On 2013-07-15, at 2:38 PM, Wojtek S wrote:
> Marv: "Why is racism, for you, a sufficient explanation of the distortions
> in the US criminal justice system, but "does not explain why guys like
> Martin have it difficult to find a decent job"?"
>
> [WS:] As I and others said times and again on this list, the reasons why
> people do not get good jobs have everything to do with the credentialing
> system in hiring and obstacles to obtaining those credentials - which has
> everything to do with shitty labor laws, shitty school curricula, shitty
> public services, effects of poverty, property ownership - to name a
> few. Therefore,
> if some people do not get a job because they do not have proper
> qualifications or credentials regardless of the color of their skin, you
> cannot use skin color as an explanation. You need to look why that person
> does not have those required qualifications and credentials. Talking about
> skin color in this context just because it is statistically correlated and
> because it makes a good story obfuscates the issue, and thus it is
> counterproductive.
>
> Criminal justice system is a very different story - it deals with
> individual acts and popular perceptions of those acts that affect jury
> decisions. Here is where racial prejudice held by individuals affect the
> outcome of a single case, e.g. Zimmerman's trial. You would need to show
> that the same prejudice is at play every time a person applies for jobs -
> which you will almost certainly fail to do because many Blacks and
> Hispanics who do have proper credentials manage to obtain good jobs.
>
> In any case - I feel that this discussion is becoming repetitive, so it is
> time for me to stop. Over and out.
>
>
> --
> Wojtek
>
> "An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."
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