Understanding Inequality Historical Perspective
To understand inequality, let’s go back to a history of violence, slavery, rebellion, retaliation and liberation. Spanish conquest of the Americas was no small feat, however, its conquest, opened a transfer of culture, resources, and crops from Europe Africa, Asia, and America and vis versa.
The opening of the Atlantic World brought wealth, enslaved labor, and prosperity to the Europeans, whereas it brought massive depopulation, diseases, loss of culture, and violence for the Native Americans. However, all the races, Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans did progress in the era of prosperity in many ways, but the biggest benefactor was Europe.
Colonialization Inequality Perspective:
Colonialization speaks loudly of inequality. Whatever and wherever the colonies were made, a vivid line of inequality began to show between the natives and the colonists. When Europeans landed in the Americas, Columbus enslaved Native Indians, brought them to Spain to work on plantations, starting the Columbian exchange. It started the colonial conquest of Spain in America, spreading an empire over a vast territory, even greater than Rome. Furthermore, King Ferdinand suggested taking gold at all costs, and so Europeans did.
Moreover, Europeans extracted valuable resources with the help of enslaved labor, by having them work in the mines. Resources like gold, silver, and other precious metals. Furthermore, Europe got a steady supply of crops such as squash, pumpkin, peanuts, potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes, corn, etc. Europe also got an animal resource i.e. turkey from the Americas.
Nevertheless, the territories established in the Americas needed to be utilized, and hence, cash crops, such as sugar cane, olives, and coffee beans were planted in the conquered territories, and they were looked after by the enslaved Native Americans and Africans. This established a steady stream of revenue from the Americas, while vast agricultural production in Europe from potatoes and corn sustained Europe, and even resulted in a population boom. (Hall, 2022)
Native Americans also benefited from the Columbian exchange, while the enslaved Native Americans in Europe got educated in Christianity and treated little better (still in slavery though. Before the encomienda system, Native Americans were treated harshly as per the accounts of Bartolome De Las Casas: Destruction of Indies, where they were hanged, tortured, and killed.
Native Indians were then forced to opt for the encomienda system as per the suggestion of Queen Isabella, where they got education and religion teaching of Christianity in return for their labor (a tribute). It contributed to the loss of Native American culture. However, not all was worse for Native Americans in the Americas.
Through the Columbian exchange, Native Americans had a steady supply of domesticated animals like cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses, also received major staple crops in addition to natives, like wheat, rice, barley, oats, etc. With the domestication of animals comes differential protein sources, and with horses, Native Americans became better hunters and ferocious warriors. (Hall, 2022)
Africans were of the least benefactor race, who ushered in the era of property with the opening of the Atlantic world. Columbian exchange did bring the crops and animals of the Americas to Africa through trade. Whilst the Columbian exchange occurred, it did carry European diseases like smallpox, typhoid, bubonic plague, etc., which were transferred to Native Americans, as they were never exposed, which killed half, and even more of the population of Native Americans.
Lastly, the intensive labor, poor working conditions, and small rations of food killed many more, causing massive depopulation of Native Americans. Hence, the Native Americans depopulation caused a great shortage of labor, and to fulfill the lacking labor, Europeans enslaved Africans (bought or otherwise enslaved) to work on the plantation.
This opened up new doors for Africans in the Americas. Europeans also introduced indentured servitude for Africans and foreigners, which was a contract between the owner and servant, in promise for the land in America after their servitude of the defined period. The indentured Africans did gain land (only a few, and only the worse land or conflicted land, that was near the territory of Native Americans).
They were able to become landowners and had the opportunity to increase their socio-economic status, which was not possible in Africa. Later on, these enslaved African or indentured servitude became the second largest population in America today. (Hall, 2022)
Emotional Inequality Perspective:
The documentary, the Eyes on the Prize had many incidents recorded from the era of Civil Rights Movement. In that documentary, Malcom X was addressing to African Americans about the drugs problems in America introduced by White men.
I believe what he said was correct and many times in news and online Facebook videos, it’s said that black people are prone to be imprisoned due to holding a number of drugs and white is likely to walk free with the same number of drugs. When the laws are the same, why black people are more likely to end up in imprisonment. (PBS, 2021)
Furthermore, in that documentary, Malcom X was saying that black people looked up to white men as they are symbols of perfection and they want to be like them and this is why, black people still have the enslavement mentality. They are not able to break free. They are going around in the vicious cycle of inequality
I had the opportunity to read a little the book, The Black Theology of Liberation, of Dr. James H. Cone, a famous black theologian. In his book, he details the accounts of black enslavement as well as lynching history.
He also details the facts about modern enslavement in the form of black people incarcerations. The link that I’m able to make here is that according to Dr. Cone, the black churches are in line with the white Catholic churches and they are seeking political power rather than being outspoken about the black people problems. (Cone, 2010)
Moreover, the link of modern incarceration of black men is in the documentary, when white troops attacked the black people that participated in march, when they decided to camp in black school premises. The results are clear that black people face the severe and cruel side of law enforcement than that of white people.
Police brutality is not new to black people and it still occurring today in this world. Black young people are shot down and murdered in cold blood by police and there are no laws that could punish the police for their deeds.
The case of Michael Brown, in Ferguson is not forgotten. It’s to say that from the civil rights movement to present, nothing has changed significantly in raising the status of black men in America. Black people have always received the worst side of America, whether it’s lynching by Ku Klux Klan or lynching in penitentiaries in the modern-day era, the lynching hasn’t stopped. The inequality in incarceration rates speaks volumes.
