The New Racism and Punishment: “Facing the Facts” of Cultural Difference

Riccio, Michael

The New Racism and Punishment: “Facing the Facts” of Cultural Difference

Files

2013RiccioM_thesis.pdf(260.93 KB)

2013RiccioM_release.pdf(22.86 KB)

Date

2013

Authors

Riccio, Michael

Advisor

Gould, Mark

Department

Haverford College. Department of Sociology

Type

Thesis

Language

eng

Access Restrictions

Dark Archive

Terms of Use

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/

Abstract

Most Americans today believe that racism was a problem overcome by the civil rights movement, and what social inequalities remain today can be overcome through hard work and persistence. While contemporary African Americans enjoy full inclusion under the egalitarian values articulated in the constitution, a new type of racism flourishes today that is built upon this same egalitarian commitment. The “new racism” is essentially the belief that there is equal opportunity and groups that tend not to succeed are inhibited by their culture. Instead of questioning the “neutral” structure of institutions, Americans tend to find fault with the individual who does not perform well. Employers see themselves as facing the fact that in a competitive market, they are constrained to pick the most productive workers, so it is not their job to hire from different social groups when there is greater risk involved in doing so. This type of racism that disadvantages different cultures is an operative mechanism for explaining poor performances of poor inner city black people. By extension, might this type of racism help explain the disproportionate incarceration of poor inner city black people? Do governments cut funding for opportunity structures for poor inner city black folk and instead direct it towards prisons? While this comparative study between public school funding in Philadelphia and Chester County reveals relatively little, a more thorough analysis would likely reveal that budget cuts or plateaus might be legitimated by appealing to neoclassical economic theory.