Perceived loss of standing had torn our country apart. The fear of losing ground to those beneath us. As proof, experts pointed to the drained public pools of the 1950s, where white suburbanites had physically drained and paved over their beautiful, newly built public pools rather than share them with Black families. Rather than elevate those they perceived as lower status to their own level. Deep down, it seemed, many Americans were convinced that a gain for others was a loss for themselves.
