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4 An Objective Look at Race, Crime and Police Brutality

  • June 18, 2020
  • by Connie Morgan
  • · Culture · In the News · Thought Box

Sifting through the statistics on race relations, police brutality and individual reports of misconduct can be a daunting task. Data can be twisted to mean whatever you want it to mean. As the debate on the prevalence, solutions and consequences of racism and police brutality rages in America I have seen a variety of memes, stats, and headlines while not necessarily untrue, designed to push a certain narrative. This has been done in both directions, both to amplify and quieten the existence of police malfeasance. 

This piece is pretty simple in that I will simply be breaking down the data in a hopefully easy way for you to digest and follow. The goal is to give you the stats and the sources in the most objective way possible so you can come to your own conclusions. Pieces following this one will have a little more opinion and subjectivity to them. Think of this as more of a reference sheet than a blog.

This data is comparing statistics collected for the year 2018. This is a deliberate choice due to a few factors. The first being that although there is 2019 Washington Post Fatal Force and 2019 FBI crime data, other data sources for unemployment, poverty, police forces etc are not always available for the year 2019 and I wanted to compare all stats across the same year

Furthermore, the 2019 Washington Post Fatal Force data is behind a paywall and I would like for readers to be able to access all my sources for free. When it comes to crime and fatal force data, the trends have not changed significantly between 2018 and 2019. In fact, the number of unarmed blacks shot and killed by the police actually went down in 2019 although the overall number of police shootings rose slightly.

So let’s dig into the data.

How many people are shot and killed by the police every year?
In 2018, 992 people were killed by the police, an increase of five from 2017. This is roughly .0003% of the American population. 

How many unarmed people are shot and killed by the police every year?
In 2018, 47 unarmed people were shot and killed by police. 5% of deadly police shootings are against unarmed suspects. Whether or not a suspect is unarmed is an important distinction because we are concerned about unjust police killings, a suspect wielding a weapon against a police officer by most people’s standards is no longer an innocent victim of police brutality. An armed suspect is defined as anyone wielding a weapon whether a gun, knife or other.  The definition of “unarmed” is fairly conservative. A suspect fleeing the scene with a gun in his car but not actively using or pointing his gun for example, is considered unarmed. 

Are more blacks than whites killed by the police every year?
No. In 2018, 451 whites were killed by the police and 229 blacks were killed by the police. Whites make up 45% of those killed by police and blacks make up 23% of those killed by police. In America, a person killed by the police is 2x more likely to be white than black.

Are more unarmed blacks than unarmed whites killed by the police every year?
No. In 2018, 23 unarmed whites were killed by the police and 17 unarmed blacks were killed by the police. Whites make up 50% of unarmed deadly police shootings. Blacks make up 36% of unarmed deadly police shootings. In America, an unarmed person killed by the police is 1.4x more likely to be white than black.

When you account for population distribution, are blacks more likely to be shot and killed by the police than whites?
Yes. Blacks make up 13% of the population but made up 23% of deadly police shootings in 2018. Whites make up 72% of the population but made up 45% of deadly police shootings. In America, a black person is 2.8x more likely than a white person to be killed by the police.

When you account for population distribution, are unarmed blacks more likely to be killed by the police than unarmed whites?
Yes. Black people make up 13% of the population but make up 36% of unarmed deadly police shootings. White people make up 72% of the population but make up 49% of unarmed deadly police shootings. In America, an unarmed black person is 4.1x more likely than an unarmed white person to be killed by the police.

Do blacks commit more overall crime in America?
No. Whites commit 69% of overall crime in America while blacks commit 27% of overall crime in America. In America, a crime is 2.6x more likely to be committed by a white person than a black person. 

When you account for population distribution, are blacks more likely to commit crime than whites?
Yes. Blacks make up 13% of the population but commit 27% of the overall crime. Whites make up 72% of the population but commit 69% of the overall crime. In America, a black person is 2.2x more likely to commit a crime than a white person.

Do blacks commit more violent crime in America?
No. Whites commit 59% of violent crime in America. Blacks commit 37% of violent crime in America. In America, a violent crime is 1.6x more likely to be committed by a white person than a black person.

*Violent crime is defined as murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

When you account for population distribution, are blacks more likely to commit a violent crime than whites?
Yes. Blacks make up 13% of the population but commit 37% of violent crime. Whites make up 72% of the population but commit 59% of violent crime. In America, a black person is 3.5x more likely to commit a violent crime than a white person.

Do blacks commit more murders and robberies than whites?
Yes. Blacks commit 54% of murders and robberies. Whites commit 44% of murders and robberies. In America, a robbery or murder is 1.2x more likely to be committed by a black person than a white person.

*We are examining murder and robbery rates separate from the two other violent crimes (rape and aggravated assault) because these are the crimes most likely to lead to a shootout between police and the suspect. Rape is usually reported after the fact and aggravated assault often is as well. Robberies and murders more often than not involve armed suspects whereas rape and aggravated assault do not. Over half of robberies (59%) and over half of murders (93%) make use of a weapon. Less than half of aggravated assault (43%) involves a weapon and there isn’t clear data on how many rapists are armed during the act. Crimes involving armed suspects are more likely to lead to police shootings.

When you account for population distribution, are blacks more likely to commit murders and robberies than whites?
Yes. Blacks make up 13% of the population but commit 54% of the murders and robberies. Whites make up 72% of the population, but commit 44% of the murders and robberies. In America, a black person is 6.8x more likely to commit a murder or robbery than a white person.

When you account for overall criminal activity, are blacks more likely than whites to be killed by the police?
Yes. Black people commit 27% of the overall crime in America but make up 23% of deadly police shootings. White people commit 69% of overall crime in America but make up 45% of deadly police shootings. 

*Worth noting is that while the FBI collects crime data in America and the Washington Post collects data on deadly police force, the two organize their data in different ways. The FBI does not categorize “Hispanic” as a race while the Washington Post does. This means the data does not match perfectly when trying to compare crime to deadly shootings. The comparison of the two data sets still gives us a good idea of crime and deadly force trends but isn’t exact. If the FBI categorized crime suspects the same way the Washington Post categorizes those involved with deadly police shootings, we would expect crime percentages to decrease for both white and black populations as Hispanics are forced to choose between white, black, Asian and Native American when reporting their race. White is likely the most common choice for Hispanics given the European influence in South America so we would actually expect white crime rates to decrease for whites the most if Hispanic/Latino was included as a race in the FBI data set. Read more about Hispanic/Latinos perception of their own race/ethnicity here. 

The FBI does track ethnicity as either Hispanic or Non-Hispanic but not every reported crime includes information on the suspect’s ethnicity so the data pool that accounts for ethnicity is not complete. This research has brought to light the issue of data collection on the Hispanic/Latino population at large or rather a lack thereof. Hispanic/Latinos are the least armed to back up or refute claims of bias or racism in the justice system, not blacks. Read more about the lack of data on Hispanics/Latinos in the justice system here.

When you account for overall criminal activity, are unarmed blacks more likely than unarmed whites to be killed by the police?
Yes. Blacks commit 27% of overall crime but make up 36% of unarmed deadly police shootings. Whites commit 69% of overall crime but make up 49% of unarmed deadly police shootings. 

When you account for violent criminal activity, are blacks more likely than whites to be killed by the police?
No. Whites commit 59% of violent crime but make up 45% of deadly police shootings. Blacks commit 37% of violent crime but make up 23% of deadly police shootings.  

When you account for violent criminal activity, are unarmed blacks more likely than unarmed whites to be killed by the police?
Yes. Blacks commit 37% of violent crime but make up 36% of unarmed deadly police shootings. Whites commit 59% of violent crime but make up 49% of unarmed deadly police shootings. 

When you account for rates of murder and robbery are blacks more likely than whites to be killed by the police?
No. Blacks commit 54% of murders and robberies and make up 23% of deadly police shootings. Whites commit 44% of murders and robberies and make up 45% of deadly police shootings.

When you account for rates of murder and robbery are unarmed blacks more likely than unarmed whites to be killed by the police?
No. Blacks commit 54% of murders and robberies and make up 36% of unarmed deadly police shootings. Whites commit 44% of murders and robberies and make up 49% of unarmed deadly police shootings.

When you account for the percentage of the overall black American population in said state, are blacks more likely to be shot by the police? In other words, are blacks more likely to be shot in states with more black people?
Yes, the more black people in the state, the more deadly black police shootings, but this number is proportionate. Not one state is over or underrepresented in a statistically significant way in regards to the number of black shootings in said state after accounting for the percent of black Americans living in said state. In other words, a state with 5% of the black population claims about 5% of the black shootings, a state with 3% of the black population claims about 3% of the black shootings and so on and so forth.

Are blacks more likely to be killed by the police in states where blacks make up a higher percentage of said state’s population.
No. A higher density of blacks within a state is not correlated with an increase in deadly police shootings. In other words, states with more black people incur more black shootings, but states where the black population is closer to the white population do not see an increase in deadly police shootings after accounting for overall black population. 

*Still confused? First, let’s explain the difference between overall population vs population density. Texas has more black people living in it than any other state at 3,936,669 but because Texas is such a large state, that number is only 14% of the state’s population. Delaware has far fewer blacks at 239,727, but since it’s such a small state that number accounts for 25% of the state’s population. So Texas has a larger percentage of overall blacks in America living there (9%) but Delaware’s individual population has a higher concentration or density of blacks (25%).

Second, why might this matter? It was thought that perhaps overall populations and/or population densities would affect race relations either improving or worsening. Perhaps folks are less likely to be racist in states where they are more likely to interact with black people. On the flip side, perhaps larger populations of blacks would create more racial tension due to increased stereotyping or some other built up prejudice. Perhaps blacks coming closer to outnumbering whites in a state would result in more prejudice and hence more shootings, or vice versa.

While as the population of blacks in a state goes up the number of shootings go up, the number of shootings is reflective of the black population so no correlation with increased racism is found. Black population density appears to have no effect, neither increasing or decreasing the number of shootings after accounting for the overall number of blacks in said state.

As the black unemployment rate goes up, are blacks more likely to be killed by the police?
No. There appears to be no correlation between black unemployment and deadly police shootings.

As the white unemployment rate goes up, are blacks more likely to be killed by the police?
No. There appears to be no correlation between white unemployment and deadly police shootings.

As the overall state unemployment rate goes up, are blacks more likely to be killed by the police?
No. There appears to be no correlation between state unemployment and deadly police shootings.

As the black poverty rate goes up, are blacks more likely to be killed by the police?
No. There appears to be no correlation between the black poverty rate and deadly police shootings.

As the white poverty rate goes up, are blacks more likely to be killed by the police?
No. There appears to be no correlation between the white poverty rate and deadly police shootings.

As the overall state poverty rate goes up, are blacks more likely to be killed by the police?
No. There appears to be no correlation between the state poverty rate and deadly police shootings.

Is the percentage of conservative and/or liberal citizens in a state correlated with more blacks being killed by the police?
No. There appears to be no correlation between state political leanings and deadly police shootings.

*Worth noting is that due to time constraints, I did not dig into rural police shootings vs rural shootings enough to make any sort of statement on the nature of policing in those areas. After a short stint researching it does appear that city police shootings are declining while rural/suburban police shootings have risen. Interestingly, the increase in rural shootings is affecting whites more than blacks. Whites see higher rates of fatal police shootings in rural areas as opposed to urban areas. 

We also know that out of the 100 largest cities in America, 29% are run by Republicans while 71% are run by Democrats. This includes cities that recently have come under fire for supposed police racism such as Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Louisville and Cleveland, all of which have Democrat mayors. So while I do not have enough data to conclude that the political leanings of a state affect police shootings, blacks are shot and killed at higher rates in cities which are run overwhelmingly by Democrats. It would be unwise to rule out any kind of political correlation with fatal police shootings involving blacks at this time. Alas, a project for another day.

Is a legacy of racism correlated with more blacks being killed by the police?
No. There appears to be no correlation between the past existence of Jim Crow laws and deadly police shootings.

*Some states have a perception (whether true or not) of being particularly hostile for blacks given their history of racism. This question was designed to see if that history did have an effect on the rates at which blacks are killed by police. I defined “Legacy of Racism” as any state that had Jim Crow Laws. These states were Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming and Washington D.C. While most, if not all states had laws against consorting with members of another race, the states listed above are thought to have taken things a step further than the average state.

In order to confirm or reject correlation I ran a simple regression comparing Jim Crow to non-Jim Crow states while accounting for all the other state statistics already discussed. The Probability or “P” value was more than .05 meaning there appears to be no correlation. You can see this as a table in the sources section.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites extremely underrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between 31 and 40 percentage points below overall white population percentage.)
Gambling.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites very underrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between  21 and 30 percentage points below overall white population percentage.)
Robbery, murder/nonnegligent manslaughter.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites underrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between 11 and 20 percentage points below overall white population percentage.)
Weapons possession, prostitution, curfew/loitering.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites slightly underrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between 6 and 10 percentage points below overall white population percentage.)
Aggravated assault, embezzlement, stolen property, disorderly conduct, motor vehicle theft, fraud.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites not under or overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites plus or minus 5 percentage points of overall white population percentage.)
Forgery/counterfeiting, larceny, offenses against family/children, vandalism, burglary, rape, drug abuse, vagrancy, arson, sex offenses other than rape/prostitution, drunkenness.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites slightly overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between 6 and 10 percentage points above overall white population percentage.)
Liquor Laws, driving under the influence.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between 11 and 20 percentage points above overall white population percentage.)
None.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites very overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between 21 and 30 percentage points or higher above overall white population percentage.)
None.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites extremely overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between 31 and 40 percentage points or higher above overall white population percentage.)
None.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are whites exceptionally overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst whites between 41 and 50 percentage points or higher above overall white population percentage.)
None.

What are the most and least common crimes committed by whites?
The most common crime committed by whites is drug abuse while the least is gambling.

What are the most and least common crimes committed by blacks?
The most common crime committed by blacks is drug abuse while the least is gambling.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks extremely underrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 31 and 40 percentage points below overall black population percentage.)
None.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks very underrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 21 and 30 percentage points below overall black population percentage.)
None.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks underrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 11 and 20 percentage points below overall black population percentage.)
None.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks slightly underrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 6 and 10 percentage points below overall black population percentage.)
None.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks not under or overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks plus or minus five percentage points of overall black population percentage.)
Liquor laws, driving under the influence, drunkenness.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks slightly overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 6 and 10 percentage points above overall black population percentage.)
None.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 11 and 20 percentage points or higher above overall black population percentage.)
Sex offenses other than rape and prostitution, vagrancy, arson, drug abuse, rape, offenses against family/children, vandalism, burglary, larceny, forgery/counterfeiting, disorderly conduct, fraud, motor vehicle theft.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks very overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 21 and 30 percentage points or higher above overall black population percentage.)
Aggravated assault, stolen property, embezzlement, prostitution, curfew/loitering, weapons possession.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks extremely overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 31 and 40 percentage points or higher above overall black population percentage.)
Gambling, murder/nonnegligent manslaughter.

When you account for population distribution, what types of crimes are blacks exceptionally overrepresented in? (Crime occurrence amongst blacks between 41 and 50 percentage points above overall black population percentage.)
Robbery.

Are there any population distribution verse crime occurrence discrepancies in other racial groups worth noting?
Asians – No major discrepancies. The most common crime committed by Asians is driving under the influence while the least is arson.
Hispanics/Latinos – When accounting for population distribution, overrepresented in rape arrests. The most common crime committed by Hispanic/Latinos is drug abuse while the least common is gambling.
Native American – No major discrepancies. Most common crime committed by Native Americans is drunkenness while the least is gambling.
Pacific Islander – No major discrepancies. Most common crime committed by Pacific Islanders is driving under the influence while the least is embezzlement. 

In America, the most common crime committed are those related to drug abuse offenses while the least common crime committed are those relating to gambling. 

Are more blacks murdered than whites?
No. In 2018, 3,315 whites were homicide victims and 2,925 blacks were homicide victims. Whites make up 50% of homicide victims while blacks make up 45% of homicide victims. In America, a victim of homicide is 1.1x more likely to be white than black.

When you account for population distribution, are blacks more likely than whites to be murdered?
Yes. Blacks make up 13% of the population and make up 45% of homicide victims. Whites make up 72% of the population and make up 50% of homicide victims. In America, black people are 5x more likely to be murdered than white people.

Do blacks kill more black people than whites kill black people?
Yes. In 2018, blacks killed 2,600 blacks while whites killed 234 blacks. In America, a black murder victim is 11.1x more likely to have been killed by a black person than a white person. 

When you account for population distribution, are blacks more likely than whites to kill blacks?
Yes. Blacks make up 13% of the population and are responsible for 89% of black murders. Whites make up 72% percent of the population and are responsible for 8% of black murders. In America, a black person is 61.6x more likely than a white person to murder a black person.

Do whites kill more white people than blacks kill white people?
Yes. In 2018, whites killed 2,677 whites while blacks killed 514 whites. In America, a white murder victim is 5.2x more likely to have been killed by a white person than a black person.

When you account for population distribution, are whites more likely than blacks to kill whites?
Yes, although both races are overrepresented. Whites make up 72% of the population and are responsible for 81% of white murders. Blacks make up 13% of the population and are responsible for 16% of white murders. In America, a white person is .9x more likely than a black person to murder a white person.

Do blacks kill more whites than whites kill blacks?
Yes. In 2018, blacks killed 514 whites while whites killed 234 blacks. In America, blacks kill 2.2x more whites than whites kill blacks.

When you account for population distribution, are blacks more likely to murder whites than whites murder blacks?
Yes. Blacks make up 13% of the population and are responsible for 16% of white murders. Whites make up 72% percent of the population and are responsible for 8% of black murders. In America, a black person is 11.1x more likely to murder a white than a white murder a black.

Are black cops underrepresented in police forces?
No. Blacks make up 13% of the population and account for 13% of police officers in America.

Are white cops overrepresented in police forces?
Yes. Whites make up 72% of the population but make up 77% of police officers in America.

What race is underrepresented in police forces?
Asian. Asians account for 6% of the population but make up 3% of police officers in America. The data is unclear on Hispanic/Latino representation due to the definitions of race vs ethnicity but they are likely underrepresented. 

Are blacks underrepresented in justice and public order departments?
No. Blacks are 13% of the population and account for 16% of those employed in justice, public order and safety activities. Blacks are overrepresented in justice, public order and safety departments in America.

Are whites overrepresented in justice and public order departments?
Yes. Whites make up 72% of the population but account for 79% of those employed in justice, public order and safety activities. 

What race is underrepresented in justice and public order departments?
Asians and Hispanic/Latinos. Asians are 6% of the population but make up 3% of those employed in justice, public order and safety activities. Hispanics/Latinos are 18% of the population and account for 13% of those employed in justice, public order and safety activities.

Are white cops more likely than black cops to be feloniously killed?
Yes. White cops make up 77% of police forces but make up for 84% of police deaths. Black cops make up 13% of police forces and account for 13% of police deaths. In America, a white cop is 1.1x more likely than a black cop to be feloniously killed.

Do blacks kill more cops than whites?
No. In 2018, whites killed 31 cops and blacks killed 23 cops. In America, a cop is 1.3x more likely to be feloniously killed by a white person than killed by a black person. Since 2009 there has been one year in which blacks killed more cops than whites.

*This data only looks at known offenders. Cops that are killed by an offender who gets away and has an unknown racial identity are not included in this analysis. 

When you account for population distribution are blacks more likely to kill cops than whites?
Yes. Blacks are 13% of the population but account for 42% of cop killers. Whites are 72% of the population and account for 56% of cop killers. In America, a black person is 4.2x more likely to kill a cop than a white person.

When you account for criminal activity are blacks more likely than whites to kill cops?
Yes. Blacks commit 27% of overall crime and account for 42% of cop killers. Whites commit 69% of overall crime and account for 56% of cop killers. 

Is a cop more likely to be killed in the line of duty than a black person is likely to be killed by a cop?
Yes. About .007% of the roughly 800,000 cops in America are feloniously killed while .0006% of blacks in America are killed by cops every year. When it comes to unarmed killings, .00004% of blacks are killed by the cops while unarmed. In America, a cop is 11.7x more likely to be killed in the line of duty than a black person is likely to be killed by a cop.

Is a cop more likely to be killed by a black person than a black person is likely to be killed by a cop?
Yes. About .003% of cops are killed by blacks each year while .0006% of blacks are killed by cops every year. When it comes to unarmed killings, .00004% of blacks are killed by the cops while unarmed. In America, a cop is 5x more likely to be killed by a black person than a black person is likely to be killed by a cop.

Are white cops more likely to kill minorities than non-white cops?
No. As the percentage of black or hispanic officers involved in a fatal shooting increases, the greater likelihood that the person fatally shot is black or hispanic. Black and hispanic civilians are more likely to be shot by same-race police officers than white police officers. Read more about the racial differences in police vs civilians here.

How often does just one officer fire their weapon in fatal shootings?
56% of the time.

Summary

  • Blacks are overrepresented in deadly police shootings but they are also overrepresented in the number of violent crimes they commit. In particular, a black person is 6.8x more likely to commit a murder or robbery than a white. Murder and robbery are the two crimes most likely to involve a weapon and therefore lead to a shootout with police.
  • Whites commit more overall crime than blacks but the type of crime whites commit trend significantly different than blacks. When comparing fatal shootings to overall crime rates it appears there may be a bias amongst police because blacks are overrepresented. But when looking specifically at crime that is most likely to lead to fatal force by the police blacks are actually very underrepresented (by 31 percentage points) in deadly police shootings while whites are not. 
  • There is not adequate crime data on Hispanics/Latinos.
  • States with more black people do not see disproportionate rates of deadly police shootings of blacks. 
  • Poor economic status (statewide) does not lead to more deadly police shootings of blacks. 
  • Political leanings of a state is not correlated with deadly police shootings of blacks. Unknown for cities and rural areas.
  • A history of Jim Crow is not correlated with deadly police shootings of blacks.
  • Blacks are more likely than whites to murder their own race, another race and/or cops. Whites are more likely to be killed by blacks than blacks by whites.
  • Blacks are proportionately represented in the justice system (to include police forces) while whites are slightly overrepresented. Asians and Hispanics/Latinos are underrepresented.  
  • Cops are more likely to be killed by blacks or by any race than blacks are likely to be killed by cops. 
  • White cops are not more likely to kill blacks than black cops.

Sources
In order of appearance…
Deadly Police Shootings – https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/police-shootings-2018/
Population Statistics – https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=2018%20population&tid=ACSDP1Y2018.DP05&y=2018
Crime Data – https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018/crime-in-the-u.s.-2018/tables/table-43
Hispanic Racial Identity – https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/06/11/chapter-7-the-many-dimensions-of-hispanic-racial-identity/
Lack of Criminal Data on Hispanics/Latinos – http://apps.urban.org/features/latino-criminal-justice-data/
Black Population by State – https://blackdemographics.com/population/black-state-population/
Black Unemployment/Poverty Rate – https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/a57b90a0-382a-4d4f-91a4-fd2b40e168a7/economic-state-of-the-black-community.pdf
Washington DC Poverty Rate – https://talkpoverty.org/state-year-report/district-of-columbia-2018-report/
State Poverty Rates – https://www.epi.org/blog/poverty-continues-to-fall-in-most-states-though-progress-appears-to-be-slowing/
State Unemployment Rates – http://www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi/laus/us/annavg.htm
State Political Leanings – https://news.gallup.com/poll/247016/conservatives-greatly-outnumber-liberals-states.aspx
Washington D.D. Political Leanings – https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/metro-area/washington-dc-metro-area/party-affiliation/
Cities vs Rural Police Shootings – https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/police-are-killing-fewer-people-in-big-cities-but-more-in-suburban-and-rural-america/
Police Shootings by Rurality – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743520300700
Mayor Data – https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_current_mayors_of_the_top_100_cities_in_the_United_States
Homicide Data – https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018/crime-in-the-u.s.-2018/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-6.xls
Police Officer Data – https://datausa.io/profile/soc/police-officers
Justice and Public Order Departments – https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm
Police Deaths – https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2018-statistics-on-law-enforcement-officers-killed-in-the-line-of-duty
Officer Characteristics in shootings – https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/police-shootings-2018/
Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences – https://scholar.harvard.edu/fryer/publications/empirical-analysis-racial-differences-police-use-force

Tables
I compared characteristics of states to the number of fatal shootings of blacks by the police in search for correlation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The regression above controls for all the state data points I collected. Only one, number of blacks or black population in said state appear to be correlated with police shootings. This makes sense as we would expect to see more police shootings involving blacks, the more black people there are in a state. That being said, the correlation between black population and deadly black shootings was proportionate i.e. states with 5% of the nation’s blacks incurred 5% of deadly black shootings. 

0 A La Carte Christianity: Family Planning

  • February 17, 2020
  • by Connie Morgan
  • · Philosophy/Religion · Thought Box

This piece is the first in a series of essays on how Christians now more than ever, avoid Biblical truth. These topics are examples of how Christians degrade their own spirituality while simultaneously harming the reputation of Christianity as a whole. Interest in religion is in steep decline amongst Millennials and Generation Z. It should be no surprise the decline is accompanied by a trend of a la carte Christianity where Christians/Churches pick and choose what they like about the Bible and what they will ignore. These appear to be attempts by the Church to mirror popular culture in lieu of attempting to drive the culture.

Ask a Christian if they want to glorify God and they’ll say yes. Ask a Christian if they trust in God’s plan and they’ll say yes. Ask a Christian if they want to or have given their life to Christ and they’ll say yes…but over and over again I run into a subject where modern day Christians are not willing to “give their lives to Christ” and that is with family planning.

The Bible is very clear when it comes to children. Other than Jesus himself, children may be the greatest gift the Lord bestowed upon us. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” – Psalm 127:3 – 5. God expects us to have and want children. His first command about having children is found in Genesis. John, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs all explain that children will bring you joy. Philippians teaches that having children will make you a better person. Children are referred to as gifts and blessings in the Bible. “Be fruitful and multiply” means at a minimum having three children. 

I don’t see how any honest person can read the Bible and not conclude children in abundance is something pleasing to the Lord. 

This appears to be an uncomfortable truth with the majority of young Christians. It is rare to hear a Christian say they will have “as many children as the Lord blesses me with.” Instead Christians want to have as many children as they are comfortable with. Christians want children based on their timing not God’s. Many Christians are not interested in God’s plan when it comes to family planning. “I want to hit xyz career milestone first,” “We’re waiting until we have xyz amount of money,” “We’re going to stop at 2” are potential rejections of God’s plan for you. 

Christians will use their careers or current financial situation as a reason to hold off on children. This concern doesn’t hold a lot of merit as research shows being married and any kind of employment is all it takes to make sure your family’s needs are met. Even “needs” have been drastically redefined by society at large. Families don’t want more children if it means no more trips to Hawaii, buying secondhand and/or much less personal freedom. Raising children requires sacrifice no doubt, but God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. If His plan for us is five children, as Christians we should praise his generosity, not actively avoid it. Christians conveniently seem to lose faith in God’s ability to provide if it involves children. 

Contraception is a means by which Christians reject God’s will. I have heard some argue that as long as one is “open” to the idea of children at any time, birth control is ok. The argument here is that God can do all things and if he wants you to have children he’ll make it happen whether you’re using protection or not. While it’s true God can make anything happen, this premise is intellectually dishonest. God also gives us free will. He let’s us decide the course of our lives instead of forcing us to love and obey Him. 

Let’s say you have a friend who wants to be married. For years this person hasn’t found their match. At the same time this friend doesn’t try to meet people and is a homebody. You probably wouldn’t blame this person’s loneliness on God’s unwillingness to provide, you’d rightfully tell this friend they need to get out of the house more if they want to find someone! While yes, God could make the pizza delivery guy their soulmate (helluva meet-cute) human effort is frequently part of putting God’s plan into action. The same goes with contraception, you cannot make the claim that you are open to the idea of children while literally and figuratively taking efforts to prevent said children. 

Now there is one form of birth control I do believe gets the theological ok and that is natural family planning or NFP. I have to give Catholics credit here because I believe they get this one right. No, natural family planning is not “the rhythm method,” it is much more scientific and exact. Women measure their temperature, pay attention to their vaginal discharge and track their period in order to pinpoint when they’re ovulating and avoid intercourse during that time. This method is up to 99% effective when done correctly, the same as other popular forms of birth control. 

