No nude, however abstract, should fail to arouse in the spectator some vestige of erotic feeling, even if it be only the faintest shadow - and if it does not do so it is bad art and false morals.
Kenneth ClarkRead
The recognized achievements of some Negroes, despite rigid racial barriers, indicate that society by its prejudices may be depriving itself of valuable contributions from many others. It is now doubtful whether America can afford the luxury of such a waste of human resources.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the loss to society when it overlooks the contributions of marginalized groups due to prejudice.
Kenneth Clark's quote emphasizes the detrimental impact of racial discrimination, suggesting that the achievements of a few individuals from marginalized communities showcase the potential that society at large is missing out on. It warns that such prejudice could lead to significant waste of human talent and resources, urging a reevaluation of societal attitudes toward race in America.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech promoting diversity and inclusion in workplaces.
No nude, however abstract, should fail to arouse in the spectator some vestige of erotic feeling, even if it be only the faintest shadow - and if it does not do so it is bad art and false morals.
Racial prejudices are indication of a disturbed and potentially unstable society.
When you ask people to name victims of police brutality, for the most part, nobody will give you a woman's name.
No other country in the world imprisons so many of its racial or ethnic minorities. The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid
When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering, and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick.
In a sense the quest for the emancipation of black people in the U.S. has always been a quest for economic liberation which means to a certain extent that the rise of black middle class would be inevitable.
When I worked as a prosecutor in Richmond, Virginia in the 1990s, that city, like so much of America, was experiencing horrific levels of violent crime. But to describe it that way obscures an important truth: for the most part, white people weren't dying; black people were dying. Most white people could drive around the problem.
Hence I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight.
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