[Foreign Book] Unfiltered View of America's Deep-Rooted Racism

Eduardo Parker 'American Poison'

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] It is quite ironic that Donald Trump succeeded former U.S. President Barack Obama.

When the first Black president was elected, the United States was excited, saying a new history had begun. Given that the U.S. had even experienced a civil war over the issue of Black slavery, Obama's election held great historical significance. There was also great anticipation that the first female president (Hillary Clinton) would follow the first Black president. However, the reality is the era of Trump, who could be described as a racist.

Published on the 17th of last month (local time), American Poison examines how deeply ingrained racism is in the United States and how many American dreams and ideals have been shattered because of racism. The author, Eduardo Porter, is currently an economics reporter for The New York Times.

The New York Times praised it as an excellent work accompanied by extensive research. It added that the book shows the extreme racism, hatred, and division in the U.S. as they are, and that it may be uncomfortable especially for white liberal progressives. This is because American Poison asks how many white people can be 100% sure that they do not discriminate based on race in their thoughts and actions.

Porter particularly focuses on the dilemma of the white working class. He sees that with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and other factors leading to deindustrialization, unemployed people may blame people of color for their situation.

Porter analyzes that the inherent fear of immigrants among Americans played a significant role in Trump's presidential election. He also points out that the reason the U.S. lags behind other developed countries in various social indicators is mainly due to racial discrimination.