In 2020, 61 percent of whites told Data for Progress that they oppose student debt forgiveness for every borrower and were split evenly on forgiving $50,000 in student loans for borrowers who make less than $125,000. Even though LeBron James earns more money than Joe the Plumber, we know that, when adjusted for education, experience and geographic location, the average Black worker earns about 75 cents per hour for every dollar a white man earns.
The reason Oprah doesn’t object when we discuss the Black-white wealth gap is because, according to economists at the New School and the Duke Center for Social Equality, the average white high school dropout is worth more than the average Black college graduate. Census Bureau shows the non-Hispanic white homeownership rate currently stands at 74 percent while the percentage of Black homeowners has never reached 50 percent. Most people can hear someone say “birds fly” without interrupting with: “What about penguins and emus?” When someone uses the phrase “white people,” the reason we don’t include the names of every single white person who has ever lived is that we expect non-stupid Americans to understand that we are describing a majority or a statistical plurality.įor instance, economists talk about “white homeownership” because data from the U.S.
See, when someone explains that cars need gas, we understand that they are not talking about electric vehicles or Fred Flinstone’s Cavemobile. But I didn’t say a single thing about “all white people.” What? I didn’t say anything about your mother!