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The Rage of a Privileged Class
A controversial and widely heralded look at the race-related pain and anger felt by the most respected, best educated, and wealthiest members of the black community--"a disciplined, graceful exposition of a neglected aspect of the subject of race in America."--New York Times Book Review.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
47 people are currently reading
702 people want to read
About the author
Ellis Cose
24 books25 followersEllis Cose is a former columnist for Newsweek, chairman of the editorial board of the New York Daily News, contributor and critic for Time, and columnist for USA Today. The author of numerous books, including the bestselling The Rage of a Privileged Class, he lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 29, 2011
I read a 20-year-old book to understand why Black Americans I considered well-off were hung up on racial issues; I've always thought that class is more important to life outcome than race. The answer is that racism still exists and it really sucks, which should have been obvious to me. The book dates itself, to be sure, but has excellent chapters about affirmative action (where are the organized political movements against legacy admission preferences?) and the myth of Black crime that still hit home today.
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April 1, 2013This book was published about 20 years ago, and a lot of its points are still true. I haven't yet read The End of Anger, but it's next on my list. Ellis Cose describes professional African Americans in all kinds of private sectors, including journalism, to write about how race and resentment over affirmative action continues to impede a national (grown-up and real) discussion about race. What was most memorable for me was the part where Joel Dreyfuss talks about editors' lack of imagination when it comes to the careers of black reporters. But in less than 200 pages, Ellis paints a portrait of a country deeply divided by the notion that its changing and what it means that whites are a statistical minority with a majority of "gatekeeping" positions. I had forgotten a lot of Ed Koch's inflammatory statements, or the David Dinkins era in New York. Really good, discomfiting reading.
October 28, 2012
Disturbingly accurate view of the subtleties of race, even after you've arrived. I was surprised to see that this was written so long ago...sigh
December 25, 2024
I loved this book it’s hard to understand if you are not in a corporate position in a large corporation. Sometimes it’s how you are perceived by your coworkers and superiors. It’s the subtle racist things that bubble up on the surface in a work environment. For African-American executives ; it is pretty obvious to us, but it’s oblivious to our coworkers. 30 years later I think this is just as relevant today as it was when I read this back in 1995. That’s why I reread it again.
May 20, 2024
A JOURNALIST LOOKS AT GRIEVANCES OF THE BLACK MIDDLE CLASS
Journalist Ellis Cose was a weekly columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, then an editorial writer and columnist for the Detroit Free Press; then served as president of the Institute for Journalism Education at the University of California at Berkeley. More recently, he worked for the New York Daily News and as a contributing editor for Newsweek.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1993 book, “Despite its very evident prosperity, much of America’s privileged middle class is in excruciating pain. And that distress … illuminates a serious American problem: the problem of the broken covenant, of the pact ensuring that if you work hard, get a good education, and play by the rules, you will be allowed to advance and achieve to the limits of your ability…. Why, a full generation after the most celebrated civil rights battles were fought and won, are Americans still struggling with basic issues of racial fairness? This book attempts to provide some possible answers. And in exploring why so many of those who have invested most deeply in the American dream are consumed with anger and pain, I hope to show how certain widespread and amiable assumptions held by whites---specifically about the black middle class but also about race relations in general—are utterly at odds with the reality many Americans confront daily.” (Pg. 1-2)
He adds, “I am not suggesting that most whites are ‘racist.’ The majority emphatically are not---at least in any meaningful sense of the word… the number of true racists is very small… The point her, however, is that people do not have to be racist---or have any malicious intent—in order to make decisions that unfairly harm members of another race. They simply have to do what comes naturally… Nonetheless, America is filled with attitudes, assumptions, stereotypes, and behaviors that make it virtually impossible for blacks to believe that the nation is serious about its promise of equality—even… for those who have been blessed with material success.” (Pg. 3-5)
He continues, “In the pages that follow, individuals of substantial accomplishment explain why they are angry. In some cases, they have given up hope that the covenant will ever be honored. Others hold on to the dream that it eventually will. What they have to say will surprise those who assume that the black middle class has it made. But even many who admit the legitimacy of the complaints will be disinclined to care. For the problems of the black middle class, they will argue, pale by comparison with those of the underclass, the group that truly deserves our attention. That response would be a grave mistake. Formidable though the difficulties of the so-called underclass are, America can hardly afford to use the plight of the black poor as an excuse for blinding itself to the difficulties of the black upwardly mobile… Those profiled in the following pages are neither shouting nor whispering. They are trying… to explain how race affects their lives and the lives of those they care about…. Their hope… is that their voices will be heard.” (Pg. 8-9)
