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It doesn't matter if that felony happened three weeks ago or thirty-five years ago - for the rest of your life, you've got to check that box, knowing full well the odds are sky-high your application is going straight to the trash.
Michelle Alexander
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the long-lasting consequences of past mistakes and how they can affect one's future opportunities.

Michelle Alexander's quote emphasizes the enduring impact of a past felony on an individual's life. It illustrates the societal stigma that persists despite the passage of time, suggesting that having a criminal record can unfairly diminish one's chances of success and acceptance in society. The metaphorical 'box' that needs to be checked signifies the burden of a criminal history, while the phrase 'odds are sky-high' reflects the pervasive discrimination faced by those with such a background.

Themes

FelonyConsequencesCriminal RecordOpportunitySocietyStigma

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about criminal justice reform, this quote can illustrate the need for second chances.

More from Michelle Alexander

In 2004, there were more black men disenfranchised than in 1870 - the year the 15th Amendment was ratified, prohibiting laws that deny the right to vote exclusively on the basis of race.
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My experience and research has led me to the regrettable conclusion that our system of mass incarceration functions more like a caste system than a system of crime prevention or control.
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The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid. In Washington, D.C., our nation’s capitol, it is estimated that three out of four young black men (and nearly all those in the poorest neighborhoods) can expect to serve time in prison.
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We have avoided in recent years talking openly and honestly about race out of fear that it will alienate and polarize. In my own view, it’s our refusal to deal openly and honestly with race that leads us to keep repeating these cycles of exclusion and division, and rebirthing a caste-like system that we claim we’ve left behind
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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
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There has been an outpouring of anger and concern because of the actions of George Zimmerman, a private citizen who profiled a young boy and pursued him and tried to confront him, perhaps. But what George Zimmerman did is no different than what police officers do every day as a matter of standard operating procedure.
Michelle AlexanderRead

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