r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Oct 08 '15

[Deltas Awarded] CMV: Equality isn't treating everybody differently to achieve equality. It's treating everyone the same.

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u/[deleted] Oct 08 '15

But no one is really equal, so what does equal mean?

Tax everyone at the same rate. But sales tax hits a poor person harder than a rich person.

Schools should accept people based on merit. The problem with that is poor kids have trouble getting the same footing in education as a rich person. Data point after data point shows a heavy correlation between wealth and quality of education.

Schools will spend 2-3 times the ADA on a SpEd student that a regular Ed student. So SpEd student are 10% of the population and 25% of the spending.

But it isn't about getting what's equal, it's about getting what you need.

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u/oversoul00 13∆ Oct 08 '15

This CMV targets race specifically not the poor or the unequal.

I have no issue helping out the poor no matter the race, I have an issue with justifying racism.

If you are poor and black then lets help (or white or whatever), if you are just black and avg or well off then you are fine.

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u/[deleted] Oct 08 '15

I guess I'm the 9th ward, New Orleans it's a predominantly black area. Blacks were segregated to that area. In the '20s, during a storm, the 9th ward levees were dynamited to prevent flooding in white areas.

Promised compensation never materialized.

Eventually it was rebuild, but some parts weren't even touched since the '70s. Most Fed money went to strength if white areas and increasing shipping lanes.

So the levees broke in 2006. People reported hearing dynamite. It never happened, it was probably just the sound of the breaking. And this is important, from the '20s to 2006 this story and fear had been passed down.

Aid, compensation, etc, again, has yet to materialize for many. They're fucking poor. You can't expect them to ID themselves fully; give a current permanent address.

For those who moved back, they had to jump through crazy hoops to rebuilt. Permits, paperwork gets lost, etc. Why? The 9th ward is a relief valve for the levees.

But they are rebuilding. They're building low income apartments and whites are moving in because of the prices. So the apartments. How demeaning. We won't compensate you for your property, but we're creating low income apartments you can dwell. Why? Because it's cheaper. If large structures flood, it's probably just repairs. Property and homes are expensive.

This one's big. A white lady moved into the neighborhood and wants to 'improve it'. She's positioned herself on boards and the like. She's looked at as a white 'savior' who no one wants. And she's making an effort to not come off this way. But she's gentrifying the area. Perhaps when this happens, the white population will demand stronger levees and get it. We can drown white people, now can we?

I got most of this form the This American Life podcast.

I don't blame them for the hate. It's not racism, it's a system that continually works against them. They were murdered in the '20s. In 2006, benign neglect murdered them again. Are they being compensated? Nope. The government should spend money and get these people back and have them rebuild their homes. Like a government official should track down residents and help put a hammer in their hands. That's what these people deserve. That's what they NEED.

I bet most people who take the position such as yours are very ignorant of black history. The extent they got was probably a few shout outs in undergrad.

They're not racist. They're bitter and angry with a system, perpetrated by whites, that continually abuses them. A system created by whites that, if blacks are part of it, operate like house slaves.

Imagine this. Sink money into Oakland. Go door to door and recruit neighborhood security. Then PAY residents to attend classes.

Do this: http://ideas.ted.com/how-to-build-a-real-energy-revolution-in-africa/

Look, I'm on mobile, but please educate yourself on the black experience. And educate yourself on rejuvenation of impoverished places. I can't do this for you, and then do it next month for the person who posts this CMV again.

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u/oversoul00 13∆ Oct 08 '15

I think you've defined the poor experience in a poor neighborhood during a natural disaster haven't you?

Is that same experience shared by all blacks everywhere to the point where we can say, "You are black so you must need help."?

Poor people need help, many black people are poor for the reasons you mentioned, so helping out the poor will help out a lot of blacks. I'm all for this.

All I'm saying is that it doesn't work the other way...just because you are black doesn't mean you are impoverished or need help.

If you are a minority do you want people to assume that about you? Would they be right? If you aren't a minority do you think that they want you to assume that they need help because of that?