How can country be racist if its people are not?
A country is not defined by skyscrapers or cattle ranches or foundries. It is not defined by spacious skies and amber plains, or even its system of government.
A nation is defined by its citizens; its people determine whether a country is optimistic, educated, hard-working, fair-minded and … whether it is racist.
Surely a country cannot be racist if its people twice elected a Black president or if they back policies demanding equality. We have laws banning discrimination, we have jury trials that convict White cops who kill Black men, and we have schools, religious institutions, neighborhoods and political parties that are open to all.
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One indication that the U.S. is not racist is this: even though Whites constitute 60% of all Americans, and presumably control many levers of power, they are not the most prosperous group, as measured by median household income.
Indeed, it is Indian Americans who earn by far the highest incomes in the U.S., at more than $ 119,000, followed by Taiwanese Americans, Filipino Americans and Chinese Americans. White Americans are only the ninth most prosperous group, with median incomes just shy of $ 66,000, according to Census Bureau data.
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Black Americans rank last, with median average income of $ 41,500, but it is hard to conclude this reveals bigotry, when other non-White ethnic groups fare well. In addition, studies from a few years ago showed Black immigrants earning 30% more than native-born Blacks; that suggests skin color is not the only issue.
Biden made his head-spinning comment in an interview with NBC, when asked to respond to the declaration by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., that “America is not a racist country.” Twice the president agreed with the Republican senator from South Carolina.
Vice President Kamala Harris said something similar recently, telling ABC News, “I don’t think America is a racist country, but we also do have to speak the truth about the history of racism in our country and its existence today.”
Maybe Biden and Harris are back-peddling because they realize they have overplayed the race card. Polling shows Americans’ concern about racism has dropped sharply in recent months, even as worries about immigration, unemployment and budget deficits have soared.
Race is important to Democrats, who count on receiving roughly 90% of the Black vote.
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