[Puffer Fish]

The median black male income in 1960 was $3,230. Adjusted for standard inflation, that would be equivalent to $33,250 (in 2023). (source here)

The median black household income in 2023 is $52,860. That is household income, which often includes two income earners.

According to statistics from the Social Security Administration, the median income for black males between the ages of 30 to 39 is $41,600 (as of 2021). (source here)

The median house in 1960 cost $11,900.
In 2023, the median house cost $417,700.

Doing some quick calculations we can see that:
In 1960, the price of a house was 3.7 times that of yearly black male income.
In 2023, the price of a house was 7.9 times that of yearly black household income.


In 1960, the standard of living in America had been rapidly improving over the previous couple of years. Blacks were beginning to demand additional rights and fair treatment (the whole "Civil Rights" movement).

It can be argued that Blacks have largely obtained full equality of opportunity.

But are average American blacks actually better off economically than they were in 1960?


Some additional statistics:
In 1960, 61% of black adult men were married. (source here)
By 2022, that had fallen to 34.4% (and only 28.6% for black women). (source here)

[Fasces]

It can be argued that Blacks have largely obtained full equality of opportunity.

Not well.

[Puffer Fish]

Not well.

The point was that achieving "equality" does not always mean absolute "improvement".

"Equality" is only relative to another group of people.

[Fasces]

They do not have equality of opportunity compared to other people groups in the United States.

Jim Crow apartheid, redlining, etc - was a reality within the lifetime of more than 5,000,000 black folk alive today, and this has a direct material, social, and psychological impact on their children and grand children. You don't erase centuries of this shit in 70 years of half-assed efforts.

[Puffer Fish]

They do not have equality of opportunity compared to other people groups in the United States.

But the inequality level between races has narrowed; today average white people have it worse off than they did in 1960.

Guess a reason to celebrate??

[wat0n]

Neither white nor black people have it worse than in 1960. Nonsense.

[Rich]

You don't erase centuries of this shit in 70 years of half-assed efforts.

We shouldn't be trying. I support the mixed economy compromise. We support inherited property, but we tax it and regulate it. I support policies that reduce inequality and increase social mobility. If successful that pushes richer people down towards the mean and means that more people fall out of the richer strata dwon into the poorer strata.

VDSAUSSD (Very Dark Skinned African United States Slave Descended) Americans would dis-proportionally benefit from such progressive policies. We should try to decrease inequality for individuals and increase social mobility for individuals. We should not try and undo the wins and losses of modern identity groups from past centuries

[Tainari88]

We shouldn't be trying. I support the mixed economy compromise. We support inherited property, but we tax it and regulate it. I support policies that reduce inequality and increase social mobility. If successful that pushes richer people down towards the mean and means that more people fall out of the richer strata dwon into the poorer strata.

VDSAUSSD (Very Dark Skinned African United States Slave Descended) Americans would dis-proportionally benefit from such progressive policies. Wes should try to decrease inequality for individuals and increase social mobility for individuals. We should not try and undo the wins and losses of modern identity groups from past centuries

I say all people benefit from decent economies and decent government policies.

The entire idea of classism and being always preserving social classes is not a good policy in general for the entire society. Tiny amounts of very powerful people and huge amounts of people with next to nothing will always be in conflict.

There are good models of what works out there for everyone. But it does not happen without people who accept top heavy power and hierarchical systems as the only possible way of organizing human societies.