Analysis Of The Dream

with egregious murder. Historically, death at the hands of a lynch mob would be reported in the presses as occurring “at the hands of persons unknown.” To Coates this repeated ignorance is intentional, as it is necessary to preserve “The Dream.” The Dream is a repeated theme in Coates writing. He argues that white Americans live a Dream where their successful lives are the natural result of grit, honor, and good works. He argues that in reality, the lives of white Americans are built on the back of African Americans. Coates argues that the ignorance of the plight of African Americans is systematic and intentional. The racism is too obvious, the problems too egregious, for this to be coincidence. Coates states this issue in the following way:

This subtle racism relates back to the concept of the Dream as well. As Coates states “Very few Americans will directly proclaim that they are in favor of black people being left on the streets. But a very large number of Americans will do all they can to preserve the Dream.” The subtle racism that exists in the school system is designed to keep African Americans below white Americans. It doesn’t plainly do it, but the intent is in the language. No one directly proclaims that schools are designed to sanctify the failure and destruction of black lives, but a large number of educators will speak of “personal responsibility” when the system fails African Americans. This language is an example of subtle racism. It implies that the African Americans students are less qualified, less responsible, and less worthy than their white peers. And when the system does fail black students, white American will say it tried it’s best. White American would distance itself from the years of history that put African Americans in such a disadvantaged position to begin with. Coates says this distancing from subtle racism is equally intentional as the distancing from obvious racism. As Coates states, “The heirs of those Virginia planters could never directly acknowledge their legacy or reckon with it’s power.” He also suggests that when white Americans do acknowledge history, especially in regards to the success of previous black people, it’s always in token situations. It’s always in token situations where the history books spoke of black people only as sentimental “firsts” — the first black five star general, the first black congressmen, first black mayor, first black president. This “tokenization” of blacks is subtlety racist. Sure you acknowledge the achievements, but it is less about the achievement and more about the fact that it was the first person of a specific color to do something. That diminishes