He notes, “In 1978, sociologist William Julius Wilson published an … important book, ‘The Declining Significance of Race.’ Many… leapt to the conclusion that race no longer mattered in America. In fact, Wilson was saying nothing of the sort. He was… citing a wealth of evidence that more blacks than ever were moving into white-collar jobs and skilled craft and foremen positions. He had little to say, however, about what happened once they got into those jobs, whether they moved up the ladder, or whether these privileged individuals ever managed to achieve their full potential.” (Pg. 37)
He acknowledges, “It is true… that blacks account for about 45 percent of those arrested for America’s violent crimes. But it is not true that most black males are vicious… blacks arrested for violent crimes made up less than 1 percent of the black population in 1991… In other words, less than one-tenth of a percent of the population… is committing 45 percent of violent crimes. These numbers … show the inanity of implying that most black males are sociopaths.” (Pg. 94-95)
Later, he adds, “I accept it as true for all practical purposes that African Americans, taken as a group, commit more violent crimes on average than white Americans. That fact, however, is hardly remarkable. For one thing, blacks are more likely to be unemployed … Blacks have also been instructed---and I suspect that this is crucial---by the media, by other blacks, and by the random reactions of strangers, that they are expected to be criminals.” (Pg. 99)
He points out, “The fear of black violence cannot be dismissed out of hand. It feeds on images such as … Los Angeles during the riots of 1992, when several black men nearly stomped a white truck driver, Reginald Denny, to death. Yet what must be remembered … is that incidents in which thugs target someone specifically for racial reasons are not the norm. They also cut both ways… Indeed, when ‘hate crimes’ occur, it is more often whites who attack blacks (or Asians or Hispanics) than blacks who attack whites.” (Pg. 108)
He recounts, “A young woman who graduated from Harvard Law School in her twenties … says she feels ambushed when she hears a cutting racial remark… But more confusing than outright bigotry have been situations where no hostility was evident and no insult was intended At one law firm, for instance, though no one told her they assumed she was incompetent, she sensed from the way the partners behaved that they just didn’t expect much from her. So when her performance exceeded their expectations, she was uncomfortable with their praise. It felt patronizing, as if they were congratulating her for being capable of serious thought.” (Pg. 139)
He reports, “Leslie Estes, another young black middle-class woman … attended Hampton University, a historically black institution, because she didn’t want the pressure of coping with white expectations---which she assumed would largely be expectations of failure. She agrees that it would be great if everyone were judged on merit but has concluded, ‘It’s not like that. It’s never been like that.’” (Pg. 141)
He comments, “It is wrong… to assume that the solution is simply to urge people to get along, or somehow to mix members of one camp in with the other. For even if racial peace is maintained, the web of stereotypes is left untouched, and those stereotypes… are particularly destructive to blacks. They not only encourage whites to treat blacks as inferiors but also encourage blacks to see themselves as many whites would have them to be. These stereotypes spew forth from every segment of popular culture and constantly find new life in black and nonblack communities across America. Rap music, for instance, routinely portrays black men as ‘nig-az’ and ‘gangstas’ and black women as ‘bit-hes’ and ‘hoes.’ A host of black comedians follow suit, depicting a jive-talking, foul-mouthed, illiterate stud who defines the essence of ‘black’ for many young people. Attachment to this stereotype is so powerful that African Americans who choose not to personify it are often accused by other blacks of trying not to be black. Yet those with a sense of history know that the stud image … originated with whites searching for signs that blacks were intellectually inferior and morally degenerate---and therefore suitable for use as slaves.” (Pg. 158)
He notes, “Scholastic achievement may not generally be discouraged … but legions of black kids still have it instilled in them that they are not particularly intelligent, and at least partly as a result of such indoctrination, many give up on academic achievement at a very young age. I see that as a serious problem for our society, and for our schools. But I am not inclined to believe that it means African Americans have some genetic deficiency that renders most of them less capable than most whites.” (Pg. 162)
He summarizes, “If there was one sentiment that consistently came through in interview after interview with very successful black people in all walks of life, it can be summed up in one phrase: ‘We are tired of waiting.’” (Pg. 179)
This book will be of great interest to those studying the Black middle class, African-American Studies, and contemporary American sociology.
