The U.S. Has Problems Because It's Still Too Segregated

The United States Constitution guarantees equal rights under the law to all American citizens, and anyone with a bit of common sense knows that equal rights cannot exist until equal opportunity also exists. This is so important that the country passed a series of civil rights laws back in the 1960's. They did that because too many states (primarily in the South, where segregation was the law) were ignoring the constitutional guarantees.

Unfortunately, that did not solve the nation's racial problems -- either among people or under the law. Anyone paying the slightest bit of attention has to know that Blacks (and other minorities as well) are not treated equally to Whites in this country. The past couple of weeks this has been shown by the actions in Ferguson, Missouri -- where the unequal treatment of Blacks by the police has come to a head. It's not just in Ferguson though. It occurs across the country, and in more aspects of our society than just the police (schools, workplaces, courts, etc.).

Of course this brings up the question -- why is this still true? If we have laws that eliminate discrimination, and most Americans believe people should be treated equally (and I think most Americans do believe that), then why does racism and discrimination continue to exist? Why haven't we put this sickness behind us by now?

A big clue to finding that answer can be seen in the results of a survey done by the Public Religion Research Institute in their American Values Survey. They came up with the chart above from the results of that survey -- and I have to admit the results they show are rather shocking. It seems that will segregation has been outlawed legally, it is still practiced by most Americans.

It shows that, on average, if Whites had 100 friends then 91 of those friends would be other Whites. And remember, this is an average, meaning far too many Whites would have no true friends of any other race or ethnicity (although I suspect many would try to counter this by claiming casual acquaintances as friends). Blacks do a little better, by having 83 of their 100 friends to be other Blacks.

To be blunt -- we still live in a segregated society. It may not be legal segregation, but it is segregation nonetheless -- a segregation of personal choice. And that is just sad. How are we to understand the problems faced by others when we don't socialize with them or spend much time around them? If we don't engage with people of a different racial or ethnic background, it makes it much easier to ignore the problems they face (and assume they have only the same problems we have). In short, it makes it easier for Whites to ignore the continuing realities of racism and bigotry in this country.

This self-imposed segregation is hurting us, both as individuals and as a nation. Our lives are enriched when we embrace people of other races, ethnicities, and cultures. It broadens our views and opens our minds -- and allows us to escape the tiny world we were born into.

This is not something that will be easy to change, since most people tend to hate change of any kind and are loath to try new things. There is hope though. Young people (the millennials) are breaking this pattern -- and because of that, by the time they become seniors the country could be very different. I certainly hope so. Racism and bigotry are evils, and have no place in a democratic society.