I've had to step away from the issues for a bit, because...to put it mildly...shit was simply pissing me off!!
Today I want to discuss the argument that certain folks keep presenting when faced with the fact that there is in fact racism and discrimination still very much alive and well in this country:
"What laws prevent you from....?"
I've heard this a lot when I've tried to discuss discrimination that we woman face, or that those of different skin color, sexual orientation, gender identification, faith, etc. face every day. What laws? Of course, the truth is that there are no laws that prevent anyone from being treated equally, for the most part. Yes, I will concede that there are civil rights laws and anti-discrimination laws at the local, state, and federal levels that call for equal treatment of all.
However, the reality is that it is not an issue of laws. Yes, the laws exist. However, they are not always followed, and their interpretation are often twisted in the process. As a woman, are there laws that say I should get the same pay for the same work as a man? Yes. Does that mean it is a reality? Nope!!! There is still a huge wage gap between men and women in the workplace, and employers use every excuse in the book to justify why women are getting paid less...justifications that are passable under the law. It is so easy to fudge a work review to make it look like the male employee is performing so much better than the female employee, and thus it becomes a case of her word against the employer. And they don't even have to report that she is doing a bad job...just that she is meeting expectations while her male counterpart is going "above and beyond"...whatever that means.
Or what about people of color getting the same opportunities as whites? Yes, one can say that there are laws that say a person of color must be given the same consideration for things such as schools, jobs, etc. Those who argue that racism doesn't exist claim circumstances or class as the deciding factor, pointing out that a person of means will naturally have more opportunities than a poor person...suggesting that all the poor person has to do is work harder. They fail to recognize the discrimination that helped create the disparity!! Sure, there are laws, but that does not stop local governments from spending more money in more affluent, white neighborhoods than they do say black or Latino working class neighborhoods. It becomes really hard to work your way up when all you see around you is poverty. It is also hard when your schools don't give you adequate tools to advance yourself (as schools in these poor neighborhoods typically are struggling financially, as well, which effects the quality of education). Government policies have been in place for years that work to limit the number of people of color who succeed at the same level as their white counterparts.
Crime rates higher among people of color? Well, if you live in impoverished circumstances, you tend to become a bit more desperate to survive. So much crime is the result of people feeling they have no other choice! Slinging dope? It's an easy way to make money when you don't have money to pay for a higher education. And, we all know that drug dealers have their "territories" and what not, which then brings in the issues of gangs and violence. And let's talk gangs for a minute. Ask most gang members, and the biggest reason they join the gang is because the gang made them feel like family. This is what happens when you incarcerate fathers and/or mothers for petty pot possession (which there are a lot of folks in jail for this...many who are people of color...because, the justice system is lopsided). This is what happens when fathers are not held to the same accountability as mothers (yes, she is supposed to carry, birth, and then raise the child...because god forbid she need medical or food assistance...while the fathers are left to go on their way creating even more babies they will not support). With so many kids being brought up in single parent homes where that parent is off to work most of the time just to put a roof over their heads and food on the table, you can see how someone may think they have more family in a gang!
And what about that justice system?! A white male who commits rape in today's environment gets LESS TIME than a man of color caught with an ounce of pot on their person for personal use! Let that sink in!
So...what laws? What is worse, is that this argument comes from the same people who say that gun laws do not stop people from illegally obtaining guns when opposing any kind of reasonable gun reform! They acknowledge that laws don't stop everyone from certain actions, but they are quick to say that there is no racism and discrimination, because...well...there are laws against such things!