Racism

Can we cure the effects of racism with racism? Here in Massachusetts, the legislators are trying to divide the state into neat ghettos, so-called majority-minority districts. This a political version of trickle-down economics: By peppering the political class with people of color, all the political fortunes of minority citizens will rise.We all see how effective trickle-down economics has been at promoting universal economic justice. Not very.

My question is: Why can't politicians in office attend to the needs of all communities regardless of their color or ethnicity? The Massachusetts approach exposes the racism of the legislators and of those in minority communities who see electing politicians of their own color or native language as the only way to equal representation. If Massachusetts fostered truly diverse communities through legislative policy, would these measures make any sense. I do not think so.

It's a carrying over of a time-honored tradition of divide and conquer. The established WASP's of previous times in Massachusetts used lieutenants of various immigrant groups to garner legal and illegal votes in various ghettos. Gradually, the lieutenants became politicians themselves. The Irish-American phalanx which arose in the early twentieth century in Massachusetts overtook their WASP masters, who had once proudly proclaimed "Irish need not apply" wherever white-collar jobs were posted. Did the ascendancy of the ethnic Irish, Italian and French politicians make Massachusetts a showplace of economic and social justice? No. It simply secured fortunes for the political class and the repetition of the whole cycle all over again, as we see now. 

Trying to cure a disease with the same disease is not effective. Preventing the disease by vaccination is. In this case, vaccination is integration, not segregation. The legislature should be focusing on funding policies and programs which would spread encapsulated minority populations into economically and politically gated white communities. By enabling people of color and varied ethnicity through extra funding for public education and cultural integration wherever ghettos form, the legislature could begin today to diversify the overall face of Massachusetts. By surgically targeting areas which show symptoms of turning inward, like the city of Lawrence, for example, with educational funding and urban development funding, the legislature could begin today to address the proper representation of minority interests.

The underlying message of majority-minority political districts is: You have to be that color to take care of 'your own'. This is not the ideal of true democracy or multiculturalism. This is the same old repackaging of racism and xenophobia that politicians are known to use to secure their own power. Change requires innovation and creativity. This is not progressive change. It is clearly the same old broken paradigm.