12 William Julius Wilson Quotes on Society

William Julius Wilson quotes on society

5. The problems we see today are going to be a hell of a lot worse in 10 years if we're not willing to face up to them. These kids are just not going to be absorbed into the economy, so what are they going to be doing? Well, we know. They're going to be making life pretty miserable for a lot of people.

6. A black, middle-class kid, even though his parents may be middle income - maybe they're first-generation middle class - has also been affected by race issues.

10. And you can't capture the importance of the environment unless you recognize the interaction between social conditions and cultural conditions.

25. In the first half of the 1990s, there was an effort to severely divide racial and ethnic groups.

40. The basic thesis of The Bridge Over the Racial Divide is that there is a growing inequality in American society, and ordinary families are, in effect, getting the short end of it.

41. The black kids are more likely to live in segregated neighborhoods. They're influenced by styles and habits and patterns of behavior that have racial restrictions that are also not conducive to learning.

42. The problems we see today are going to be a hell of a lot worse in 10 years if we're not willing to face up to them.

46. There are some of the problems there that America sees associated with the lack of economic inclusion - family breakdown, gang behavior, and racial tensions. I get the sense that in Europe they are much more concerned about these issues than in the United States.

51. Well, when there is this rising inequality, when there is this expanding gap between the haves and the have-nots, it creates an atmosphere that's not conducive to congenial inter-group relations.

54. When work disappears, that is when a growing number of adults are not working, it has an effect not only on individual life, but on family life and neighborhood life as well.

55. Whites, blacks, Asians, Native Americans, and Latinos need to begin thinking less about their differences and more about the things they have in common - their aspirations, problems, and hopes - so that they see the need and the potential of mutual cooperation across racial lines.

57. You give me a set of conditions and I can produce racism in any society. You give me a different set of conditions and I can reduce racism. You give me a situation where there are a sufficient number of social resources so people don't have to compete for those resources, and I will show you a society where racism is held in check.