Mark Greene believes we are ALL under siege by a political system that seeks to pit us against each other.
To quote Joanna Schroeder at The Good Men Project:
“If you’re not familiar with John Derbyshire, he’s a relatively well-respected writer and contributing editor at National Review. He recently published a piece in Taki’s Magazine called “The Talk, Non-Black Version”, in which he shares the advice he has given his children about how to stay safe. From black people.”
Since then, a debate has raged about Derbyshire’s offending article. It first appeared in Taki’s Magazine under the title “The Talk, Non-Black Version”, The most prominent defense of Derbyshire? “He’s just saying what most people are thinking.”
It is rationales like this that quickly and quietly grant racism its power, conjuring images of the oppressed suburban middle class, shuffling along, muttering their endless (valid) fears about race, suppressed from speaking them out by politically-correct muticulturalist censors. With a single sentence, the moral imperative to oppose racism is reduced to yet another shrill example of political correctness.
The apologists who employ the “he’s just saying what most people are thinking” defense of Derbyshire and others like him, seek to remain one step removed from the racially charged content of his message. They make an oblique case for Derbyshire’s ideas, by framing his work as “keeping a painful but honest dialogue going” or “honesty in a time of political correctness.” It’s a passive endorsement of the sharing of racist ideas by framing it as maintaining a fully inclusive dialogue. They get to defend the messenger without having to take any heat directly on the merit of his arguments.
This brand of strategic push back is the newest front in the ongoing battles surrounding race in America. That the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement have somehow, half a century later, cost non-minority Americans the right to be heard. The meta message is a simple one: if you are not a minority, you are losing your power. You are being marginalized, even victimized.
Non-minorities (mostly, but not always, white males) now aggressively self-identify as America’s new oppressed victim class. And they do it with a vengeance.
And you know what? They’re right. But not in the way they have been led to believe.
Yes, America’s non-minority middle class is under siege. I heartily agree with that. But not due to their race, sex or religion. White, Black, Latino, Asian and “everybody else America” are ALL under siege, by a political system that, in a myriad of ways, and for a myriad of reasons, seeks to pit us against each other, divide and politically control us all, while systematically funneling all our resources in an ever increasing flow upward to the top.
Our American political system does not reflect a single monolithic agenda but rather many parallel agendas working sometimes in concert, sometimes not, to move the money upward. But the results remain the same.
The middle class is slowly strangling to death. The underclass is growing daily. All our resources are being stripped away from us. We are losing our earning power, even as the price of everything we need—food, transportation, education, housing and health care climbs higher and higher. And those who relax in the corporate boardrooms and the political halls of power aren’t particularly troubled. Because they know that accountability in America will never likely be about the deeper systemic issues of economics or class as long as they can keep us focused on false binary battles about abortion, feminism, religious freedom, homosexuality, guns, gays, and that old tried but true chestnut, race.
These wedge issues are spoon fed to us daily by a media who’s power and profits are driven by encouraging binary political battles. A media tasked with keeping us angry, distracted and ignorant. A media that nurtures the divisions among Americans.
Political leaders have used divide and conquer strategies to consolidate power for thousands of years. The British Empire raised it to a high art in places like Ireland, pitting Catholics against Protestants. You’d think by now we would recognize it for what it is.
But Americans continue to fall for the binary bait. We continue to see the other half of our own nation as the enemy. We continue to allow ourselves to be manipulated into conflicts that make losers of us all.
Amidst all this, we are still trying to come to terms with Martin Luther King’s legacy. We are still arguing about race in America. Some say racism no longer exists. Meanwhile, others are demanding space in the public square for work like Derbyshire’s. Because its “what everybody is thinking…”
But at what point does sharing your frank and honest opinion about race become yelling “fire” in a crowded theater? It seems to me, we have been down the “honest talk about race differences” road before. For example, in the 1930’s. In Germany.
People who suggest that “honest” (sic: racist) talk should have its place in the American dialogue, are (consciously or not) supporting a very dangerous agenda. Encouraging tolerance for racist ideas in our public discourse is, in fact, a path to chaos. It makes people ripe for political manipulation, division, and conquest.
And for the people in power, that’s just good business. But for the rest of us, it will be our downfall.