The difference is, NFP leaves the invitation open for God’s intervention, both symbolically and literally. Not only that, but NFP requires effort and constant communication with your partner. Popping pills, condoms or an insertion method are easy, mindless and habitual. A couple will only go through with NFP if they have legitimate, serious concerns about having children. 

NFP forces the couple to ask themselves every month if avoiding children is really worth the effort. Couples must constantly check-in on their marriage. A simple question like “Why shouldn’t we have a child right now?” opens the floodgates to all kinds of follow-ups that could reveal problems one half of the couple didn’t realize. “I don’t feel financially secure,” “I’m still struggling from the last pregnancy,” “I don’t feel close to you right now,” “I want to move” etc are all important discussions that a couple engaging in NFP must address head-on every month. Commitment, communication, consideration, and self-control are all key to NFP. This is why NFP has a bonus side effect. The reported divorce rate of couples that use NFP range as low as 0% but even the most conservative estimates place divorce amongst NFP couples as 9.6% compared to 14.4% amongst those who never used NFP.

Now someone always brings this up in the comments, none of this is to say that married couples who are unable to conceive somehow have a less Holy union. Children are not the only way the Lord blesses us and the number of children a couple has is not indicative of their faithfulness to God. Likewise, if a woman has a condition that makes pregnancy life threatening then contraception may become an appropriate choice. In both of these cases, adoption is still an option I would encourage Christians in these positions to explore – this may be God’s calling to you. I also admit it is likely that children simply aren’t part of God’s plan for every married couple.

Worth noting is even secular women are becoming more and more interested in NFP for the health and relationship benefits. It’s funny how often scripture based lifestyle advice often turns out to be good for humans, religious or not.  Dr Jolene Brighten has been a champion for NFP or the fertility awareness method as she calls it. Her book “Beyond the Pill” is a best seller.

Regardless of any earthly benefit, the question for Christians should always be – are my actions glorifying God? This means an openness to following God’s plan and celebrating the gifts He gives you whether it was the plan you were hoping for or not. Christians are unBiblical when they try to restrict or perfectly time the number of blessings (children) God gives them. Planning children according to their will instead of God’s. Wishing for a life according to God’s will while using birth control is like saying “God let me live according to your plan…unless your plan is for me to have children right now, then I am not interested.”

0 Trade School > College

  • January 5, 2019
  • by Connie Morgan
  • · In the News · Thought Box

There’s a lie that’s being fed to every young person in America. It’s a lie that’s not good for the individual kid and it’s not good for society. The lie is that we all should go to college and get a degree. This is entirely false, not only should we not all go to college, but we should encourage trade school more than we encourage university. This coming from someone who went to college, had a blast, and doesn’t regret it.

I entered university without a set plan or major. I was open minded and figured I’d use the prerequisite classes to figure out what I should study. I enjoyed a lot of my classes but it was Econ 201 that changed my life. The very first day, Professor Hedrick asked the class what the biggest cost of going to college was. People shouted out, “Tuition!” “Groceries!” and “Girlfriends!” After chuckling, Professor Hedrick shook his head and said, “Those are all wrong answers, the greatest cost of going to college is the opportunity cost.” In other words, the most financially damaging part of college is the money one isn’t making while attending. I knew then that I wanted to learn more about economics, particularly opportunity costs. To this day, I make all major decisions by considering the opportunity cost first. Unfortunately, most people go their entire lives without understanding opportunity costs; certainly most 18-year-olds don’t.

We’re sold this idea in high school that you make more money when you go to college. We’re shown a chart (like the one to the right) illistrating what a high school grad vs college grad make over their life. Those charts aren’t wrong: a college grad will make more money than a high school grad. What those charts don’t show is net worth throughout your lifetime. 

There is a shortage of trade workers in America. “Blue Collar” jobs that pay well sit vacant while high school graduates rush to get an art degree. There are roughly 30 million jobs in the United States that pay $55,000 or more a year and don’t require a bachelor’s degree. These jobs include construction, plumbing, lineman, or my personal favorite, farriers (horse shoers) who make on average a whopping $92,000 a year. More than the average college graduate’s peak salary of $84,500. A $55,000 yearly salary may not seem much, but considering the avoidance of debt and money made during the average 5 years and 1 month it takes someone to earn a bachelor’s degree, it’s significant. *For examples in this blog average electrician will be used as comparison to the average college graduate because the average electrician salary is around $55,000.

For those who aren’t mathematically inclined let me put it this way; the average electrician has the opportunity to have about $30,000* in retirement in the same time the college grad has no money in retirement and will owe roughly $120,000* in total for their degree. Quite the difference. Because of the ever-increasing cost of college, it is estimated that students graduating in 2015 or later will have to push retirement back to 75. Not the case for the average electrician.

Given current average rates of return (6%) and average student loans, the most significant difference between a college grad and tradesman is not money made but rather money saved. An electrician and and college grad will net $1,000,000 in combined lifetime earnings and retirement savings at essentially the same time – 50* years old for the electrician, 49* for the average grad. Where this gets deceiving is that at that same age, (50) the average electrician will have roughly $375,0000* more in retirement savings than the average grad. The electrician has been saving for 32 years now, at a 15% recommended rate of savings they’d have almost $600,000* saved by age 50. By age 58* they’d have $1 million in retirement savings and $1.5 million by 64*.

The college grad starts saving later and is hindered by loans. On average, graduates with debt are putting 5% of their paycheck or less into retirement, nowhere near the 15% – 20% recommended. Because college students are now taking 20 years on average to payoff debt, recent graduates can expect to have the minimum $1 million for retirement at age 70*. Around age 76 is when $1.5 million in retirement would accrue.

According to data from Sallie Mae, 42% of student debt belongs to parents. For simplicity’s sake, calculations in this analysis were done with students assuming all debt responsibility. Ultimately, the total time spent and cost of interest on debt in this analysis is accurate, it’s just frequently split between parents and student instead of all on the student. More on parent college contributions later. For a full breakdown of how lifetime earnings and savings accrual were calculated click here.

In lifetime earnings, yes, a college graduates get bigger checks than the average electrician. That picture is the one painted in our mind. The first chart is all they show us, what they don’t show us is the good pay combined with retirement potential that a trade-skill can provide.

The data on college debt can be pretty confusing and misleading. Reports will tell you graduates average $30,100 in student loans. While this is a large increase from years past, it still doesn’t seem that bad, but I couldn’t figure out where they were getting this number. School is now costing on average $16,575.75 a year but is increasing at a rate of 2% per year. So the average five years and 1 month of schooling should cost around $120,000* after accounting for the average 28% covered by scholarships/grants according to Fannie Mae, $167,000* before scholarships/grants. An average of $30,100 in debt would mean 54% of college costs are being covered by something other than student loans and scholarships/grants, which didn’t seem right to me. Then I realized the flaw in the $30,100 figure. It does not account for debt held by parents or non-student loans. It also doesn’t account for cash paid from family or personal savings which, albeit isn’t debt, but certainly worth considering.

As I put the pieces together, it started to make sense. Out of the $167,000* it costs to get a degree, 28% is covered by scholarships/grants, 25% is covered by the student (most likely a combination of loans and a part-time job) and 47% is covered by parents (most likely a combination of loans and savings). Of course the $120,000* cost of school after scholarships/grants isn’t the actual cost, after interest the total amount paid in one way or another for a bachelor’s degree is closer to an optimistic estimate of $160,000*.

The cost to parents who want to help pay for school is not talked about enough. Even a parent who saves early often delay their retirement by ten years. The average student-debt (for their child) held by couples over 60 is $23,500. About 55% of parents have more than $40,000 in student debt and parents average $9,000 in cash out of their own savings to help pay for college. It is not uncommon for college-contributing parents to work into their 70s or retire with half of what their current lifestyle costs. Whether planned or not, parents’ contribution to their child’s education means sacrifice. Funny enough, although not conclusive, there is evidence that children whose parents foot the bill perform worse in school. Even if the debt or cost isn’t technically “yours,” passing that along to your parents isn’t something that most 18-year-olds consider or even grasp.

Speaking of what 18-year-olds can grasp… Why do we encourage young people to decide what they’re going to do for the rest of their life five years before their brains are done developing? A third of students change their major at least once in three years which explains why folks are taking over five years to earn a degree. Not only do many people go back to college to get second bachelor’s degree, but 8% of community college students have already earned a bachelor’s degree. Only 27% of college graduates work in their field of study. Perhaps “older and wiser” people pushing college onto high schoolers is one of the biggest scams known to man? High Schools push college because that is how their success is measured, colleges recruit even those likely to drop because one year of tuition is better than none, and universities push financial aid packages to students who don’t understand them. Universities are embroiled in financial aid scandal regularly. Students graduate college with confusing loans and usually without a job in their field BUT the high school tallied them as a win and the universities will get their money one way or another.

Why is college pushed on high schoolers? That’s what high school faculty know! All your teachers went to college; very few if any went to trade school. Those who haven’t gotten a college degree (teachers’ aides and such) often blame their lower income status on not going to college; very few will say “wish I went to lineman school.” Furthermore, the consensus seems to be that college prep is what high school teachers should focus on. High School teachers are rewarded for and chided for not prepping kids for college. 

Recruiters from universities visited my high school but I didn’t hear from a chef or plumber or elevator repairman. Country-wide, 66% of high schoolers immediately enroll in college upon graduation. This number differs wildly from community to community. In my podunk town well under a third of my class immediately went to university – yet high schools everywhere are increasingly tailoring their curriculums to be mini colleges. Furthermore, out of that 66% that do attend college nationwide, 60% of those will end up dropping out. Out of the 40% left, 27% will get a job in their field of study. In short, a measly 7% of high schoolers go to college right away, complete college and get jobs related to their major.

Instead of prepping the majority of students who won’t attend or finish college, High Schools largely focus on college prep. I suppose it’s assumed kids going into the trades will figure it out but the future college students need every resource available. If the focus on college prep over trade prep feels backwards, it’s because it is. You have two years to adjust to college before you pick a major, with countless resources on most university campuses. But we expect the 74%+ who don’t graduate college to immediately adjust to entering the workforce at 18 or 20? Most high schoolers don’t know how to balance a checkbook but damn it they know how to take a standardized test!

Trade school will run you about $35,000 with programs as affordable as $5,000. Additionally, with many trades, apprenticeship is an option eliminating the need for trade school at all. There are also scholarships for trades, shoutout Mike Rowe. When it comes to lifetime net, an electrician has the opportunity to make out significantly better than the average college graduate.

Another point worth making, the initial $50,000 salary right out of college is average. The $120,000* is the average cost of college. That peak salary of $84,500 is average. This means half of all college graduates – 950,000 people each year, make less than $50,000, spend more than $120,000 on college and peak at less than $84,500, maybe not in combination, but still. Are you willing to bet $120,000 that you’re above average? 

In review, there are seven things they don’t tell you in high school about college:

  1. The huge opportunity cost.
  2. The difference between net and gross pay.
  3. Which high-paying careers don’t require college.
  4. What school will actually cost you – beyond the initial cost.
  5. What your parents are sacrificing when they help you pay for college.
  6. Dropout rates.
  7. The reality behind all those averages.

*See spreadsheet here.

0 Trump Is Not Black America’s Problem

  • December 15, 2018
  • by Connie Morgan
  • · Culture · Thought Box

Those who know me know I do not like Kanye West. Like realllly don’t like him. I have spent more energy than I should have professing why I think it’s stupid he has had so much success. I have almost broken up with someone over Kanye. I wish I was joking. So you can imagine what a pickle I was in when perhaps the famous person I hated the most started saying things I agreed with. Not so much the loving Trump stuff, but the free thinking stuff. Kanye didn’t drop any knowledge on me, nothing he said was anything I hadn’t heard before. But for many black people it probably was the first time they heard a person of color tell them they don’t have to be in lockstep with people just because they may look like them. But even more importantly, Kanye’s love of Trump helped illustrate 1) how narrow-minded the left is and 2) that the left doesn’t actually care about black people or really any minority they claim to protect for that matter. This post will focus on the latter point.

I was told by multiple persons that if Trump was elected all my rights as a minority woman would be taken away, including my right to vote. Two years later, the claim hasn’t aged well to say the least. To put it bluntly, black people are thriving under Trump. The black unemployment rate has hit an all-time low under Trump. Of course, the left can’t admit that fact to be a good thing. Now it’s “Well, the black unemployment rate is still higher than the white unemployment rate!” or “The black unemployment rate was declining under Obama anyway and has been for years!” or even “Black unemployment can be low and Trump can still be a racist!”  All of these statements are true but allow the left to ignore a couple things; at the very least, Trump isn’t impeding on black success like they claimed he would. Furthermore, if Trump is racist, it’s not outwardly effecting his policy making. The left struggles to wrap their head around the idea that two things can be true at once. Blacks can be thriving under Trump and this progress has been in the works for a long time.

Even if the black unemployment rate was on a rapid decline that just happened to fall in Trump’s lap, that doesn’t explain the sharp increase in black entrepreneurship under Trump. It certainly doesn’t explain Trump’s aggressive pursuit of prison reform and his pardons/commutations of multiple black citizens. Pretty strange behavior for a supposed racist. If the man is racist, at this point I don’t care because his attempts to “cover for his racism” is resulting in good policy for minorities.

The real issue is that Trump’s approval ratings amongst blacks, though volatile, has approached 20%. If Republicans manage to hold an approval rating at or around 20% during and after Trump’s term as president, that would be enough to seriously affect Democrats chance at winning another presidential election. Democrats cannot afford to lose even a small percentage of the black vote which means even a nod at Donald Trump is not worth the risk for left leaning commentators.

The funny thing is, despite great jobs numbers and prison reform there is a problem in the black community that persists and is often ignored, the family. Government cannot save us on this one. The black population will never match whites in prosperity and success until we figure out how to keep the black fathers at home. So maybe we should stop worrying about whether a president who hasn’t impeded on our freedoms is racist and focus on getting the black family back together.

0 What’s Wrong with Reading as Written

  • August 28, 2018
  • by Dylan Morgan
  • · Culture · In the News

The hearings for the latest Supreme Court nominee will define the debate over the interpretation of the Constitution. On one side you have originalists; those who believe the Constitution should be interpreted by the written word and intent of its authors. On the other side you have those who believe in a living constitution; the idea the Constitution should be interpreted via the lens of current society. We can view both arguments in this way:

Let’s say a 14th century author wrote, “the nice gay boy tripped through the small town with a faggot.”

An originalist would claim the interpretation is, a foolish and merry individual skipped through a small town carrying a bundle of sticks. A proponent of a living constitution would say the statement could accurately be interpreted as, a kind homosexual stumbled through the small town with another homosexual. One claim would capture the intent of the author while the other would distort the story to a point incomprehensible to the writer. Is it fair to claim a story’s meaning changes based on the changing definition of words over time, or is the author’s intent more important?

It would be silly to apply the idea of “living literature” to the author’s story. The same can be said for the law. The law was written to capture the intent of the people at a given time. While the times change, the law’s meaning and purpose do not.

Suppose in the future a political party has decided it is in the best interest of the country to force people to house government employees at no cost while they are on an assignment. For instance, you must house the IRS agent who is auditing you. The passage of such a law is not implausible in the sense the party in favor only needs to hold both houses of congress and the presidency – a level of control which has occurred for the last four presidents. The upholding of such a law, however, would prove the greater obstacle.

An originalist judge would look at such a law as a direct violation of the Third Amendment which states: “No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.” The intent of the law was to protect the civilian from the imposition of government employees in their homes. In 1791 this meant soldiers. Though the current scope and size of the government is beyond anything the founders could have imagined, a law forcing civilians to accept government personnel in their homes would still violate this right.

Today, you would be hard pressed to find a justice who would find otherwise, however someone who follows the ideology of a living constitution follows societal norms. 100 years ago, abortion would not have been a societal norm and yet in 1973, the Supreme Court found the right to an abortion in the Constitution and it is now virtuous to shout your abortion.

Thus saying, suppose in the future it became an acceptable idea for the government to force civilians to house government employees. If the party in favor of such action came to power, they could appoint justices who agreed rather than adjudicated based on the law. They may say that because the Constitution was written in 1787 it is no longer acceptable doctrine. Or maybe they will claim because the Third Amendment says soldiers it does not apply to an IRS agent. The reason is not as significant as the fact you could have government agents forcibly occupy your home. If justices are nominated simply to do the will of congress or the president, then why not abolish all branches in favor of a group of nine dictators?

Hopefully this example is universally abhorrent, but suppose a more contentious issue arose. Neither party would be in favor of judicial appointments to bend or create laws which are against the will of the people. The country is founded in such a way that citizens elect two of three branches (legislative and executive) who then combine to appoint the third – the judicial. The judicial branch then upholds the law which requires the greatest majority to pass: The Constitution.

The supreme law of the land is the Constitution. It is the job of the Supreme Court to ensure laws written by the legislative and signed by the executive branch abide by the rights guaranteed to the citizens. The Constitution can be amended in two ways. The only way utilized thus far requires the support of two-thirds of both houses of congress to propose and three-fourths of the state legislatures to ratify amendments. The other way, a convention of states, requires two-thirds of the states to call for the convention and three-fourths to ratify
any proposed amendments, skipping a congressional vote. Both methods require an
absolute majority of federal and/or state legislative bodies as elected by the citizenry.

The Supreme Court, by way of adjudicating the law as voted on by the people is what protects us from the tyranny of the legislative and executive branches. The utility of co-equal branches of government is lost, however, if one branch usurps power from another. The fear of progressives, in terms of the court, is more originalist judges would hold us strictly to the laws we passed while conservatives fear living constitutionalists would adjudicate by public opinion rather than the rule of law. The distinction of the utmost importance is, one group wishes to have laws written without fear of adjudication while the other wants the laws to be adjudicated as written.

The argument against originalism is truly mystifying to me. Originalists adjudicate based on what the majority of state and federal legislatures have agreed upon and written into law in their time. In other words, originalists do as they are instructed by the electorate. If the electorate wishes for a different outcome, they can put forth an amendment via the legislative branch or convention of states. This ensures a majority of citizens have a say on their rights. It is progressives who wish to remove this ability from the people by way of appointing justices who will interpret the law as it “should” be and not how it is.

Clarence Thomas, a stalwart originalist has often made decisions which go against his own personal interest. For instance, his discussion about the overreach of the federal government by way of the commerce clause would rule anti-discrimination laws and the ban on whites-only lunch counters unconstitutional. As a Black man, one would think Thomas should be in favor of such decisions. Maybe he is, but he insists that rulings, at least his own, be based on the intent lest any law be manipulated as justification to regulate beyond its designation.

It is worth noting that because a law is not constitutional at the federal level does not mean it is illegal at the state level. So, if Thomas were to rule something unconstitutional at the federal level, the states would not necessarily be barred from applying the same legislation.

Because we are a nation that values the rule of law, we have (usually) abided by decisions of the courts with the state or federal government enforcing their rulings. This, however, is done with the understanding that the Supreme Court serves the people through the law, which is why it is an appointed rather than an elected position – the job of the jurors is to be right, not necessarily popular. Furthermore, it is important that the branch that makes the decision is not the one who enforces it. If justices are nothing but legislative or presidential puppets or worse, authors of legislation, then government can simply be vacated and a tribunal of despots put in its place.

