4 ms·
This is kinda what the US was like up until the 1960s except you had to be white, male, straight, not Italian, Irish, or Polish, well educated and of good stand
by meddlepal 7y ago
This is kinda what the US was like up until the 1960s except you had to be white, male, straight, not Italian, Irish, or Polish, well educated and of good standing in your community (read: Christian, but preferably not Catholic).
Basically it sounds good until you realize that kind of power starts to self select for the kind of people it wants to succeed.
- dane-pgp 7y ago> This is kinda what the US was like up until the 1960s Whereas now, instead, the US finally has the sort of society and power structures it deserves.
- meddlepal 7y agoProgress is a slow. But we're still making progress even if sometimes it's two steps forward and one and a half backwards.
- barry-cotter 7y agoThe 1960s was very long past the point where being something other than a WASP would keep you from the height of power. It sure as hell wouldn’t keep you from getting a loan if it wouldn’t keep you out of Congress, the Senate or the Governor’s mansion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Tweed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Tweed Boss Tweed was elected to the US Congress in 1853. Irish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Smith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Smith Al Smith was four time Governor of New York and Democratic nominee for President in 1928. Irish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pastore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pastore John Pastore was Governor of Rhode Island from 1945-1950 and Senator from 1950-1976. Italian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Kleczka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Kleczka The first Polish American was elected to Congress in 1918.