Black Wealth, White Wealth: Quotes/Build

I'm not the best at reading these articles and coming up with clever blog posts, but reading some blogs before hand really opened up my mind to other arguments. Most of the time I just read to read and never make any connections in my mind. After reading Andreas blog I think I can relate to the page 12 quote because it did seem very odd to me as well.

Stated by Wilson in his book:

"The Declining Significance of Race, suggests that the racial barriers of the past are less important than present-day social class attributes in determining the economic life chances of black Americans." (pg. 12 Oliver & Shapiro)

This quote is very contradictive because how can they add this to their book when the point is to end inequality by not discriminating, when discrimination is the main point to why blacks don't have the skills or education to contribute to a changing economy. It is sad really to read that "racial barriers of the past are less important than present-day". We can't just believe that people are not being decimated like many were decimated in the past because it does not seem to make sense when we see it everyday, whether that be on the news, entertainment channels, or even just while trying to walk to our next class. Discrimination is not just something of the past, it still very much exists today and because of people like Wilson who think it's something of the past that should be considered wishful thinking. Because if it was something of the past I don't think we would be reading about and discussing about the fact that is not.

 "wealth reveals a particular network of social relations and a set of social circumstances that convey a unique constellation of meanings pertinent to race in America" (pg. 3 Oliver & Shapiro)

So what I got from this is that problems with the economy do not just come from racism, it also includes class. There are many factors to why Black Americans don't have as much wealth as Whites American do. I mean if we go back and realize that freed slaves were never given land like they were promised that sets them back because how are they going to make wealth if they don't have anything to being with. This was because of racial discrimination. We can't expect anybody to rise to the top if they are not given any type of help. The next quote I do feel like it is a tad bit harsh but it in fact does happen more often than we would like to think.

"With little or no access to jobs, trapped in poor areas with bad schools and little social and economic opportunity, members of the underclass resort to crime, drugs, and other forms of aber­rant behavior to make a living and eke Some degree of meaning out of their materially impoverished existence."
(pg. 33 Oliver & Shapiro)

I hate to say this is true but it is hard to say it isn't when I live in a city where it does not offer much opportunity to our members. I had friends that were doing so well and threw it all away because they fell into the world of drugs and realized they were making easy money, and that money kept them alive. A good example is when I was in 10th grade my best-friend and I were in track, and a friend of ours was the best weight thrower for the whole team. He was extremely funny and talented the only thing he was not the best when I came to academics. Slowly he was starting not to show up to practice and thought because he was the best he did not need to practice. Eventually he started to miss so much of the actual competitions he was kicked out of track, the coach didn't really care that he was the best, he cared that everyone showed up and did what they were suppose to do. And he didn't. His grades starting to slip and after some time he would not even show up to class. My best-friend and I heard that he had dropped out of high school and starting selling drugs. One of my favorite teachers from high school said he could have had a bright future ahead of him because he was so good at throwing weights. Coming from a poor city it is hard to not get mixed in with the wrong crowds. I believe that is what happened to this student he took the wrong path in life, and because of his foolishness he may not be respected like he was before. People will discriminate him because of the choices he's done, and that only hurts him more because he may not get a second chance to make up for his mistakes. Drugs is an easy way out of the hell that many Americans live everyday, but if we can't stop discrimination than we can't stop the bad choices that are being done.