The founders understood the nature of centralized power and its inherent tendency to be abused. Therefore, they created a system of checks and balances wherein each branch had specific and enumerated powers. While it may be satisfying to see your party win at the expense of co-equal governance, you cannot then protest when the other side follows suit.

If you want to ensure what you stand for today remains tomorrow, your initial intent must remain intact. Before you castigate a justice for holding this opinion ask yourself why is it wrong to base your justification on those that were given by the author instead of another’s interpretation 100 years later? It is not the job of the judicial branch to manipulate legislation to satisfy society, but that of legislators to make new laws befitting the society they represent. The job of the Supreme Court is to hold us accountable for those we elect and the laws they pass. If you are unhappy with a law, elect politicians who will change it instead of interpreting it as convenient lest convenience replace justice.

2 What is Beyonce the Queen of?

  • July 23, 2018
  • by Connie Morgan
  • · Culture · Thought Box

One of the most recognizable and influential pop stars in the world right now is Beyonce. She started out as the front woman of Destiny’s Child, broke free as a solo act in 2003 with her debut album Dangerously in Love, and hasn’t looked back since. She has released six solo studio albums and very recently dropped her first collab album with husband Jay-Z, titled Everything is Love. A fashion clothing line, a perfume line, movie roles, an athletic wear line, and a handful of endorsements later, Beyonce is now worth a cool $350 million. The most valuable asset Beyonce has been able to cultivate is the “Beyhive.” Her loyal (though not as loyal as one might think for reasons later discussed) fanbase praises everything she does, sometimes going so far as to actually worship her and/or send death threats to people who dare critique her.

Notice how I said that Beyonce is the most recognizable, not the most successful or most popular. I say this because by many standards she is not the most popular. She isn’t even the most popular female artist right now…hell, she isn’t even the most popular black female artist right now. Taylor Swift, Adele (with only three albums compared to Beyonce’s six), and Rihanna have all sold tens of millions more albums than Beyonce. The Beyhive is loyal, but not loyal enough to go out and buy the record I guess. In fact, Beyonce’s best selling album is…her first one, Dangerously in Love, her second best selling album is her second album, B’day, with I Am…Sasha Fierce close behind. Her fourth album, 4 performed abysmally and is easily her worst selling album to date. Her self-titled album trails her first three in sales and Lemonade has sold half the amount of that one. You wouldn’t know it based on the hype, but Beyonce’s music is actually getting less popular as far as album sales go.

Even at her peak, Beyonce has never had a best selling album of the year.  And she’s only been the best selling female once in 2014 when she came in second behind the Frozen soundtrack…so in a way she still wasn’t the best selling female artist. She’s rarely ever the best selling artist in her genre of female R&B/Pop having been beaten out by Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Fergie, Mary J Blige, and more throughout the years. Her fame is actually very strange when you look at the sales of her main product – music. After her Coachella performance some people had the audacity to call her the greatest pop star of all time – yes, even ahead of Michael Jackson. Beyonce doesn’t even have an album in the fifty highest selling of all time! And it might surprise you to learn who does grace that list…Kenny G, Jewel, Boyz II Men, and Hootie and the Blowfish. Maybe not so surprisingly the list also includes Prince, Whitney Houston (twice), Bob Marley, Adele, Fleetwood Mac, and of course Michael Jackson at number one. Plenty of female representation, plenty of black representation, plenty of R&B/Pop representation…and no Beyonce.

As far as touring stats go, Beyonce is no slouch and pulls in big numbers. Alas, she still does not make the list of Top 20 grossing tours of all time (Celine Dion and Madonna x2 make the list). Her most successful “Formation” World Tour ranks 15th in top grossing tours of the 2010s.

I’ve established that the talk doesn’t match the walk when it comes to Beyonce fandom but granted album sales aren’t everything. Queen doesn’t have any of the Top 50 selling albums of all time and I argue Freddie Mercury is one of the most talented people to walk this earth on a regular basis. So what about Beyonce’s talent? Well she is stunningly beautiful, but that’s not really talent, more so good genes. She doesn’t play an instrument but she has a nice voice. She has a really good voice…but is she Whitney? Hell no. Is she ‘90s era Mariah? Absolutely not. And even right now we all know who the best pop singer is…I hate to bring her up again…but that’s Adele. Honestly, I’ve never heard someone make the “Beyonce has the greatest voice ever” argument so I won’t spend much time refuting it.

Then there’s real talent, learned and honed-in talent: music composing, lyric writing, choreography…things you can have a knack for but take lots of work to hone in. Beyonce’s not known for her producing and “beat making” ability like Kanye or Pharrell. She doesn’t play an instrument like Alicia Keys. She is frequently listed as a co-writer on her songs but when one of the songs she “co-wrote” was nominated for an Oscar but only three people could be listed as co-writers, her name was removed…But really, does she want to take credit for stuff like the garbage listed below. Lyrics for “ApeShit,” her single with Jay-Z that she co-wrote and co-produced:

[Chorus: Beyoncé & Quavo]
Stack my money fast and go (fast, fast, go)
Fast like a Lambo (skrrt, skrrt, skrrt)
I be jumpin’ off the stage, ho (jumpin’, jumpin’, hey, hey)
Crowd better save her (crowd goin’ ape, hey)
I can’t believe we made it (this is what we made, made)
This is what we’re thankful (this is what we thank, thank)
I can’t believe we made it (this a different angle)
Have you ever seen the crowd goin’ apeshit? Rah!

[Verse 1: Beyoncé & Quavo]
Gimme my check, put some respek on my check
Or pay me in equity (pay me in equity)
Watch me reverse out of debt (skrrt)
He got a bad bitch, bad bitch
We livin’ lavish, lavish
I got expensive fabrics
I got expensive habits
He wanna go with me (go with me)
He like to roll the weed (roll the weed)
He wanna be with me (be with me)
He wanna give me that vitamin D (D!)
Ice ornaments, icy style tournaments (woo)
You ain’t on to this (no)
Don’t think they on to this (no)

These are obviously horrible lyrics by an honest person’s standard. If you’re not sure, try saying them out loud. Good lyrics read like a poem even without music…these read like a teenager’s first attempt at rapping. At this point though, Beyonce doesn’t even have to try to write good music; anything she releases is praised as some sort of revelation.

Another thing Beyonce is known for is her dancing. I am not professionally trained but I do enjoy watching dance and can tell when something requires skill to execute. Beyonce’s dancing for the most part, does not. There is little footwork and it’s mostly bending over, shaking her ass, and whipping her hair around. Ciara is more athletic when it comes to dance and Janet Jackson has much, much, much, better choreography that she actually does herself unliked Beyonce who has a team of choreographers. One could argue Madonna had more revolutionary choreography than Beyonce. Are you rage typing “Single Ladies” into YouTube right now? It’s a fun dance, I’ll give you that, but not difficult, not choreographed by Beyonce, and not original!

But it’s her brand you say! Beyonce has the power to sell and influence beyond music. Well she dabbled in movies, and while Dreamgirls was a hit, let’s be honest, Jennifer Hudson is the reason why. Following Dreamgirls, Cadillac Records and Obsessed were both panned by the critics. Her women’s athletic wear brand, Ivy Park, which is literally normal-looking sweatshirts, t-shirts, leggings, and bras that say “Ivy Park”- such design genius – sold out upon its original release in 2016, but since then you haven’t heard much about the brand. Athletica and Lululemon continue to dominate the space with Adidas becoming a larger player. Kate Hudson’s Fabletics and Prana are doing very well too. On the other hand, I struggle to find any information on how Ivy Park sales are going right now.

“Well Beyonce empowers young women, especially black women so I don’t care about all that other stuff.” Does she though? Empowers means give someone the authority to do something which granted, Beyonce can’t really do, or make someone stronger and more confident which is the “Beyonce empowers” I assume people are referring to. I want to ask how exactly Beyonce empowers women? How many girls lacking self-confidence watch Beyonce sing “Formation” on stage and think, “Wow, now I have the confidence to open that restaurant I’ve been too afraid to pursue”? How many young girls look at Beyonce and Jay-Z’s relationship and go “that’s the true definition of a loving and devoted marriage; that’s what I’ll model mine after.” Or in reality, how many girls follow one of the most beautiful women on the planet, on instagram with her lavish lifestyle, constantly changing hair styles, and outrageous designer clothes and pursue shallow beauty standards because of it?

Beyonce’s lyrics aren’t empowering. The vast majority of her music is about sexing up a boyfriend. I’m sorry but repeating “Who runs the world, girls” over and over again does not make anyone a stronger woman. If Beyonce really wanted to help young black people, she’d sing about graduating from high school, acquiring and keeping a job and getting faithfully married before having babies. If Beyonce wanted to help black people build better relationships she’d sing about finding a partner who shares your values, is conservative with their money, and treats you with respect. Instead relationships in her songs are all about having sex and spending lots of money. Don’t get me wrong, the former is certainly important in a relationship but a good marriage is about more than physical attraction. Being a “bad bitch” is not the key to a fulfilling, healthy relationship.

The “I’ma strong woman and so are you” bit has proved ineffective in shifting black culture to more prosperous ways of living. Despite Beyonce’s huge audience and influential power she doesn’t talk to black people about improving the culture or really anything. She’s somewhat notorious for not giving opinions. She just collects your money and goes back to her mansion(s).

Beyonce has made some catchy tunes, especially earlier in her career. “Love on Top” and “Sweet Dreams” are great pop songs. (Love on Top is probably my favorite music video of hers too.) Are they a display of incredible talent and skill? No. But they’re what pop music should be. What Beyonce is not is a visionary talent revolutionizing art. What Beyonce is not is a positive black influencer. What Beyonce is not, is a god. She’s a pop star, and she should be treated as such.

