A lot of what we consider to be racism can actually be tied to socioeconomic status. Because wealth remains disproportionate, this means that minorities are more likely to struggle with socioeconomic status than white families. I have no intention of pretending that racism doesn't exist, but I prefer to differentiate between these two concepts. There is clearly an overlap between socioeconomic status and what we consider to be racism. I would even say that addressing socioeconomic status could help us deal with racism.
If we could increase economic mobility, fewer black families would live in poverty. This could provide many benefits. For example, families living in poverty are more likely to be desperate. This can potentially increase crime rates. Higher economic mobility could lead to black families living in safer communities and diminishing stereotypes regarding violence.
I also want to point out the opposite side of wealth. We do not have enough black CEOs of multi-national corporations. This is another area of change that I think could help with racial perceptions. I should clarify that I do not believe in affirmative action. I want black people to succeed because they have equal opportunity to succeed, not because we feel obligated to compensate for perceived but fictitious inferiority.
If we want economic mobility, we need to move away from the flawed and inequitable concept of credentialism. The rise of colleges gave wealthy families a shortcut to success. They could simply buy success.
There are some who think that pushing credentials harder will improve economic mobility, but this is simply not true. Increasing credentials results in credential inflation. Few jobs would become available with just a college degree. We have already seen this in our K-12 system. There is no reason to believe that treating college the same way as high school will produce the exact opposite results. Also, families who come from disadvantaged backgrounds will never win in a credentialist arms race.
Prohibiting highly capable individuals from contributing to society is not the answer. Instead, we need to establish alternative pathways to success. We need to move away from heavy-handed credentialism.
The schooling system behind credentialism has been disastrous for economic mobility. By extension, they have hindered the ability of minorities to improve their socioeconomic status. They are disproportionately harming minorities. What does this mean? By liberal standards, our schooling system is very racist.
I also want to point out the opposite side of wealth. We do not have enough black CEOs of multi-national corporations. This is another area of change that I think could help with racial perceptions. I should clarify that I do not believe in affirmative action. I want black people to succeed because they have equal opportunity to succeed, not because we feel obligated to compensate for perceived but fictitious inferiority.
If we want economic mobility, we need to move away from the flawed and inequitable concept of credentialism. The rise of colleges gave wealthy families a shortcut to success. They could simply buy success.
There are some who think that pushing credentials harder will improve economic mobility, but this is simply not true. Increasing credentials results in credential inflation. Few jobs would become available with just a college degree. We have already seen this in our K-12 system. There is no reason to believe that treating college the same way as high school will produce the exact opposite results. Also, families who come from disadvantaged backgrounds will never win in a credentialist arms race.
Prohibiting highly capable individuals from contributing to society is not the answer. Instead, we need to establish alternative pathways to success. We need to move away from heavy-handed credentialism.
The schooling system behind credentialism has been disastrous for economic mobility. By extension, they have hindered the ability of minorities to improve their socioeconomic status. They are disproportionately harming minorities. What does this mean? By liberal standards, our schooling system is very racist.
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