I found Frank Lin’s cynical evaluation of the “post-racist mentality” (“Society Ignores Racial Realities,” 2/8/08) well written but unnecessarily pessimistic. It may be true, as Lin says, that our society’s transition from racial bigotry to racial harmony has been painstakingly slow, but many of the problems Lin points to have in reality nothing to do with race. For example, Lin argues that, although blacks have been welcome in white neighborhoods since the late ’60s, predominantly black neighborhoods are still riddled with crime and filled with failing schools. Clearly there is a problem here, but is racism really that problem? I am perfectly willing to concede that racism and the aftereffects of slavery contributed to this lopsided state of affairs, but the more proximal cause of black schools’ deterioration is more likely to be a lack of resources and qualified teaching staff. Yes, historical prejudice may be to blame for the deterioration of many black schools, but that does not mean it is racism that is keeping them down. Now that we have made great strides to eliminate racism from our culture, it now remains for us to undo the damage it once did. The fact that we have not yet accomplished the latter task does not mean we have made little progress on the former.

The more moderate parts of Lin’s argument do hold water. For example, too often we do hail the achievement of one member of a minority as a victory for their entire race. All this proves, though, is that our society is still recovering from the mistakes of the past. Lin points out that we have a long way to go before achieving a “post-racist” society, but I would urge him to look back and see how far we’ve already come.

Sam Feldman

Class of 2010
 

Editor's Note: As of 2017, the piece does not reflect the current views of the writer.