I maintain that the period during the first half of the 1990s, the period in which rising inequality reached its peak, was a period in which we came very, very close to a demagogic immobilization of racism in this society.
Interpretation
William Julius Wilson reflects on a crucial time in the 1990s when economic inequality and racism were at their peak in society.
This quote highlights the relationship between economic inequality and racism, suggesting that during the early 1990s, America faced a dangerous escalation of racial tensions fueled by rising disparities. Wilson emphasizes that this period was marked by a stagnation in addressing racial issues, potentially leading to a societal crisis if not recognized and remedied.
In practice
This quote can be used in a lecture addressing the intersections of race and economic inequality.
I don't think we should stop emphasizing race because I think, you know, race is still very, very important, and we have to recognize that and continue to introduce programs to address racial inequities. But we have to widen our vision and also address the growing problems of economic class.
During the Great Depression, African Americans were faced with problems that were not unlike those experienced by the most disadvantaged groups in society. The Great Depression had a leveling effect, and all groups really experienced hard times: poor whites, poor blacks.
We have become more and more not a nation of athletes but a nation of spectators.
It's like, hmm, there's people with $2000 weaves that could have bought health care with that weave money. They don't have insurance. People want what they want. And I guess that is a reason we have this big credit card problem and a lot of these foreclosures.
Extreme poverty is the best breeding ground on earth for disease, political instability, and terrorism.
The historical basis for the gap between the black middle class and underclass shows that ending discrimination, by itself, would not eradicate black poverty and dysfunction. We also need intervention to promulgate a middle-class ethic of success among the poor, while expanding opportunities for economic betterment.
Some people think that poor people are lazy. Actually, it takes a lot of work to survive when you are dirt-poor.
I think we have lost our groove as a country. One of the reasons was the attack on 9/11. We got knocked off our game. From a country that always exported hope we went into the business of exporting fear.
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