Pointing Out That A Lot Of White Guys Are Racist Is Not Racist

We have all seen it on social media.  White men whining about a weird sort of reverse racism any time a non white person points out facts related to white guys tendencies to be racists.  The only thing it truly shows is how sick and tired they are of having to curb their offensive behavior.  They really miss the good old days when they could say something awful and have it glossed over without consequence.

A lot of white men live far in the past.  They have a glowing nostalgia for their youth.  They still have many of the same companions they had in high school.  Within this space they can engage in  camaraderie by disparaging others.  They cling to an immature irresponsibility as if it were a fountain of youth.

When this immaturity hits the public space of social media suddenly there is a cold shower of the reality of adult responsibility.  They are expected to show consideration for the feelings of people different from themselves and they do not want to.  They complain of political correctness because it spotlights their lack of empathy, and grasp at straws offered by right wing media that tell them they are not the problem.

The far right noise makers have found arguments that they believe proves their point.  That a non white person speaking about being discriminated against is itself discriminatory because it stereotypes the behavior of all whites, and that the path toward equality is inherently weighted against the advantaged.

Of course it is almost never that these complaints come from white people who are completely innocent of discriminatory behavior.  Usually it is the white guys that find themselves repeatedly called out for subtle, or sometimes not so subtle, inadvertent racism that rail at the unfairness.

Donald Trump thinks this way, and speaks this way, taking his cues from far right talking heads on the plight of the white male boor.  Many white men hear a kindred spirit in the inept ranting phrases Trump utters daily.  They see equality as a way to make them something less, instead of a leveling of the playing field.

The notion of a white man being discriminated against because of his race in the United States sounds ludicrous, but many are making just such a claim.  This is white supremacism for guys who do not want to admit they are white supremacists.  They try to subvert principles of fairness and equality to maintain their privilege.  But mostly they want to feel free to say any crazy hateful thing they want without fear of being labeled deplorable.

The GOP is Undermining Democracy

The GOP has pretty much given up any pretense of wanting fair elections.  Their only strategy does not involve campaigning on issues, but is based on getting fewer people to participate in democracy.  They hold to the belief that old white Christian men know what is good for the country, and anyone who does not fit that demographic lacks the ability to make appropriate decisions.

I am not saying that old, white, Christian, Republican men do not deserve representation, but as a group their numbers are falling.  They represent a smaller percent of the population each year.  This is not reflected in the make up of the government, where they are substantially disproportionately represented.

Roughly 50% of Americans who are of eligible age to serve in congress are over 55, About 75% of this consider themselves white, 75% identify as Christians, and just under half are men.  That means that roughly 14% of the population of the United States is old white Christian men.  A quick glance at the make up of the Congress of the United States makes it very obvious that this group is over represented.

Republicans are very much aware the increased representation for minority groups means decreased representation for themselves and their homogeneous constituency.  They are hitched to a single group that is no longer the overwhelming majority it once was.  That leaves no hope for the long term future of the party operating within the rules of a democracy, so they have systematically been chipping away at the voting rights of groups statistically likely to favor their opponents.

The system of government that most favors keeping the old, white, Christian Republicans in charge is authoritarian plutocracy. They decide what is best for the country based on what is best for themselves and the wealthy few who back them, utilizing everyone else as a disposable resource.

There is a lot of push back happening all over the country, and with the current state of information dissemination, their plots are constantly being exposed.  There are many voices speaking out about voter suppression, intimidation and outright lies about their stance on issues.  Their next level of attack on democracy has been to spread lies to discredit the fact checkers and whistle blowers that are trying to protect the truth.

It will take a strong voter turnout despite the machinations of Republicans to start us on the path to real democracy.  We have the opportunity to lead the world in inclusively and equality, but that means the Republican party must become obsolete.  There is no bright American future that includes those who would deny representation to all Americans.

Fear of Refugees is No Excuse for Being Heartless

How desperate do you have to be to just start walking to another country?  Walking over a thousand miles with almost nothing but what you are wearing.  People from the northern triangle of Central America are that desperate.  They  are fleeing extreme poverty, horrible violence and a corrupt government.  All this for a small chance that they can upgrade to modest poverty, occasional violence and a somewhat less corrupt government.

How heartless do you have to be to deny these people the opportunity to make this slight improvement in their lives?  That is exactly how heartless people who support the immigration policies of Trump are.  Whether it's your elderly neighbor, cranky uncle or sweet grandma, they are supporting policies that squash the tiny glimmer of hope that some of the most downtrodden people in the world have.

They do not see themselves as heartless, and get very defensive when it's pointed out.  They may pull out the "we should care for our own first" argument, not that they are any more supportive of domestic social safety net programs either.  The basic fact is they have bought into the fear propaganda peddled by Trump and his lackeys.  This should not excuse their actions, every person has a responsibility act using reason to temper emotion.

These folks are for the most part irrelevant to discussions of policy since they do not base anything in the reality of a situation.  Any debate with a person solely motivated by fear should focus on how that fear leads to a total lack of compassion.  These people need to see how their stance effects those who truly do have reason to fear for their lives.  Those who fear having to share some plentiful resources need to compare themselves to those who fear rape, torture and murder on a daily basis.

The United States has much blame to accept in the plight of the refugees headed our way.  Acting on behalf of large corporations the US government supported brutal dictators in the region.  The propaganda of the day pushed a fear of Socialism, when the thing they truly feared was loss of corporate profits.  Now gangs and drug cartels terrorize the countries and there is no relief available from corrupt officials.  Many older Americans have the fear of Socialism and love of Capitalism so ingrained that they feel that devastating the region did the world a favor.

The United States is a big, wealthy country, and there would be no problem absorbing a few well deserving asylum seekers.  Anyone who comes out against helping people who have been traumatized by unimaginably horrific conditions needs a jolt to their empathy centers.  Their own unfounded fears stoked by Trump and others like him are no excuse for supporting the hate at the border.

Cowardly Republican Lies

Republicans have chosen the act of lying without compunction about the serious topic of requiring insurers to cover pre-existing conditions.  With millions of voters completely baffled about what is the truth, lies like this can be accepted as fact.  Voters who have been loyal Republicans do not see what their party has become, a win at any cost tool of corporate America.

This is especially true of some of the people most likely hurt by insurers refusing to cover pre-existing conditions.  People just a few years from retirement with low paying blue collar jobs often have health issues start to creep into their lives.  Hypertension or Diabetes are common conditions and are manageable with access to proper health care.  They need to slow down and take care of themselves, but work in places that do not tolerate lower production despite the health of the worker.  Ideally they would move to a position requiring less physical exertion, but that type of position is often not available.

The option to find a different job might seem like an ideal solution, until they find out their new insurance company is refusing to cover their pre-existing condition.  What was once a manageable situation has now become life threatening. 

Yet so many Americans within this age and occupation demographic continue to support the Republican party.  The same Republican party that sides every single time with the insurance company over the insured.  When asked about their stance on the issue they quote the lies spread by these politicians with unquestioning certainty of their validity.

Donald Trump in particular has mastered the art of lying, incessantly accusing his critics of the very act he so often engages in.  It is one of the few things he is good at, beings that he is abysmally poor at governing.  Many other Republicans fake empathy to sell their lies, projecting fake concern at the well being of Americans while voting just the opposite.

The complete removal of the for profit health care system and replacement with Medicare For All would be the ideal way to fix things, but current leadership in Washington makes this unlikely in the short term.  People stand to be hurt right now by Republicans lies, and the current system needs to be fortified not torn down.  Until a permanent fix is implemented, the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with pre-existing conditions should be continued.  The Republican party's lies just represent their cowardice in admitting their unpopular goals of profiting from people's misfortune.

The Woes of Right Wing Christians

There is something  brewing in American Politics.  Progressive candidates for office may actually have a chance to be elected.  Of course that means certain death and destruction for Evangelical Christians, with pastors and other religious leaders sure to be executed in front of churches.  This news has been greeted ecstatically by right wing Evangelical Christians, who believe they finally have a valid reason to feel persecuted.

The last couple of years have been horrible for Christians, what with being around 70% of the population of the United States.  Many people simple do not believe them when they wail about how difficult following their faith has become.  It reached a new low recently when the Supreme Court became stacked in their favor, taking away the complaint about activist courts and  Liberal Judges.

They long for the good old days of President Obama, when they were stripped of their rights.  Rights like discriminating against LGBT persons and denying reproductive choice have been returning to them under Trump, and it's becoming harder to remain resentful and angry.  What is even more disheartening is the fact that all of the good persecution is going to the very people they are persecuting.  Fortunately for them they have no concept of irony or they might explode.