Journalist Ellis Cose was a weekly columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, then an editorial writer and columnist for the Detroit Free Press; then served as president of the Institute for Journalism Education at the University of California at Berkeley. More recently, he worked for the New York Daily News and as a contributing editor for Newsweek.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1993 book, “Despite its very evident prosperity, much of America’s privileged middle class is in excruciating pain. And that distress … illuminates a serious American problem: the problem of the broken covenant, of the pact ensuring that if you work hard, get a good education, and play by the rules, you will be allowed to advance and achieve to the limits of your ability…. Why, a full generation after the most celebrated civil rights battles were fought and won, are Americans still struggling with basic issues of racial fairness? This book attempts to provide some possible answers. And in exploring why so many of those who have invested most deeply in the American dream are consumed with anger and pain, I hope to show how certain widespread and amiable assumptions held by whites---specifically about the black middle class but also about race relations in general—are utterly at odds with the reality many Americans confront daily.” (Pg. 1-2)
He adds, “I am not suggesting that most whites are ‘racist.’ The majority emphatically are not---at least in any meaningful sense of the word… the number of true racists is very small… The point her, however, is that people do not have to be racist---or have any malicious intent—in order to make decisions that unfairly harm members of another race. They simply have to do what comes naturally… Nonetheless, America is filled with attitudes, assumptions, stereotypes, and behaviors that make it virtually impossible for blacks to believe that the nation is serious about its promise of equality—even… for those who have been blessed with material success.” (Pg. 3-5)
He continues, “In the pages that follow, individuals of substantial accomplishment explain why they are angry. In some cases, they have given up hope that the covenant will ever be honored. Others hold on to the dream that it eventually will. What they have to say will surprise those who assume that the black middle class has it made. But even many who admit the legitimacy of the complaints will be disinclined to care. For the problems of the black middle class, they will argue, pale by comparison with those of the underclass, the group that truly deserves our attention. That response would be a grave mistake. Formidable though the difficulties of the so-called underclass are, America can hardly afford to use the plight of the black poor as an excuse for blinding itself to the difficulties of the black upwardly mobile… Those profiled in the following pages are neither shouting nor whispering. They are trying… to explain how race affects their lives and the lives of those they care about…. Their hope… is that their voices will be heard.” (Pg. 8-9)
He notes, “In 1978, sociologist William Julius Wilson published an … important book, ‘The Declining Significance of Race.’ Many… leapt to the conclusion that race no longer mattered in America. In fact, Wilson was saying nothing of the sort. He was… citing a wealth of evidence that more blacks than ever were moving into white-collar jobs and skilled craft and foremen positions. He had little to say, however, about what happened once they got into those jobs, whether they moved up the ladder, or whether these privileged individuals ever managed to achieve their full potential.” (Pg. 37)
He acknowledges, “It is true… that blacks account for about 45 percent of those arrested for America’s violent crimes. But it is not true that most black males are vicious… blacks arrested for violent crimes made up less than 1 percent of the black population in 1991… In other words, less than one-tenth of a percent of the population… is committing 45 percent of violent crimes. These numbers … show the inanity of implying that most black males are sociopaths.” (Pg. 94-95)