If we google the rate of black people incarceration, it would be evident that every 1 out of 3 black persons would end up in jail and it is a significant rate. The question remains that why black people, even after winning the equal rights, are still suffering in the American society. Another great example that we find in the documentary is the leaders of black men being assassinated.
Have we ever wondered that why the non-violent movements in America has ceased to exist? The answer is simple. The assassination of formidable black leaders, such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Tupac Shakur. Whenever someone in the black race rise for their race, they are prosecuted, arrested or killed, leaving the African Americans leaderless. The fear is real and that’s why, black people are not able to gain the status of what they actually desired.
The role of black churches and ministers like MLK and Malcom X are also diminishing in today’s era in terms of dealing effectively with inequality. Now, black churches are more of a community that doesn’t partake in political strengthening, but fortifying the black community of their particular service area in the context of social and economic well-being.
The black churches are much involved in their members of the community rather than the African American community as a whole. The black ministers are lacking in encouraging youth to do something about them, rather asking them to bear the atrocities done to them. If MLK or Malcom X decided to bear the things, then, there wouldn’t be a revolution. The black people would succumb to the hate teachings of organizations such as NOI, and would have contributed badly to the image of black people in America.
Although, the steps taken by MLK and Malcom X were enough to give Black Americans their nationality and equal rights, they have contributed much more in giving them an ID. Black people take pride in their cultural heritage and their essence of blackness still linger on in today’s world. For instance, raping, tattoos, ghettos, gangster look are the status symbol of black power.
However, much of it project the negative image of black, but it’s now attractive to white people. Now, most white people want to be like black people to be able to show their physical prowess and sexuality. Black people are now the symbol of beauty and sexiness. The divas like Rihanna, Beyoncé and Whitney Houston are considered the stars.
White man trying to get into the black culture, like Eminem topped in the rapping area is a symbol that black people have made it this far on the foreign soil, making their homeland and establishing their identity, which is attractive for all races. The slogan invented by Willie Ricks, used by Carmichael “Black Power” successful integrated in the essence of being strong and attractive American.
Though much of it has positive effects, it is imperative to say that the negative effects far exceed the positive ones. The black people are still one of the lowest income generators and on the poor scale. The economic inequality and achievement gap shout out loud about the discrepancies in the status of blacks, natives, and other races in America. hence, government need to take certain measures to fill the gaps of achievement in the context of education, social and economic welfare, that is to fix the damages done to black people in enslavement and revolution eras. Only then, this debate of racial segregation and equality would be quenched.
Disability Inequality Perspective:
America has much to achieve in terms of addressing the disability fully. A crude amount of inequality is found still in America. Americans with Disability Act of 1990, has tried to reform institutes to make the society more inclusive towards disabled-bodies Americans. This includes, the reformation of public and private infrastructure to be disabled-bodied friendly, including a parking spot, ramps, special bathrooms, and modification of technology to assist such people.
The technology is crucial for everyone, and America, though late to arrive, is working towards assisting disabled-bodies people with the technological means. For instance, Xbox adaptive gaming controller attained a spot on super bowl advertisement, where an emotional message was given to the public, that, “when we all play, we all win”.
Though, it was an advertisement feat performed by the Microsoft, it conveyed a message, that disabled-bodies people can function the same as able-bodied people, when they’re given assistance and support from the society. However, the focus is bit disrupted here, as inclusiveness cannot be completed, until disabled-bodied persons have access to every possible resource or liberty, that is enjoyed by a physically-abled person.
For instance, Julie Avril Minich states in her article Enabling Whom? Critical Disability Studies Now, that disabled people cannot become a part of US economy, and can’t attain success, because of the stereotypes and limited consideration given to such people. Society see disabled people, as ones with limitations, either physical and mental, and the whole educational, political and societal structure is based on a design, where abled-bodied people are prepared and, then, they monopolize on all the best positions, leaving no space to the disabled people to prosper in the society. The major reason for such ignorance is the lack of literature, research and studies on disabled people, and due to this, there is a limited awareness about such issue. (Minich, 2016)
Disabled people, either mental or physical, function the same as an abled-bodied person, given the right support and assistance from the society. Though, disabled bodied people require some support, but once given, they can function the same, or even well, as compared to abled bodied people.
The evidence for such instance is Stephen Hawking. He was an able bodied in the start, but he went under the influence of a disease, and became disabled. He never left the yearning for knowledge, and continued pursuing knowledge to his very end. It was due to his intellect, that many businesses and, even government, averted their attention towards him, to provide him enough support and technological means to commute and communicate, and as a result, he not only blessed the world with his knowledge, but also, became an example of the excellence, that can be achieved by disabled people.
The stereotype that exists for disabled people ensures their failure from the start. For instance, if a person has any sort of disability, people will assume that he’ll have an achievement gap, wouldn’t be able to compete with the able-bodied people, and as a result, wouldn’t prosper. This has to change, and frankly enough, the society is changing to include such people with full assistance and support.
Though, it is a long road, but surely not an impossible to achieve. The disabled people still have barriers to education, but once such barriers are exterminated, then, disabled people will prosper in the context of socio-economic status, and inequality that exists between disabled and abled people will disappear.
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Works Cited
Cone, James H. A Black theology of liberation. Orbis Books, 2010.
Hall, J. (2022). Lecture 9 Native American’s New World [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaSeEOVGhDU
Minich, J. (2016). Enabling Whom? Critical Disability Studies Now. Lateral, 5(1). doi:10.25158/l5.1.9
PBS. (2021). EYES ON THE PRIZE: Awakenings (1954-1956 [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/video/awakenings-1954-1956-t6dicm/
