another area that deals with getting rid of inequality is undoing racism.
Undoing racism is addressing how White racism is embedded in American society and engaging in social justice work, which has three parts: vision, a deep understanding of oppression and a strategic action. I believe that undoing racism can and cannot work. I believe that it is the responsibility of whites and non-whites to get rid of these negative stereotypes that are attached to them. I firmly believe that if we want to do away with negative stereotypes they can. Let’s face it, deep down inside whether we want to admit it or not we all look at people of a different skin color or ethnic group differently. Whites look at non-whites as drug-dealing, gang-banging thugs or people who own casinos, drink too much and run the risk of diabetes. Non-whites look as whites as wearing pointy hoods, riding horses and lynching those who are different. The scary thing is that we’re all right, and we’re all wrong. We’re right in the fact that yes, a select few of every race/ethnic group does fall into that stereotype and ruin it for the rest of us. We’re wrong in the fact that we categorize everyone into these stereotypes. How do we do away with racism? That is the million dollar question. Even if we can do away with the stereotypes that each of us are labeled with there are those in power who are white and will always look out for themselves. Even with the stereotypes gone one big stereotype remains.
“The white man is holding us down!” With those in power and making the decisions being primarily white it is hard to argue with that. With all the ideas and theories discussed in the text the final one I want to touch on is education.
The text stated that antiracist democratic education is where racism is challenged and not ignored. The book also discussed the differences between miseducation and noneducation. Miseducation is when education doesn’t prepare students for actual conditions of the world, where noneducation is school activities that have no educational value.6 I believe that given the current state of the country and all the problems that we face education might be the best way to go. I believe that if we can educate our kids about the past and help them prepare for the future that would be a big step in aboloshing inequality. We are taught from a young age that race is a touchy subject. I think that it is this way of thinking that has helped to cause inequality. I think that education should have people of all ethnic/racial groups together. I don’t think there should be any special treatment among students. If a teacher thinks a student is a trouble maker or likely to fail they place that student at the front of the class. I believe that we should have speakers that have experienced inequality first hand as well as speakers who have overcome inequality and how they did
it. In my opinion all of these ideas are good ideas. The problem is that when you break it down they are all unattainable and unrealistic. I believe that there are two main reasons why these ideas will never work. The first is that while the ideas are great, there is no plan of execution. For example, when the text talked about not teaching color blindness and challenging and racism instead of ignoring it there was no mention of how they are going to implement it into the school system. If you have an idea of how to change things that better include a plan to execute. We have been fed the idea of change forever, with no means of execution. If people see that we are making a change rather than just talking about it, then they could get onboard with it. Another reason that I say that these ideas will never work is because there are too many ideas. Everyone and their mother has an idea about how we can end inequality in America. What we need is one true way in which we want to end inequality and focus on that. We can preach that education, comparable wages, affordable food, health insurance, and inadequate housing are all forms of inequality, however, we need to start somewhere and focus on one thing, fix that before moving on to the next. I will be the first to admit it. I may have been living in a pipe dream. I may have thought that the way to stop inequality was easy. After reading this text and attending this class my views have changed a little. I realize that inequality is a big problem in this country and there is no easy fix. Whether we want to face it or not, people are still exploited and treated inhumanely. There are many people who are not afforded the basics like a good working wage, housing, food. There is a breakdown in the system when certain groups of people are being detained/imprisoned and have more serious health concerns than other groups of people. I know that I have been very vocal in class, and while I may not have always been the voice of reason I still believe in one thing that I said. That is that our fixing inequality is going to have to start with us. Like anything, we have to be willing to take the first step. We cannot be asking for the government to help us. I believe that for the most part we as Americans don’t think along lines of race and it being a handicap or make you different. I know that I not only speak for myself but others when I say “race doesn’t matter to me”. Some of my best friends, along with women I dated and loved were of a different race/ethnicity. I look around and I see people of all races and ethnicities getting along. I see people of different races and ethnicities dating and marrying. I believe that these current stereotypes and hardships that cause inequality are hindering our integrating as a society once and for all. Race and ethnicity are a slippery slope, along with inequality. I believe that we can get rid of inequality for good; we just need someone who has and can execute a realistic plan. But, more important than we need someone that is willing to stand by themselves and bring the change. If someone is brave enough to stand alone and challenge the system then that would be a big first step in overcoming inequality. Everything after that should be easy as 1,2,3.

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[ 1 ]. johnson, rush, and j feagin. "reducing inequalities: doing anti-racism: toward an egalitarian society." contemporary sociology. 1. (2000): 95-110. Print.
[ 2 ]. scott, M. (2012). think race and ethnicity. (p. 302). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
[ 3 ]. scott, M. (2012). think race and ethnicity. (p. 286). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
[ 4 ]. foner, E. (2003). race and citizenship. socialism and democracy, 17(1), 161.
[ 5 ]. scott, M. (2012). think race and ethnicity. (p. 301). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc
[ 6 ]. scott, M. (2012). think race and ethnicity. (p. 303). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc