DESCRIPTION OF BOOK:
In RAGE OF A PRIVILEGED CLASS, Why are middle-class blacks angry? Why should America care? Ellis Cose observes the problems of middle class (successful) blacks. Cose's emphasis on his idea that the black people who are successful feel more separated from society compared to the underclass black people who are not so successful. They have done everything possible to satisfy the white society, but they still do not feel like they are being treated fairly. They are still being the victims of any thing bad in society, people in streets are terrified by them, if they go out shopping they are followed, and they are harassed by law. Middle class also has another problem that they cannot relate to the rest of the African Americans. The reason is that many of them view the middle class as "selling out" to the white man in order to become successful.
Cose di casa
COSE interview
Black SpectreNow they are stuck in the middle because the white community or the black community does not want them. The middle class African American feels more and more isolated.
Ellis Cose's book contains primarily the stories and experiences of middle class blacks that regardless of their many success stories, they feel that they still do not belong in the white society. He uses these examples to illustrate the point that no matter how big you become you still cannot escape the fact that you are black. Once a black gets a job at an organization, they are viewed as under qualified by the rest of the organization. The outcome is that they are never given a chance to advance in the organization. Affirmative Action is helping to create the glass ceiling. Affirmative Action is causing general dislike against blacks in the white community that promotes prejudice and discrimination.