Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life

by Karen E. Fields

For the general rule is this: “The fortunate man is seldom satisfied with the fact of being fortunate. Beyond this, he needs to know that he has a right to his good fortune. He wants to be convinced that he ‘deserves’ it, and above all, that he deserves it in comparison with others … Good fortune thus wants to be ‘legitimate’ fortune.”