Community Cafe

COMMUNITY CAFE.
Our purpose is to foster general awareness; cultivate a sense of responsibility and create a spirit of dialogue in our local communities by inviting concerned community members to share insights on pressing issues in the community.

Meritocracy in the U.S

In this assignment I have been given the opportunity to dig deep to get a clear understanding of the concept of meritocracy in the US. In order for me to talk about meritocracy in the US I will start by pointing to my previous assignment [pre-assignment] in which I raised three main questions about full integration, full participation and equal enjoyment of the fruits of one's labor. Because where these three are not present there is no point in talking about meritocracy.
How can we then measure these three elements above mentioned? The best way I know is to use scientific data that are available. The statistics I will be using will come mostly from the book “shame of the nation.” For example concerning the question of integration the following data are given in the education system. On page 9 paragraph 3, in New York City nearly 3/4 of the students were black or Hispanic in 2001 in districts where there were 11,000 children in elementary and middle schools in 1997, of the 11,000 only 26 were white a segregation rate of 99.8%.

On page 8 paragraph 3
In Chicago by the academic year 2000 2001 87% of public-school enrollment was black or Hispanic less than 10% of children in the schools were white.
In Washington DC 94% of children were black or Hispanic less than 5% of children in the schools were white
in St. Louis 82% of the student population was black or Hispanic and in Philadelphia and Cleveland 78%, in Los Angeles 84%, in Detroit 95%, in Baltimore 88%.

on the subject to full participation I will use this passage taken from the book white privilege on page 104 paragraph 2 “I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely tape over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I “fix” myself one thing never changes I walk through the world with white privilege. What does that mean? Perhaps most important when I seek admission to a university, apply for a job, or hunt for an apartment, I do not look threatening. Almost all of the people evaluating me for those things look like me they are white. They see in me a reflection of themselves and in a racist world that is an advantage. I smile. I am white. I am one of them. I am not dangerous. Even when I voice critical opinions I am cut some slack. After all, I am white.”

These are just a few examples to show how far we are as a nation on the issue of integration and full participation of all our people into American society. With these statistics it is obvious how meritocracy is not a fact in the American system. It is clearly seen how some people are given advantage over others. Some receive a better education to make them well-suited for the job market, while others are just given the basic teachings so that they are able to follow orders.
We can talk about meritocracy when they have equal access to the same resources and are equally exposed to the same opportunities. It is then and only then that we can talk about meritocracy.


