Extending the Critical Context #11

Though I cannot remember any specific times where I have been in a confrontation about race, I have overheard and been in several discussions involving the minorities present in America, and the disadvantages they have. Often times, the debate was over whether or not racism itself still existed within the United States. Both sides would agree that there are racist people out there, but would disagree on whether or not racism extended further than that. The debate never seemed to reach as far as the ideas posed by Wachtel did. Many people agreed with the idea that the opportunities were there but more could be done to improve minorities chances, and several times the idea came up of exactly what Wachtel said, “That’s not my problem.” No one ever stepped up and said “Racism is not the main problem, indifference is.” That might be why most of these debates never got very far, and why, in society as a whole, the plight of minorities isn’t advancing very far.