Multi-Cultural Anticipation
Posted: Sunday, December 06, 2009
by Gregory Lewis
PopGnosis
Post war entertainment reflected an American ideal, a mythology of perfection. With the settled peace of World War II and a resurgent period of industrial prosperity, the skeletons were kept quietly in the closet of such pastoral black & whites as Leave It to Beaver, Daddy Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, and I Love Lucy. Such idealization of the functional family unit is a backbone of modern polemic, incorporated into a platform that not only views the absence of change as normal, but consciously denies the changing face of America.
The typical welfare beneficiary is the single white mother. When Social Security is factored in as a welfare program, white people in general dominate the benefits. The data skews toward Blacks in urban areas, for the reason that Blacks tend to centralize in locations with the bigger job market, areas which are more vulnerable to economic downturn.
"The assumption is that when you speak of welfare, you're speaking of Black people," said Dr. Mary Frances Berry, former Chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. However, Whites receive more than half of the checks distributed under the auspices of Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
In the mid 1990s, with a population of 262 million, 73.6% were White, 12% Black, 10% Latin American, and 3.3% of Asian ancestry. Census data from 1990 reveals there were 1.5 million interracial couples, with 2 million children. That total had tripled from the decade before, which itself was a doubling of the decade before that one. By 2050, Latinos are projected to comprise 25% of the U.S. population, the Black population will remain stable at 12-13%, and Asians will rise to about 8%. In a population expected to reach 394 million, Whites will occupy only half of those under age 18, but three fourths of those over 65.
For the poor, government is seen as an ally or advocate to their well-being. To the fortunate, government is a burden, until it serves their interests as it did with Iraq War military expenditures. In 1989, the top 1% of American households possessed nearly 40% of its wealth. The top 20% owned 80% of everything. This schism of rich versus poor is a clear indicator of the end of the traditionally held ideal of the American Dream. In exchange, we leave our children a violent world lacking promise of upward mobility, education, and equanimity.
America is becoming a colorful land. Those who continue to deny the change, or worse, reject it, will be afraid to leave their own homes for fear of close encounters of the different kind. That may be a relief to the rest of us who embrace the beauty of cultural diversity.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Great article!"In 1989, the top 1% of American households possessed nearly 40% of its wealth. The top 20% owned 80% of everything"This situation isn't even good for the rich when you think about - they'll be living in a country with lots of poor, desperate people (and the crime that can entail), and will have to spend their time locked up behind massive security fences, afraid to even walk around large parts of the country they live in.Ok, they'll have all kinds of luxury behind their security fences, but they will have paid for it with their freedom.Tax the rich heavily, and use the money to help the poor and build a better society (and better infrastructure). That's in everyone's interests, even the rich people's.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks for the comment Ben. So-called "trickle down" theory turned out to be "trickle up" instead, until the middle class and everyone below them became trickled out.We're presently going through a rebirthing pain. The new look to society will be a relief to the many, a grievance to the few.Please log in to respond to this comment.Probably true.... but the few have had things their own way for too long, so its only fair the many get a turn at last :)Please log in to respond to this comment.
Great insight Greg. Class warfare has been going on forever, we never seem to learn. "Let them eat cake!"
The pursuit of pleasure always backfires in time, but when I mention restraint and purity of heart and the goal of perfection as a human being, which includes generosity and broadmindedness, I am scorned and ignored :)
Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks for reading, e-Ray. You aren't scorned and ignored by those who matter most. :-)Please log in to respond to this comment.You da man!Please log in to respond to this comment.When Marie Antoinette said that, the exact definition of 'cake' was the burnt remnants of bread crumbs left in the oven after baking and after the bread was removed from the oven.Most people do not know that.This statement then reflects that she was not out of touch but more cruel than aloof and in her parallel Republican Conservative status of wealth.Most welfare recipients are children under the age of twelve; when people like Conservatives complain about welfare wastes going only to minorities they are uninformed and out of touch as well as cruel.Please log in to respond to this comment.Your comments are always welcome here Paul.Please log in to respond to this comment.et tu, brute'!Please log in to respond to this comment.
On point and brilliantly stated G. I have been writing about these things for years and have been teaching them as well.The work that I am engaged in (anti-racism & cultural proficiency) would be close to obsolete if more people understood one half of what you wrote.I am blessed by your critical voice G. Thanks for sharing.Please log in to respond to this comment.Your work inspires me to follow suit, Edward, more than I've ever given you credit for. When I read your stuff Edward, I'm thinking, "Yeah, that's it! This is what I want to write about. This is what I believe in." Ultimately I hope to be able to counsel in a multi-cultural environment, like Miami. It is a beautiful place, Edward. There is Little Havana, Little Haiti, Miami Beach. It's so full of life there, and people doing their own thing, you wouldn't believe it.Please log in to respond to this comment.
G,Nice article! Definitely thought provoking. It always saddens me when people discuss welfare and immediately think of Black People.God Bless,- KPlease log in to respond to this comment.
K,We're trying to change the world one reader at a time. Thanks for reading,- GPlease log in to respond to this comment.
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