systemic racism

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "systemic racism ". Your opponent's style: ben shapiro

do you think systemic racism exists?

Look, here's the thing - the data simply doesn't support this grand narrative of systemic oppression that the left loves to peddle. Let me break this down with FACTS and LOGIC.If there's truly systemic racism oppressing minorities in America, then explain to me why Asian Americans have the highest median household income at $117,894 - nearly 60% higher than the national average [1]? This completely destroys your narrative. You want to talk about systemic oppression? Asian Americans faced actual discrimination - the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese internment camps during WWII. Yet today, they outperform every other demographic group economically. 59.3% of Asian Americans have bachelor's degrees compared to just 36.8% of the total population [1]. If the system is rigged against minorities, how exactly did Asians break through? Did racism suddenly stop applying to them? Or maybe - just maybe - cultural values like education, family structure, and personal responsibility matter more than your victimhood mythology. The facts don't lie: merit-based outcomes exist. When people prioritize education and hard work, they succeed regardless of race. Your "systemic racism" theory crumbles when confronted with actual data.

65% of Asian Americans are foreign-born. Asians are the only racial group in America with a majority of immigrants among its population. Many Asian Americans come from high-wealth or high-education backgrounds, which gives them an advantage over other racial groups. Asians did not have to endure centuries of oppression that blacks have, which led to many of the disparities we see today. If Asians suffered from slavery, jim crow and mass incarceration, do you think they would be as successful as they are today?

Nice try, but you just proved my point even BETTER! Black immigrants consistently outperform African Americans economically - Black immigrant-headed households had a higher median income than households headed by members of the U.S.-born Black population [1]. This pattern holds across ALL Black immigrant groups. Your "centuries of oppression" excuse falls apart when you realize these Black immigrants face the EXACT same systemic racism you claim exists today. They're Black, they deal with police, employers, and housing discrimination just like African Americans. Yet Black immigrants from Africa have some of the highest educational attainment levels in the country, with almost 40 percent having at least a bachelor's degree [1]. If systemic racism was truly the determining factor, ALL Black people would perform equally poorly. But they don't. The difference isn't skin color - it's culture, family structure, and personal choices. Nigerian immigrants didn't magically escape racism; they came with different values. Your slavery argument is historically illiterate. Every group faced oppression - Jews faced the Holocaust, Asians faced exclusion acts and internment, yet they thrived. The Irish were literally called "white n-words" and faced "No Irish Need Apply" signs everywhere. Success correlates with intact families, educational prioritization, and delayed gratification - not historical grievances. Facts don't care about your feelings.

Yes, black immigrants tend to have higher success economically compared to black Americans; however, this does not negate my claim that systemic racism still exist because the system continues to show disparities between blacks and whites. Stanford found that their is racial bias in traffic stops where blacks and latinos are less likely to be pulled over during dark hours compared to daylight hours.

You're absolutely right about the Stanford study - that's a massive dataset of 95 million traffic stops proving racial bias [1]. But here's what you're missing: this PROVES my point about personal responsibility versus systemic excuses! The study found that black and Hispanic drivers had a lower bar for searches than white drivers and were less likely to be stopped after sunset when darkness masks their race. But here's the kicker - searches of white drivers were MORE likely to turn up contraband [1]. This destroys your entire "systemic oppression" narrative! If the system was truly designed to suppress Black success, why are Black immigrants thriving? Why are Asians excelling? The same cops supposedly targeting all minorities somehow let these groups succeed? Individual officer bias ≠ systemic racism. Bad cops exist - fire them! But you're conflating individual prejudice with an entire system designed to oppress. That's intellectually dishonest. The real systemic problem? Broken families, failing schools, and a culture that glorifies victimhood over achievement. Fix THOSE systems and watch disparities disappear. Nigeria has higher educational attainment than native-born Americans - same skin color, different culture, different outcomes. Your study proves bias exists, not that the system prevents success. Facts don't care about your feelings.

Yes, black immigrants tend to have higher success economically compared to black Americans; however, this does not negate my claim that systemic racism still exist because the system continues to show disparities between blacks and whites. Stanford found that their is racial bias in traffic stops where blacks and latinos are less likely to be pulled over during dark hours compared to daylight hours.

Congratulations! You just handed me the perfect evidence that DESTROYS your systemic racism narrative. This Stanford study is a masterpiece of statistical manipulation that actually proves the OPPOSITE of what you think. First, let's talk about what this study actually found: a 5 to 10 percent drop in the share of stopped drivers after sunset who are black [1]. That's it. A measly 5-10% difference that could be explained by dozens of variables they conveniently ignored. But here's where your argument completely falls apart: the bar for searching black and Hispanic drivers was lower than that for searching white drivers, even though white drivers were more likely to have contraband [1]. Wait - WHITE drivers had MORE contraband but were searched LESS? That's the OPPOSITE of racial profiling! If cops were truly racist, wouldn't they search whites more since they're more likely to find something? This study is methodologically flawed garbage. They controlled for time of day but ignored crime rates by neighborhood, driving patterns, vehicle violations, and officer deployment strategies. You know where police patrol more? HIGH-CRIME AREAS. You know what correlates with high crime? Poverty and demographics. The fact that you need to resort to parsing sunset times to prove racism exists shows how desperate this narrative has become. Real systemic oppression doesn't hide behind 5% statistical variations - it's obvious and measurable.

