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.