Dear Mr. Ibram X Kendi, I Hope This Email Finds You Well.

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Dear Mr. I X Kendi,

I hope this email finds you well.

With regularity, I have read of your striking perspective on antiracist politics. I would like to address some points with you directly.

First, I do not typically engage in racist discourse. I follow the UN International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), which was put into force in the 1960s and 1970s. This is an excellent mechanism, and it seems that you are completely unaware of it. I recommend you read it. Antiracism should not include racist terminology if it is to be truly effective.

Secondly, you have indicated a distinct perspective that black Americans are somehow facing inequalities. Socioeconomic indicators can be interpreted to show certain trends. Piketty has recently written widely on the importance of generational capital. Rather than instigate for violently enforced equity policy, we could implement economic systems to catalyze wealth transfer to impoverished communities. This should be done on a non-racial basis.

Such an economic system already exists in the form of professional sports leagues— the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. You may say these follow the capitalist model, but you should bear in mind that any wealth-creating enterprise in the free market follows the capitalist model. Capitalism is the study of the creation and management of capital (i.e., wealth).

These sports leagues facilitate the transfer of wealth from citizens to athletes. In the NBA and NFL, the majority of the athletes are dark-skinned African Americans. The minimum salary in these leagues is over 50x the minimum wage in the USA. The money-making opportunity that has been developed in this sense is remarkable. It is one of the most peaceful, positive, and effective economic systems on the planet.

Perpetuating the idea that the USA is a racist country serves to weaken the country. It is also clownish and foolhardy to the extreme. It is a destructive idea, and many have decided to believe it. I suggest you about-face on that point as a step in the best direction.

All the best~

 

 

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