The Destructive Result of Focusing on Equity vs. Equality

Kmele Foster, the host of the podcast “The Fifth Column,” made viral comments about Friday on HBO's “Real Time With Bill Maher”.

& # 39; Lost a life for Covid, & # 39; he said. "Is a life that matters. And we can focus on the people who are vulnerable, without this about race."

Commenting on an argument that Latinos are more likely to be hospitalized for COVID, he explained, "The main point is that it's not fundamentally about race. You can't make them un-Hispanic. There can be several problems. They may be living in houses with more people. They may live in more urban centers. If so, the policies you tailor for people in urban centers are not for Latinos. "

KMELE FOSTER: The focus on "racial equality" rather than "results" is something that is quite new. But seems to have taken the country by storm.

BILL MAHER: Equality as opposed to equality? Can you give a practical example of this?

MKELE FOSTER: COVID, which we just talked about. We know that the most vulnerable population when it comes to Covid is the elderly; if I take people over 55, that's 80% of the deaths. There have been actual conversations about prioritizing people based on their race, as Covid is said to have a disproportionate impact on black people compared to whites.

It's a ridiculous proposal, but it's a proposal that has found its way into the mouths of governors – here in California, on the pages of The New York Times, we're actively talking about this kind of ridiculous –

Looking at the global impact of Covid, we know again in the United States that 80% of dying people are older; about 18% of dying people are black.

A life lost for Covid is a life that matters. And we can focus on the people who are vulnerable without making this about race. Making this about race only obscures the real problem.

PETER HAMBY, GUEST: If you can separate race from economic uncertainty, of course. Turn right? Hispanics are hospitalized 3-4 times more often than Caucasians for a variety of reasons. They are essential workers, they ride the bus.

KMELE FOSTER: The important point is that it is not fundamentally about race. You can't make them un-Hispanic & # 39 ;. There can be a variety of problems in their communities. They may live in houses with more people. They may live in more urban centers.

If so, the policies you tailor are for people in urban centers, not Latinos.

This is a confusion of categories that actually distracts us from forging good policy. What you get are great sound bites; you don't actually solve problems.