17.523: Ethnicity and Race in World Politics-Fall 2005 Prof. M. Nobles Lecture 11: The Sources of Discontent: The Intersections of Race and Class (Contd.) Current Events Why are they prosecuting Saddam Hussein for his involvement in the 1982 killing of ~140 Shia villagers? • It’s one of the most clear cut crimes to prosecute Hussein • What are the objections to the trial of Hussein o Who is judging him? o It is being done during a military occupation. o On the first day of court, Hussein questions the legitimacy of the court. • If he is found guilty, the penalty is death. Georgia passed a law to require voter identification • Asked voters to pay $20 to get voter identification. • If passed, it will be one of the nation’s strictest voter registration polices? • Why do you think the legislature would need better voter identification? o Ideally, it is used to rid voter fraud. o Could have ulterior motives o Members of the state voting commission testified and said that there hasn’t been any evidence of voter fraud. o Have to buy the voter id cards in certain areas. Can’t buy it anywhere in Atlanta. You have to have a car and a driver’s license to get the ID card. o Who is disadvantaged?  The poor.  Those without cars.  Offices to obtain the ID card are mostly located in heavily white areas and much less available in minority (e.g. black and Latino) areas. What Happens When Work Disappears • The decline of manufacturing resulted in an increase in the service economy • Required a different kind of skill set • What exactly is a service job? o Student: selling tickets o Student: providing conveniences o Banking o Providing services that are increasingly intangible in some way. Verbal skills, etc. • Wages were typically lower in service jobs than manufacturing • It’s hard to organize service unions. • The south historically has had strong anti-union policies o Foreign car companies have plants in the south to take advantage of the anti-union policies -1-• If we want to understand social behaviors in poor areas, we have to understand the changes in the job market. • In Chicago, as the factories leave, the new jobs connected to retail aren’t located in the city. They’re located in suburbs. • The actual locations of jobs have changed • If it’s more difficult to get to the job, it contributes to the difficulty of getting and keeping a job. • What is helping to create these pockets of hyper poverty? Wilson gives 4 reasons: o Federal government policy  Government withheld mortgage capital from certain groups.  Real estate agents steered blacks from white neighborhoods. o The growth of suburbs  White flight. Whites moved into suburbs.  Some times a tipping point occurs when so many blacks come into a neighborhood that the whites just leave. Occurred in Chicago.