Half a century has passed since Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, a passage of time symbolized by a Black man sworn in as president on a holiday celebrating Dr. King's birthday. Yet it would be naïve to suggest that racism is now something in our past; that Dr. King's hope that people would be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin has become everyday reality.
Racism is so woven into the fabric of society that it is sadly comprehensible that two generations of civil rights struggle has not eradicated it. The contradictions that swirl around a subject that is still uncomfortable for most to discuss were captured in a New York Times survey published last week. The survey asked a series of questions related to the "stop and frisk" tactic used by the New York City Police Department in which police officers routinely stop young people on the street and search them.
That majorities could simultaneously acknowledge racial bias and support the police chief responsible for a practice that most exemplifies that bias demonstrates that regressive attitudes like racism retain a strong social hold.
To read the full article, please go to  http://wp.me/p2cpPS-4d
|
homepage:
Classism is endorsed by Atheists as Social Darwinism,
by Christians as Dispensationalism,
by Jews as the Chosen People meme,
by Hindus as the Caste System and an enherited "Meritocracy",
and by Buddhists who disregard the teaching of Compassion.
American Conservatives and Limousine Liberals both endorse Classism as Social Darwinism or Manifest Destiny. That's why we have US Imperialism, Economic Hit Men, and the US/NATO wars of aggression to control the resource-rich Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.
"Trickle-down economics" doesn't work to uplift the masses - which is proved by the fact that as the rich keep getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. The gap between the world's rich and poor is at an all-time high, but there has been no "trickle-down." Nor will there be any "trickle-down." The only sure way to get money (and power) from the rich is to tax it out of them.
Is there a solution? Yes. We can eliminate extreme wealth through taxation, making everyone Middle Class, with incomes between 25,000 and 250,000. We can provide free education (including grad school for those who demonstrate talent and application) and a guaranteed right to work for all citizens (by adjusting the work week to provide full employment). Capitalism can continue, but the Capitalists will all be middle or lower income investors; the stocks will be held by a large number of small investors instead of a small number of large investors.