Bending Over Backwards
There’s an odd phenomenon that worries me since it’s becoming more prevalent than ever before. Some of it seems to be a human characteristic… at least, a trait of caring humans… and leads to unanticipated results that are entirely opposed to what is really desired.
When “good people” see a wrong, they tend to want to “right it” but often go beyond just doing that, they also try to compensate or “pay for” the wrong. The former is far easier than the latter which, while that may be possible in specific cases, it is a very difficult task when attempted on a group, or class, of people.
Take, for example, slavery in the United States. Truly, no man should be slave to another. The founders of our country included those fundamental words in our Constitution: “all men are created equal”. Indeed, though, it was not possible to successfully bind together all the states with anything more than those words… slavery was not abolished when America broke with England. That took many more years and a Civil War, but it was eventually specifically addressed in the 13th Constitutional amendment. And there is no slavery in our country today.
Fast forward many years: statistical information indicating certain minorities, such as “black people” (the common term at the time) were disadvantaged. Concluding it was due to their heritage, certain groups began to put forth that this minority should begin to receive preferential treatment in some areas, such as in education and the workplace. Actual quotas were implemented. Although these actions may have been well intended, the unintended consequences greatly diluted the objectives sought. Busing children to schools outside their neighborhoods place an additional burden on the closeness of their families; colleges and employers, having a limited number of openings, had to select some applicants over others who were better qualified, which led to additional discontent. If all men really are equal, preferential treatment to “make up” for past acts is a poor solution: two wrongs do not make a right.
More than 150 years after emancipation, there are still problems in our society with prejudice as well as real and perceived disadvantages currently suffered by “African Americans” (the current term for this group). Since legislation specifically targeting these problems has yet to achieve success, especially after so many decades and so much effort, my faith in such programs is virtually nil. Frankly, I would expect the affected minorities to feel the same, though it doesn’t seem to be the case.
I do not support programs that have at their base a preference for one race (or group) over another. Such an approach is inherently unfair and has no history of success. Instead, I would prefer to see programs that would put power into the hands of all people, and I would start with school vouchers. Whether black or white, rich or poor, giving vouchers to all families with children so THEY could decide where they want to send their kids to school… where THEY believe they will be treated most fairly… where THEY believe the best value will be received. The pivotal difference in this approach is obvious: it is the difference between being a dependent and a customer. This is the direction our efforts should take and, in my opinion, greater success will be attained in a much shorter timeframe than what has taken place for many, many decades.
Is there room for improvement? Certainly. There is ALWAYS room for improvement in any endeavor. Perfection is a great goal but it is almost never seen in reality.
Are things better now? Absolutely. There are minorities who are millionaires and there are minorities in the middle class. There are minorities attending my church and shopping at my supermarket.
Should African Americans who are descendants of slaves be grateful for living in a great country or resent the fact that slavery continued in its early years? Only they can answer that question but should think about this:
Right or wrong, it is highly probable the founders would not have been able to reach unity if the abolishment of slavery were a requirement of our declaration of independence. The new nation would have not been created. Given the significant influence the development of our country had on the world… the leadership we displayed in many, many areas… it is entirely conceivable that slavery could still exist today had the United States not forged the road toward equal rights!
For all the people who bash our great country, think of what the world would be like today if the U.S.A. had never existed. Be honest, now! Don’t skew this vision toward YOUR prejudice. Think rationally and logically. Don’t give a casual response because this is a far-reaching question with a multitude of factors.
I firmly believe the entire world is much better place than it otherwise would have been. I’m also confident most people, all over the world, despite being beneficiaries, are either ungrateful or unaware of how much of a POSITIVE impact our country has had on their lives.
