Thomas Shapiro’s The Hidden Cost of Being African American poses a persuasive and moving argument, using both qualitative and quantitative evidence to paint a vivid image of racial wealth inequality and its dire consequences for life outcomes of non-white individuals. He claims that asset policy would mitigate some of these negative consequences, insisting that the way policies treat the assets of white and non-white individuals must be addressed before true racial equality can be achieved. In the video Khytie posted, Shapiro acknowledges the slim chances of such policy reform being enacted, stating, “It’s a question of political will.” This statement reflected my exact thoughts as I was reading his book. Is there anyone in power who is willing to change the policies that, in very subtle and scary ways, benefit them and perpetuate their privilege? Beyond this, how likely is it that those who benefit from inheritance and current asset policies will be willing to take a critical eye to how their wealth-related privileges reflect others’ oppression? Will they accept Shapiro’s argument? Will they find ways to justify their behaviors and privileges? History and current thoughts about wealth indicate that the answer to this last question is “yes.”

In his conclusion, Shapiro notes that Americans tend to have entrenched thoughts that the ability to pass on privileges and opportunities onto one’s children is an inviolable right. I use my father as an example of this attitude – he believes that if one works hard and is successful, one should be able to use this success to benefit his or her children. This ties back to the American Dream ideology – where the idea that hard work pays off in the land of opportunity is a foundational belief for many people in power in America. Not only does this ideology make sense of people’s success in a validating way, but it also serves as a explanation and justification for why some people do not make it. While Shapiro’s book provides concrete and persuasive evidence that the American Dream is a falsehood, I think it is hard for people to translate an intellectual understanding that the American Dream is not real into practical action that reduces one’s own privilege. This is apparent in the article Quinn mentioned in class – people may recognize that the way society is set up is unfair, but they are unwilling to sacrifice the ways in which they benefit from this set-up (like private, high-quality education) in order to ameliorate social inequality. With this knowledge, how can we expect that people will be willing to level the wealth playing field? What kind of ideological and political change is necessary for an intellectual understanding of social inequality to become translated into practical action and policies that actually address it? Perhaps this is a pessimistic view of the future of racial inequality in America, and it certainly is derived from Marxist ways of thinking. But throughout my reading of The Hidden Cost I found myself wondering how our unequal society could possibly rearrange its policies and structures to get rid of this pervasive, subtle form of racial inequality that is grounded in American Dream ideology and provides concrete and lasting benefits to those in power and their families.