Race

Historically, race has been a huge factor in determining the success of an individual. "The House We Live In" zooms in on race and the housing issue, demonstrating how past real estate practices and federal government regulations have made access and affordability easier for whites. Much of the financial wealth of an individual is attributable to the value of their home, an area where blacks have not faired well because of previous discrimination and the relative value of their homes vs. those in white neighborhoods. Further, the documentary asserts that there is a need to somehow take account of race to stop a non-ending cycle of inequity between races.

Today, it's fashionable to blame the past and society for individual issues. As certain ethnicities such as Asians and certain Europeans have faired better in our society than blacks in climbing the social ladder, the documentary invents excuses such as they are "more white" and, therefore, have more readily climbed the social ladder. The fact is that Asians came to this country more recently, most with little education, little if any knowledge of our language and culture, and no money. Yet, the second and third generations of Asians have successfully risen to a higher status. Why? They did so because they placed a high value on education and the family, not because their skin color is a lighter tone than blacks. Unfortunately, anyone other than Bill Cosby that tries to point this out is automatically dubbed a racist.

Perhaps it's time to turn from analyzing past wrongs to the point of absurdity as this documentary does and to focus on the present and the future. This isn't to say that everyone has an equal opportunity; certainly the children of the wealthy will undoubtedly have an unfair advantage. But, an emphasis on education to break the cycle of poverty, and a supportive family structure hold more promise for the ability to achieve the American dream than more government policies which only use more racism to combat prior racism.

Bibliography

Race: the power of an illusion episode 3: the house we live in. PBS.