Originally Posted by Elegiaque:
I have really mixed feelings about this... I want to share some of my thoughts and experiences, as it's quite challenging to talk about at home.
I'm against "patriotic" education. I hated having to say the pledge of allegiance every day. I think being humble and reflective about your country is more valuable. I have family that are so proud of being American, and I wish they would stop and consider why and have more global awareness of just how poor many things are and how they are wasting precious resources.
The recent case of a US professor being suspended because in a communication's class he used a Chinese phrase that sounded like an unacceptable word in English highlights how linguistically and culturally ignorant Americans tend to be. If America were more aware of how well so many alternative systems work in other countries -- including even China -- they would realize what a bad deal everyone has.
I think for equality to be achieved it needs to start at grassroots levels. The way our economy and cities are designed have prejudice inherently built into them. Take the car-centered city designs. To work, you will almost inevitably need to have a car because of the lack of public transportation infrastructure (that, also, would be impossible to build because of the sprawling nature of the cities). A car costs thousands of dollars and is an enormous upfront expense that's unachievable for the poorest, especially so if you're seeking employment. Even if you can get a car, you will have unexpected, costly repairs ($100s+). Car insurance costs adds monthly expenses. With a nasty web of traffic ordinances, traffic tickets are not uncommon, which -- disproportionate to their offense -- can costs hundreds of dollars unexpectedly and lead to arrest warrants if you do not pay on time (which could lead to jail, bail expenses). The expenses spiral out of control...and it's just for the basic right to be able to get to other places. The alternatives may be to walk or cycle, which automatically makes you "suspicious" because you're not of a class well off enough to have a car to drive. And that, I think, in the worst cases leads to some of these instances of police violence.
For the poorest, this is an awful system and a trap they can never escape from. In Europe and in much of Asia there would be public transportation or at least city design enabling the poorest to at least commute to seek out employment. These kinds of issues exist in America for things like health and access to healthy food; work conditions and benefits; etc.
Forget about race -- just look at the mechanics of how the cities and country runs and it's clear there will continue to be inequalities.
As for universities nitpicking, I think this gets problematic. I came from a poorer family and had no career or education support. a Mexican-American friend of mine came from an upper-middle class family, his parents had master's degrees. Because of the color of his skin, he was given a race-based scholarship to get his PhD, even though his parents could support him. While I was accepted to do my PhD, I was never given funding and my parents didn't have it either -- I don't have one. In the end, I've clearly worked my way up from my own inherent drive, but I believe there was some opaque ability to be able to work my way up probably because of my race. The point is, it's not only race that creates inequalities and if universities open this can of worms, they need to balance that well.
I just wish America would focus on having more class and realizing that the way we operate and develop needs to ensure that everyone has the opportunity -- down to the basic logistics -- to pursue a job, have job and income stability, and be able to afford everything they need, and have access to basic health necessities (including birth control). If everyone was shown that basic respect, it would resolve a lot of problem. From what I hear from some family members, they just don't see the need to offer that kind of respect to their fellow human beings, and that's disgraceful and -- coincidentally -- very un-Christian.
I've always believed American has somehow been hijacked by capitalism on steroids over the past decades. More is needed to keep corporations in check so that they are serving the public interest instead of leeching off society for the interest of a few (e.g. Amazon working conditions; fast food chains). This is why I was really sad Elizabeth Warren didn't make it further, as I think she has a vision to address this.
Add guns into the mix, and I've completely given up on America... Oh well.