Photo courtesy DonkeyHotey
If I could draw, I’d create a cartoon of a pack of tiny, squabbling mice in the corner of a room, each labeled Race, Religion, Gender, Sexuality, Ethnicity… and the vast majority of the room taken up by an enormous elephant they’re all studiously ignoring, wearing a banner that says “CLASS.”
I like this, Copyleft.
Use of the elephant in the room adage?
I see what you did there.
I’m not sure I’ll ever buy that class is the overwhelming social label that dictates these societal oppressions we talk about. 1) It’s too simple, leaving out a lot of the complexities that go into making up “class”. 2) It fails to explain why Obama, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and many other wealthy People of Color do not suddenly stop experiencing racism. 3) Same thing, only insert sexism. Actually, there’s a great article that talks about this kind of point: http://www.peopleofcolororganize.com/activism/tragedy-token-occupy-white-liberalsradicals/ As we’ve seen race and gender are not “tiny little mice” but incredibly huge issues that affect us all.… Read more »
I would suggest that Obama’s experience of the world, including racism is SIGNIFICANTLY cushioned by his class position. He can say things like, “arrest that man” or “make that guy the Secretary of the Treasury.” Wealth informs every other human struggle, because it insures you have at the power, influence, authority, space and time to deal with an event that is challenging. You don’t have to “roll with the punches”. You can punch back. Although we might need to worry about race, religion, gender, class, sexuality and ethnicity, Rupert Murdoch does not. Add to that the fact that if the… Read more »
Exactly, Mark. When you’re poor or even middle-class, race and gender and ethnicity can be huge obstacles. But wealth somehow makes all those problems shrink down to trivial nuisances.
Mark, No doubt Obama has some class privilege. But that’s not the issue. The point is that despite his privilege he still experiences racism, and so clearly class is not the only factor which we need to address. I hazard a guess that if suddenly everyone was wealthy enough to live a comfortable life that wouldn’t stop racism or sexism. Indeed, I think these would become bigger problems than they already are since we’re now no longer focused on one issue to the exclusion of others. Another example would be explaining how wealthy, and otherwise talented Black or Hispanic actors/actresses… Read more »
Well….. I’d say we’re talking past each other a bit here. I guess my point is that class and economics are overarching issues that intersect with all these other issues. I certainly don’t mean to imply they function in a way that is exclusive of other issues. What I said was, it’s a lot easier to be gender confused and rich then it is to be gender confused and poor. To suggest that we are not impacted by a multiplicity of issues would be to deny the most basic processes of what it is to be human. (So, you won’t… Read more »
I want to say, for the record, that being “set off” is not an inalienable right. Oh I wasn’t trying to say that it was. Only trying to get into where some of this hatred comes from. As a member of the “silence males” on a range is issues, including gender, I can tell you that I do not oppose a male “point of view” on issues. I’m glad you don’t. But there are those who do. It may not be as a direct as saying the male POV should be ignored (even though that can happen). It may come… Read more »
Hey Danny,
I’m totally with you on the “milder versions” of these thoughts thing. Some of these ideas we all share are actually valid when not expressed through a hateful lens. And as for the men and women on the hateful path, in my experience they can’t be “shut up”. Not until they themselves understand how utterly tragically self destructive that path is. (Been there myself. Know that path well.) When they see that they’re just continuing the work of their absent (and possibly long gone) abusers, they’ll take themselves off that path.
Some of these ideas we all share are actually valid when not expressed through a hateful lens. Agreed. I think what happens is that some people, when silenced to a breaking point, the hateful lenses come out. And as for the men and women on the hateful path, in my experience they can’t be “shut up”. Not until they themselves understand how utterly tragically self destructive that path is. By “shut up” I was talking about the silencing that went on before they started that hateful path. In other words for some of these folks the “shutting up”, “shutting out”,… Read more »
And I yours. Yeah, my “assholes” are gone. Or more accurately, I’m gone. Lucky me. But if I had to watch them continue to carry on in public, I would probably go apeshit pretty quickly.
AND I definitely get your point about qualified empathy. Half ass empathy is no empathy at all.
