The whole discussion strikes me as almost irrelevant given that what should be is overwhelmed by what is - the example you give of housing prejudice is a matter of human nature. The idea that a landlord would not discriminate on the basis of the accent of the caller strikes me as impossible idealism, unachievable in American society and unenforceable in law.
It's complicated by the very good possibility that the landlord may be making a choice that is not prejudicial in the sense of being rooted in ignorance or false beliefs, but one that is rational and economically beneficial to him. His idea that people that "sound black" are less likely to pay their rent on time could well be rooted in experience. Not acknowledging this makes any argument about what he "should" be doing sound kind of hollow.
Overcoming racial discrimination isn't just a matter of everyone being nice. It's also a matter of white people making concrete sacrifices to make it happen.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2006-01-16 04:56 pm (UTC)It's complicated by the very good possibility that the landlord may be making a choice that is not prejudicial in the sense of being rooted in ignorance or false beliefs, but one that is rational and economically beneficial to him. His idea that people that "sound black" are less likely to pay their rent on time could well be rooted in experience. Not acknowledging this makes any argument about what he "should" be doing sound kind of hollow.
Overcoming racial discrimination isn't just a matter of everyone being nice. It's also a matter of white people making concrete sacrifices to make it happen.