How does America stand on the question of meritocracy?
Different observers would answer this question differently depending on what they focus on when trying to answer the question. For example if someone looks at the job market without considering other aspects of the question(meritocracy), he would come to the conclusion that there is meritocracy in the U.S because I believe that candidates who get jobs in the U.S job market are candidates who in most cases deserve to get the job because of their qualifications. Very seldom have I seen or heard about people who have been turned down in the job market when they possess all the needed qualifications. In most cases those who have the education (knowledge) and skills, find jobs of their choice. There are other parameters to consider when considering this question of job hunt. Qualifications alone are not enough to secure a job. There is also the attitude of the candidate. Many people are blinded by their qualifications and forget to develop other qualities necessary to guarantee success in their job hunt process. Yes there may be obstacles but those with a good attitude succeed regardless of the situation on the ground. I may be a little bit off course, but I think that it is very important to talk about these issues when discussing the topic of meritocracy in the U.S.
My personal experience motivates me to talk like this. There are times when I applied for jobs knowing that I was qualified and able to do the job but because I did not have a college degree, I was not considered for the jobs (I was later told by hiring managers why I wasn’t considered for the position) From this I learned that ability without proof does not guarantee opportunity. In those situations I could have sat down and complain that the system is bad. Blame every body when I could take action to change the situation around and work to get what I want. It does not matter how long it takes to get what I want but if I take personal responsibility and go for whatever it is that I want I will get it.
This situation does not affect black people or Latino or Asians only; even white people who are not qualified struggle finding jobs in the U.S. With this I can say that there is meritocracy in the U.S and on the line between 1 & 5
1_________2_________3_________4_________5
I will say that the US is at 4. It takes personal responsibility and a positive attitude to enjoy the fruit of this meritocracy I am talking about. Instead of complaining and blaming everybody we should take action to move towards the materialization of our dreams. Life is not a charity but a game where everybody participates to guarantee success of his/her team. Those who play hard succeed and those who relax live their lives in misery. There are obstacles but none of them is insurmountable.
The issue of meritocracy does not affect non-white only; even white people who do not work hard do not get what they want in the job market. It may be easy for a white person to get a job than his non-white counterpart with the same qualifications because the job market is controlled by white people, but qualified non-white people are not denied the job when competing with white people of average qualifications. Let us be fair for one second. Why does it become injustice when a white employer does not hire non-white work force; and acceptable when a non-white employer hires only his people (nationality, race, region…)? I have seen this in many places and it confuses me.
In some isolated instances the racial card is put on the table when it comes to hiring people but this in not the norm in the U.S.
One other thing to consider when tackling the subject of meritocracy is the prejudice that exist in the country that non-white people especially those of color are known to not give their all when they are in school. This stereotype follows the non-white everywhere. When competing with white people of the same qualifications the white is considered right away because there is no doubt about his qualifications but the non-white is put under scrutiny. There are doubts about his/her qualifications. This is why I say that in order to break this tendency, the non-white need to raise the standard to a point where the existing doubt will be eliminated and be considered just like other people. The standard cannot be lowered otherwise it will regress the nation.
We will be able to successfully talk about meritocracy in the U.S, when the non-white becomes able to raise the standard and prove that he is capable just like the white.
For someone who comes from a historical perspective however, he will see how there is no meritocracy in the U.S because of what had happened to the non-white and women in this country. He will ask how can we talk about meritocracy when we know that the non-white (especially those of African descent and the natives) including women have been left behind for more than a century? How can these people compete with people who had the advantage in every situation since the foundation of the nation was established more than two centuries ago? It is not practical. Those who were advantaged will always win because they have all they need to succeed. To me this is a valid argument and if someone were to develop it, he would find that there are things that need to be taken care of before we could talk about meritocracy in its proper sense in the US. An empty hand can not compete with a hand full of gold.
Since white people are the ones who are setting the agenda in the country to this day, it is difficult for them to see the challenges that the non-white faces. And this makes him be prejudiced against his counterpart accusing them of laziness and all the like.
It is also difficult for the white to see how he is privileged in the country because he takes himself as the point of reference when setting the agenda. Also it is important to remember that the white has never experienced a situation different from his. Things have always been the way they are and even when changes take place they still put him in a better position. In this context when we talk about meritocracy the point of reference will be the white man. It is like talking about freedom before the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of slaves. The US constitution talked about freedom for all and it was considered that there was freedom in the U.S at the time. When in reality it was freedom for some and not for all. In our current situation, meritocracy in the U.S is reality for some not for all.
Coming from this perspective one could say that there is no meritocracy at all in the US. And on the line between 1 & 5 the us is at 1.5
_________1____.______2___________3__________4__________5
In my analysis, I tried to show both sides of the coin of meritocracy in the U.S. My personal take on this issue is that we have come a long way and we still have a distance to go before we can honestly talk about meritocracy in the country. However, we should not forget the major milestones that we have achieved in this journey. We abolished slavery, we abolished segregation, we passed civil rights laws, we integrated our schools, we have done so many things as a nation; but that does not mean that we have reached the goal. If we keep the fight, we will one day reach the goal and we will live in a nation where all its citizens enjoy their citizenship and get full benefits of being member of that nation.
Is there such a thing like white privilege in the U.S? Again this is a question that requires referring to the history of the country. We are not to forget that the U.S was founded by white people of European descent. From the time of the creation of the nation they were the dominant culture; they controlled all units of productions, they controlled the educational system’ they controlled the politics, and they considered themselves as the “real Americans.”
At the time when the foundations of the country were laid, there were black people and native people in the country but these were not considered as Americans. These two cultures did not have any voice in the country; therefore the white ruled referring to himself as the real deal. This reality continued for many years (even to this day) as the white continued to be the dominant culture in the nation. To him (the white) everything was white; there was nothing else. The non-white who succeeded at the time had to conform to the norm of the white and be just like them. Those who did not conform did not go any further on the ladder of social economic development.
Because of this situation of cultural monopoly in the U.S, a certain cultural blindness developed in the camp of the white to where they could not see other cultures and when they did, they thought that something was wrong with those people and in some situations tried to suppress the difference. Everything that portrayed itself as white was given advantage while those that came out different were discouraged and reviled by society. In this context we can say that the white wanted to preserve his whiteness while suppressing everything else. And this to the non-white came out as white privilege.
In my previous analysis when I talked about the American Dream, I remember mentioning the issue of mentality as the obstacle to people living the American Dream. I believe that our next struggle will be to reach out to the mass especially those who were affected by those issues of the past, work with them to show them how resources are available and accessible for all. On the other hand help the privileged learn to see things from both perspectives (white and non-white perspective); in other words, to get rid of the existing prejudices and ignorance about the non-white. And in those instances where there are blockages, do something to remove those blockages so that those who decide to go to work can see a difference and be motivated to keep going.
We are talking about these issues because they are real in our society and need to be addressed. It is hard work, but if we do not faint, we will reap the fruit of our hard work.
After considering all the statistics and all other facts, I believe that it is not lack of political will that make us still be struggling with these issues of integration, participation in the management of the public good, and the enjoyment of one’s labor. I believe that the problem is that we sometimes expect too much out of the law. The law can only do so much. There are other things that the law cannot fix. It can fix institutional issues such as ending segregation in schools, allowing women to vote… but the law can not change people’s hearts. When it attempts to change people’s hearts, people continue to do what they are discouraged to do, but in a different way. For example when the law ask people to end segregation in schools, people say ok but refuse to send their kids to public schools. That is a good example.
I think that the U.S has successfully dealt with most of its institutional challenges very well; the only reason we still have issues is because these issues are not institutional, these issues are deeply rooted in peoples’ hearts. Whenever the government tries to do something, people find a way of going around the law. I believe that the journey now should be about figuring out how to deal with people’s hearts so that we can meet the challenges of our time. When we achieve this goal, I will be ready to talk about meritocracy in the U.S.
These issues we are talking about will be addressed in an environment of dialogue where all cultures living together in the U.S learn to accept hearing the truth about themselves and able to tell the truth to others in a constructive way. It is not by avoiding responsibility or blaming each other but by working together to address the issues that we have in common.

My Community

In this paper I am going to show how the community is weakened when the different forces making the community do not work together for the common good. I will use my community the province of North Kivu as the point of reference.
The province of North Kivu is located in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and shares borders in the North with the Province Oriental, in the west with the province of Maniema, in the south with the Province of South Kivu and in the east with Rwanda and Uganda.
This community has a long history of socio-political unrest that can be attributed to its fragile social fabric. It is made of several tribes that do not get along very well. From time to time these tribes have engaged in open conflicts in which many lives have been lost and social ties between tribes have considerably deteriorated. Suspicion between community members is very rampant. For example, when engaging in conversations or when working together people are very reserved and calculated about what they say or do for fear that their words may be used against them.
In this society the tribe is the heart of the community in that it shapes the life of its individual members. Every decision (big or small) and every action that the individual takes has to follow in line with the “manifesto” of the tribe, for example, with dress code and gender roles, otherwise the individual is subject to chastisement by the tribe.
This structure however presents some limitations as it proves incapable of bringing individuals to think beyond their tribe and strive to work with people of other tribes for the common good. The results are that it becomes difficult to have a community life where individuals pay more respect to their tribes than they do to the larger community. As a consequence we end up with a fragmented society made of small groups (tribes) living together with very little in common and few shared interests. Each tribe thinks of itself as self-sufficient and does not need others. Therefore less energy is spent in an effort to learn and understand other tribes. Events such as inter-tribal marriage and cultural festivals where tribes could exhibit their cultural heritage and share it with each other in an effort to bring mutual understanding are discouraged.
In this sense it becomes easy for tribes to develop stereotypes about each other (for lack of information or basing judgments on incomplete or wrong information); also a strong sense of ethnocentrism develops as tribes think of themselves to be superior to each other. As these tendencies continue to grow, they foster division and in the end spark the fire that leaves the community ablaze.
I believe that it is difficult to have a community in this environment where the individual identifies himself more with the tribe than with the larger community. I also believe that this structure works for the disadvantage of the community because it limits the creativity, uniqueness, and authenticity of individuals as they are demanded to obey the rules of their respective tribes even when doing so does not benefit the larger community. I am not advocating for a society where there are no rules or regulations but these should not stand in the individual’s way of exploring the world and experiencing new realities that stem from working with people who are different from us. In a society where this is the norm, the individual will be able to expand his/her social boundaries, learn to recognize and respect differences and be willing to learn new things.
When there is culture symbiosis a community becomes able to develop its full potential because it recognizes and prizes the richness and full benefits of its diversity. And in the context of the province of North Kivu, it is this symbiosis that needs to happen in order to establish a strong, prosperous, peaceful community where individuality is respected and diversity valued.

What is the American Dream?

When asked to talk about the American dream it is impossible to enter into the deep of the subject without going back to history and more specifically the birth of America as a nation. It is a story showing aberrations and different kinds of abuses perpetrated by man on man, which motivated the first settlers to leave their country and come establish their home in a new land they had no tie to before. In that new land they wanted to recognize equality among men, and acknowledge that every human is born with inalienable rights among which is life, freedom, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. It is these virtues that sit at the core of the American Dream.
It is important to give a short background of where the 1st settlers came from and why they left their countries to come to America. History gives an account of the socio-political and economic environment of the world in that time. We are shown how society was divided into 2 main classes: there was the class of the powerful who owned everything in society including people. There was also the class of the weak who owned nothing but owed everything to the powerful even life to some extent. In this environment there were so many aberrations perpetrated by the powerful to the extent where the weak felt suffocated and could not develop his potential and live his life to the fullest.
As time went by the class of the weak started to gain consciousness and questioned the status quo. This consciousness however, did not resound well with the ruling (privileged) class. As a result it treated harshly those who courageously stood to defend their human rights. People started to flee their countries because the situation was unbearable, to find refuge in other places where they could live freely and live their lives to the fullest. It is in the same conditions that the1st settlers came to America and later were able to found a nation that was going to pioneer freedom of the human race. They established the foundations of a nation where everyone who worked hard could be or achieve whatever he purposes. They honed the importance of the equality among men, because that was not the case in countries where they had come from, they stood for freedom and liberty because these did not exist in their former societies. They professed pursuit of happiness, because happiness of the individual in their original countries was determined by the master or landlord.
In this new environment common people could own land, Common people could own homes, common people could express themselves, common people could pursue education, common people could do whatever was necessary to develop their potential and live their lives to the fullest. In that spirit people started to work hard even new arrivals worked hard and in a short period of time they started to see a big transformation in their lives.
Having said that these people wanted to establish a society in which every human being would be treated equal and given the freedom to enjoy his inalienable rights, they did not escape the challenges of their time as they were divided on the issues of slavery and gender-role. These people owned slaves and they did not think that slaves too had the right to live a free life. They treated them as if they were lesser human beings. Women on the other hand were considered as second class citizens. They could not vote, they had no voice in the assembly of men. This situation had a negative impact on society as it left some members behind; as it created a negative mentality of skepticism, resignation and apathy; and also as it divided the nation, and as a consequence made it difficult for some to live the American dream.
What is the American dream?
When someone purchases a house, drives a nice car, he/she is said to have achieved the American dream. I came across this statement many times when conversing with friends and some times when I watch TV or listen to the radio.
As I think about the statement I wonder if that is what the founding fathers were thinking about when they sat down to put the constitution together. I also wonder if a house and/or a nice car define freedom or the ability to live one’s life to the fullest. I can see where those people who believe like that come from. Purchasing a home brings a certain relief and some peace of mind in the heart of the purchaser. It shows how the individual has closed the gap between non ownership and ownership and to some extent this relates to what I talked about earlier when I was talking about socio-economic classes. I mentioned that only one class owned everything in society. In this context when a common person becomes able to own a home, a nice car and send his kids to school and afford it, it is an indication that the individual is living the dream. It shows how everyone regardless of their social or economic background could do, be and achieve whatever he puts his mind to.
My reasoning however, leads me to say that purchasing a home or driving a nice car does not necessarily mean that there is an upgrade of social and economic status. Because many people make these purchases out of greed and as result end up accumulating debts and adopt miserable lifestyles only because they wanted to be called owners or people who have lived the dream. Our current financial and economic melt down could testify to this.
I do not believe that this is what the founding fathers had in mind when they put the dream together. I do not think that this is a good indicator that individuals are living life to the fullest. I believe that there is more to the American dream than purchasing a home or driving a nice car. Living the dream is about breaking free from any kind of oppression whether external or internal and be able to become that which one is capable of becoming. In other words become that which one was made to be.. By external oppression I mean oppression exercised by other people on the individual and internal oppression the one exercised by the individual on himself (this include greed, jealousy, hatred, resentment…)
It is when one reaches this level of freedom that he can be said to have lived the American dream because when one lives free from any form of oppression, he lacks nothing. He attracts wealth, health and prosperity. It is this kind of freedom that those who laid the foundations of America had in mind because they could not get it in their original countries.

Is the American dream accessible to all? if yes, how? and if no, what is the obstacle?

Yes I do believe that the American dream is accessible to all. However, we cannot forget history because it has affected how people perceive the dream. And this perception determines how people behave vis-à-vis the dream. Some are skeptical because they tried and the environment was not favorable to them while others were favored by the environment and this determines how easy or difficult it is to achieve the dream to those different groups. I will give the example of the tree; the tree that was given enough space to grow did grow stronger and reached its full potential. But those trees that were not given enough space did not fully develop; they instead became what society wanted them to be.
Just like soil nutrients, the air, the sun and water are available to both types of trees, the same way the dream is accessible to all but the environment influences the outcome later on. It is important to mention that the American dream is not something that one can wakeup one day and achieve the next. The American dream is a process which has stages:
Stage 1 is the stage of dreaming the dream. For one to live the dream he must believe in the dream; he must have the dream in him.
Stage 2 is the stage of planning. If one wants to live the dream, he must plan how to bring the dream into reality.
Stage 3 is to act on the dream. After careful planning it is critical for one to turn his plan into actions that produce tangible results. A plan without action is just a dream. And I think that we are talking the dream being accessible to all because we do not see it in some situations. The dream is accessible to all but it takes action to turn it into reality.
Stage 4 is living the dream.

How can we avoid being trapped by the past? What do we need to do to grow past these issues?

Many people fail to dream because of the effects of history on them. To them dreaming is useless because they know what happened to those who dreamt in the past.
There are those who dream but fail to plan because they see obstacles everywhere. “Why dream?” They say when those who came before us failed?
There are those who dream, plan but fail to act on the plan because they do not think that they have what it takes to bring their plans to fruition.
And there are those who dream, plan, act and in the end live the dream. These are people who are relentless, people who stand against all odds and as a result see their situation change. There are so many examples of immigrants who came to this country with nothing but because of their relentless efforts saw their situation greatly change and were able to live the American dream. These are people who live the American dream. Those who in spite of all the negative messages from their surroundings continue to move forward in the end they live the American dream.
The American dream is the result of hard work and willingness to ask oneself tough questions and have courage to find answers to them. Those who do this live the dream but those who think that the dream is just for some and not others end up frustrated and bitter against people who have nothing to do with their situation. In my analysis I believe that people fail to live the dream because of the mentality.
On the individual level there are people who have achieved the dream on both sides (the side of the privileged and non-privileged) but on the collective level there are elements that need to be taken care of before the dream could be lived collectively. It is important however to recognize the progress that have been made in that direction.
The dream will not be lived out when people are finger pointing each other but when they learn to take responsibility and are willing to work together to address the issues that affect them together. Also it is when the dream becomes alive in every American heart then people will be moved by the same dream and that will play a positive role in bringing the nation together.

What role are you playing in the current situation? are you part of the solution or part of the problem?

You may ask, How do I know whether I am part of the solution or part of the problem?

Question to think about: How often do you find yourself complaining about the system? What actions are you taking now to address those issues that you can address in your community?

What do you do when the system doesn't change?

Prepared by
Camarade Balinda