Rebecca Stefoff: Chapter Summary And Analysis

Inequality and race are often closely linked and have been an important part of history. In some severe cases, something as irrational as racism is keeping people in poverty and not allowing proper access to healthcare, proper schooling, and necessary nourishment. Through looking at the various graphs a common trend can be acknowledged. The trend is that people who aren’t of the Caucasian race are being paid significantly less. This injustice is causing people, on average to have more debt because of a lower family income. The arrival of the Europeans in the modern day North and South America was not a peaceful one considering their plan was to subdue and conquer the land belonging to the millions of inhabitants. The Europeans can be said to have started a trend of racism and bigotry against minorities. Slavery was a direct result of one race thinking they are

Slavery was a time where racism was at it’s highest and freedom possibly at it’s lowest. Slavery was another atrocity that perpetuated the idea of racism today which can be seen on the various informative charts put together by Urban.org.

A quote from the author, Rebecca Stefoff emphasizes how the U.S, in particular, has had a history of racism and discrimination. Stefoff kicks off the beginning of chapter two by writing, “In the history of the world, there is no country where racism has been more important than in the United States”(1). This bold piece of writing, seems true and I think a lot of people who make lower wages, save less for retirement and have, on average more student loan debt would agree with my notion. In my opinion Inequality in the world has a mostly negative effect on people across the globe. The negatives are that the people affected by it often have trouble affording necessary items like health care and food. A Scotsman by the name of Adam Smith has a quote that truly embodies and complements the problem