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Let me tell you the story of a well-meaning civil rights campaign that backfired, and how its unintended consequences revealed the pervasiveness of Racism in American society.Before I begin, I should make it clear that in this answer, I am defining “Institutional Racism” as a prejudicial bias that demonstrably exists as an established norm in our society, rather than something that is specifically codified into the written rules of a more concrete institution. American institutions are far more than just universities, corporations, and prisons, and in many ways I would argue that our more nebulous institutions—things like money, wealth, democracy, or race—are the ones with the most power over our world. While codified policy often has the greatest power to vigorously oppress its victims, the subtle racism of social philosophy can often prove more insidious, and is usually much harder to redress than its less metaphysical effects.I also realize that this approach may run against the prevalent current of Conservative philosophy, in which the burden of fault for both criminal action and prejudicial thought often fall exclusively to the individual. I doubt that even a single serious Conservative would try to argue that racial discrimination has never existed in American society, but it has generally been my experience that they also tend to view the blame for that discrimination to stem almost entirely from the individuals who actively engage in its legislation or execution.Thus, when a White American terrorist drives a car into a crowd of civilian protesters at a Neo Nazi rally, for instance, and kills an innocent woman in the process,[1][1][1][1] Conservatives don’t hesitate to speak out against his action, but nonetheless tend to view it as the act of a racially bigoted individual rather than a symptom of a racially delusional society.I very much understand this view, and can see exactly how intelligent people hold it. After all, our actions are the only things over which we have control, so doesn’t it make perfect sense to hold individuals accountable for their own actions? In many ways, I hold that view myself.Nonetheless, I also feel that on the macroscopic scale of a democratic society like the United States, collections of people take on a new life of their own. The history of Racism in America is at once both a collection of individual stories and a continuous current that is so much bigger than its individual actors. That is why, while I think many Conservative approaches to social reform are likely effective on an individualized level, I believe that a much broader understanding of Racism needs to sit at the root of any effective progress.But enough talk, let me get started.The Unforeseen Consequences of a Liberal PolicyIn the writing of those Conservatives I most admire on Quora (e.g. Anthony Zarrella), I often hear the repeated warning against the side-effects of Liberalism. Cautious Moderate Liberals like Peter Kruger also espouse the philosophy of viewing new measures as pessimistically as possible, always leading analysis with the question, “how can I break that?”[2][2][2][2] The worry that a progressive measure that is intended to do good can result in harm is not by any means unfounded either, and my answer focuses on just such an instance.In this case, the initial proposition wasn’t even directly based on race but rather on criminal justice, though in America it is generally impossible to separate the issue of judicial and sentencing reform from the greater problem of racial injustice.Around the turn of the 21st Century, the problems of mass incarceration were entering old age and, just as with any aging process, new problems were arising that hadn’t existed before. Now, many of those Americans who had been incarcerated in their youth for drug possession were out of prison and trying to find their way back into a society that didn’t particularly welcome their return. Especially in the wake of the September 11th Attacks, America became more terrified than ever about the violent and criminal minds that might be lurking amongst us and, while every other industry was tightening the reins of freedom in the name of security, the human resources sector did the same.The easiest way to implement this new sense of security was to add a simple box to the basic job application that asked a straightforward question: do you have a criminal record? Those who checked the box, not altogether surprisingly, would be far less likely to have their application even considered.The problems inherent in this solution should be apparent, but in case they are not I will elaborate a bit. On some totally unrealistic but philosophically significant plane, many Americans seem to imagine that the ideal purpose of our penal system is to rehabilitate those who have strayed from the straight-and-narrow path, so that they can become productive members of society. No matter what they vote for, I would doubt that many Americans would openly profess that the intention of the penal system is actually to disappear our problems so that we don’t need to deal with them, nor vocally espouse the belief that everyone who is found guilty of a crime is a worthless reprobate devoid of any possible future value.Therefore, the fact that the very people we are supposed to be teaching to be productive members of society were, in fact, being barred from reentry to the very social and economic community to which they were being legally expected to reenter should be worrisome to everyone. If being convicted of any crime at all renders one impossible to hire in legitimate society, how can we ever expect those we have penalized to hold a legitimate job?On top of this, you have the highly-theoretical-but-still-present idea that once a person has served their due punishment, their “debt to society” has been paid and they ought to be given a clean slate (at least, if they are White). Those of us who have had children of our own or who have served in any kind of mentorship capacity to others fully understand that otherwise good people are capable of making mistakes, and we almost universally don’t discount the value of those we love because of a mistake, even a truly abhorrent