When Rationality Makes One a Racist

For years, housing advocates have argued that landlords who refuse to accept housing vouchers are engaging in a form of racism because the majority of voucher users are black. Since I am a landlord who refuses to accept vouchers, in the eyes of many, I am a racist.

In my twelve years as a landlord, I have had about fifty different tenants. Two of my tenants have been white, four have been Hispanic, and two have been couples of mixed races. More than 80 percent of my tenants have been black. If I am a racist, I am doing a remarkably good job of hiding that fact.

Of course, I am not a racist, and my reasons for refusing to accept vouchers are completely rational. But for those who like to hurl accusations of racism, one’s reasons are seldom a consideration. For those who see racism lurking behind every corner, rationality can make one a racist. For those who find value in the reasons a person takes certain actions, I offer the following.

The voucher program requires each property to meet certain criteria, such as having an operable stove and refrigerator. I do not supply appliances because tenants have a tendency to abuse them. To be eligible to accept vouchers, I would have to spend about three months of profits to purchase appliances and then subject myself to future repairs and replacement.

When a property owner applies to enter the voucher program, each property must be inspected. While most of the requirements for passing inspection are reasonable, past experience has shown me that city inspectors have great discretion in interpreting the rules, and the inspectors are often arbitrary in their interpretations. If any violations are found, the property owner has a limited time to make repairs. And if the property fails a second inspection, the entire process must start anew.

Even if the property meets all of the requirements, the process to obtain approval can easily take two months. During that time, the property is vacant and generating no income while insurance and mortgage payments must be made and property taxes are accruing. In short, meeting the requirements of the program can easily wipe out a year of profit.

Ironically, the true racists in this issue are those who claim that refusing to accept vouchers is motivated by racism. They see a white man make decisions that have a negative impact on blacks and judge his character on the basis of his skin color. They show no interest in his reasons. They show no interest in discovering whether his actions are actually motivated by racism or whether they result from a rational consideration of the full context.

Racism is despicable. So is irrationality.