0 What Even is Fair Trade?

  • June 25, 2018
  • by Connie Morgan
  • · Culture · Health and Fitness · Thought Box · Wellness

Fair trade is awesome. No, not the kind Trump talks about where trade deficits are bad and trade wars are awesome. What I and other hipsters who use the term fair trade mean is a product produced in a way deemed ethical and…well, fair. There are various fair trade certificates and organizations all differing slightly on what their standard of “fair” is. This is why using those stamps of approval are useful but it’s also worth thinking about your own ethical standard. What I define as fair might be a little different than you but for the most part fair trade for everyone refers to fair wages for those involved in the making of said product, fair working conditions, sustainable practices (does the product create a lot of waste and/or have an unjustified effect on the environment) and were animals abused in the making of the product. Seems pretty simple but there are many companies that don’t meet this standard, only meet it halfway, or don’t have the same definition of fair that I do. Below is how I personally, define each of these standards.

The makers of the product are paid a fair wage.
The makers of the product are paid according to the value they add to the company. This will vary country to country and it doesn’t necessarily mean they must be paid more than minimum wage. I don’t think minimum wage for a fast food cook is unfair but I do think minimum wage for a fast food manager is unfair. Perhaps you disagree with this standard but that’s the cool thing about a free market, you can buy according to your values and I to mine. Any product that’s made in America meets this standard for me. I believe America is a free enough place that employees are generally paid what they are worth and have the option to find better work if they believe they are treated unfairly. There are resources to learn more about fair wages around the world and you can find them here.

The makers of the product work in decent conditions.
What I mean by this is that no one is forced to work extreme hours at threat of losing their job if they refuse. Workers are also in air conditioned facilities or heated facilities if necessary. And this should go without saying but workers are not physically punished for messing up something on the job.
I also avoid products with chemicals in them in order to meet this standard. Even in the U.S. employees work with chemicals without even realizing the damage they are causing to themselves until years later. I also avoid meat products, especially from factory farms because of the negative effects breathing in all the fumes and dealing with animal waste can have. Check out this link for more info on the negative effects of factory farms on employees. Any product involving chemicals often have adverse effects on workers. Perhaps the best example of this is pesticides and farm workers. You can read more on that here. Chemical free and BPA free are things I look out for when buying stuff.

Sustainable practices.
This one was a huge reason why I gave up meat. As more and more people around the world adopt the American diet or westernized diet rather, we will need more and more land to raise the animals. There simply isn’t enough land on Earth to feed 7 billion people a animal centered diet. There also isn’t a good way to get rid of all the waste these animals create. You can read more about the sustainability of an animal based diet here.
When it comes to non-food products I am really not too picky. They don’t have to be green certified but I don’t want them dumping waste in rivers. In fact, a lot of companies will forgo the vegan/green/fair trade stamps because those usually cost money to apply for and they don’t want to transfer the cost to their customers which I totally get and appreciate. So don’t disregard a product simply because it doesn’t have the stamp you are accustomed to seeing.
It’s also a plus when the materials used to make the product are biodegradable, reusable etc. I try to avoid plastic when I can

Cruelty free.
Companies will always brag about this so it’s usually not hard to figure out. I am not against using rats in lab tests per say but animal testing can get out of control pretty quick. PETA gets a lot of shit, most of which they deserve, but when it comes to animal testing they make a strong case.
*With all these guidelines you have to be careful. Often companies will claim to be fair trade or green or cruelty free etc. because those who put the product together meet all these guidelines. Sometimes the people sewing the shoes together are treated well but the people who cultivate the shoe materials aren’t. Just something to keep in mind.

I started focusing on more ethical shopping funny enough, because of my capitalistic values. The trade part of fair trade actually drew me in just as much as the fair part. I realized I alone was responsible for the consequences of my actions and that through a free market system I could tell companies what was and wasn’t acceptable with every dollar I spent. Your value system might not be the same as mine, but I still encourage you to shop along your moral compass. People often tell me they feel helpless when they shouldn’t. The organic product market is expected to grow 14% from 2017 to 2021, from 2004 to 2016 Fairtrade International product revenue grew roughly 835%, sales of plant based food went up 8.1% last year and continues to grow, the natural (chemical free) beauty industry is seeing sales increase every year with growth at 7% outpacing overall industry growth and Jessica Alba famously became a billionaire almost overnight after starting The Honest Company.
This growth isn’t because companies just felt like it, it’s because their customers demanded it. A lot of my fellow naturalists claim to hate capitalism, but it’s the fuel creating massive change across all industries. You say something every time you buy something and businesses are listening. Compassionate capitalism isn’t a real economic term, but if it were, I suppose it would look like shopping fair trade.

1 Why the World Needs Dads

  • June 17, 2018
  • by Dylan Morgan
  • · Culture · In the News

Since I was little, I wanted to be like my dad. He did all kinds of cool things like wear chaps, drive tractors, and chop wood. I didn’t know why, but I wanted to do those things too. I wanted to be like my dad so much that when I was in eighth grade I decided I would do exactly what he did with his life: go to university on an ROTC scholarship and become a dentist. My life goals are as original as Will Smith’s music.

My upbringing, however, was much different than his, as when I was five years old my parents got divorced. I lived with my mom five days a week and, when I wasn’t participating in baseball or basketball tournaments, I would spend the weekend with my dad. There was a stark contrast between parents as my mom allowed for more play and my dad always seemed to be working, so much so that he ostensibly created a business just to teach my sister and me the value of a good work ethic. The dichotomy of parenting styles created two different expectations of me: while living with my mom I was essentially held to the same standard as my sister. My dad, however, established different expectations for the two of us. For example, if he needed to go work on a stretch of fencing, Connie was given a choice whether or not to participate. I, on the other hand, was not afforded the same opportunity.

My dad’s expectations of me created a drive to prove myself worthy. This was made more difficult by my dad making it clear he didn’t think we should be wasting our time on frivolous extra-curriculars when there was work to be done. Due to this opinion, he hardly came to any of my sporting events as he wouldn’t take time off work. Since my athletic prowess wouldn’t impress him, I found other ways. I remember the first time I carried a fifty-pound bag of grain on my shoulder not because it was a momentous occasion in my life but because he noticed! He didn’t say good job or anything, but I knew he was thinking it. I also remember his compliments any time I made a good point about some aspect of working the ranch. But more than the good, I remember my failures in his eyes.

I remember getting yelled at for stepping on the track of a tractor while it was moving. I remember almost coming to tears because I couldn’t unhook the gooseneck trailer from the truck before my dad got back from a horse ride. My sister and stepmom asked me what was wrong, seemingly not comprehending the fact that, though I was likely around ten years old, I was the man and it was my job to handle such things as unhooking trailers. How could I prove myself worthy if I couldn’t handle such menial tasks as that?!

My dad also has the ability to make me laugh – usually just at how funny he thinks he is, though his dad jokes often come R-rated or politically incorrect. Like when told a movie he had purchased was going to set off the alarm when he left but just to ignore it, he said to the clerk, eyes lighting up like he had been waiting his whole life for this moment, “I’d better let you take this then because I’m a Black man and they’ll shoot me.” He had a gift for making me laugh when I was angry especially when my ire was directed at him. I would fight so hard to keep from laughing thinking, “shut up dad just let me hate you for the next five minutes” but I never could.

As I got older I came to two realizations: chaps really weren’t as cool as I remembered, and I had a long way to go before becoming the man my father was. The former realization needs no explanation, but the latter came to me in two events. First, I witnessed my dad throwing 100-pound bales of hay 6-8 feet over his head into the loft after the hay elevator broke down. At this point he was over forty and not in good shape throwing the most awkward, cumbersome thing over his head. I mean, holy shit.

The second event came when I was seventeen or eighteen. While working one day, he locked our food in the car and took off on a ride with the keys. This meant I had to wait a full hour before eating! When he finally returned I made a snarky, smart-ass comment to him expressing my distress. The world stopped. There became an epic stare-down between man and boy. My dad who grew up dirt poor looked at me, who had the nerve to mouth off about not eating for an hour. I knew behind that steely gaze he was calculating the odds he could get away with beating me in public. Not wanting to blink lest I lose all dignity I stared back, hiding my fear behind a façade of righteous indignation, calculating the best routes of escape. After what seemed like forever, the battle of wills ended when he simply said, “you’d better remember who you’re talking to” and he threw me the keys. As I walked to get my lunch I almost laughed at loud: the laugh of someone who has just survived a near death experience. I realized that not only did I have a lot of room to grow, but my dad could have snatched my head from my shoulders before my life worked up the nerve to flash before my eyes.

My dad clearly impacted the type of man I’ve become. He is not alone fulfilling the fundamental role of father, a title which is becoming more rarely used. As of 2017 24% of homes with children under eighteen are single-mother. A staggering 55.3% of Black mothers fall within this category. There is some hope, as a study highlighted by the New York Times showed that not only is your own father important, but in his absence, male role models in the community can fill the role of father and negate the deleterious effect of a fatherless home. This could mean reducing the numbers of youth suicides, rapists, high school dropouts, and incarcerations. The issue, however, is there are so many fatherless communities that don’t allow for the realization of this benefit.

My dad never sat me down and said, “son, don’t rape people.” In fact, he only gave me direct life instructions once and that was, “if you get a girl pregnant, you’re pregnant.” The reality was he didn’t have to directly define his expectations. By watching him and listening to him talk about movies or shows we watched, I was able to interpret the expectations of a man: provide and protect.

