air conditioners are racist

[beej]

I knew it all along! LOL  I hope democrats make "anti air conditioning" a national platform in 2024.

https://www.vox.com/22638093/air-conditioning-worsens-climate-change-ac?utm_source=pocket-newtab">https://www.vox.com/22638093/air-condit ... ket-newtab">https://www.vox.com/22638093/air-conditioning-worsens-climate-change-ac?utm_source=pocket-newtab

You cite New York City's statistics that even though Black residents make up 22 percent of the population, they account for half of all the heat fatalities in the city. What are the ways we see racism play out in the disparities in air conditioning and cooling today?

From the very beginning, even before air conditioning's invention, people who were enslaved in the 18th century were denied any cooling.

After World War II, the GI Bill famously gave mortgages to white homeowners and denied them to Black homeowners and basically anyone who wasn't white. It was a lot easier for white homeowners to have access to cooling. So that left a huge gap, especially in the South, between Black homeowners and white homeowners.

It's never really closed entirely. That is a huge issue in a city like New York, in working-class neighborhoods where there's a higher percentage of Black and brown residents than there are white residents who are shut out from air conditioning. That's because even people who can afford air conditioning may not be guaranteed they'll have the energy to power them during a heat wave.

In a heat wave, because of the strain on the energy grid from climate disasters, a private, monopolized energy company will sometimes deliberately shut off the energy grid in order to preserve the integrity of the whole, and the neighborhoods that they choose to do that in are the ones that generate the least profit — which are usually working-class neighborhoods of color.

And then there's the wealth disparity that we're seeing, especially in developing countries: that air conditioning units have become a marker of class and sometimes ethnic divisions, of who can and cannot afford AC. That's why an approach to cooling justice — ways to make sure that everyone has access — is super crucial because AC has really become a dividing tool.

[CNCAppsJames]

The first two houses I lived in growing up had no AC. Where's muh reparayshunz?

[Jeff]

The first two houses I lived in growing up had no AC. Where's muh reparayshunz?

Same. I didn't have air conditioning until my 2nd apartment at the age of 20.
My mom didn't get air conditioning until she was 60 (same house).

[HTM01]

no ac, one bathroom no shower and we only had one fan, had to sleep on parents floor to get cool on the really hot nights

[Jon@NOWHERE]

White privilege has afforded me air-conditioning most of my life, except for my first vehicle which only had heat no ac.

[CNCAppsJames]

AC/No-AC.... 1st World Problems.

[YoDoug]

As a child we always had AC. In my early adult years I lived in a few apartments/houses that did not have air. Our first place after getting married was a 2 bedroom upper of a small house that did not have air. We ended up buying a window unit to keep the main bedroom and small living area cool enough. The kitchen and kids room were hot. They would sleep in the living room.

While there has been racist/segregation issues that have added to the economic disparity in this country, it is more of a wealth/income gap issue. It can affect any/all poor people regardless of color. If it was just about race every white person would be chilling at 68 degrees today, and that is not the case.

Over the last century the wealth gap has grown quite a bit. In the last few decades CEO and exec pay has gone from 30x of the average employee to 300x. I guess that probably wasn't enough. We probably need that to go to 3000x and have more mega billionaires building dick shaped rockets for fun to see real help for working class people.

[Jeff]

it is more of a wealth/income gap issue.

I'd like to say that it's more of an issue of who wants to work and who wants to live off the government.
They don't look at who wants to work, they only check to see if they are white or not because it gets them views and clicks for ad revenue.

[Shazam/TPP]

grew up with no ac in the house and car. my first house no ac, if it was too hot we slept in the basement. i've had ac for the past 21 years but never go below 76 deg, normally set to 78, just enough to get the humidity out. As far as car ac, my dad always said he had 2-40 air, role down both windows and drive at least 40mph.    I have ac in my vehicles now, my first 4 did not.

so much for white privilege, more as Yo-Doug says income gap

[Del.]

I never had AC until I was almost 21.

[Rstewart]

My wife doesn't believe in letting it get above 68deg here lol

[CNCAppsJames]

My wife makes sure we can hang meat in here.

[HTM01]

my truck doesn't have ac and omg hand crank windows

[DUM1]

does the window unit count ? I have one now , my first house AC got it 4 years ago.
if you want it cool in your house I always figured you just open it up at night when its cool and close it up while your at " W O R K "
still relatively cool when you get home, take a shower make food ,  and repeat ...

what , free AC for non whites only ?

my truck doesn't have ac and omg hand crank windows

WING WINDOWS?  get er done  :rockon:

[Shazam/TPP]

WING WINDOWS?  get er done  :rockon:

miss those and i had a vent door down by my feet that allowed the air in when traveling.. no cabin filters then  :_thumbup: