Grandstand. The United States is founded on a myth, collectively shared, enshrined in its Constitution: the right to " pursuit of happiness ", an expression owed to Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826).
Every American citizen believes or is supposed to believe that, by his only individual effort, he will be able to improve his lot, whatever his cultural or social origin: this American dream, from the origins, attracts the immigrants who constitute the nation and it allows, in principle, to men and women, infinitely diverse by their origin, their culture, their belief, to live together: the Constitution is their social contract, the market economy is their "Jacob's ladder", and the We are not expecting much from a federal state in Washington.
Twice more affected than whites
This mythology – any nation is founded on a myth – works rather well, as long as economic growth justifies it: a certain prosperity, even if it is unevenly distributed, suggests that the promised happiness is well within reach for oneself and for her children. But if the machine breaks down, the dream disappears, and the fractures of society appear with extreme violence. The most glaring of these fractures is racial discrimination, which essentially cuts across inequalities in income, health and education,
African-Americans mainly, but also Latinos, recently immigrants, are, at the moment, hit by the Covid-19 pandemic twice as much in proportion as whites. It is not an unfortunate coincidence, but a revelation of their social situation: they happen to be the poorest of Americans, the most frequently affected by chronic diseases which are not treated, like diabetes, because outside hospital emergencies, they do not have health insurance.
In addition, when unemployment hits nearly 20% of the active population, these racial "minorities" are the first to be dismissed, often without unemployment insurance, entirely dependent on the charity of the Churches and philanthropic foundations and, according to the States , some local help.
Admittedly, slavery has disappeared, racial discrimination is illegal, a third of African-Americans and many Latinos have joined the middle and upper classes; but the majority remain a sub-proletariat which many whites despise.
An unalterable fantasy
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