David Mansheim is a retired lawyer, educator, and businessman living in Parkersburg, Iowa (Butler County).

The 24/7 Wall St website recently ranked Iowa as the third-worst state and the Cedar Valley area as the sixth-worst city in the country for Black Americans to live, based on key economic indicators. It’s far from the first time the Waterloo/Cedar Falls metro has made this list.

The news sparked an intense dialogue with my friend over dinner, when I asked why that could be.

“Do you think it is because of systemic racism?” I asked. 

“Absolutely not,” he said. “Any racial oppression that might have once existed has been overcome.  Obama’s election proved that.”

I agreed, “There have been improvements since the civil rights revolution, but exceptional examples of very successful people do not prove the rule. So, if it is not the system, what accounts for the terrible statistics? Do you think Blacks are inherently inferior?”

He was shocked. “Oh, my God, no; that would be racist for sure! Stop trying to blame everything on racists.”  

“OK, so why do you think this inequality persists? Why do white Iowans enjoy significantly better lives than Black Iowans in employment, home ownership, education, rates of incarceration, health access, and wealth accumulation?”

With a quizzical look, he said, “Well, it’s all about choices, isn’t it? Those people make very poor life choices, so it is all their own fault. I mean, I worked hard all my life and didn’t ask for any handouts. If I can get ahead on my own, so can they!”

“You have worked hard and done well, but you have to admit you didn’t do it all by yourself. Were you brought up in a stable home with loving parents?”

“Sure, but…”

“Were you trained in white middle class values, like deferred gratification, that helped you with white middle class success? Weren’t you born middle class? Didn’t you have a good education with good teachers to mentor you and an extended family to root for you? Have you been lucky to have good physical and mental health? Were you ever denied anything or made to feel less-than because of your skin color? Didn’t you get financial help for college? Didn’t you inherit to make a down payment on your house?”

“So, what? I deserve what I got….”

“So blaming poor people for their own condition is often a judgment made from the perspective of white privilege.”

“Oh, white privilege is such a load of crap. It doesn’t exist!”

“You are deserving. But what about what others deserve? Do they deserve to be food insecure, to switch schools frequently, to witness violence in the home, to have their impulse control and decision-making ability damaged by soaking their frontal cortex in adrenalin from multiple adverse childhood events, to be plagued by addictions, to live hand to mouth just to survive, to be arrested for driving while Black?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. I could start all over from nothing and still make it.”

“Maybe you could, because you are actually the beneficiary of white affirmative action. You have made some poor choices, as I have, but we have had the family, financial, educational, governmental, and societal resources to overcome them. For people without those resources, one bad event can be disastrous. It is easy to give advice on how other people could improve their spending or lifestyle choices, but choices usually depend on class.”

“Man, you just don’t understand capitalism! Someone’s always got to be on the bottom. And you don’t understand religion either – the poor will always be among us.”

To which I said, “Perhaps we should order dessert and switch topics.”

Top photo of David Mansheim provided by the author and published with permission.