This TedTalk by Heather C. McGhee discussed her exploration of systemic racism in the lens of her background in economic policy as it complements the relations amongst individuals in a culturally diverse society. She tells the story of a white man named Gary from South Carolina, who wanted to explore his prejudice and reverse its debilitating effects on his life. This lead McGhee to wonder whether a nation with systemic racism so deeply embedded in its culture has backfired to harm the ones it was initially meant to advance. Her conclusion is that racism leads to bad policy; racism harms all individuals in the society.
McGhee gives many examples of local governments that destroyed public goods just to avoid an integrated society. She tells of how this racism developed and contributed to the 2008 financial crisis, explaining that the subprime mortgages were racially-influenced and targeted. She claims we would not have had a financial crisis if it were not for racism.
I found this TedTalk to be really intriguing because McGhee spoke of the one issue that continues to stress the United States in many aspects of society. Racism is prevalent, and it, unfortunately, has been a relevant topic since the beginning of our nation. McGhee concluded on an interesting point that the harm to one is harm to all, and we should let the proximity of diversity share in our embrace of a common humanity. It was beautifully spoken that these systemic issues are not only at the fault of policy makers – individuals are responsible for their own prejudices, like Gary. This idea relates a lot to our class discussions on the role of followers in initiating greater change. Followers tend not to understand the influence they hold over leaders, and it is about time we realize our actions (or lack there of) have consequences. We need to mobilize in changing social norms and recognizing prejudices to flood the structure of our society with these values.
https://www.ted.com/talks/heather_c_mcghee_racism_has_a_cost_for_everyone/discussion#t-202349