Savage Inequalities

The first major theme of Savage Inequalities is the link between inequality and segregation. One of the important tasks of Kozol's argument is to establish that the inequalities manifest in American education are connected to practices of segregation, in both the past and the present. Supplemental to this argument is Kozol’s position that these practices of segregation echo across generations, and predicate future inequality. Kozol's belief is that continuing racial prejudice and separatism, although mostly tacit, help keep these divisions active. These divisions, in turn, spoil opportunity for future generations.

Kozol's concept of "inequality" can be summarized as an "equality of opportunity"—that is, the maintenance of a system whereby all people have the ability to compete academically and economically, and forge their own destinies. In Kozol's view, the current system does not guarantee appropriate materials, resources, and attention to students of lower socioeconomic classes, and students of color.

While most of Kozol's viewpoints here are commonly held, he goes further in his insistence of methods of reform. Kozol is a redistributionist; he supports policies that direct funds and materials from wealthier, higher-performing districts to poorer, lower-performing ones. His rationale is that the latter has much more unfair challenges and obstacles; this imbalance needs to be rectified if progress is to be made. In essence, the equality that Kozol advances would give more to those districts that are falling behind and in need of repair. Also, Kozol supports forced desegregation—known colloquially as "bussing"—a controversial policy. Central to his justification for these policies is Kozol's belief that educational inequalities are not merely the result of chance or natural factors but the effect of long-lasting policies of economic isolation and racial segregation. Kozol argues that these injustices require dramatic steps.

In effect, Kozol argues that the injustice of segregation morally obliges American citizens to spend extra to undo its effects, and make restitution to those affected. The latter part of this argument is perhaps the most controversial of Kozol's claims, yet it is an integral premise. To understand this premise however, we must adjust our concept of what "segregation" means. For Kozol, segregation is not limited to a single, deliberate act by an individual or entity, but the sum of a series of long-term processes that divert away resources and create negative obstacles for poorer communities of color. Repeated examples of these circumstances Kozol cites in Savage Inequalities include the departure of industry, the use of these communities as chemical dumping grounds, refusal to rent or sell to minorities in outlying districts, aggressive policing, and the use of tax breaks and alternative funding structures for wealthier schools. In none of these policies is the government directly responsible for any open discrimination; however, the sum of these effects harms poor communities of color. Kozol believes it is the responsibility of American citizens and their government to correct these issues, and make sacrifices in order to do so.

For Kozol, this is ultimately a moral issue. Throughout the book, Kozol makes the claim that the system of segregation active today persists not so much in that it requires its proponents to be overtly racist or even prejudiced, but can sustain itself merely from collective indifference toward the plight of others. Whereas practices like separate drinking fountains and lunch counters make the issue visible, Kozol believes that these modern efforts of segregation are much more difficult to uproot, as they do not acknowledge themselves as such. Thus, there are two aspects to Kozol's moral issue: the honesty to recognize the harm being done, and the courage to rectify it.