INEQUALITY - THE MODEL OF INTUITION (By Lemuel Mwangi G - Tacoma Community College Sociology Class - End of the Semester Paper)

It’s been ten weeks already and the last edge of the spring quarter is in view. Sitting in class for all those weeks is not the obvious reasoning for being in the college, neither is it the judgment that will classify fellow students or the instructor. What I have learnt is the accomplishment that will propel my insight into a decent future that I dream of. And so do I thank all who contributed to my learning.

Among the many facts that were brought forth in class, it was obvious that some modalities that define the distinctive characteristics among people are only skin deep. Others are personal creations that exploit the general population for personal benefit. Inequality is a functional equation of societal welfare; the only problem is that the boundaries of discrimination are totally unreasonable.
Inequality takes many forms the most common of which is race. Though biologically ascribed, society has taken this as the perfect excuse to draw discrimination lines.

In the olden days, black people, whose race was considered inferior, were enslaved simply because of their skin color. This discrimination was magnified so much such that of today, this ‘old school’ view point is still eminent. Does color really make a person inferior or superior? Absolutely not. There is not backing (Scientific or religious) to this rhetorical theory whose significance is slowly diminishing. Sooner of later, society will stand evenhanded and discriminatory oppression will no longer be based upon racial identity.

Let’s take a bite from the video ‘who broke the levees’. The outcry of the poor was evident in most parts of New Orleans city but the government failed to lend an ear. At first, it seemed like it was due to the inaccessibility of the city but as days passed, it was obvious that it was in fact government ignorance. It was also disheartening to find out that the Royal Canadian army personnel was first to arrive from hundreds of miles away while their United states counterparts failed to do so despite being only few miles away. People of the first class, the money goons, who live in the upscale neighborhoods were evacuated way before the storm hit while the working poor suffered the toll of nature’s mayhem and the resulting aftermath. Did the government do enough? Not in my opinion.

Perhaps the most outstanding point in the video ‘who broke the levees’ is the classification of the people living the low scale neighborhoods and who consequently suffered the toll of the Hurricane Katrina. While people of all racial profiles were present, it was clear that Blacks and Latinos composed the largest percentage a clear indication that in the city, economic prestige came with color. Why this is the case is at the vague discretion of mankind to enforce socioeconomic prestige along racial and ethical boundaries.

Prejudice and discrimination are negative manifestations of integrative power. Instead of bringing or holding people together, it pushes them apart. Prejudice and discrimination produce effects in the psychological, social, political and economic domains. Whether intended or not, the effects are compounded by loss of self worth, a sense of alienation from the wilder society, political disempowerment and economic inequalities.

One of the most destructive types of prejudice is based on someone's socio-economical class. Vaguely seen as verbal, prejudice has far reaching effects when put in practice. This was especially evident when the poor residents of New Orleans were abandoned by their government maybe because the men in power thought that they did not need help – of course that was not the case. The government let the poor carry their pan-ethic label; the helpless.

Authority, the possession of power, is the most ambiguous aspect of the bureaucratic sense of governance in the United States. After days in ‘hell’, the people of New Orleans were not in the least pleased to find that their suffering was due to the absence of one man’s signature. The will power of the government was totally crippled such that the government men could only watch while people perished. How disheartening it was for the people to find that their rescue was equated to just a signature of a man on vacation. For your information, that man was not the president, his identity remains a misery.

Who was to blame for the worse condition in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina? The people of New Orleans and other gulf coast states? The issue of victim blaming seems to be widely used by governments around the world to justify their inconsequential stands when citizens are in need. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, government sources blamed the victims of the storm for not evacuating prior to the storm. The truth held by such statements seems only to be fictional and existent only in the minds of ignorant governance that so ignores the facts to think they will stop being facts. The people would have evacuated; but how and where to? Most of the dwellers there are poor and the price of moving in with family members seemed more unreasonable than otherwise. The people had no other option other than to stay behind and guard their property against the destructive storm. Nature of course has the advantage to muscle itself towards victory against the abandoned citizens of New Orleans.

Of all other aspects of social discrimination, the geographical demography seemed to solve the puzzle as to why the poor were more affected by the storm. While low class ‘slums’ are located in the low flat ground (the path of the storm) the rich have their prestigious life styles hatched in the hilltop suburbs where flooding is unheard of. As such, when the storm struck and flooded the low grounds, it simply got into the ill constructed structures in which the poor live in. The homes were easily flooded and in some case washed away by the raging water, if not swept away by the racing wind. After the storm struck, the poor were convened to the Super Dome only for the roof to be carried away. Soon, the people decided to better go out instead of staying sheltered in the dome but starving.

Some of the coherent form of beliefs and values held by the United States government, Ideologies, seem to be long outdated. Elaborate measures that are supposed to define the cooperation between the people and the government have since stopped taking stand. The levees that were supposedly guarding the citizens were poorly constructed and easily gave in to the storm letting flood water to take refuge in the poor neighborhoods. What else to think of, other than the Anomie state of livelihood, the era of insignificant old school democratic governance.

‘To ignore the facts does not change the facts’. The words of the wise mother. The application of those words seems evident in the New Orleans scenario. While the government knew that these people were poor enough not to manage their lives in the hard times, it chose to pull back resources and watch the movie ‘The poor versus the storm.’ What a pity?

Reflection of the Africa kid.

While social inequality is a commonly ignored aspect of daily life, I have met it squarely. Being a black man, the value of my skin color has on many occasions been relinquished to signify inferiority, the toll of which is racial discrimination.

Growing up in a predominantly Islamic neighborhood, the pressure of religious discriminations was the other challenge I had to meet head on. While most my Islamic friends defined my Christian sense of identity as being a non believer, I could not help feeling the same towards them. Sorry to think and say, but while I have been a victim of discrimination, I have also been an oppressor in the same sense - just like every other human being has. Accepting mistakes is the most appropriate guide towards correcting the latter and I have learned to do so, thanks to the existence of truth, the same truth that paints a clear picture of governmental negligence towards citizens.