Would you rather be Black & Rich or White & Middle Class?

I've been wondering lately if I had my choice would I prefer wealth in exchange for being black?  So we're clear, my definition of rich for purposes of this discussion would be million dollar home paid for, lots of money in the bank and still working at a highly paid job that I could leave if I wanted to.  Middle class would be decent home mortgaged, decent amount of money in the bank with a decently paid job that I have to have.

We live in a racist society and it's hard to consider living the life of a black person who behind gay people are the most overtly discriminated against people in the world.  It would be fine, to a certain extent, if I'm in my gated community but as soon as I step out, my status would almost immediately drop it seems.

I suppose another way to consider the question would be would I rather be a middle class white or a:

1. rich Asian
2. rich Hispanic
3. rich Middle Eastern
4. rich & Jewish
5. rich & Gay

Somehow the decision in every one of those cases feels easier, even though each of the 5 are also discriminated against. 

A black friend of mine told me that every day white folks have the choice of whether they want to deal with a black folks.  A black person HAS to deal with a white person every day.  And it's not quite russian roulette, but it is a game of chance as to how a black person is treated by white folks.

I don't know if I would have the fortitude to handle being black no matter how much money I had.  I guess it would be a day by day thing. 

I know things have improved quite a bit, but if I stepped onto BART in my suit after work and everyone reached for their wallet because I stood by them, how happy could I really be?

I wonder if racism will ever totally disappear.

Comments

[Jackie Danicki]

Racism will never truly disappear, because innate in human beings is a resistance to or dislike of that which is unlike ourselves. Of course there are varying degrees of this - from your David Dukes on down to the more subversive racism of which you often speak - but it is part of the human condition. The idea is not to fight against human nature but to understand it, show people where it comes from and help them to get interested in where it comes from and why.

[Jackie Danicki]

PS I do not mean to suggest from my last post that we should not fight against racism (or any other harmful part of human nature), but that HOW we do that must first include understanding and interest in where it comes from.

[Franziska]

Can't I stay who I am? ;-)

But joke aside, I'd rather be rich and Jewish or rich and gay than rich and black. My friend Nick is black and he says apart from open racism there is nothing worse than people who make racist jokes and then turn around and say "me? racist? but my friend is black!". He says he's sick to be the token black man for some people he knows. I agree with what Jackie says, I doubt it will ever fully disappear.