Now with the possibility of a Democratic majority in the House, they can bring their gloom and doom hyperbole to never before seen levels.  No longer would they have to suffer feeling content at other's suffering, but they can justify their very own suffering.  Even better, with progressives in charge, they can claim anybody who is not them is receiving an unfair advantage by not being treated unfairly.

A blue wave in the Midterm Elections would provide a major boon to the doomsayers of Christianity in the United States.  Plus actual good things would happen for the country too.  That is a win-win situation for everyone.

Fake Bomb Claims an Attempt to Deflect Blame

One thing I can say with a high degree of certainty is that the bombs being mailed to various Democratic politicians and activists are not the work of an organized plot by any political party.  No matter what the motivations behind this, an individual or possibly a small cell working independently are responsible.  That has not stopped the fake bomb conspiracy theories from flying all over the Internet.  The right wing fringe voices immediately started the gaslighting show, repeating a lie so often that people find themselves thinking  there might be some validity to it.

Of course the bomber was inspired by political rhetoric.  The bombs were sent to leaders of a political party.  There are people out there who feel hopeless in the face of a challenge to their view of how the country ought to be.  They see an opportunity to make a real statement in a cowardly act of terrorism.  They represent the least sophisticated player in the ongoing struggle for the hearts and minds of the American people.

A side by side comparison of the strongest rhetoric coming from each parties leaders does demonstrate an obvious difference in the level of fear they preach.  Republicans, and in particular Trump, have fear, anger and resentment as their major selling points.  They work very hard to make the average white guy feel that his privileged status in this country is slipping away,  as if it was something he had earned rather than just luck of the birth lottery.  Democrats on the other hand more often speak of equality, attempting to boost up those who are truly disadvantaged.

Statistically speaking the number of politically motivated murders in this country in the last decade committed by right wing extremists is at 71%.  Left wing radicals over the same period account for 2%.  Republicans like to point at Antifa as an example of the left's shared responsibility in political violence, but Antifa is a very small group with no connection to any major Democratic organization despite the ravings of the "Soros is the devil", tin foil hat crowd.

Just as the constant barrage of emails and Bengasi accusations created enough doubt to give the election to Trump, despite multiple investigations finding no crime, right wing pundits and Russian trolls alike have found a rallying cry of "fake bombs" hoping to cast a sliver of doubt. Sure Democrats have been using the pipe bomb attacks to sway the electorate, but there were actual attacks against their most influential members rather than an outlandish conspiracy theory.

When viewing the big picture concerning these attacks what should be noted is the egregiousness of each parties blame in the problem of domestic terrorism in general.  While there is some reason to place blame with some Democrats, the majority of the problem comes from Republicans and their embrace of the tactics of Trump.  Also the right's enthusiasm for pushing outlandish claims as plausible theories is merely an attempt to deflect the responsibility that they have so richly earned.

On Nationalism and Pipe bombs

What makes a person reach the point where they think attempting to bomb public figures from the opposition party would aid their cause?  Any reasoning person would come to the conclusion that violence like that would actually increase support for the other side.  The far right wing sees the world through a much narrower lens than most of America, and like their counterparts in radical Islamic terrorism sees glory in acts of destruction aimed at the infidel.

There are certain people in any population that are easily radicalized.  Rather than evaluate information to determine its validity, they judge truth by the source of the information.  They feel such a degree of certainty in their beliefs that they feel duty bound to fight against any opposing viewpoint.  Dictators have used this to their advantage, stamping out opposition by stoking the nationalism of their extremist followers.

This has proven problematic for would be tyrants in more advanced nations.  A more educated populous is not as easily driven to hate anyone with different views.  The United States is an example of a nation struggling to move beyond the old nationalist ways, but with a would be dictator and his sycophants clinging to power by any means necessary.  They use radicalization to further their goals while claiming to denounce it.

There is no equivalent radical nationalism from progressives.  Rather than use blind faith as a motivation to violent actions the left uses reasoning, logic and compassion to convince.  The far right cannot comprehend this and goes on to invent a liberal plot orchestrated by a few prominent Democrats.  They have to believe there is a leadership that if destroyed would topple the whole movement, because of their simplistic black and white world view. 

No rational person could think that killing Barak Obama, Hillary Clinton and George Soros would cripple the movement toward social progress.  The person or persons who attempted these bombings obviously is not indicative of conservatives in the United States as a whole, although a not negligible number of far right voices cheered the action.  The most alarming fact about this is the encouragement for acts like this coming from Trump, and his deflection of blame on any but himself.