The Fate of Racism
A new debate: How much does it hold blacks back? Is it fading away?
D'Souza concedes that the exploitation of racial paranoia has been an effective political strategy. But persisting in an obsession with the last remnants of racism, he contends, is unlikely to raise blacks' cultural standards so they can truly compete for their fair share of the American dream. It's an argument Booker T. Washington very likely would have embraced. And latter-day W.E.B. Du Boises have to contend with.
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[Illustration captions]: SCENE 1 A young African-American man has been passed by five empty cabs. It's after midnight; he's bitter. Those cabbies know they can be fined for not stopping, but each fears he might have to drive to the ghetto and therefore rationalizes: "I'd rather be fined than have my wife a widow."
Blacks make up 12 percent of the population but 44 percent of arrests for violent crimes. Driving a cab is the riskiest job in the country.
SCENE 2 A black physician is driving to a late shift at the hospital. He is breaking no laws, but a white policeman spots him in his new car and pulls him over. The cop reasons: It's OK to offend an innocent citizen's feelings once in a while in order to keep the community safe. The driver seethes at being stereotyped.
African-American adults are arrested for a disproportionate share of property crimes, including 2 of every 5 automobile thefts.
SCENE 3 A young professional couple have their eyes on a tidy bungalow in a largely black neighborhood of a large city. They have good credit, but their loan application is rejected. The loan officer is worried about risking the bank's money in a neighborhood with a few boarded-up homes and lots of renters.
Blacks are rejected for mortgages at twice the rate of whites. The denial rate is higher in minority-occupied neighborhoods.
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