Kanye West’s comments today about African Americans and welfare were as objectively false as they were dangerous in perpetuating stereotypes that position low-income blacks as the face of America’s welfare system.
His divisive rhetoric has its roots in 1970s GOP politics. It was then-candidate Ronald Reagan who introduced the public to the myth of the "welfare queen." Fictional as it was, the legend lives on -- with West amplifying remnants of the derogatory trope from the Oval Office.
Here are some facts to combat the figments of West’s uninformed imagination:
Government data show that “welfare"-- an umbrella term which can include Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families — benefits *other groups the most.
Whites make up the largest share of those receiving food stamps (36 percent) and Medicaid (43 percent). Hispanics comprise the largest ethnic group to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (37 percent).
What’s more, a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that whites without a college degree are the greatest beneficiaries of the social safety net. ###
