Coleman Hughes believes that instead of asking “who is to blame”, we should ask “who is able to fix it” (p. 12). I strongly agree with this statement for two reasons. First of all, according to the article, black Americans are more likely to spend their money on so-called “visible goods.” In my opinion, this is more a feature of a victim’s phycology developed on a cultural level as a consequence of long-lasting racism rather than a result of a lack of financial skills. When people view themselves as victims, they tend to exploit the situation as an excuse for following the path of least resistance. This problem is impossible to solve with cash transfers. On the contrary, it would cease the impetus to manage funds wisely and make an effort to gain better education even more, thereby widening the already existing gap in a long-term perspective.
The first point given by the author is that black Americans could change their spending patterns. Specifically, spend less money on so-called “visible goods” like luxurious vehicles, clothes, and jewelry, save more money and pay credit card bills on time. These examples demonstrate that the issues discussed in the article are probably rooted in black Americans’ poor financial literacy. Another behavior that should be reconsidered, according to the author, is attention to education. This means both spending more money on education and instilling its importance as a value, for example, encouraging kids to spend more time on their homework. Lastly, a higher percentage of single-parent families among black Americans has been reported. In my opinion, it perfectly applies to what cannot be changed merely by government-derived financial support.
The Parable of the Pedestrian is a story about a pedestrian who got a spinal injury in a car accident with a reckless driver. The author provides this story as an example of a situation when there is a victim and someone to blame: the pedestrian and the careless driver. The pedestrian is a prototype of black Americans, and the irresponsible driver is the side to blame for the welfare gap in the U.S. The author gives this example to illustrate that some situations cannot be improved without the effort of the victim side, even when the guilty part is well-defined. The reckless driver can pay medical bills, but only the pedestrian can improve her health through physiotherapy. The author emphasized the ineffectiveness of wallowing in the unfairness, which aligns with the topic of the racial wealth gap. I think the instance described in the story applies to the issue of the article with one exception: the pedestrian is undergoing the consequences of the accident at the moment, she suffers from her injuries and, in my opinion, is unlikely to refuse to improve her health by physiotherapy.
In contrast, the cause of the racial welfare gap, which is slavery and racism of the past years, is not a personal in-moment situation. Since the issue is not as pressing as injuries after a car accident, the impetus to make an effort from the victim’s side is less pronounced. I think if the problem is perceived at the cultural level, it should be resolved not only at a personal level. The efforts, though, should not be confined to financial support but comprise free educational programs to raise financial literacy and other social benefits that would help to change behaviors.
References
Hughes, C. (2018). Black American culture and the racial wealth gap. Quillette. Web.