Week 11: Race and democracy in America

Question 1

Blacks are highly targeted by the law

Answer 1

Drug use across different racial groups is roughly equal

• blacks are sent to prison 20-57% times more than whites
• ¾ of all people in prison for drug use are black and Latino, although most of the population is white
• Chargers for blacks are averaging 20% longer
• Unarmed blacks are 3-4 times more likely to be shot by police than whites

Question 2

The perpetual system of poverty and racism towards blacks in America

Answer 2

Once released from prison in the states, inmates must signify that they have a criminal record when applying to a job and can legally be discriminated against based on this. They also have to pay court fees, are denied food stamps, and no longer welcome in social housing, so they are fucked. Back to prison they go. Most of them are poor entering prison in the first place. Doesn’t allow for rehabilitation

Racial bias is difficult to identify and the courts accept it and say they do not accept it as racial bias by police seeking out majorly black neighbourhoods. You can’t prove racial bias in the states. Challenging racial bias is almost impossible.

-Cannot vote if you have been charged with a crime sometimes even for life, therefor blacks have an unequal punishment because of their unequal incarceration rates.

Question 3

Why does the mistreatment of black minorities happen?

Answer 3

• there are a lot of people that profit from keeping people incarcerated. Deals with a revenue issue in some cases
• USA has the largest prison population in the world almost if not #1
• Constitution permits slavery in the case of a prisoner
• Driven by people’s loyalty to the constitution ?
• According to some chick it is a deliberate or unconscious racial biased aimed at taking black people off of the treats to racially control them
• Voting suppression has always been part of USA. Poor neighbourhoods have electronic voting systems in some places and only place a couple in poor neighbourhoods so they do not all have time to vote (lines 6-7 hours long).
• Targeted by republican party to shrink the minority vote and gain a higher number of the remaining vote.
• Utilizing socialized norms that believe these sorts of policies are good and the democrat policies are too lenient. They display it as not racist, but more anti – democrat – “tough on crime”.
• Some felt whites are losing some of their identity, white anxiety and identity threat. Concentrated in republican
• identification.

Question 4

Herrenvolk democracy

Answer 4

democratic rights and freedoms are guaranteed to a master race and denied to those inferior

Question 5

Ethnic democracy:

Answer 5

extends civil and political rights to individuals, although the states are represented by a dominant group and other groups may be dominated. Unofficial domination. Enjoy their full civil and political rights.

Question 6

Democratic bargain

Answer 6

in a democracy you try to accommodate others interests to a certain degree because you are not always going to be in power so you hope they will do the same for you when you are in power. Idea of sacrifice requiring reciprocity in democracy. Democracy requires sacrifice of ambition to be the winner in the future. You accept to abide by the rules of the other person is that I lost to.

Question 7

Julia hooker on the reciprocity of African Americans in the USA

Answer 7

believe this idea of reciprocity does not hold for African Americans. They are perpetual losers. If you are always the loser then you are stuck. Therefor it undermines the understanding that in that situation maybe we shouldn’t expect African Americans to engage in this ethic of sacrifice. The idea to accept this subordination is not just because it is not reciprocity. This may put violent responses in a different light.

Violence might have a legitimate and useful place in a society like the united states. Can allow us to understand it a form of democratic repair of racial injustice and racism inflicted onto them. Can help bring light to the insufficiency of their participation. It holds more power rather than peaceful marches. Once marches are done or even during this stuff still happens, whereas violence sheds a whole new light on the severity of the situation. Can get the message across better. It is also a kind of pressure release. And phycological release for black citizens frustrations.

Question 8

Dr king: on African American perpetual mistreatment

Answer 8

We have to make life inconvenience for people. believes disruption is essential to progress, although violence is not always necessary. Most cases induced progress comes from non-violence, although violent does have many beneficial outcomes in many locations. Mass incarceration needs to be stopped because of a large proportion being African America.

Question 9

Rich vs Bare democracy

Answer 9

Bare Democracy requirements:

• elections (some reasonable chance to be elected) does not mean that there is an equal playing field
• free media

Rich democracy

• free fair and equal elections
• free media (unbiased?) does media become anti-democratic in some cases? Generally speaking, objectively media is part of a healthy democracy
• free speech
• government transparency
• everyone has a semi-similar ability to run for office.
• civil society (freedom of association/peaceful assembly)
• fair/neutral judiciary that can address injustices of government performance as well as civil misconduct
• equality of opportunity
• enlightened citizens/ capacity to deliberate
• duty to participate in elections
• responsiveness and accountability (duty to participate)
• toleration
• adhere to the rule of law (protest for alterations of rule of law)