Later, he adds, “I accept it as true for all practical purposes that African Americans, taken as a group, commit more violent crimes on average than white Americans. That fact, however, is hardly remarkable. For one thing, blacks are more likely to be unemployed … Blacks have also been instructed---and I suspect that this is crucial---by the media, by other blacks, and by the random reactions of strangers, that they are expected to be criminals.” (Pg. 99)
He points out, “The fear of black violence cannot be dismissed out of hand. It feeds on images such as … Los Angeles during the riots of 1992, when several black men nearly stomped a white truck driver, Reginald Denny, to death. Yet what must be remembered … is that incidents in which thugs target someone specifically for racial reasons are not the norm. They also cut both ways… Indeed, when ‘hate crimes’ occur, it is more often whites who attack blacks (or Asians or Hispanics) than blacks who attack whites.” (Pg. 108)
He recounts, “A young woman who graduated from Harvard Law School in her twenties … says she feels ambushed when she hears a cutting racial remark… But more confusing than outright bigotry have been situations where no hostility was evident and no insult was intended At one law firm, for instance, though no one told her they assumed she was incompetent, she sensed from the way the partners behaved that they just didn’t expect much from her. So when her performance exceeded their expectations, she was uncomfortable with their praise. It felt patronizing, as if they were congratulating her for being capable of serious thought.” (Pg. 139)
He reports, “Leslie Estes, another young black middle-class woman … attended Hampton University, a historically black institution, because she didn’t want the pressure of coping with white expectations---which she assumed would largely be expectations of failure. She agrees that it would be great if everyone were judged on merit but has concluded, ‘It’s not like that. It’s never been like that.’” (Pg. 141)
He comments, “It is wrong… to assume that the solution is simply to urge people to get along, or somehow to mix members of one camp in with the other. For even if racial peace is maintained, the web of stereotypes is left untouched, and those stereotypes… are particularly destructive to blacks. They not only encourage whites to treat blacks as inferiors but also encourage blacks to see themselves as many whites would have them to be. These stereotypes spew forth from every segment of popular culture and constantly find new life in black and nonblack communities across America. Rap music, for instance, routinely portrays black men as ‘nig-az’ and ‘gangstas’ and black women as ‘bit-hes’ and ‘hoes.’ A host of black comedians follow suit, depicting a jive-talking, foul-mouthed, illiterate stud who defines the essence of ‘black’ for many young people. Attachment to this stereotype is so powerful that African Americans who choose not to personify it are often accused by other blacks of trying not to be black. Yet those with a sense of history know that the stud image … originated with whites searching for signs that blacks were intellectually inferior and morally degenerate---and therefore suitable for use as slaves.” (Pg. 158)
He notes, “Scholastic achievement may not generally be discouraged … but legions of black kids still have it instilled in them that they are not particularly intelligent, and at least partly as a result of such indoctrination, many give up on academic achievement at a very young age. I see that as a serious problem for our society, and for our schools. But I am not inclined to believe that it means African Americans have some genetic deficiency that renders most of them less capable than most whites.” (Pg. 162)
He summarizes, “If there was one sentiment that consistently came through in interview after interview with very successful black people in all walks of life, it can be summed up in one phrase: ‘We are tired of waiting.’” (Pg. 179)
This book will be of great interest to those studying the Black middle class, African-American Studies, and contemporary American sociology.
