The mainstream media is working hard to end racism and other forms of discrimination against identifiable groups such as racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation minorities. The media may even claim some success. But in one respect its approach may do more harm than good.
Compare the statement “ Black people have a higher rate of COVID 19 infection than white people” with “ Poor people have a higher rate of COVID 19 infection than wealthy people”. Which of these statements would likely make people want to reduce the rate of infections? The first connects Blackness with a higher rate of infection and the second connects poverty with a higher rate of infection. The first statement will not likely make people want to reduce the higher rate of infections. Nothing can be or should be done about Blackness. The second statement will more likely make people want to reduce the higher rate of infections. Poverty can be fixed and, some will argue, fixing poverty will benefit everyone.
At least once per hour newscasts will cite a poll and inform us that some racial or ethnic groups suffer more illness, die sooner, have less income, rent their shelters more often, own their homes less often and are involved with the justice system more often. Almost every issue of a newspaper cites a poll that finds there are more severe consequences to various racial, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation groups. In many cases such results may well be true. However, because the reports connect the results with the characteristics of the minority group, such reports leave the false impression that different results are caused by the group’s characteristics. In fact, the different characteristics of any minority group have no relationship with the misfortunes that afflict such groups at a higher rate than they do the majority.
A barrage of such news reports causes a glib response from the majority. A shallow thought process blames those higher rates of misfortunes on the racial or ethnic characteristics of the minority or on the gender or sexual orientation of the afflicted. Comments like, “ The COVID 19 virus affects the Black population at a higher rate than the white population.” Followed by a litany of afflictions, X percent more infections, Y percent more hospitalizations, Z percent more deaths. Sometimes such reports add that Black persons are more likely to be employed in riskier occupations, such as hospital and care home maintenance, ambulance drivers, truck drivers, care home attendants, retail clerks, food processing plants, farm labor, and, most telling, such workers cannot afford to miss a shift and so go to work sick, and so on. Additional comments may add that Black people are more likely to live in homes occupied by more persons than live in the homes of white people. Those additions attempt to explain to the listeners and readers that it is not the racial characteristics that cause the higher rates of misfortune, but poverty. However, the additional comments do little, if anything, to alter the first impression that higher rates of infection are caused by racial, ethnic or gender or sexual orientation characteristics of the afflicted. Moreover, because nothing can be done to change those characteristics the listener or reader is not prodded to consider improvements.
Apart from newscasters, journalists and pollsters, most people know why misfortunes fall to minorities more often than to the majority. Minorities have less income and suffer the mishaps of the poor. Newscasters, journalists and pollsters keep connecting higher rates of misfortune to named racial groups. The connection grabs more attention. The connection suggests the racial, ethnic, gender, or sexual orientation status of the group causes the higher rate. But the racial, ethnic or gender or sexual orientation does not and cannot cause the higher rates of misfortunes. Minority groups have less income, most are poor. But if a pollster were to announce that their polls showed that poor people have more COVID 19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths than wealthier people, few would pay it attention. The pollster would only be stating what to most people would be obvious. Announcements that Black people suffer more COVID 19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths than white people grab more listeners and readers. But more COVID 19 infections, more hospitalizations and more deaths are not caused by skin color, or by ethnic origins or by gender or by sexual orientation. They are caused by a lack of funds to buy healthy food, adequate shelter, security, and health care. And it is the lack of funds that the majority can actually do something about, but is reluctant to provide. The constant barrage of false impressions destines the majority to think that racial and ethnic origins and gender and sexual orientation are the cause of misfortunes of others.
It is not only misfortunes that are often connected to skin color. The political environment is rife with references to minority populations that support or do not support, or are opposed to or in favor of certain policies or candidates. Those references also suggest that certain political views are connected to skin color. For example the polls may report that 65% of Black voters support a higher minimum wage. On hearing or reading that, the average listener or reader will assume that Black people support higher minimum wage because they are Black. But there is no causal connection between skin color and a desire for more income either for themselves or for others. Such polls and reports likely nourish racist attitudes more than they diminish them.
The reality is that skin color, minority status, ethnic origins, or gender do not cause people to have higher rates of illness or political points of view. Higher rates of illness are caused by a lack of funds to afford a healthy lifestyle, care and a secure environment. It is past time to disconnect racial and ethnic characteristics with misfortune. Also political points of view are generated by self interest. As such minorities are no different from anyone. All are motivated to obtain a higher income and all are motivated to support those policies and candidates which promise to provide that higher income and security. It is past time to delete references to the political preferences of racial groups.
It is time to connect higher rates of illness to poverty and not to skin color, or ethnic origins. When we stop connecting misfortune and political views to skin color we will be taking one more step to a non racial society. A society where superficial differences are ignored and similarities are emphasized.