one. The two strongest bastions of Conservative values—the family and the church—both extoll the value of forgiveness. Yet we as a people, Liberals and Conservatives alike, have trouble seeing our way into its integration into our social policy on a more pervasive level.So began a political movement aimed at increasing chances of employment for formerly incarcerated Americans, and it rallied under a simple and easily remembered name:Ban the Box[3][3][3][3] proposed a simple and easily-enacted solution to the problem: prohibit employers from including the criminal record checkbox on their application forms. It should be noted that this wouldn’t prohibit employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal record in their interview, but it would give formerly incarcerated Americans the chance to get in the door in the first place to have the opportunity to present and advocate for themselves as human beings, rather than just having their applications die on the desk.It should be noted that the main organizers and exponents of the Ban the Box effort were primarily non-white racial and criminal justice advocates. Indeed the movement was most fervently supported by people who had experienced the effects of racial discrimination themselves, and had studied the racial struggle in America. One might think that they would be about the best experts we have on the effects of insidious and institutionalized Racism.But in this case, Racism outfoxed them.After numerous states and municipalities passed legislation or ordinances forbidding the question on applications, there was a shocking unforeseen side effect:Across the board, job applications from African Americans became far less likely to elicit a callback from a prospective employer, and the disparity between White and Black applicants widened many times over.[4][4][4][4] [5][5][5][5] [6][6][6][6]Image credit[7][7][7][7]To be clear, Black Americans with criminal records did indeed see some small increase in the likelihood of receiving callbacks, but Blacks without criminal records suffered such a shocking penalty that their chance of receiving a callback became closer to the rates of those with criminal records with the box than they had previously seen themselves under the same conditions. Meanwhile, White applications actually benefitted from the measure.Take a minute to think about that.What Ban the Box should illustrate to us.What I find most interesting about the Ban the Box debacle is how American Racial and Liberal activists had managed to so deeply underestimate the nature of Racism in America. I don’t mean that as an accusation against them, because I am one of them myself.In my own capacity as an advocate for criminal justice reform, I had myself been a supporter of the Ban the Box effort. It seemed like a good idea to me. How had I so failed to grasp the nature of Racism in my nation? How had this well-intentioned effort so backfired, hurting the very people it was trying to uplift?In the time since its failure, I have asked myself that question repeatedly, and the only answer I have found is not a pleasant one to accept.We thought that it was the box that was holding people back, when in fact it had been Racism from the beginning.For African-Americans, the criminal record question had not been an opportunity to have their application discounted unjustly as we had imagined. On the contrary, it had been a chance for them to positively assert that—contrary to the dominant social narrative—they were not criminals.And this led to an even more revolting realization.In the minds of Americans, the basic state of Blackness was inherently Criminal. Unless given the chance to actively assert that they did not have criminal records, Black applicants were all naturally assumed to be criminals solely on account of their Blackness.Forgive my language, dear reader, but that is fucked up. That is just about the ugliest truth I have ever been forced by the heavy hand of failure to accept about my nation. I wish that it weren’t so. I wish that I could devise an explanation that didn’t disgust me quite so much. But that is undoubtedly what the evidence suggests.Racism isn’t a fringe belief that some tiki-torch fanatics hold, it is a cancer in our society. In the beginning, it may have been confined to specific regions and causes, but it has metastasized, and now infects every part of our body politic. It has been internalized into the minds of the American populace on a level that is difficult to see without such incisive illustrations as the unintended damage caused by Banning the Box.I also think that this sad unintended social experiment should teach us something about the nature of Racism as a more-than-individual phenomenon. While some Conservatives may be inclined to views these discrepancies as reflections of individual racism by individual employers, the damage of that racism is clearly societal in scope. This isn’t something that can be solved by making some employers attend diversity training.Honestly, I’m not sure how—or even if—these problems can be solved. What I do know is that overcoming Racism in America will require a tectonic shift in our philosophy across the board.So that is how a bunch of people, myself included, underestimated just how deeply the threads of Racism have been woven into the fabric our society, and how it derailed a well-intended and rational effort. Because Racism isn’t rational, but that doesn’t mean that our reasoning is immune to its influence. On the contrary, it is perhaps the delusion most deeply intertwined with our national consciousness.It is also ugly, and I understand the desire to ignore it more than perhaps I ought to. I have always been a dreamer and an idealist, and the idea that we might really be on the cusp of a truly liberated world is an opiate that can be hard to deny myself at times. The sheer potential of a world unrestrained by this particular delusion is as sweet as a sunrise over Morningside Park, and the fact that I will never live to see that new dawn is a pain that, on some dark nights, drags my heart toward despair.But that doesn’t mean it won’t come someday, and it sure as hell doesn’t mean that it isn’t a future worth fighting for.But for now, as we strive toward that new birth of freedom, we shouldn’t underestimate the pervasive and insidious corrosion of Racist ideas which, despite being socially constructed, have become the central framework that buttresses our very concept of social value and our narrative of justice and innocence.I will close with a quote from Malcolm X, which is at once both a song of hope and an indictment of complicity:Once you change your philosophy, you change your thought pattern. Once you change your thought pattern, you change your — your attitude. Once you change your attitude, it changes your behavior pattern and then you go on into some action. As long as you got a sit-down philosophy, you’ll have a sit-down thought pattern, and as long as you think that old sit-down thought you’ll be in some kind of sit-down action.