January 25, 2019
Privilege is defined by Merriam Webster as "a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor." Or as I define it, something that allows a person to be granted favor or placed in an advantageous position compared to other people. Synonym=honor. Privilege can be viewed through different lenses such as wealth, appearance (fitting accepted beauty standards), perceived intelligence, and personality. In Cose's book, privilege is examined through socioeconomic status-upper middle and wealthy African Americans in business and other white collar occupations. Published in 1994 after the Rodney King assault by the LAPD and in the aftermath of Clarence Thomas's confirmation to the Supreme Court, Cose questions whether any progress has occurred in racial relations since the Civil Rights Era. The answer-yes and no. If one is measuring progress based on outward appearances, it's easy to feel certain that progress has been made or a gap has closed because there are more African Americans earning higher salaries than in previous years or that African American children can legally attend the same schools as white children, or African Americans can vote without having to pay a poll tax or take a ridiculous literacy test. So why are the so called "privileged" upset? One explanation is knowing that while you may be in a better position financially than your ancestors, it is a real possibility that you will never experience the same level of growth and promotion in your career because the powers that be proclaim that you should be happy in your "place." Deeper examination of these points reveal that while some improvement has occurred, it is far too early to declare a "post-racial" society in the United States.
What I didn't like-the book itself is not bad. There's a wealth of information that should be of interest to anyone interested in racial dynamics in contemporary society. However, I'm not a huge fan of Cose's writing--it seemed a little cut and dry in my opinion. A book of less than 200 pages shouldn't take two months to read, but it did...and that's probably my fault.
What I like-it's rare to read a book about the middle and upper class African Americans. I appreciate that they aren't presented as a golden standard and that the supposed "greener grass" is not all it's cut out to be.
Recommend reading for-greater understanding of the argument for/against affirmative action, honest examination of racial identity.
Quotes I should remember-
"the danger , of course, is that in preparing children for prejudice , in teaching them to protect themselves, parents may end up fortifying them against evils that no longer threaten, leaving them ill-prepared to take advantage of opportunities that they have been led not to expect, but that would loom large were it not for the forged from lowered expectations" (150-151).
"But what kind of values are we promoting if we praise people solely because they choose not to treat African Americans like n**?" (189-190)
What I didn't like-the book itself is not bad. There's a wealth of information that should be of interest to anyone interested in racial dynamics in contemporary society. However, I'm not a huge fan of Cose's writing--it seemed a little cut and dry in my opinion. A book of less than 200 pages shouldn't take two months to read, but it did...and that's probably my fault.
What I like-it's rare to read a book about the middle and upper class African Americans. I appreciate that they aren't presented as a golden standard and that the supposed "greener grass" is not all it's cut out to be.
Recommend reading for-greater understanding of the argument for/against affirmative action, honest examination of racial identity.
Quotes I should remember-
"the danger , of course, is that in preparing children for prejudice , in teaching them to protect themselves, parents may end up fortifying them against evils that no longer threaten, leaving them ill-prepared to take advantage of opportunities that they have been led not to expect, but that would loom large were it not for the forged from lowered expectations" (150-151).
"But what kind of values are we promoting if we praise people solely because they choose not to treat African Americans like n**?" (189-190)
August 21, 2021
An incredible and in depth look at the Black middle class. This was published more than twenty years ago, but it is still relevant today. I would highly recommend anyone (especially my fellow white folks) to read this.
June 4, 2018
The book itself is wonderfully insightful. When I picked it up at a thrift shop, I didn’t realize how old it was. I’d love to read an updated version, with today’s facts and statistics
July 26, 2018
i'm probably alone here, but i saw this book as essentially optimistic.
February 14, 2019
An eye opening honest telling of what our African American colleagues and friends face day to day.
August 19, 2021
I almost didn't read this because it's so old, but it was sad how relevant it all still is.
January 28, 2016
This book was a easy read and to the point on the subject matter. It tells the black condition and perspective from someone that has had personal experience and gives personal stories and testimonies of people that have and currently experience racism in a way that only those experiencing it can fully understand.
September 2, 2016
I read this in preparation for a discussion of Between the World and Me since it was written much earlier. A real eye opener into the world of the Black middle class and the price of non-acceptance in the halls of power.
May 6, 2008
Book Club Selection.
June 3, 2012
Very provocative read and enjoyable.
May 30, 2016
Sometimes seems a bit dated for post 9/11 but still completely relevant. I am disturbed by how little seems to have changed and in some ways gotten worse.
September 13, 2018
A very good analysis of the Black upper middle class in America.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews