The Sum of Us Main Ideas

Racism Hurts Everyone

If a community drains their public pool to keep from having Black people swim, white people can’t swim in it either. “Drained pool politics” are what McGhee seeks to avoid, and in this book, she details how racism hurts not only the people to whom it is directed, meaning immigrants or people of color, but everyone else too. There are two reasons for this outcome. The first is drained pool politics. By stopping a benefit entirely because it might benefit people of color, everyone loses. Examples include the moderately priced public universities of previous generations, as well as Medicare for all and unions that could benefit all workers.

However, there is also the “canary in the coal mine” argument. The phrase “canary in the coal mine” refers to the practice of miners who would take canaries into mine tunnels. If dangerous gases were present, the canaries would die. The phrase has come to mean “an early warning of something.” Sometimes, corporations and governments have tested out unfair practices, such as voting rights abuses or subprime loans, on people of color. When the cries of these people go unheeded, these entities become emboldened and practice their abuses on everyone else too. In that way, white people are hurt by the fact that they ignored the abuses of Black people or thought that Black people were to blame for their own circumstances.

Solidarity Dividend

A solidarity dividend is the benefit that people realize when they work together, across the racial divide. An example of this dividend includes people getting health care because they voted for candidates who said they’d provide health care, despite racist fears stirred up by opponents during campaigning. Unexpected solidarity dividends also occur, such as those for Cecile Thornton, who learned French by befriending Somali refugees who had settled in her previously white Maine town. Brenda gained employment sewing kaftans and hijabs for those same refugees. The refugees also benefited, as they were able to learn English from Cecile and other Maine residents and to get new clothes thanks to Brenda’s excellent sewing. This scenario shows the benefits of putting aside racism.

Zero-Sum Thinking

All are being hurt by the “zero-sum paradigm.” In game theory, a zero-sum game is a game with a winner and a loser, such as chess. One person’s win must come at the expense of another’s loss. McGhee’s premise is that many white people have a similar us-versus-them mentality, believing that Black people can’t progress without white people being set back. Conservative media shores up this belief that groups are in direct competition for jobs and other benefits. Some things in life are also zero-sum games. If two people are applying for the exact same job, only one of them is going to get the job. But success in general is not a zero-sum proposition. Many people being successful leads to a country that is successful, with more opportunities for all.

McGhee provides several examples where zero-sum thinking hurts everyone. In the case of factory workers who did not want to join the UAW due to prejudice against “lazy” white coworkers, all were denied higher salaries, better hours, safer conditions, and good benefits that come with union membership.