The history of the African American is a very delicate and controversial issue. The past injustices inflicted upon us have had a residual effect on our current disposition in America. I have chosen to analyze this sensitive issue by utilizing a universal academic discipline, economics.
There is an economic theory entitled the "catch up effect." This theory suggests that countries that start off poor tend to grow more rapidly than countries that start off rich.
The catch-up effect is applicable in other aspects of life. Let's look at a traditional high school end-of-year awards ceremony. One student is awarded "most improved." This student has shown the most academic progress throughout the school year. However, for a student to exhibit such exponential growth, he or she must have begun the year performing relatively poor.
The student with the best academic performance, typically near perfection, is awarded "valedictorian." He or she executed superb academic performance consistently throughout the entire school year. Unfortunately, the valedictorian consistency impedes on his or her growth. It is good to be "most improved," but Valedictorian trumps that achievement any day.
In reference to the African American race, we are the "most improved" student. The white American race is the valedictorian. We have irrefutably made the most progress, compared to any other race, throughout the past century. However, we can only be awarded "most improved" due to the state of destitution we were originally in. Historical occurrences have indisputably hindered and temporarily ceased our educational, financial, and societal growth as a whole.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the African American high school dropout rate has decreased from 19.1 percent in 1980, to 8.4 percent in 2007. In comparison to white Americans, whose high school dropout rate has decreased from 11.4 percent in 1980, to 5.3 percent in 2007. Yes, African Americans have had more growth in this discrete educational category. But white Americans still have a lower dropout rate.
Let's look at one more example. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of African Americans who were below the poverty level decreased from 32.5 percent in 1980, to 25.8 percent in 2009. Contrastingly, the percentage of white Americans who were below the poverty level increased from 10.2 percent in 1980, to 12.3percent in 2009. Once again African Americans have had more growth in regards to poverty, while white Americans poverty level have actually increased. Nevertheless, African Americans poverty level (as of 2009) is still 13.5 percent higher.
I juxtapose a universal economic theory with the African American race for one reason. Yes, I am extremely gratified with the growth and progress of the African American race. However, I strive to emphasize one point. Growth does not equate to equality.
jaanderson@bsu.edu
I think you have to be very careful with this thought, as human psyche generally seems to tend toward finding itself superior to other humans, for any number of reasons. Including, perhaps, a view of "more egalitarian than..."If you are attentive to a certain group of people's acting in their natural state, without recognizing the universality of the behavior, you might wrongly identify this behavior as either stronger in that group, and/or more pointedly aimed at yourself than what is consciously or subconsciously intended.Certainly, I think it becomes questionable, and very dangerous for the speakers, when people say things like, "it's a XYZ thing, so you can't understand." Really? Did human fear of isolation, or discomforting experience of weakness, become a factor only in relation to your situation? By such categorical separation, who are you serving, and what is the likely outcome? Again, what are you eating?
Presumption is that book learning is education. Is that a valid truth in all the implication in this great example of life? The Hebrews had a learning that they have still not forgotten almost 3kyears later, and which arguably shaped the jewish culture more than almost anything else on this planet.Second, when does a chase for equality choose to forget skin color? You will always have an inherent inequality while you look for divisible sets.