Race and risk.

This article provides information on the factors affecting the framing of stories about inequality, discrimination, and bad luck. As of 1997, political leaders in the U.S. have allegedly raised serious questions about the basic necessities of life. While the debate has not always been framed in racial terms, and talk about equality has often been subordinated to discussions about efficiency and global competitiveness, social programs originally designed to improve the social status of African Americans are being threatened by the so-called Republican revolution. The U.S. Congress and numerous state legislatures have begun active reconsideration of the merits of affirmative action. Allegedly, there has been serious consideration of reducing, or even eliminating, the long-standing commitment to universal service in basic telecommunications at the same time that the nation's leaders talk about ushering in the Information Age. Such political discussions are based in part on an assessment of the success or failure of efforts to achieve social goals. The speed with which such a process of reexamination has been able to move forward reflects a perception that is apparently shared by a substantial part of the population.