Oppression Is No Longer the Issue

Several weeks ago, I presented a paper on the evolution of modern morality at a sociological conference in Cleveland.  The reception, for the most part, was positive.  An exception arose toward the end, when a listener cautioned me that I must not neglect the persistence of racial oppression.

Nowadays, we keep hearing this mantra in sports stadiums where professional athletes claim to be protesting the same phenomenon.  These football players may be earning millions of dollars a year, but they portray themselves as little more than modern-day slaves.

At the conference, I tried to explain that “oppression” is not what it used to be.  I must confess, however, that I did not do a good job.  In retrospect, I sounded condescending.  Precisely because I was attempting to avoid giving insult, my words lacked sincerity.

I should have been more direct.  Had I done so, I would have asserted that oppression is no longer the issue.  Neither blacks, nor women, nor gays are experiencing the kind of subjugation that was once prevalent.  They are not being subjected to cruel punishments nor categorically denied an opportunity to follow their dreams.

Don’t get me wrong.  Prejudice and discrimination still exist.  Individuals continue to be insulted because of their skin color.  Furthermore, some jobs are closed because of gender.  Nonetheless, the current level of bigotry does not approach what was normative a hundred years ago.

Slavery was genuinely oppressive.  People were beaten and killed for offending their masters.  Jim Crow was also oppressive.  Uppity ex-slaves were literally lynched for looking at white women too lasciviously.  The pre-civil rights era was also oppressive in that voting was made difficult, while inter-racial marriage was illegal.

To hark back to those times as if they typify the present is nonetheless misleading.  Accusations that oppression of this sort persists are hyperbole.  They are gross exaggerations.  The goal of this tactic is actually to assert a moral imbalance that is no longer ubiquitous.  Although injustices remain, they are not nearly as virulent.

Thus, comparing American police officers to the Gestapo is absurd.  The notion that thousands of white cops are intentionally targeting blacks for assassination is a bad joke.  The evidence to support this thesis simply does not exist.  Indeed, according to FBI statistics, black officers shoot more black criminals—usually with cause.

How ironic is it that, as police brutality declines, charges it is universal have ramped up?  The activists do not seem to care about facts.  As long as they can make a reputed incident appear to be horrendous, they have accomplished their mission.

And what is that?  It is nothing less than making whites feel guilty.  If this emotion can be aroused, it is used to manipulate political events.  Benefits can then be extracted from fearful politicians, whereas black wrongdoers are excused their transgressions.

This helps no one.  First of all, it shuts down honest dialogue.  Whites are so terrified that they will be labeled racists they keep their true opinions to themselves.  They do not want to have their careers ruined by a misrepresentation of their beliefs.

Second, blacks are also victimized.  Because they are not held to the same standards as others, many do not strive to be the best they can be.  They instead concentrate on making others feel culpable.  This way they can obtain rewards they did not personally earn.

Third, this diverts attention from embarrassing deficiencies within the African-American community.  For instance, the crime rate in the inner cities is dramatically higher than elsewhere.  The reason there are so many confrontations between blacks and cops is that law breaking is much more pervasive in these neighborhoods.

As importantly, the black family is in tatters.  With almost three out of every four black children born out of wedlock, most grow up without fathers.  This deprives them of the emotional discipline needed to be successful in our market economy.

These latter issues are therefore far more central to explaining the problems today affecting African-Americans.  Yet if we ignore these to obsess on non-existent persecution, who suffers?  Guess what, it is seldom whites.  They merely nod when accused of oppression, then get on with their business.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University