4 years, not 2 years.
Even the Republicans didn’t think Trump had a chance due to his many failings. He shouldn’t have had a chance. What motivated many Trump supporters to overlook his failings, even his potential bigotry, was frustration at being called modern racists for failing to sign on to progressive identity politics. That frustration instead energized a backlash of white identity politics.
The reaction from many on the left has been that they have a word for people who are tired of being called racist, and that word is “racist”. That’s not a position that is going to motivate or bring back the voters who put Obama over the top.
I don’t think such voters are gettable any more, in general, for the Democrats – but the Democrats don’t need them. They only need to motivate lower-turnout Democrats, as Obama did. A better candidate should usually win.
Further, I don’t want the Democrats to go after people who are okay with “white identity politics”. They’re not evil people, in general – I served with many such folks in the Navy, including folks who would have risked their lives to save mine (and black shipmates) – but I think the rhetoric it would take to get people who are uncomfortable with changing culture and lessening influence of white people is rhetoric that makes America worse.
I would just point out that Trump did put a lot of blame on government for failing “inner city black America,” as you put it. In fact many times he accused Hillary and other politicians of just pandering for votes without doing anything of substance.
Yes and it was pointed out that the makers (and the actress) did not perceive the exact same actions by white men as being harassed and sometimes in the same transaction
The OP is spot on. Very few white Americans are Racist in the sense of consciously embracing white supremacist beliefs and wanting the government to actively discriminate against minorities. Almost all white Americans find those sort of beliefs despicable.
However, most white Americans are racist in the sense that their worldview is significantly informed by semi-conscious and subconscious racial prejudices and stereotypes.
In another thread, someone said (and you can hear similar statements all over this board and out in the real world) that Trump voters were “tired of being told they’re racist because they oppose affirmative action, want to stop illegal immigration, and don’t like Black Lives Matter”. But in fact, if you hold those beliefs (that affirmative action is unnecessary, that illegal immigration is harming America, that racist police brutality isn’t a big problem), then you believe things which are just objectively false, and which could only seem plausible to someone whose worldview is significantly informed by semi-conscious and subconscious racial prejudices and stereotypes. In other words, to someone who is, by one reasonable definition, a racist.
It isn’t helpful for liberals to equate such people with the KKK, just as it isn’t helpful for white people to whine that pointing out their irrational beliefs constitutes “calling them racist” and using that perceived insult as an excuse to shut down conversations.
True. One is a law-abiding citizen, the other decidedly is not.
Really? How?
It looks to me like you’re proving the OP’s point. (And that point is not a new idea to me. It is a commonplace among those of us who talk about racism in this country.)
The crack epidemic happened at the tail end of a thirty year trend of skyrocketing crime. Thousands of people were being murdered in the streets including hundreds of people just in the wrong place. The heroin epidemic comes at a time of a twenty year drop in crime. Heroin addicts are the ones being killed, not innocent bystanders. Plus there have been thirty years of increased understanding of how addiction works and the thought of it as a disease.
Mass school shootings are the result of evil and mentally ill people and seem to happen at random. Targeting killings of rivals by violent teenagers seem to have a purpose. Random killings are more terrifying and the body counts are much higher.
It looks to me like you are ignoring the obvious differences to make things fit into a neat narrative.
If the prospect of President Trump didn’t motivate Democratic voters, I’m not sure what will.
I don’t want either party to try to appeal to white identity politics; I think Trump is a shining example of where that leads. But isn’t it hypocritical for the Democrats to appeal to the identity politics of non-whites and then call white voters racist when they play the same game? Maybe all racial identity politics should be considered to fall within the broad definition of “modern racism”.
I don’t think advocating for equal rights and protections for folks facing discrimination is the same as what Trump did.
How is the structural unemployment for blacks and whites different, puddleglum?
Something I can’t figure out. I would think the best strategy for success is to fit into mainstream America as well as possible. Distance yourself from stereo types regardless of color. The blacks have it extra rough here because they still have a very significant portion of blacks reinforcing negative stereo types. Of course whites and even other blacks show some weariness when they don’t know someone. Experience has taught them they have better odds working with non blacks. Nothing to do with being racist. Most so called racists would be more than happy not to have a reason to be leery of blacks. It has nothing to do with race, it has to do with being stuck in a ghetto situation that is self perpetuating. It is a shame and a tragedy all the lives not living up to their potential, broken homes, alcohol and drug abuse etc. The saddest part is that the burden will always be on who ever it is being oppressed to rise above those stereo types and fit in. Those that are able to rise above it make it just a little bit easier for those coming up behind them just as those who insist on living a ghetto life style make it harder for those trying to escape it. Its not just a white thing.
How do you assimilate the color of your skin?
You don’t, you just do the best you can. Unfair, yes but I think it is the best strategy. President Obama set a great example here and is the perfect roll model. I wish more black kids could pull themselves away from peer pressure and follow his lead.
Guy raised by a white mother and grandparents is not exactly someone whose lead you can follow.
I agree with what you are saying but when society has manufactured the concept of race based on skin color and reinforced with centuries of negative stereotypes it is an extremely difficult task. It’s not like people haven’t been attempting this for a very long time. Peer pressure among ‘black kids’ really isn’t the problem here, it’s just another symptom.
What is the ‘mainstream?’ and who developed and determined it? And why should I, a black person, aspire to what I’m not?
We are currently at or very close to full employment. The unemployment rate for whites is currently 4.3% and 8.6% for blacks. Since black people are more likely to have lower educational attainment and skills they are more likely to be lower productivity workers. Lower productivity workers have a higher structural employment because policies such as the minimum wage and compulsory benefits have raised the fixed costs of hiring an employee. One of the reasons minimum wages and prevailing wage laws were passed were to increase unemployment among blacks and they have had their originally desired result.
You are a human being. It’s the others that don’t recognize that who have the problem. Unfortunately it’s not affecting them as much as it is you. It ain’t right, but it is the reality. So I’d say play the game at least to give yourself and your children the chance to change the game some day. YMMV
If we can play hypothetical for a moment:
IIRC, Jackie Robinson was held to a much higher level of scrutiny in terms of athletic performance than his white peers. Opposing white pitchers tried their absolute, absolute best to strike him out, and if Jackie struck out or had a bad game overall, it was a bigger deal than if a white player did the same, which was just “normal.” (Someone correct me if my understanding is off)
Now that black players are the majority in the NFL, NBA, etc. I don’t think this is much of a big deal. However, seeing the way Jeremy Lin was treated by some makes me believe that for a “newcomer race/ethnicity” there will be an unfair double standard in sports. For instance, black people were newcomers to baseball in Jackie Robinson’s day, and Asians are newcomers in a sense to the NFL, NBA, etc.
So if a white quarterback throws three interceptions in a game, he’s just having a bad day which is normal, but if an Asian NFL quarterback were to throw 3 interceptions, I guarantee you there’d be a furor, and people would be saying it was because of his slanted eyes and how he can’t see properly, etc.