And I yours. Yeah, my “assholes” are gone. Or more accurately, I’m gone. Lucky you. The ones that hurt me are still actively pissing about that they are a necessary part of the solution (so necessary in fact that if you don’t align with them its proof you’re a bigot). But if I had to watch them continue to carry on in public, I would probably go apeshit pretty quickly. And indeed I do. Actually I’ve been thinking about something. As we’ve said people who turn to hate sometimes do it because before hand they were actively silenced when they… Read more »
“These wedge issues are spoon fed to us daily by a media who’s power and profits are driven by encouraging binary political battles. A media tasked with keeping us angry, distracted and ignorant. A media that nurtures the divisions among Americans.” You are right about the problme, wrong about the solution. In Europe, racist speech and/or writing is often illegal, and usually results in loss of employment (under the guidelines set by the European commission against racism and intolerance). This approach does not work. Europe has far worse race problems than the US does (even though they are far less… Read more »
“Europe has far worse race problems than the US does (even though they are far less racially non-homogenous).”
I’d argue that a lot of Europe’s racial issues stem from the fact that they are relatively racially homogeneous.
Many European countries did have a habit of tearing across the known world and enslaving, looting, claiming, and “civilizing” non-European people a several centuries ago…
The U.S. pretty much did the same thing, albeit the U.S. stopped once it hit the Pacific Ocean.
Certainly did but I think one reason it might be (at least seen as) worse is in the Europe is because some of those did it for longer than the US has even existed. Counting from 1776 the US is 236 years old. 236 years is a drop in the bucket compared to European history. They did it longer and harder, and you could even argue that we learned it from them.
Ah, I see what you’re saying. But so, that was still taking over countries/regions that were far away. The ‘homeland,’ so to speak, still remained largely homogeneous. Then we’ve got people from former colonies moving to these previously homogeneous regions, and it causes tension. I’m mostly thinking about the racism in Thatcher’s Britain, with this.
I’m not really arguing with you, by the way…I’m just spouting out ideas and thoughts. I don’t really have a point I’m trying to make, exactly.
Yeah no arguemnt, just an exchange.
Didn’t think that was possible online. 😉
I know right? Nah I’m enjoying my exchange with Mark right now to start arguing with someone.
“Europe has far worse race problems than the US does (even though they are far less racially non-homogenous).” Can I ask what you are basing that on? Obviously Europe has the history of Nazi Germany, but then the USA was built upon slavery. In recent / current years, I’m not at all sure it is self-evident that Europe has bigger problems than the US. Sure, Europe has overtly racist political parties, but that’s largely a product of multi-party systems, whereas in the US they mostly congregate (and find a welcome home) in the GOP. There are racist crimes on both… Read more »
Yes, America’s non-minority middle class is under siege. I heartily agree with that. But not due to their race, sex or religion. White, Black, Latino, Asian and “everybody else America” are ALL under siege, by a political system that, in a myriad of ways, and for a myriad of reasons, seeks to pit us against each other, divide and politically control us all, while systematically funneling all our resources in an ever increasing flow upward to the top. I think this may be a part of what sets people of certain groups off. For example in the gender discourse its… Read more »
Thanks for your comments, Danny. I’d like to respond briefly. “I think this may be a part of what sets people of certain groups off.” I want to say, for the record, that being “set off” is not an inalienable right. Some people are “set off” twenty four/seven on all sides of any issue, and it sucks to deal with their blowback. BECAUSE we, as men, have suffered abuse, then its up to us to stop passing it on. That said, your tone has always been respectful of others and I want to personally thank you for that. It is… Read more »
Unfortunately, I read the Derbyshire article, and I’m pretty sure my IQ went down about 5%. Granted, it wasn’t too high to begin with, but still! I can’t believe someone actually wrote that. I only hope African Americans understand that Derbyshire’s “Talk” is NOT what Caucasian parents tell their children. Unless, apparently, the parent is named Derbyshire and writes insipid articles about race.
This is really, really good, Mark. they know that accountability in America will never likely be about the deeper systemic issues of economics or class as long as they can keep us focused on false binary battles about abortion, feminism, religious freedom, homosexuality, guns, gays, and that old tried but true chestnut, race. Spot on. Similarly, I’ve been re-reading (not really by choice, it’s a long story) Warren Farrell’s Myth of Male Power in recent days. It’s a dreadful book in many ways, but one of the whopping great failures is that it completely ignores the role of economics and… Read more »
“but falsely attributes their origins to women and feminism, when it is almost entirely about macroeconomics .”
I didn’t get that from it, it seemed more to me that he was trying to establish that the problems exist rather than suggesting causes or solutions.