Friday, September 02, 2016

Legacies of Slavery









Shelterdog said...

I agree with most of your article, but quibble with a few points.
First, I'm not sure I agree that the election of 1876 was as pivotal in the post-Civil War suppression of blacks in the South as you imply. Jim Crow laws were fairly slow in coming about (mostly in the depression of the 1890s), and of course, federal facilities in the South weren't segregated until Woodrow Wilson.
The rise in crime in the sixties didn't merely coincide with the Civil Rights movement, it also coincided with the explosive increase in the use of illegal drugs--and I think was more attributable to the latter. And, of course, the Vietnam War and the protests led to a general increase in lawlessness due to diminished legitimacy of government. Those who opposed racial equality used the rise in crime as an excuse to resist desegregation. So "law and order" was code, as was "forced busing." These code words were used to prey upon the fears or many whites, to help re-segregate the nation via "white flight" and a dramatic rise in private schools.
I also take slight issue over the suggestion that pro-equality Southerns leaders, such as Estes Kefauver, vanished with the advent of the Civil Rights movement. How about Terry Sanford or Al Gore Sr.? Most of them vanished by the late 60s, but it wasn't long after that they were replaced by the new generation of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and a few others.

David Kaiser said...

To Shelterdog:

I should not have to point out to you, a trial lawyer, that the word "coincide" does not in the least imply causality and should not be so interpreted. It means, correctly in this case, that two things--the Civil Rights Movement and a remarkable increase in the rate of violent crime--were happening at the same time. Yes, so was the Vietnam War. But I don't think that anyone understands exactly why crime increased so much at that point. It clearly has something to do with the characteristics of our own generation, but exactly what, I couldn't say.

ed boyle said...

So the mass enslavement(imprisonment withforced labor),ghettoization, in harlem, south side chicago, south central l.a as no go areas ruled by gangs(stereotypes from bygone?) and massive fear tactics by law enforcement, NRA are just extending historical trends froom old south nationwide, dividing the country permanently on a racial basis wherever a black tries to make himself or herself present as part of community. Middle class exists of course, black suburbs,black professionals and rising intermarriage and white poverty and crime is a real issue as well. Immigrant poverty, crime, etc. one would have to look at regional demographics, crime, poverty, etc. of latinos, etc. My main worry is clinton and co. as warfare, wall street toadies. Minorities don't get much from big banks. Giuliani's law and order push cleaned up and civilized poor neighbourhoods which let business bloom for minorities but only in NYC. Chicago is going downhill for example due to democrat corruption. Better brutal repubs than hypocrite dems for blacks and whites. See example of putin, giuliani, soft facsism so to speak.

Gloucon X said...


But if an era of tribalism, of lack of belief in reason, and of no common national purpose has also been an era of enormous wealth accruing to the nation’s economic elites, then why would they want to change it? If the only people who truly matter are benefiting from this state of affairs, then policies to maintain it, or even expand it, are sure to follow. I expect the coming decades to be even more tribal, irrational, and purposeless.