Is It Racist? – Chicken

What if I told you there were two foods you could choose from? One is flavorful, juicy, full of umami and relatively inexpensive. The other is similar, but less flavorful, less juicy, has less umami and is relatively more expensive. It seems like an easy choice, the first one is the one to choose. I’m talking about dark meat versus white meat chicken. The first one is the dark meat and the second is the white. So, why is it that in real life, when given this choice, people seem to choose white meat?

There are several possible ways to answer this question. Maybe the basic rules of economics break down when it comes to chicken. Somehow people wind up finding the cheaper, more attractive option less desirable than the more expensive, less attractive option. Maybe there’s a global conspiracy led by Big Chicken to manipulate our tastes. By convincing us that we enjoy something that we normally wouldn’t, it gives them control over us and helps them take over the world. Or maybe, just maybe, people are racist and prefer white meat over dark meat because they believe that white is inherently better than non-white.

With these possibilities, how are we to decide the real reason? Ockham’s Razor is often helpful. It basically says that when you have competing theories, you should go with the simplest option. How does Ockham’s Razor slice these theories? Well, the idea that chicken defeats basic economics would take mountains of scholarly research to prove. Global conspiracies are complicated by definition. But racism is straightforward. We see racism in the world all around us every day. People really do far more absurd things than eat white meat chicken because of racism.

So, there’s the answer. Racism. People choose white meat chicken over dark because people are racist. It’s a sad state of affairs, but we can fight it. Next time you’re in the grocery store, take a stand and buy some thighs. Your taste buds will thank you and you will be helping to make the world a better place.