Is the United States Fair?

Seventy one percent of Americans believe that the United States is generally fair and decent, according to the results of a new survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports. Just 21 percent disagree, and eight percent are unsure.

Should it come as any surprise that these statistics change dramatically when we break them down by race? White Americans, for example, have a disproportionately positive perception of our country compared to their minority counterparts; "just 18 percent of whites say society is unfair and discriminatory," found Rasmussen, "a view shared by 33 percent of blacks and 30 percent of voters of other ethnicities."

What could explain this hefty disparity? Could it be that — gasp! — minorities face more discrimination and unnecessary hurdles than white folk? Let's take a look at the figures:

• A full 59 percent of Latino children are growing up in low-income families — 20 percent more than the national average — through no fault of their own.
• Coal generators and other industrial plants are frequently located in poor communities, an acute form of environmental racism.
• Blacks, Asians and Hispanics are anywhere from eight to 25 times more likely to contract tuberculosis (not to mention a host of other diseases) than whites.
• Whites are four times more likely than blacks to live in a Census tract containing at least one supermarket, making it especially difficult for black families to eat a well-balanced diet on a limited budget.

Need more proof that some people have it harder than others in the U.S.? Take a brief look through Poverty in America's Race and Ethnicity section; I'm confident you'll leave convinced.

Now, the mere existence of inequality doesn't necessarily point to an unfair society. Some people will always struggle more than others; that's just part of the human condition. My ideal America doesn't have everyone making the exact same amount of money, living the exact same distance from a grocery store and contracting TB at the exact same rate. That would signal a completely inefficient, most likely over-regulated society.

For America to be truly fair, however, I do believe that everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or any other immutable characteristic, deserves the same chance to succeed. And frankly, that's not the America I find when I turn on the news or speak with poor families in my neighborhood. So long as low-income minority children have to fight racism and multi-generational poverty from birth onwards, they'll never truly experience the land of opportunity we read about in our elementary school textbooks, the country that so many immigrants still desperately search for upon their arrival to our "city upon a hill."

I must say, I'm a bit stumped as to why more people don't agree with me. Could it really be possible that only eighteen percent of my fellow white Americans think that America is generally an unfair society? Do they somehow believe that because a black man was elected president and Ellen DeGeneres has her own TV show, racism and discrimination suddenly aren't massive blights on this otherwise great country?

Perhaps the poll itself is at fault. According to Media Matters, there's an obvious reason why MSNBC doesn't use Rasmussen's polls, while stations like Fox News loves them. Rasmussen, especially recently, tends to lean toward the conservative side when phraising its questions. Take, for example, two of the other questions Rasmussen asked poll participants during its telephone survey:

"When people move to America from other parts of the world, should they adopt America's culture, language, and heritage or should they try to maintain the culture, language, and heritage of their own country?" And "generally speaking, would you prefer a more active government with more services and higher taxes or a smaller government with fewer services and lower taxes?"

Whether Rasmussen is on the level or not, we anti-poverty activists certainly have a challenge on our hands. We may not like it, but the majority of Americans think that our country treats everyone fairly, which, of course, places the blame for poverty on the backs of the poor themselves. Those of us who know otherwise, whether through research or through personal experience (or both), should feel obligated to correct this egregious misunderstanding.

Photo credit: woodleywonderworks