4 ms·

A rich black man and a rich white man have more in common, in thoughts and experiences, than a rich white man and a poor white man. Class is so much more impor

by vimy 5y ago

A rich black man and a rich white man have more in common, in thoughts and experiences, than a rich white man and a poor white man. Class is so much more important than race yet the Western world, especially the US, is obsessed by race.

ceejayoz 5y ago
They’re heavily linked in the US. https://money.yahoo.com/black-americans-net-worth-is-one-seventh-of-whites-203317473.html https://money.yahoo.com/black-americans-net-worth-is-one-sev... > The average net worth of Black families is $142,330 — or just one-seventh of the $980,550 in wealth accumulated by white Americans, according to a new study from LendingTree that draws on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2020 Economic Policy Institute report, and various Federal Reserve reports. > The median net worth of both shows similar disparities. The median wealth for Black families is $24,100, or about one-eighth of that for white families at $189,100, according to the study.
wolverine876 5y ago
What basis do you have for saying that? The African-Americans I've talked to and whom I've read often say the opposite, and I haven't heard any agree. What I hear is, 'it doesn't matter who you are or what you've done, you are always just Black in the eyes of the police (and society)', and that there is often no way for an observer to distinguish rich from poor (as if that should matter anyway). For example, African-Americans driving expensive cars are pulled over and suspected of being drug dealers. I've read many stories of African-Americans being pulled over for nothing - an experience I've never had.
- vimy 5y ago
  No doubt that still happens but I don’t know how common that is? There is a lot of race-baiting going on in the press which may give a skewed perspective of reality. For example, research shows that white police officers aren’t more likely to shoot a black suspect than police officers from another race. [1] But that’s not what the media tells us. The constant focus on race also makes people paranoid. “Was that guy just a dick or was he racist?” But that is not the point. A black man that went to Harvard and is now working for Goldman Sachs has more in common with a white Goldman Sachs employee than with a black factory worker. They read the same kind of books and newspapers, drive the same kind of car, live in the same kind of neighborhood, … [1]https://www.pnas.org/content/116/32/15877 https://www.pnas.org/content/116/32/15877
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    > A black man that went to Harvard and is now working for Goldman Sachs has more in common with a white Goldman Sachs employee than with a black factory worker. Probably not when they're pulled over, but ignoring the difficulty getting to that point is a bit silly. https://fortune.com/2021/04/20/goldman-sachs-reveals-black-workforce-numbers-for-the-first-time/ https://fortune.com/2021/04/20/goldman-sachs-reveals-black-w... "Inside Goldman Sachs Group Inc., 1,548 U.S. executives, senior officials and managers run the bank. Of that group, 24 are Black men and 25 are Black women." 3%, versus about 15% of the US population.
  - wolverine876 5y ago
    > No doubt that still happens but I don’t know how common that is? It's very well covered, researched, and discussed; ignorance doesn't relieve the problem or dismiss it. > There is a lot of race-baiting going on in the press which may give a skewed perspective of reality. That's your claim, a trendy one in some circles to blame 'the media', but it's not really substantiated, even by one study. African-Americans - the people with direct experience of it - have been telling the world about it for generations. Racism is getting worse as many people openly embrace it, including rapidly increasing hate crimes, overt statements by national leaders and other 'influencers', and far more. And every time, throughout history, the problem of racism is met with the same response - an effort to shut down the complaints.
    - vimy 5y ago
      I have read a lot of research about racism and I can only conclude that the media is not painting an accurate picture about it. If you want to challenge your views you could read some of Thomas Sowell’s work or from other black conservative thinkers.
  - greedo 5y ago
    Ironic that you claim this when a Harvard professor was treated much more like a common criminal than a member of an elite institution. Perhaps it's not the color of skin in your example that matters, but the financial and social class. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/22/henry-louis-gates-arrested-at-home https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/22/henry-louis-ga...

by vimy 5y ago

ceejayoz 5y ago

They’re heavily linked in the US. https://money.yahoo.com/black-americans-net-worth-is-one-seventh-of-whites-203317473.html https://money.yahoo.com/black-americans-net-worth-is-one-sev... > The average net worth of Black families is $142,330 — or just one-seventh of the $980,550 in wealth accumulated by white Americans, according to a new study from LendingTree that draws on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2020 Economic Policy Institute report, and various Federal Reserve reports. > The median net worth of both shows similar disparities. The median wealth for Black families is $24,100, or about one-eighth of that for white families at $189,100, according to the study.

wolverine876 5y ago

What basis do you have for saying that? The African-Americans I've talked to and whom I've read often say the opposite, and I haven't heard any agree. What I hear is, 'it doesn't matter who you are or what you've done, you are always just Black in the eyes of the police (and society)', and that there is often no way for an observer to distinguish rich from poor (as if that should matter anyway). For example, African-Americans driving expensive cars are pulled over and suspected of being drug dealers. I've read many stories of African-Americans being pulled over for nothing - an experience I've never had.

vimy 5y ago
No doubt that still happens but I don’t know how common that is? There is a lot of race-baiting going on in the press which may give a skewed perspective of reality. For example, research shows that white police officers aren’t more likely to shoot a black suspect than police officers from another race. [1] But that’s not what the media tells us. The constant focus on race also makes people paranoid. “Was that guy just a dick or was he racist?” But that is not the point. A black man that went to Harvard and is now working for Goldman Sachs has more in common with a white Goldman Sachs employee than with a black factory worker. They read the same kind of books and newspapers, drive the same kind of car, live in the same kind of neighborhood, … [1]https://www.pnas.org/content/116/32/15877 https://www.pnas.org/content/116/32/15877
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  > A black man that went to Harvard and is now working for Goldman Sachs has more in common with a white Goldman Sachs employee than with a black factory worker. Probably not when they're pulled over, but ignoring the difficulty getting to that point is a bit silly. https://fortune.com/2021/04/20/goldman-sachs-reveals-black-workforce-numbers-for-the-first-time/ https://fortune.com/2021/04/20/goldman-sachs-reveals-black-w... "Inside Goldman Sachs Group Inc., 1,548 U.S. executives, senior officials and managers run the bank. Of that group, 24 are Black men and 25 are Black women." 3%, versus about 15% of the US population.
- wolverine876 5y ago
  > No doubt that still happens but I don’t know how common that is? It's very well covered, researched, and discussed; ignorance doesn't relieve the problem or dismiss it. > There is a lot of race-baiting going on in the press which may give a skewed perspective of reality. That's your claim, a trendy one in some circles to blame 'the media', but it's not really substantiated, even by one study. African-Americans - the people with direct experience of it - have been telling the world about it for generations. Racism is getting worse as many people openly embrace it, including rapidly increasing hate crimes, overt statements by national leaders and other 'influencers', and far more. And every time, throughout history, the problem of racism is met with the same response - an effort to shut down the complaints.
  - vimy 5y ago
    I have read a lot of research about racism and I can only conclude that the media is not painting an accurate picture about it. If you want to challenge your views you could read some of Thomas Sowell’s work or from other black conservative thinkers.
- greedo 5y ago
  Ironic that you claim this when a Harvard professor was treated much more like a common criminal than a member of an elite institution. Perhaps it's not the color of skin in your example that matters, but the financial and social class. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/22/henry-louis-gates-arrested-at-home https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/22/henry-louis-ga...