Whenever I hear people saying that all Americans have the same opportunities and that everyone can "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" to create a better life, I think of all of these inequalities covered in this module. The facts are that the playing field is unfair. Institutionalized racism is in play for all minorities. Save your money and buy a house? Much easier said than done for some citizens. They do not have the same employment opportunities that white Americans do so most earn much less to save. On top of that, lending practices due to redlining and underlying biases make the dream unreachable. Bootstraps are a way to dismiss the inequities faced by many of our citizens. I appreciate seeing all of these shameful moments in our history collected together. It is a history we must face in order to move forward.
Great observation about that particular phrase, which I haven't heard too many people reference and yet it reverberates so deeply with a lot of this module 1 content. A perfect summation of the ways in which this history has been actively buried and how it affects us today. Thanks for this!
Boy, that is a phrase I soundly dislike! First of all, to have 'bootstraps' you need to have boots. Silly metaphor! Second, and this is more serious, NO ONE gets ahead without a hand up. NO ONE is "completely self made." NO ONE. Irish-American author Frank McCourt, who came from utter poverty and deprivation to become a well-respected high school teacher and eventually a best-selling writer, said in an interview that he would not have made it without help from many people in this country, from the Irish-American organizations to the person who let him talk his way into NYU. Everyone who is successful gets something from someone, a teacher, a mentor, a more influential friend, a supportive partner, a parent, a grandparent. The person who doesn't won't make it. The fewer resources available to someone, the fewer open doors, the harder it is for someone to succeed. Institutionalized racism in America has ensured that certain people are forbidden those opportunities (most extremely those who are Black and Native, but others as well) and so those people are less likely to succeed. They are therefore less likely to be seen as 'capable of success,' and therefore get less support, and so goes the spiral. That is something that needs to change. Those of us from 'somewhat marginalized' groups or 'formerly marginalized' groups--and I view myself as a Jew among those--should have a shred of understanding of this and have a responsibility to be aware and do what we can to help reshape the society so it is more equitable.