- Sep 26, 2000
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If you are like me, over 50, you remember what America was like in the 70's.
Three very controversial things changed America to the point we elected a black man.
Affirmitive Action
When the U.S. and the states first implemented affirmitive action many Americans worked in either all white or all black busienesses. If they were integrated businesses the were still stratified with blacks restricted to certain jobs, especially ones where they didn't have to interact with whites on an equal basis. While clearly some less qualified blacks were hired and some better qualified whites were discriminated against, and there was much resentment for quite awhile. But as time went buy black and white learned to work together for the first time.
School Bussing
When it was first used the outcry was huge. In fact, it was the root of Nixons southern strategy and is the reason the South turned solidly Republican. And just like with affirmitive action it took awhile, but now its accepted that when you go to school you will interract with members of both races.
Political Correctness
This was a biggie. While many people made fun of the more extreme applications, including me, this had a huge effect on the socially acceptable racism that existed in the workplace, etc for generations. People who routinely used racial epithets at work, in the media, etc became rarer and rarer. In fact, it was the lack of overt racism that really made it hard to judge how much racism actually still existed, since it was forced from view. Apparently, when you don't hear racist remarks in public quite as much, and don't hear it from your boss, your political leaders, etc the re-inforcement is not there internally.
Now I am fully execting people to start with the instances of unfairness, the instances of absurdness in political correctness, etc.
But the RESULT of these three actions showed that if you put blacks and whites together at school and at work and socially pressure them to be respectful it actually CAN and DID change peoples attitudes.
Three very controversial things changed America to the point we elected a black man.
Affirmitive Action
When the U.S. and the states first implemented affirmitive action many Americans worked in either all white or all black busienesses. If they were integrated businesses the were still stratified with blacks restricted to certain jobs, especially ones where they didn't have to interact with whites on an equal basis. While clearly some less qualified blacks were hired and some better qualified whites were discriminated against, and there was much resentment for quite awhile. But as time went buy black and white learned to work together for the first time.
School Bussing
When it was first used the outcry was huge. In fact, it was the root of Nixons southern strategy and is the reason the South turned solidly Republican. And just like with affirmitive action it took awhile, but now its accepted that when you go to school you will interract with members of both races.
Political Correctness
This was a biggie. While many people made fun of the more extreme applications, including me, this had a huge effect on the socially acceptable racism that existed in the workplace, etc for generations. People who routinely used racial epithets at work, in the media, etc became rarer and rarer. In fact, it was the lack of overt racism that really made it hard to judge how much racism actually still existed, since it was forced from view. Apparently, when you don't hear racist remarks in public quite as much, and don't hear it from your boss, your political leaders, etc the re-inforcement is not there internally.
Now I am fully execting people to start with the instances of unfairness, the instances of absurdness in political correctness, etc.
But the RESULT of these three actions showed that if you put blacks and whites together at school and at work and socially pressure them to be respectful it actually CAN and DID change peoples attitudes.
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