How Racism Blunts American Generosity
As frequent readers of this blog already know, I have long held that our inability to openly discuss and resolve racial issues limits what Americans will do for each other even as we claim the common, seemingly unifying objective of wanting our country to be as prosperous and as ideal a place that it could possibly be. Despite what we say we want, the blight crushing most inner city and poor rural schools and the often horrifying state of social services available for poor children and families exist in screaming contrast to the mountainous wealth commonplace in areas like Manhattan, Los Angeles or San Francisco. Eduardo Porter, writing in the New York Times sees this too:
Americans are not less generous than Europeans. When private charities are included, they probably spend more money for social purposes than Europeans do. But philanthropy allows them to target spending on those they personally believe are deserving, instead of allowing the government to choose.
Mr. Glaeser’s and Mr. Alesina’s work suggests that white Europeans support a big welfare state because they believe the money will probably go to other white Europeans. In America, the Harvard economist Erzo F. P. Luttmer found that support for social spending among respondents to General Social Survey polls increased in tandem with the share of welfare recipients in the area who were in their own racial group. A study of charity by Daniel Hungerman, a Notre Dame economist, found that all-white congregations become less charitably active as the share of black residents in the local community grows.
This breakdown of solidarity should be unacceptable in a country that is, after all, mainly a nation of immigrants, glued together by a common project and many shared values. The United States has showed an unparalleled capacity to pull together in challenging times. Americans have invested blood and treasure to serve a broad national purpose and to rescue and protect their allies across the Atlantic.
Still, racial and ethnic antagonism all too frequently limit generosity at home. In one study, Mr. Alesina, with Reza Baqir of the International Monetary Fund and William Easterly of New York University, found that the share of municipal spending in the United States devoted to social good — roads, sewage, education and trash clearance— was smaller in more racially diverse cities. Race and the Social Contract, Eduardo Porter New York Times
I encourage you to read the entire article. It’s good and filled references. In an effort to spark comments, I ask you to consider if you have ever heard yourself saying or thinking “blacks just want a handout?” Or when you think “welfare mom” does a black woman with a bunch of kids come to mind? If a black woman does come to mind, do you think that if you pictured a blonde single parent as the welfare emblem, you would have different feelings about helping? Please comment freely.
