Most of my opinions on public policy, or the underlying rationale, go right up to the line of racism - well not necessarily racism, but bigotry.
I take a very narrow legal reading of the constitution. My read of the constitution would undo virtually the entire civil rights movement. No federal right to interracial marriage. No federal right to same sex marriage. No federal right to sodomy with a consenting adult in your home. No federal right to contraception. In the minds of most people, if I were a judge ruling, I would be considered racist/bigoted/etc. Because the impact of my opinions would harm minorities, it is undeniable.
I’m not a fan of government providing normal people with the means to live a comfortable life. Subsistence maybe, comfortable no. This approach to tax policy, welfare spending, etc. disproportionately affects people of color and thus will be considered, by the majority of people, racist.
I believe the national identity is restricted to people who were, at the time, considered part of the nation. So those Native Americans who lived and died enemies of the United States will never, in my opinion, be part of the U.S. national identity. I think that would be highly disrespectful both to them and to the Americans they fought against. But this is plainly discrimination on the basis of race and will be seen by the majority of people as racist. Yet it partially informs my opinions about recognizing an Indigenous Peoples holiday.
I believe each polity has a strong right to self determination. But when you have Republicans who are seen as racist, and people from out of town want to pump in money to prop up the Democrat, saying that’s wrong will mean at least in the mind of some, I come across as racist.
I’m highly skeptical of some voting rights measures that are designed to benefit people of color, not because I have something against people of color, but because I’m highly skeptical of all voting rights measures. But I think for most people who support the measures, that nuance is lost, and skepticism = racism.
I could go on and on… Just this moment, I struggle to think of many policy debates I have participated in where my position wouldn’t have at least one premise many people would consider bigoted.
~Max
