Boston Backs Away from Affirmative Action
According to an AP wire report, the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, abolished a program which gave preference, in awarding city contracts, to businesses owned by minorities and by women. The major preemptively gutted the program because, in his estimation, it would not be likely to withstand a court order, despite being 25 years old.
Justification for the program arises, in part, from statistics showing that African Americans, for example, were “prime contractors on 1.3 percent of $332.2 million in city contracts [from 1999 to 2002], while they represent 10 percent of available firms”.
February 10th, 2003 at 4:28 pm
Does anyone have any information on the demographics of Boston itself? I’m speaking off the cuff here but I’ve always tended to think of Boston as a highly caucasian populated area full of racist people. As i’m pretty much ignorant to the details any information would be greatly appreciated.
February 13th, 2003 at 9:19 pm
Boston racist? These are some of the most liberal people in the US, along with Manhattan, Hollywood, and Minnesota. More likely they are anti-racist, in which case they are finally acting consistently by removing race-preferences.
February 16th, 2003 at 12:23 am
I don’t think the program should have been abolished. I think that Mayor Menino might have had some political pressure (if not then his own motivation) to do away with the program. As to comment about the above comments, I have never been to Boston, but I have a close friend who attends Northeastern. Why then, may I ask, Cynic say the Bostonians are anti-racist when there are still neighborhoods people of color arent “allowed” in? It sounds just like another Chicago to me.
February 20th, 2003 at 3:01 am
Why then, may I ask, Cynic say the Bostonians are anti-racist when there are still neighborhoods people of color arent “allowed” in?
What neighborhoods are these? And what do you mean they aren’t “allowed” in? How are they kept out?
February 23rd, 2003 at 3:22 pm
Hi Rurik
I would first like you to clarify something for me. What I am getting from you (by reading some of your other posts) is that people take white racism too seriously. What is your official position on this? I would like to know.
People are kept out of certain neighborhoods for any number of reasons. Perhaps their lives is threatened? (I can atest to that happening). Maybe even racial profiling in these neighborhoods? Political factors? Economic factors? I admit there is no legal force to keep people out, but lets be realistic; who wants to live (or even visit) a neighborhood where they would be constantly harrassed?
Oh, and I would be Thrilled to tell you what neighborhoods these are, although, I have a feeling you might not have to go far to see what I am talkin about.
February 24th, 2003 at 12:12 am
I would first like you to clarify something for me. What I am getting from you (by reading some of your other posts) is that people take white racism too seriously. What is your official position on this? I would like to know.
Well, I definitely think the amount of conscious racism among whites is greatly exaggerated, and that whites are, on average, far less racist than most other racial groups in America. I also think that “white privilege” is essentially non-existent. Of course, the likely response to this is “well, that’s just because you’re white”, but aside from minor issues like racial profiling, no one can ever really point out concrete examples of white privilege actually existing, or even what we’re supposed to do to get rid of it, so I don’t accept that it exists. I think all this talk of “white privilege”, “whiteness studies”, “abolishing the white race”, and all this other hokum is motivated mainly by a hatred of white people.
Though, I do agree that there is some subconscious racism among white people. Most white people prefer to live in white neighborhoods, watch movies and television programs featuring white people, and have white friends and co-workers and associate with whites generally. But I don’t think this is some kind of pathology - I think this sort of behavior is *healthy and natural*, and it is generally accepted as such by everyone when it is practiced by blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, Arabs, or anyone else but whites. Hence I think this phenomenon ought to be taken into consideration when making social and political decisions, instead of naively assuming that “race doesn’t matter”. E-mail me if you want to chat further about this.
People are kept out of certain neighborhoods for any number of reasons. Perhaps their lives is threatened? (I can atest to that happening). Maybe even racial profiling in these neighborhoods? Political factors? Economic factors? I admit there is no legal force to keep people out, but lets be realistic; who wants to live (or even visit) a neighborhood where they would be constantly harrassed?
I think you are greatly exaggerating the extent to which non-whites are “kept out”, via private or governmental means, of white neighborhoods. I know that there are laws against “blockbusting”, but that still wouldn’t keep a black family from moving into a white neighborhood if they wanted to. I doubt that black people living in white neighborhoods are “constantly harassed”, especially since most people don’t talk to their neighbors at all these days anyway! I think part of the explanation for this perceived phenomenon of whites keeping blacks out of their neighborhoods is that in reality blacks don’t want to live in white neighborhoods at all, even though maybe the white neighborhoods have better schools and lower crime rates, so they attribute their own feelings to “white racism”. Also, keep in mind that most black neighborhoods aren’t exactly areas that most whites would feel comfortable moving into, either.