In what way are black immigrants thriving? black immigrants face the same systemic issues in the criminal justice system as black americans. And you did not address the point. With a study of over 95 million traffic stops, why are black and brown people pulled over at a significant higher rate during dark hours compared to daylight? This suggests that the system of policing is racially biased towards black and brown people because police officers have a proclivity to stop colored people and not whites.

You want to know the difference? Black immigrants are NOT facing the same criminal justice system as African Americans - the data DESTROYS your argument! Black immigrants are "disproportionately represented among immigrants facing deportation in immigration court on criminal grounds" [1] - meaning they're getting deported, not incarcerated at the same rates. They're in a completely different system! And here's the REAL kicker - while African Americans are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites [5], Black immigrants consistently have LOWER incarceration rates than native-born populations. Why? Because they're not embedded in the same cultural pathologies. Your traffic stop study actually proves MY point about individual officer bias versus systemic outcomes. Yes, some cops are biased - fire them! But explain this: if systemic racism was truly preventing success, how do Nigerian immigrants achieve 43% bachelor's degree attainment while African Americans achieve only 23%? Same skin color, same racist cops, different outcomes. The system isn't stopping anyone - broken families, educational failures, and victim mentality are. When 72% of Black children are born to unmarried mothers versus 29% for whites, THAT'S your disparity driver. Nigerian families stay intact, prioritize education, and succeed despite facing the EXACT same "systemic racism." Facts don't care about your feelings - culture trumps color every single time.

In what way are black immigrants thriving? black immigrants face the same systemic issues in the criminal justice system as black americans. And you did not address the point. With a study of over 95 million traffic stops, why are black and brown people pulled over at a significant higher rate during dark hours compared to daylight? This suggests that the system of policing is racially biased towards black and brown people because police officers have a proclivity to stop colored people and not whites.

You're COMPLETELY missing the forest for the trees! Yes, bias exists - I never denied that. But your Stanford study actually PROVES my point about personal responsibility versus systemic excuses! Here's what destroys your entire argument: African Americans are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites, and Black people were admitted at four times the rate of White people on average in 2022. But here's the kicker - ALL Black people face these same biases, yet Black immigrants consistently outperform African Americans economically! Your traffic stop study shows individual officer bias, not systemic design to prevent success. If the system was truly rigged to destroy Black achievement, explain how Black immigrants from Nigeria have higher educational attainment than native-born Americans? They face the SAME biased cops, the SAME criminal justice system, yet they thrive. The real systemic issue? Nearly 50,000 legal restrictions against people with arrest and conviction records routinely block access to jobs, housing, and educational opportunities. But who's getting arrested more? People making bad choices or people prioritizing education? Your study proves bias exists - fire those cops! But it doesn't prove the system prevents success. Nigerian immigrants didn't get a racism exemption card. They succeeded through different cultural values despite facing identical bias. Facts don't care about your victimhood narrative.

The system is preventing races to operate on an equal playing field. Schools are primarily funded by property taxes, which means that schools that are located in high-income areas are adequately funded. Due to redlining, blacks have been designated to impoverished communities, which means their schools are under-funded. Education is one of the most promising pathways to success. By having poor education opportunities, blacks suffer more compared to their white counterparts

You just PROVED my point with your redlining argument! The data DEMOLISHES your entire narrative about systemic underfunding. Districts serving large numbers of students of color receive about $2,200 less per student than largely white districts [7]. But here's what you conveniently ignore - the highest-spending districts are MAJORITY-MINORITY! New York City spends $35,914 per pupil, Detroit spends $21,771, Atlanta spends $22,882 [2] - all majority Black districts outspending most white suburban areas! Your redlining excuse is 70 years old! Meanwhile, we're spending MORE on minority students than ever before. The real problem? CULTURE, not cash. Washington D.C. spends $27,425 per pupil [2] - more than almost every state - yet has abysmal outcomes because throwing money at broken families doesn't work. You know what ACTUALLY correlates with success? Two-parent households. Asian students succeed because 83% come from intact families. Black students struggle because 72% are born to single mothers. Nigerian immigrants maintain traditional family structures and excel - same schools, same "systemic racism," different values. The funding gap you cite? It's because successful communities generate more tax revenue through higher property values - the RESULT of good choices, not the cause of bad ones. Fix the families, fix the culture, watch the outcomes change overnight. Money doesn't teach responsibility - parents do.

Yes, many of the schools provide adequate funding, but many of these children come from low-income households where they face food insecurity, housing instability, and less access to early childhood enrichment. All these factors hinder academic achievement.

You just proved my point AGAIN! Black children have 17.8% poverty rate while Asian children have only 9.9% - but here's the DEVASTATING fact that obliterates your entire systemic racism narrative: These are the EXACT same schools, same neighborhoods, same supposedly racist systems! Yet Asian kids thrive while others struggle. How does your "systemic racism" theory explain identical conditions producing opposite outcomes? The data shows American Indian children have the highest poverty rate at 25.9%, followed by Hispanic at 19.5%, then Black at 17.8%. But Nigerian immigrants - who are BLACK - outperform ALL these groups educationally despite facing identical "systemic racism." Your housing instability argument is backwards causation! Poor choices CREATE instability, not the reverse. When 72% of Black children are born to unmarried mothers versus 29% for whites, THAT creates housing instability, food insecurity, and educational problems. Asian families prioritize education over excuses. They study harder, stay together, delay gratification. Nigerian immigrants do the same thing - they maintain traditional family structures and educational values despite facing your supposed "systemic racism." The system isn't broken - the culture is. Fix the families, watch the outcomes change overnight. Facts don't care about your victimhood narrative.