Recently, under the heading "Race & The Right Wing," Ed Schultz used his Ed Show to highlight a growing problem within this country: The pitting of whites against blacks--sometimes indirectly, and with innuendos, and sometimes openly, and direct.
I wanted to feature Schultz's video segment on this blog entry, but the "clip & share" applet copied the wrong embedded code to my clipboard--the copied code was for an entirely different segment.
If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. I would highly recommend that you do, because the video segment is central to my argument.
Commenting on Greg L's blog to one of his entries, titled, James Carville: Economic downturn might cause civil unrest, I responded thusly to the nature of the "unrest" that might occur--that it would more than likely manifest itself as violence against racial groups, than toward the government, and Wall Street, the real culprits, and progenitors of the "economic downturn":
Traditionally, black unemployment has led the pack. Estimates have the black unemployed as percentage of the labor force at 16 percent. For those 16 to 19 years of age at 43.0 percent, those 20 to 24 years of age at 26.0 percent.
Admittedly, these conditions are a tinderbox of potential unrest that could ignite with the slightest provocation. Yet, these explosive responses in the past have provided temporary solutions at best to a perennial black-community problem. Many blacks, therefore, have become almost inured to these conditions, and without a target--other than the merchants in their communities--to direct their rage against, it's very unlikely that blacks will, en masse, resort to a street solution (generic violence) to draw attention to their plight.
Whites, on the other hand, although experiencing high unemployment (8.7), are in better shape in the labor pool than blacks or Latinos. This group, especially the unemployed white youth, are more likely to attack Latinos, who will be perceived as "illegal aliens," as the cause of the problem, than the system itself, believing wrongly that it's this group that is militating against them finding gainful employment.
Yes, there's "anger," but the anger is being misdirected, thanks, as you've stated, to the media provocateurs who have concentrated this anger and have painted bullseyes on the backs of blacks, Latinos, and Muslims.
A race riot is more likely than civil unrest toward the government. The news media, led by Fox News, and an assortment of Republican and conservative blowhards, will instigate this racial disquiet.
I'm convinced that the Republican Party will do almost anything to effectuate absolute control of government, despite the level, and transform this nation into the philosophical, and ideological image it has always imagined--even if it kills us!
A "race war" would achieve two outcomes for Republicans: (1) They can "take back" their country from the encroachment of people of color, and (2) they can set themselves up as the rightful party to handle the crises which they helped to create, and to suppress those voices that would condemn a loss of civil liberties.
What a way for Republicans to assure their political monopolies in state houses, the courts, the congress, and the White House!
Already laws are being enacted to "stop" and "reverse" illegal immigration, and "Americans for Legal Immigration" is at the forefront of this fight. Its mission statement says in part:
"We are dedicated to fighting against illegal immigration and amnesty for illegal aliens and seek a peaceful solution to the crisis that involves Americans of every race, Party, and denomination working together."
In times of crises--whether they have been manufactured or not--opportunities open up to shape and transform government for the benefit of one party.
The question that comes to mind is this: Can those affected, the electorate, set aside their biases, and their bigotries--which the media will certainly exploit and manipulate at every turn--so that they might look penetratingly into the dark hearts of those who are truly responsible for the crises that beset us, or will they continue to allow themselves to be pawns in a chess match that's rigged by players on both sides of the chessboard, and egged on by corporate money?
13 comments:
Your post is on point,but I'm afraid you may be preaching to the choir,simply because the Joe and Jane Lunchbuckets(working class folk)of this country are too busy trying to keep a roof over their heads,food on the table to understand what's truly happening to them.
BigmacInPittsburgh said..."(working class folk)of this country are too busy trying to keep a roof over their heads,food on the table to understand what's truly happening to them."
And this is the crux of the problem, Bigmac. These "working class folk" will be swept up in an economic whirlwind not of their own making, and tossed aside, when corporations no longer need them to turn a profit.
Unless we start paying stricter attention to the destructive forces swirling around us, the "working class folk" will be a part of the massive economic debris that will be left in their wake.
Thanks for stopping by to advance the conversation, Bigmac.
Hey Black Diaspora:
That was an excellent post as always. It definitely was on target.
I had been having problems with my blog. Blogger would not let me sign in or post on my own blog. It was even blocking me from posting in the comment section on my blog and sometimes others blogs too. I had to be resourceful and take other routes to post a comment.
So, when I come back, I'm switching blogs because I am tired of dealing the hassles, the hacking and all.
I'll be leaving next week. I can't wait. Hopefully, I will find what I'm looking for in my research. Beside which, I need a nice long vacation as well. Although, I'm gonna miss my grands and great grand. Seeing how I'll be gone longer than my norm for a vacation, I know those grands of mine are going to blow my cell phone up with the "Granny, when you coming home?" question. :)
GrannyStandingforTruth said..."That was an excellent post as always. It definitely was on target."
