Eshe Nelson and Dan Kopf — A huge new Stanford and Harvard study proves that US inequality isn’t just about class

For decades, an increasingly loud chorus has claimed that economic inequality is primarily driven by class, with other possible reasons for disparities, such as race, playing a lesser role. They say that it is counterproductive to focus on inequality between races—instead, it is better to consider the inequality between all of America’s poor and its increasingly rich elite. A new study (pdf) by economists at Stanford, Harvard, and the US Census Bureau seems to refute that idea.

The paper, which assesses data on intergenerational economic mobility for 20 million US children and their parents, shows that when it comes to racial inequality, primarily between black and white Americans, class can’t explain the gap....

Cultural and institutional racism it is. Of course, that doesn't imply that class is not also a key factor.

This is another paradox of liberalism. The paragon of liberalism, the American Constitution, originally permitted slavery of non-whites. The US has yet to resolve the consequence of that. It is also affecting the liberal ideal of globalization. The liberal ideal is, however, a Western one, supposedly the crown of Western civilization and values. But this elevation of Western civilization, which is coterminous with white civilization, seeks to impose liberalism on non-whites according to the rules of the whites.

President Obama: "When more than 95 percent of our potential customers live outside our borders, we can’t let countries like China write the rules of the global economy. We should write those rules, opening new markets to American products while setting high standards for protecting workers and preserving our environment."

Quartz
A huge new Stanford and Harvard study proves that US inequality isn’t just about class

Eshe Nelson and Dan Kopf