Paradoxical ebullience is the unfounded belief in
Black progress in the face of socioeconomic counterevidence. The gap between
Black relative socioeconomic position and their racial attitudes. The thesis of paradoxical ebullience argues that Blacks’ understanding of
Black group interests, including their worsening socioeconomic position, has shifted those interests from the collective to the individual, and the method to achieve those interests has shifted from protest politics to electoral politics. Additionally, paradoxical ebullience supposes that these trends have political ramifications for Blacks that lead to negative economic consequences. In
short, attitudes that are incongruent with Blacks’
reality limit their collective political
will to address their worsening economic position and jeopardize policies that provide economic benefits for Blacks.