Thanks, Granny.
"So, when I come back, I'm switching blogs because I am tired of dealing the hassles, the hacking and all."
I know of several bloggers who have switched to another blogging service. Most of them switched to wordpress. I take it that they're satisfied with the service--not one has complained since switching.
"I know those grands of mine are going to blow my cell phone up with the "Granny, when you coming home?" question. :)"
It's a good thing I don't have your cell phone number: I'd have to join the chorus. Enjoy your vacation, Granny, and much success with the research.
>>Whites, on the other hand, although experiencing high unemployment (8.7), are in better shape in the labor pool than blacks or Latinos. This group, especially the unemployed white youth, are more likely to attack Latinos, who will be perceived as "illegal aliens," as the cause of the problem, than the system itself, believing wrongly that it's this group that is militating against them finding gainful employment.<<
BD,
I didn't have the chance to respond to this when you posted it, but will do so here. This is definitely spot on.
You're exactly correct that black folks have long been used to extreme unemployment, hence there's far less of a "shock" due to the economic calamity that's befallen the nation. However, most Whites have labored under the fiction of the American dream which has fast disappeared, so the shock will reverberate much further in those communities with the political fallout being much more dramatic as a result. As you point out, a race war diverts this and cements the power of those who would be demagogues and it's clear that many, if not all of those types, reside on the political right. I just think that any sort of political or economic crisis can give rise to these sorts as in the midst of confusion, they offer a "plan". In this case, "the plan" is to "take back America". Of course, that pure hubris.
I'm just reading what you've posted here from the group, Americans for Legal Immigration and their assertion that they seek a "peaceful" solution as if the other alternative is war. This group and many of these others have been introduced into this whole thing as agent provocateurs IMO. Your concerns about this are definitely not unfounded.
One thing that I might mention here going back to whites, is the fact that there is a emerging underclass exhibiting some of the same maladaptive behaviors as those normally ascribed to the black underclass. The primary measure of concern that's being kept very quiet is the increased number of single parent (teen pregnancies) households among the white underclass. This was the very measure Moynihan cited in predicting the calamity that would befall black folks back in the 60's. Clearly, these same measures still have their predictive properties when applied to whites and this juxtaposed on the economic situation means even more displacement and feeds back to the notion of diversion through a race war. Definitely a possibility.
BTW, once again, thanks for the pub!
"[M]ost Whites have labored under the fiction of the American dream which has fast disappeared, so the shock will reverberate much further in those communities with the political fallout being much more dramatic as a result."
I think disillusionment and despair will set in at some point, but it will be a slow, incremental process--such has been the extent to which many whites have bought into the American exceptionalism myth.
Unions created the middle class, and brought a sustaining level of prosperity to many Americans, giving birth to the persisting notion of American exceptionalism.
Many are now insisting, primarily Republicans, that the sustainability of unions, and therefore the middle class (and its erstwhile prosperity), is now unsustainable--an expense that employers, and taxpayers shouldn't have to bear, especially in a frail, and debilitated economy.
We're seeing a shift of blame for our economic woes from Wall Street to main street, and to those "powerful and overreaching" unions that give a political voice to teachers, firemen, policemen, et al.
Of course, this is all by design. As unions are weakened, so will those organizations that unions predominantly support--the Democrat Party, for one.
What better way, I submit, to ignite a race war than to take out this nation's first black president--the black Messiah, the black Moses, the symbol of black equality.
Since his inauguration, President Obama has been the target for assassination more than any other president (many a radio and television host on the Right have given indirect support for it), and, as an expected response, any number of hate groups have sprung up around the nation to register their objection to a black president, and to voice their displeasure.
"Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service.
"Some threats to Mr Obama, whose Secret Service codename is Renegade, have been publicised, including an alleged plot by white supremacists in Tennessee late last year to rob a gun store, shoot 88 black people, decapitate another 14 and then assassinate the first black president in American history.
"Most however, are kept under wraps because the Secret Service fears that revealing details of them would only increase the number of copycat attempts."
Well said. I posted a link.
http://redeyesfrontpage.blogspot.com/
Redeye said...
"Well said. I posted a link."
Thanks for the link, Redeye.
>>What better way, I submit, to ignite a race war than to take out this nation's first black president--the black Messiah, the black Moses, the symbol of black equality.<<
Circling back here BD. I think anything is possible, although for various reasons, I think Obama is safe for now. But there's plenty of other stuff that can be used to push the scenario. The right wing media is the main source for much of this and they've literally found "enemies" everywhere and are blaming them for the ills that beset the country. This is inextricably tied to the economic crisis that is unfolding, so nothing can be ruled out.
Funny, yesterday I took my son to a basketball camp and while there, I struck up a conversation with another parent and inevitably, the conversation turns to politics and he's parroting the exact same stuff being bantered about on Fox complaining about illegal immigrants, "liberal policies" and etc. