Imagine, for a moment, that I am proposing a solution for the rising economic inequality that is occurring in America. Suppose, for a moment, that I suggest that this solution must not take into account economic status—that the solution I propose should be neutral in regard to economic status because otherwise it would be discriminatory. In that world, what I might propose is a 5% tax cut for all, or better yet a flat tax that applies equally to all. I would argue that all economic lives matter, and that all would benefit from this solution—that all would be better off financially if my solution was implemented. More or less, this is pretty much exactly what Republicans have proposed and argued over-and-over again. But we know better. We know that in order to address problems of economic inequality we must enact taxes that are regressive, tax laws that disproportionately benefit the poor. If we want to help the poor, we must create programs and laws that help the poor. This is obvious.
Now, take the same logic and apply it to solutions for racial/gender inequality. Suppose, for a moment, that I suggest that this solution must not take into account the race or gender of people—that the solution I propose should be neutral in regard to race/gender because otherwise it would be discriminatory. Why would a proposal that ignores race/gender be any more successful at reducing race/gender inequality than a proposal to reduce economic inequality that ignores economic status? It wouldn’t. It’s obvious it wouldn’t. And yet, over and over again we see proposals, even from those on the progressive side, that attempt to use race/gender neutral laws to address racial and gender disparities.
For example, during the last election, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton both proposed an increase in the minimum wage, Bernie to $15, Hillary to $12. To be clear, both would be good proposals for dealing with economic inequality (at least a bit). But neither would address racial/gender inequality. The reason for this is simple. While there is no doubt that women and racial minorities disproportionately make up people making the minimum wage, and thus would disproportionately benefit from an increase in the minimum wage, everyone else would benefit too. Those who currently make more than the minimum wage would see their wages increase, to keep them ahead of those who make the new, higher, minimum wage. A rising tide may lift all ships, but it doesn’t turn a dingy into a yacht. Those in dinghy’s would still be in dinghy’s, and those in yachts would still be in yachts. Raising the minimum wage would help those who make the minimum wage (the poor), but it would not alter the fact that women and minorities are disproportionately fucked by having minimum wage jobs in the first place.
There have been a few laws passed in the last 50 years that do specifically target racial/gender inequality—affirmative action, various government contract laws that favor minority/women owned businesses. More so, these laws have been among the most effective for improving the lives of minorities/women. If we want to continue improving the lives of minorities and women, we as progressives must stop promoting race/gender neutral solution to race and gender based problems.
Let me give some examples. Currently we know that racial minorities make up a disproportionate number of people in prison and receive longer sentences for the same crimes as white folks. How about we suspend government aid to states and counties where the rate of incarceration and sentencing disparities are most disproportionate? How about we tax those companies with the most egregious gender based pay disparities at a higher rate? Why don’t we use carrots and sticks to specifically target race/gender inequality?
No progressive worth a damn would ever question that an effort to fix economic inequality must take economic status into account. And yet, far too many progressives seem to think—or not really think at all—that race/gender neutral proposals can solve race/gender problems. Race/gender neutral solutions will never work, we know they will never work, and most importantly, minorities and women know they will never work.
Over the coming years, as we approach 2018 and 2020, let’s begin to put together a package of proposals that explicitly address all forms of inequality (economic, racial, gender, religious, etc) by specifically targeting those forms of inequality. Target economic inequality by proposals that help the poor. Target racial inequality by proposals that specifically help blacks and latinos. Target gender inequality by proposals that help women. It really ain’t that complicated.