February 24th, 2003 at 5:23 pm
Dear Rurik
I Intend to email you.
Alex
April 21st, 2003 at 5:43 pm
i think affirmative action should be abolished for good. it is a racist program that is against white people especially if they are a male. It is reverse discrimination. I thought everybody is created equal if that is the case why do we have discrimination against white people. I think that if your for this discrimination you are racist. LETS ALL WORK TOGETHER AND GET RID OF THIS RACIST ACTION. I wish everybody would get along and everybody would not discriminate amongst each other. We need to get rid of the these 2 hate groups the Klan and the NAACP. The klan is for white people. The NAACP is for anybody that is not white. They hate anybody if they like the rebel flag. Shame on them. The rebel flag is about heritage not hate.
June 9th, 2003 at 4:20 pm
MLE is funny….. I’m hoping that you are hoisting your rebel flag atop a mountain peak somewhere deep, very deep, in the “harsh” wilderness of Montana or Idaho. For everyone that supports this position, the point has been made clear by MLE, the flag stands for a despicable, and luckily futile, attempt to continue slavery for the benefit of greedy white men that wanted to reap what they didn’t soe. Any other reason given is a distortion of the truth. That flag is synonomous with unjust evil. Some great life you HAD MLE!
Prior to the industrial revolution, the land mass now known as Africa was not that much different from the land mass known as North America. Once those pesky Natives were finally and almost completely ethnically cleansed, that cleared the way for people like MLE to “save” those Africans from their squallor in Africa. Look MLE,this country got an unprecedented jump start in the 1680’s through the free ideas of white men and free labor unwillingly provided by African men & woman. Everything that this country has become was due to the 200+ years of an exploited unpaid workforce. Who built the capital you fool? I could go on…. What would have become of George Washington, James Madison, Alexendar Graham Bell or other “American Heroes” if they had to till their own soil for a living? Washington wasn’t a damn thing until his uncle died and gave him the gift of “free laborers”. Such an infusion of wealth enabled him study and play philosoper, which is the case of so many of YOUR forefathers MLE.
Enter Ellis Island-
Now there are some, not unlike MLE no doubt, that will cry but “my family came here from {insert your European country of origin here} in 1941, So we didn’t have anything to do with slavery and therefore, I owe nothing to the decendants of those who built this country.” Again, they didn’t come from Europe to land in the wilderness. They came to a land whos wealth and opportunity was fueld on the backs of generations of free laborers. Your forefathers were free to stake claim to land (wealth) that was not theirs, and most important, allowed to educate themsleves at public institutions, which allowed them to jump classes, something African desecendants were not allowed to do in a “majority” of the country until the 1960’s and 70’s. crazy huh?!
MLE you can cannot begin to undertand what that legacy has resulted in.
America actually started out on the right foot. We’ll never know how things could have turned out if Natives, European and African settlers were allowed to synergize naturally. European lust for power and profit, at the expense of the masses, was the reason for the swtich from indentured servitude to slavery (maximuze profits), as it is today the genisis for the hell in the mid-east, Asia; and the devestation in Africa.
June 19th, 2003 at 1:50 pm
these are complex issues- white privelge, affirmative action,racsim,anti-racism, reverse discrimination. I used to be quite ignorant to white privilege and have had a hard time justifying its existance, mostly not wishing to admit that we live in a country where such things still happen, but jeremy brings up some serious issues that cant be ignored; as many would say that blacks should leave such issues as slavery behind, being that they happened so long ago, how can you expect that to happen when they are constantly reminded of the prejudices that still exist, though much less prevelantly than before, in both blacks and whites. On the other hand, i think U.S. racism continues to recieve attention today due to global ignorance, there are much worse cases of racism that still exist throughout the globe, and considering our countries background i would say that we are faring rather well these days, is that just becuase white privilege is so suppressing that people dont/cant wahe war? i dont know, but at least we are living in relative peace. We have to remember that things could be much worse , i.e. israel/PLO
There are a number of things that humanity needs to accomplish, but just like religious premises they are not easily attainable because the fact remains that we are just people and we need to look brightly at the fact that the majority of the world(im guessing ) does not enage in warfare on a daily basis. But i will not forget that warfare these days just seems less bloody because we can just push buttons and kill people…there will alwyas be the necessary evil, in my opinion, its just a matter of what form it takes and who it opposes
February 12th, 2004 at 11:10 am
If you’re interested in talking about Boston’s racial and ethnic diverisity issues outside an on-line forum,you might find information of interest at Boston Dialogue’s website (click my name to link). The group organizes mixed race neighborhood faciliated discussion groups on racial and ethnic diveristy throughout the year. Thought some of you might be interested….
-k