“Is the glass half full, or half empty? It depends on whether you’re pouring or drinking.” This quote by Bill Cosby summarizes life in the United States for Black Americans.” They hate Me?: Money isn’t the Reason,” talks about the racial resentment many people have toward Black Americans.
Contrary to what some have suggested, white millennial Trump voters were not in more economically precarious situations than non-Trump voters1. Fully 86 percent of them reported being employed, a rate similar to non-Trump voters, and they were 14 percent less likely to be low income than white voters who did not support Trump. Employment and income were not significantly related to that sense of white vulnerability.
So what was? Racial resentment.
Even when controlling for partisanship, ideology, region and a host of other factors, white millennials fit Michael Tesler’s analysis, explored here2. As he put it, economic anxiety isn’t driving racial resentment; rather, racial resentment is driving economic anxiety. We found as he has in a larger population, that racial resentment is the biggest predictor of white vulnerability among white millennials. Economic variables like education, income and employment made a negligible difference.
After the U.S. Senate passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act allowing the expansion of slavery into the western territories, James Pike of the New York Tribune warned the Southerners, “You are sowing the wind, and you will reap the whirlwind. Arthur “Bomber” Harris3 (Commander-in-Chief of British Bomber Command) in response to the Blitz of 1940 by the Nazis quoted the same phase:
Possible meaning:
A warning that we must expect to suffer serious consequences as the result of our own bad actions. We get back what we give out.
Black Americans are Worse Off Now than in 2000
African Americans were worse off financially in 2016 than they were in 2000 according to a 2017 report by the Los Angeles Times4
The median income for an African American household was $39,490 last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released this week. It was $41,363 in 2000. (Both figures are in 2016 dollars, so they have been adjusted for inflation).
African Americans are the only racial group the Census Bureau identifies that has been left behind. White, Asian and Latino households have all seen at least modest income gains since 2000.
Sowing the Wind against Black Americans
Americans are constantly told by President Donald Trump that African-Americans and Hispanics in the United States are “living in hell” because inner cities are so dangerous5 . Are Black Americans the only Americans living a tragedy?
Poverty is found in many parts of the United States. Jay Harold will highlight some non-urban areas with a low Black American
population that may meet Donald S. Trump’s definition of “living in hell.” Jay Harold previously has highlighted McDowell County, WV, Owsley County, Ky, Brooks County, TX, and Hancock County, TN. Jay Harold will spotlight another county in the state of Kentucky. The county is home to the Natural Arch, Historic Stearns/Stearns Trail Town, Barthell Coal Mining Camp, and a section of the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail. The county is McCreary County.
McCreary County6 , Kentucky is located in southeastern Kentucky on the southern edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest and the northern end of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (NRRA). This area is known for its abundant scenic beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities, and its history and heritage.
The majority of the county is owned by the federal government7 . 43% is owned and managed by the Daniel Boone National Forest, and 18% owned and managed by the National Park Service as the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
The 2017 U.S.QuickFacts states that 5.8% of the people in McCreary County are Black Americans. The table below from the U.S. Census shows the demographics of the county. This is a reduction from the 6.3% found in the previous post-Jay Harold did about McCreary County. There is little change in the economics or the demographics of the United States despite the new tax cuts enacted.
McCreary County Demographics8
Race and Hispanic Origin
Persons in poverty, percent
Educational Attainment: Percent high school graduate or higher
Foreign-born persons, percent, 2011-2016
Median Housing Value
mandate to trample on the backs of those without any citizenship at all.
W. E. B. Du Bois said:
“To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.”
The data suggests that while Black Americans are struggling economically, there are places in the United States that are also in terrible shape. Jay Harold prays that we move forward and help McCreary County and
Enjoyed this post? Share it and read more here. Jay Harold has put together a Resource page that you may find useful when trying to improve your health and wealth. ”Please take this advice of Muhammad Ali and give back to others. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” ~ Muhammad Ali
Bibliography
- https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/12/15/16781222/trump-racism-economic-anxiety-study
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/08/22/economic-anxiety-isnt-driving-racial-resentment-racial-resentment-is-driving-economic-anxiety/?utm_term=.4232f164674e
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reap_the_whirlwind_(phrase)
- http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-african–american-income-20170915-story.html
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-says-african-americans-and-hispanics-are-living-in-hell_us_57e9ddbee4b082aad9b694bf
- http://www.mccrearycounty.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCreary_County,_Kentucky
- https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/HEA775215/21147
- https://www.thenation.com/article/donald-trump-is-trying-to-play-black-americans/
