Cynicism Central

  What is equality? Is it the idea we as people should be equal in all manners of life, where it be social status or wealth? Or is it something we perceive to be true? This podcast highlights one of the most inherent flaws in this great democracy of ours, liberty. Freedom is not granted to all as opportunities are given to those of a different skin tone and culture. Education is the basis of everything in a modern society, by eliminating equitable education, you restrict success. That is what has been happening ever since the 13th amendment. Without proper education society believes you lack certain qualities such as determination or intelligence, especially in the United States where hard work is rewarded with “progression”.This is summed up quite well by Big Walter, “Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams – but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while. (Act I, scene i). African Americans have not been given the resources to succe...

           When people think of segregation and concepts similar they think of schooling, busses, housing etc. But something that was much more transformative in today’s world was infrastructure. Infrastructure is inherently a mundane topic that most of us give absolutely no thought to, though it’s influence on the divided society we reside in is significant. Redlining is a concept that was used by the Federal Housing Authority to promote home ownership in suburban white communities through loans and incentives. West Oakland is a great example of black neighborhoods literally being surrounded by seemingly natural buildings with insidious agendas. Three highways were built I-580, I-880 and I-980, and the result was decay, pollution and crime that characterised West Oakland for decades. But it was by no means alone. The process of routing roads through black communities was so common it even had a name among critics, “White roads through b...