Wednesday, June 03, 2020

White Supremacy

Dave Chappelle as a white “privileged” man

Recently listened to Rush Limbaugh debating the trio from the Breakfast Club about the recent racial turmoil created by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Most of the arguments therein proffered by the Breakfast Club trio centered around the use of the terms “white supremacy” and the almost synonym “white privilege.” Basically, white supremacy was defined as slavery, segregation and a society built around laws made by white people for white people.

Now, to this listener, this term is a political bludgeon meant to shut up debate. Why?  Well, slavery has not existed in this country for 158 years. Yes, it’s legacy did exist for 100 years in Jim Crow laws and then secretion ... but I have seen the last of these inequities, segregation, disappear in my lifetime. Is there any part of our society wherein blacks are not represented in the same (or greater) proportion then they are in the general population (around 12%)?

This leaves “laws created by whites for whites.” Now, I can’t think of any specific ones, but I will confess that some laws may be disproportionally applied.

But, kind reader, I actually think this “white supremacy” term refers to white culture ... which is clearly distinct from black culture. It is obvious to anyone with a pulse that this bright line does exist and is getting much more attention. I am not trying to disparage black culture. In fact, if anything, white America has been embracing black culture enthusiastically in recent years ... just like, as I remember it, blacks embraced white culture during the middle of the last century (the “Harlem Renaisance”).

How will this cultural divide resolve itself? This question I leave with you, kind readers, to resolve.

4 comments:

Medgar Evans said...

Try being black and driving in a white neighborhood at night.

George W. Potts said...

Is there such a thing as a “white” neighborhood any more? Me thinks you are living in the “red-lining” past, Medgar ...

DEN said...

I think I agree. The issue is not white supremacy/privilege, it is about the brutality of some police officers. I also take your point about the 3 minority officers who stood by or abetted the killing of Mr. Floyd. Where are their pictures?? Why won't CNN show them?
(Still, you are wrong about most everything else :-)

George W. Potts said...

Of course ...