BOOK PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION: "From Puerto Rico to Philadelphia: Puerto Rican Workers and Postwar Economies" [Temple University Press, 2001] Guest Speaker: Dr. Suzanne Oboler

THE CULTURE OF POVERTY THESIS AND "CULTURAL RACISM"

And at the same time Professor Whalen engages in a very up-to-date re-examination of the culture of poverty thesis. She shows how that thesis is also used to justify both employers preferences for foreign and cheaper labor which of course relegates Puerto Ricans and their blacks counterparts both to a life of constant poverty and segregated housing. In fact, her re-examination of the impact of the culture of poverty was particularly interesting to me because of my own research on racial ideas and their flow and counterflow throughout the hemisphere. Because through her book you can clearly follow the pernicious ways that this culture of poverty thesis made Puerto Ricans become the first, that is, the earliest victims, los precursores, no, of Latin Americašs vicious version of racism which, as you know, is always expressed not so much by focussing on peoplešs color of skin but rather through primarily focussing and emphasizing cultural deficiencies. So this Latin American mode of racism uses culture as a euphemism for race and it insists that the real problem is the personšs uncultured ways that ensures his or her failure in society, in this case U.S. society. And this kind of racist explanation I think is increasinglybeing adopted in this country since now wešre all multi-racial. And even Jefferson, you know, had a kid. So you canšt really talk about blacks and whites any more because we nolonger care about race any more. So what is increasingly adopted in this country is the cultural euphemism for racism.

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