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A collection of wise, perceptive statements that don't necessarily mesh together into a coherent argument for... anything:
There are a number of variables when talking about different times in history and different routes that can be taken. I think most here recognize that a lot has changed over the last 50 years in regards to racism. One could make the argument that civil rights laws aren't needed now because of this change in attitudes. I'd disagree about that, but I'd listen and wouldn't dismiss the argument off hand. It is a bit more of a stretch to say that those laws weren't needed 50 years ago.
However we have to also consider the trajectory of the civil rights movement. They ended up putting a lot of energy and effort into getting federal civil rights legislation. Had they put that toward state civil rights laws or to shaming and bankrupting private businesses that were racist could they have been equally successful? I'm not sure.
The reality is that in much of the south (heck, in the north too) racism was (is?) quite wide spread. Those who say that the market punishes racism are either thinking of a 2010 market who thinks racism is bad, or forgets that the market (i.e. individual consumers) in 1960 in many places wasn't neutral or anti-racist, it was outright pro-racist. A business that opted to save money by hiring lots of minority employees might go out of business when the racist whites stop shopping there.
The question, again, is what were the main causes for this attitude to change? How much did civil rights legislation actually make us (and the market) less racist? Or, has this attitude has changed at all?
The ghettoization of blacks in this country shows that racism is still quite prevalent and is an example of an area that civil rights laws don't touch. Our laws changed to stop neighborhoods and realtors from stopping minority families from moving into white neighborhoods, but they couldn't stop those white families from leaving. Across the country, in the north and the south, this is what happened. White flight. Even white folks who don't consider themselves racist may feel uncomfortable living next door to a black family, or shopping in certain areas or at certain businesses. This can't really be legislated.
There are a number of variables when talking about different times in history and different routes that can be taken. I think most here recognize that a lot has changed over the last 50 years in regards to racism. One could make the argument that civil rights laws aren't needed now because of this change in attitudes. I'd disagree about that, but I'd listen and wouldn't dismiss the argument off hand. It is a bit more of a stretch to say that those laws weren't needed 50 years ago.
However we have to also consider the trajectory of the civil rights movement. They ended up putting a lot of energy and effort into getting federal civil rights legislation. Had they put that toward state civil rights laws or to shaming and bankrupting private businesses that were racist could they have been equally successful? I'm not sure.
The reality is that in much of the south (heck, in the north too) racism was (is?) quite wide spread. Those who say that the market punishes racism are either thinking of a 2010 market who thinks racism is bad, or forgets that the market (i.e. individual consumers) in 1960 in many places wasn't neutral or anti-racist, it was outright pro-racist. A business that opted to save money by hiring lots of minority employees might go out of business when the racist whites stop shopping there.
The question, again, is what were the main causes for this attitude to change? How much did civil rights legislation actually make us (and the market) less racist? Or, has this attitude has changed at all?
The ghettoization of blacks in this country shows that racism is still quite prevalent and is an example of an area that civil rights laws don't touch. Our laws changed to stop neighborhoods and realtors from stopping minority families from moving into white neighborhoods, but they couldn't stop those white families from leaving. Across the country, in the north and the south, this is what happened. White flight. Even white folks who don't consider themselves racist may feel uncomfortable living next door to a black family, or shopping in certain areas or at certain businesses. This can't really be legislated.
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