What was Lou going to say? Probably going to go into one of his not so subtle rants full of hate with a light touch of racism for the masses....
You know what, this is exactly what's wrong with America today when it comes to race and a slew of other issues, everything is about "ME". The whole issue of race, goes the logic, is moot because "I'm cool" and have grown beyond race....
Here's the thing folks, and for all of us that will someday find, or have found, ourselves on the other side of a coin with more privilege, ITS NOT ABOUT YOU! PERIOD. (well, unless you're a sexist, racist, or any other form of loser, then it is about you)
But let's stop, because its not me making up these next statistics....
So the thing is, even if you are "cool" and with it, and even if the whole issue of race isn't "about you", what is your enlightened and "cool" self going to do about this and the fact that race is still an issue in this country.
- The national incarceration rate for whites is 412 per 100,000 residents, compared to 2,290for African Americans, and 742 for Hispanics.9 These figures mean that 2.3% of all African Americans are incarcerated, compared to 0.4% of whites and 0.7% of Hispanics. (Sentencing Project) (If current trends continue, 1 0f every 3 black babies born today can expect to go through the criminal system, 1 IN 3!!!!)
- In Education, of current 16-24 yr. old students, a total of 9.4 % are expected to drop out. People, that's horrible. To make it worst, Hispanics are expected to dropout at an astounding 22% and black students are expected to drop out at slightly above 10%
If, as Lou Dobbs seems to believe, we have indeed reached a point where we want to claim that race isn't an issue in this country, then it is our responsibility and our moral obligation to ensure that there are no systematic traces of racism, sexism, or any other form of intolerance in the institutions we have built. You may disagree, but I think there's work to be done.
More on this later....
cej
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