Provide: As a man, you are the provider for your family. This is not to say a woman can’t provide, but a man needs to be in a situation where he is capable of doing so no matter how arduous a job is. My dad demonstrates this by owning two businesses even though he would do fine in his primary career.

Protect: My dad’s catch phrase, “just kill ‘em,” is likely only slight hyperbole. He leaves no doubt that should something happen to my sister, myself, or anyone in the family they will face the wrath of a mad Morgan. There was never a time in my childhood I didn’t feel safe because I knew my dad would take care of anything that came up; witnessing one such occasion myself. And, after watching him throw bales of hay around I think I can objectively say my daddy can kick your daddy’s ass.

Those are the two basic tenets of being a man. My dad showed me how he exemplified them and now it’s up to me to determine my own way. I will never be as physically strong as my dad but because of what he has instilled in me I know there is no excuse to not be able to protect. I am on track for a comfortable career but I am well prepared to work beyond that if necessary and in fact I plan to.

It was not until I grew older that I realized my dad, while fulfilling the tenets as well as most men could hope to, was still flawed. This was not an earth-shattering experience: in fact it seemed only natural. He was human after all and only a human can be a hero.

I cannot explain why fathers are necessary. It’s not difficult for a mother to explain a man’s role to her son. Maybe the need boys experience for dads is scribbled across the Y chromosome. Maybe it’s because boys love their moms and if she picked your dad there must be something worthwhile there to learn. Regardless of your explanation, it is apparent fathers are the most important aspect for the development of boys and their continued absence will have a negative effect on society as a whole. So today, tell your dad happy Father’s Day or be a dad who deserves one.

1 Appropriation is Awesome

  • May 17, 2018
  • by Connie Morgan
  • · Culture · Thought Box

People have been taking “cultural appropriation” way too far. By people, I mean the American left which has lead the mission to yell at, bully, and belittle anyone who participates in anything that wasn’t created by their ethnic group. White people aren’t allowed to make burritos, only black people should rap and in a recent example of cultural appropriation idiocy, a high school girl was shamed on Twitter for wearing a Chinese dress (and wearing it well I might add) to her prom. Thank goodness I am half-white and half-black and therefore allowed to dip into two different cultures.

So what exactly is cultural appropriation? It’s often described as someone adopting from a culture that is not his or her own – a hairstyle, a piece of clothing, a manner of speaking, even a type of exercise (yoga, for example). Everyday feminism takes this a step further explaining that cultural appropriation takes place when a dominant group borrows from a culture they have oppressed. It doesn’t matter if you specifically have never oppressed said group, just that someone of your same ethnicity has. Neither of these definitions seem inherently evil to me but whichever definition you use, cultural appropriation is confusing from the start.

First, let’s look at the broader definition of cultural appropriation. Take something from someone else’s culture and you’re appropriating. This means if your culture didn’t invent a style of dance, you should not participate. Well, white people invented tap dancing. If you’re familiar with the history of tap dance you might say nuh-uh, tap dancing was invented by blacks in the south. I’d say you’re right but tap was actually an appropriation of Irish clogging. Poor Irish and poor blacks lived amongst each other in the south. Both groups were discriminated against and faced socio-economic struggles. (Thomas Sowell’s Black Rednecks and White Liberals explains this in more detail.) The two groups ended up borrowing quite a bit from each other. It’s just fact that blacks appropriated the Irish clog to create tap and I’m glad they did…But that’s appropriation so I guess only the Irish should be allowed to tap. If blacks can’t participate in tap dance, we never would have had Savion Glover, quite possibly the best tap dancer who ever lived. Please take a minute to watch him here; he truly is astounding. Ballet certainly isn’t a part of African culture, so say goodbye to Misty Copeland too. If Hip-Hop is a black-American invention then someone better call Channing Tatum and tell him to stop dancing. Classical music isn’t rooted in Asian culture so forget about Yo-Yo Ma. Opera began in Italy so if you ain’t Italian don’t even bother. Flutes originated in China so literally every kid in my high school band’s flute section was way out of line.

The arts are an easy one to pick on but you can apply this to nearly any piece of the human experience. There would be great losses in our cultural advancement if people weren’t allowed to cross cultural lines. Weren’t we all told as kids that copying is the greatest form of flattery? If someone uses something from your culture to create something new, they most certainly respect your culture. If they didn’t, why would they use it? Now if a white person makes a dream catcher and says “hey, I invented this” I could see the issue but that is rarely, if ever the case in these instances of “cultural appropriation.”

But SJWs think they got ya on the second definition of cultural appropriation, the one that says only oppressors can appropriate meaning white people can’t participate in any culture that isn’t their own, but black people, who are the most oppressed, can borrow from any culture they want. (Actually Jews are the most oppressed, but that’s a topic for another day.) The problem with this idea is that it really only hurts minorities. Ok, so now white people can only wear jeans and eat italian food..not really a big deal. But that authentic taco stand? You just lost all your white customers. Black rappers? You just lost 70-75% of your audience. The UFC would not only see a huge drop in ratings; (can’t have white people viewing mixed martial arts) they would lose quite a few athletes as well, with Dana White following them out the door. His name is literally White! How much more offensive can you be??!!!

I realized that cultural appropriation had gone way too far when some of my friends admired a dress I have. It is a beautiful, colorful, handmade dress. I bought it from an online shop that sells dresses made by African artisans. My friends ranted and raved about the dress so much that I asked one of them why she didn’t just buy one for herself. She told me she was afraid if she did people would get mad because she is white. And you know what, she’s probably not wrong; someone might get mad. But the person who gets mad that a white woman supported a black designer is an absolute fool.

Why would you want to prevent 77% of the American population from purchasing goods made by minorities? Do you want minority culture in the U.S. to disappear, because without the white man’s dollar most culture-based businesses will fail. Do you not want white people helping uplift merchants in third world countries out of poverty by supporting their craft? It breaks my heart thinking about the dollars those African dress makers are missing out on because white women have been bullied into fear of celebrating the beauty of something not their own.

So appropriate, I say! Without it, we wouldn’t have tap dance or blues or MMA or ice cream cones or me! If you’re worried about it still, just follow these rules:

  1. Give credit where credit is due.
    Don’t claim you created something you didn’t.
  2. Don’t wildly misrepresent a culture.
    Don’t claim you’re giving props to Native-Americans when you’re in a skimpy outfit with feathers and just want to dress provocatively.

That’s pretty much it. Be respectful but be a sponge. If Drake isn’t proof we need more cross-cultural appropriation, I don’t know what is.

0 When Everything is “Problematic”

  • May 10, 2018
  • by Arianna
  • · Culture · In the News

The internet is awash with articles dubbing parts of the culture “problematic.” Whether it be films, songs, memes, words, or phrases; when it’s considered “problematic” it typically means that the author feels that there is some hidden or implied discrimination in it that is likely not immediately obvious to most people. When highlighting “problematic” things, the authors’ message is frequently to stop supporting or using whatever the thing is.

For films or tv shows, much of the criticism that brings out the word “problematic” comes from an expectation that all entertainment should be a reflection of the critic’s ideal society. This typically involves proportionate representation of minorities (at minimum) and messaging around the empowerment of underrepresented groups. While you can make good movies that fit these requirements, there are many that inherently will not and that should be okay. In an article titled “As A Black Woman, Everything I Love Is Problematic,” one writer discusses her internal struggle when she finds herself liking movies or tv shows that do not advance her ideal society. For example, she confesses a love of period pieces such as Poirot and Downton Abbey but laments that they are beautiful shows that can glorify some of the negative aspects of Western/European history, depicting rich, attractive people who are successful often just by dint of birth and who take advantage of less fortunate people, treating them poorly. Her feelings of guilt in liking these shows indicates that she feels that by watching and even enjoying them, she is somehow supporting the structure of society in those times and supporting the behavior of the characters.

This way of thinking puts a lot of pressure on the viewer to only watch things that reflect their own views or experience back to them. While I understand the desire to see your culture represented in film or tv, the pressure that this has created to only support diverse projects does not appear to be beneficial. To look at a period piece that accurately represents a time period and feel you shouldn’t like it for that reason indicates a problem with your feelings and not the piece. You absolutely can watch it and feel distaste for any of their bad behavior, even while appreciating the beautiful clothes and hair and architecture, because history is complex and very few things are all bad or all good.

When it comes to “problematic” words or phrases, articles typically focus on those that have racist or otherwise derogatory origins that most current users would not be aware of. While it can be worthwhile to explore the origins of the words that we use, savory or otherwise, I think it’s unnecessary to try to scrub out any words from our vocabulary that may have been used in a negative context at some point by someone many, many years ago. An example from the linked article is the phrase “No can do.” In our everyday lives, this is a simple, efficient way to let someone know we’re unable to do something. However, this phrase gained popularity in Western culture while making fun of Chinese immigrants’ broken English. After learning the negative origin of this phrase, we can stop using it – as the author suggests – because we oppose any mean-spirited taunting of immigrants doing their best to learn and communicate in our language, but what are we really accomplishing by doing that? This may make you feel more righteous as you act on your newfound knowledge, but that really only affects you.

If your goal is to improve society’s treatment of immigrants, then it makes more sense to worry about any wrongs that are being done to them now, not hundreds of years ago. When there are real problems that we can address together, why create problems in situations where there are none? This is where social justice warriors tend to lose an engaged audience that extends outside of other social justice warriors. I believe the grand majority of people in the United States want to combat bigotry and discrimination. The problem with social justice warriors’ approach is that so much of the messaging is focused on small things that may offend a minority group rather than combating barriers to success for minority groups. With this, the movement loses focus and the ability to create any real change. If everything is “problematic,” how do we identify and solve real problems?

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