Thanks for an excellent article. You point out a subtle but pernicious form of racism that encourages minorities to assume the role of victims.

After starting several computer companies myself, I started volunteering at a startup incubator. We had entrepreneurs from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds (India, Korea, SE Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa) but the “overcoming discrimination” storyline was particularly applied to American Blacks. It always seemed to me to reinforce the “American Dream” fiction that anyone can succeed if they just try really really hard and fight to overcome all adversity. Why do people expect Blacks who succeed to be shining examples of excellence?

Someone once said that racism will be dead only when everyone (regardless of their background) of average intelligence and ambition has an equal chance to succeed.