[8][8][8][8]I say it’s time to stand up to Institutional Racism in our society and, while I may not know just what victory will entail or even look like, I know that the first step is to recognize its presence in our midst, even in our own minds and those of our communities.Thank you for reading.Footnotes[1] Charlottesville car attack - Wikipedia[1] Charlottesville car attack - Wikipedia[1] Charlottesville car attack - Wikipedia[1] Charlottesville car attack - Wikipedia[2] Peter Kruger's answer to Who are the Left Brain contributors? Could they introduce themselves? in Left Brain[2] Peter Kruger's answer to Who are the Left Brain contributors? Could they introduce themselves? in Left Brain[2] Peter Kruger's answer to Who are the Left Brain contributors? Could they introduce themselves? in Left Brain[2] Peter Kruger's answer to Who are the Left Brain contributors? Could they introduce themselves? in Left Brain[3] Ban the Box - Wikipedia[3] Ban the Box - Wikipedia[3] Ban the Box - Wikipedia[3] Ban the Box - Wikipedia[4] https://www.nber.org/papers/w22469.pdf[4] https://www.nber.org/papers/w22469.pdf[4] https://www.nber.org/papers/w22469.pdf[4] https://www.nber.org/papers/w22469.pdf[5] “Ban the Box” does more harm than good[5] “Ban the Box” does more harm than good[5] “Ban the Box” does more harm than good[5] “Ban the Box” does more harm than good[6] When Banning One Kind of Discrimination Results in Another[6] When Banning One Kind of Discrimination Results in Another[6] When Banning One Kind of Discrimination Results in Another[6] When Banning One Kind of Discrimination Results in Another[7] The Effects of 'Ban the Box' on the Employment of Black Men | Econofact[7] The Effects of 'Ban the Box' on the Employment of Black Men | Econofact[7] The Effects of 'Ban the Box' on the Employment of Black Men | Econofact[7] The Effects of 'Ban the Box' on the Employment of Black Men | Econofact[8] "The Ballot or The Bullet" by Malcom X (Detroit 1964)[8] "The Ballot or The Bullet" by Malcom X (Detroit 1964)[8] "The Ballot or The Bullet" by Malcom X (Detroit 1964)[8] "The Ballot or The Bullet" by Malcom X (Detroit 1964)

My wife is a well educated, mid 40s school teacher who has finally secured a new job after two years of solid attempts i.e. One or two applications every week for nearly two years! I so admire the fact that over all that time she never gave up and never got depressed. A previous answer with a ridiculous number of "no"s ending with a "yes" is so true.Do try and get feedback from each rejection and use it to improve yourself.Incidentally, my daughter has just graduated as a school teacher and got a job after just one interview. It would belittle her achievement if I was to use the word lucky.In life we are dealt struggle cards and immediate progress cards.For me I have always been terrible at exams - always massively underachieving despite masses of work and yet I've always been fairly good at job interviews. So I know which cards I hold in any given situation. Anyway, all that's another story. Good luck and hang in there.

This one took some guts to pull off, and happened at a place I worked back in the late 1970s. I took a job as the assistant manager at an up-scale pizza parlor near Seattle. They had two restaurants, and the owners worked at the one near the SeaTac Airport, while I worked at the one south of that area. The place created massive pies, made with the best products, and atmosphere that included a bathtub hung from the ceiling, a glass-enclosed wine collection (for display only) worth tens of thousands of dollars, and the best furniture, oven, and fixtures.Our manager quit, so the owners went looking for another one. I thought they would hire me, but I was pretty young at the time so they went for a guy from Colorado, a handsome devil with blond hair and a winning smile. He didn't know a thing about the pizza business, but he seemed to work hard enough and learned quickly.Two weeks later, I drove to the pizza parlor on a Friday and the door was locked. A sign on the door read: "Closed for Cleaning and Maintainance". I went home and took a three-day weekend. The manager had warned me that week he might do that, and I didn't think anything about it.I returned on Monday morning and the sign was gone, but the door was still locked. This particular restaurant was nestled in the corner of a little strip mall and didn’t have any windows. And even though I was the assistant manager, I didn't have a key. So I called the owners and they came to the store. When we went inside, EVERYTHING was GONE. The oven, the supplies, the furniture, the wine collection...and the receipts for the past week, as well.The police took a report, and then informed the owners that the drivers' license and Social Security card that the manager had used in his job application were phonies, and they had no idea who he really was. It was soon discovered that the manager had actually run a big ad in the local paper advertising a Closing Down sale and held an auction at the store that ran all weekend. The owners never saw it. The scamming manager made tens of thousands of dollars and then blew town, never to be seen again.The insurance company claimed negligence on the part of the owners for not verifying the manager's identity before hiring him, and refused to pay any claim. Six weeks later, due to their losses, the owners were forced to close BOTH restaurants. The 'manager,' who was undoubtably a pro at this sort of thing, was never caught.