The Sum of Us

“Black writers before me, from James Baldwin to Toni Morrison, have made the point that racism is a poison first consumed by its concocters. What’s clearer now in our time of growing inequality is that the economic benefit of the racial bargain is shrinking for all but the richest. The logic that launched the zero-sum paradigm—I will profit at your expense—is no longer sparing millions of white Americans from the degradations of American economic life as people of color have always known it.” 

This quote introduces the book’s thesis: All people are adversely affected by racism, with the exception of those who exploit racial hierarchies to advance their own interests. As this quote suggests, adherence to the zero-sum paradigm—another central concept in the book—actually has the opposite of the intended effect; rather than securing the position of the dominant group, namely white people, the zero-sum paradigm actually erodes everyone’s well-being. With this quote, McGhee also introduces herself as a character in the book, by positioning herself on a continuum with other Black writers who have identified the toxic effect of racism on society as a whole.

“Most Euro-Americans were not, and would likely never be, the wealthy aristocrat who had every social and economic privilege in Europe. Eternal slavery provided a new caste that even the poorest white-skinned person could hover above and define himself against. Just imagine the psychic benefit of being elevated from the bottom of a rigid class hierarchy to a higher place in a new “racial” hierarchy by dint of something as immutable as your skin color.” 

Early in the book, McGhee identifies the deep roots of America’s racial hierarchy, which date back to the country’s founding and the institution of chattel slavery. The existence of slavery was critical to the white people’s sense of liberation and equality, as it offered a stark contrast to define these qualities against. It also created white American identity in a more direct way, as the War of Independence was funded by tobacco grown by enslaved people. In drawing this link, McGhee underscores how deeply racial hierarchies are embedded in US society and offers support for her position that America’s problems cannot be addressed without an honest reckoning with the country’s history.