Capitalism Promotes Inequality

1. Journalist and Author Annalee Newitz once said, “Capitalism is fundamentally an economic system that promotes inequality”(). While America is considered to be a mixed economy, a mixture of capitalism that allows private businesses to sell goods and socialism that relies on the government for public education and regulations on business, it still creates inequality. This can be seen in the use of prisoners after the civil war in the south. As well with, the more recent use of private prisons beginning in the 1980s. The primary purpose of these institutions, just like any business, has been to spend less and maximize profit by influencing for injustice alongside inequality for African Americans. But, how can they do this? Well, History …show more content…
Furthermore, a century after the 13th amendment was established, a society that had equal rights was promised. At Howard University in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered a commencement speech to graduates in which he addressed inequality in America.He explained, “We are trying to attack these evils through our poverty program, through our education program, through our medical care and our other health programs,and a dozen more of the Great Society programs”(). The Great Society was Johnson 's way of ending poverty and discrimination. Personally, I believe those programs were the answer to fixing many of the issues because education can open the doors out of poverty and medical care can keep you healthy. But with a violent riot happening in Harlem, New York, Johnson included a substantial grant for law enforcement agencies in his society. As Elizabeth Hinton, a professor of history, describes “ urban police forces became militarized and police officers increasingly assumed the role of social service providers”(). As I see it, “The Great Society” was a promise that wasn 't kept by Johnson and the result can be seen today in African American communities. For example, families in urban cities today are struggling to make ends meet and the education at those schools are poor. While the police are heavily funded with and possess tools that should be used only by the military. I think there would be less needed for police if education and social programs were more …show more content…
Although Richard Nixon 's “war on drugs” legislation was destructive, Ronald Reagan use of executive power intensified the “war on drugs”. In Reagan’s second term as president, the media publicized the use of crack as a drug that promotes violence and “ the most addictive drug known to man.” (Newsweek.1986). As the public concern of the drug grew bigger, Reagan called for a “war on drugs” like Nixon did. This lead to the creation of the “ 1968 Drug Abuse Act”, which was harsh on African Americans. The act created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for crack vs. powder cocaine possession (FAMM.2012). This meant if a person was to be caught with 1 grams of crack cocaine received a mandatory 5 year sentence and a person caught with 100 grams of powder cocaine would receive the same sentence. Also, the act ended programs that provided sterile needles for users to prevent HIV and AIDS (2012). Let me explain why this was harsh on African Americans. First, crack and cocaine are substances that derive from cocaine and crack is produced from cocaine. The use of crack was primarily done by the poor because it cost less than cocaine, which was used by wall street. Second, drug abuse is an addiction that is a disease that should have not been treated as a crime. This led to more African Americans being incarcerated because of Reagan’s act and increased HIV and AIDS rates in communities. However as, Tony Newman, director of Drug Policy Alliance explained” the irony is that Ronald