Not a chance.
First of all look at %'s. Blacks are about 14% of the population. What % are in the underclass vs. middle class. Let's say it's 60% in the underclass. If so you are talking about 8% of the population destroying the country.
Second, the underclass is isolated in pockets inside large urban areas. Because they lack job skills there is no industry around them further isolating them from society.
Third, the fear of a growing underclass doesn't make sense. As a % of the population Blacks are less than they were after the Civil War. IOW, their numbers aren't growing.
Finally, as more and more middle class Blacks succeed it will further isolate those that insist on being in the underclass because alternatives exist.
>>If so you are talking about 8% of the population destroying the country.<<
No, not destroying the country. Just causing problems a lot more than they are now.
>>Second, the underclass is isolated in pockets inside large urban areas. Because they lack job skills there is no industry around them further isolating them from society. <<
Large urban areas? And where do you think most people live and work? Ever seen downtown Seattle after about 6:30 pm? Women try to get out of town before that.
>>Third, the fear of a growing underclass doesn’t make sense. As a % of the population Blacks are less than they were after the Civil War. IOW, their numbers aren’t growing. <<
Valid point, but it is not really that simple. It is not a raw numbers game.
>>Finally, as more and more middle class Blacks succeed it will further isolate those that insist on being in the underclass because alternatives exist.<<
As the article points out, this is assuming a significant economic downturn - like we seem to be seeing unfold around us. When this happens, we will have fewer and fewer middle class blacks. Heck, we’ll have fewer and fewer middle clasee anythings, which is also part of what exacerbates the problem.
But time will tell. Let’s see where we sit in February.
In the South this is not true. They are spread far and wide in areas that are not large and/or urban. Further north, you may be correct.
If anything, the last couple of decades have seen the underclass shrink dramatically. Welfare reform has forced millions of Americans into actually becoming working, productive members of society, with an actual stake in the stability of our society. On the other end of the spectrum, longer prison sentences are keeping more and more of the destructive predators in jail and away from the rest of society. Crime rates have been trending down for over a decade.
Look at the effects in places like NYC and DC- previously-bad neighborhoods have been gentrified. Developers in DC are looking at frackin' Anacostia as the next frontier for office and residential development.
People should stop listening to the doom and gloomers.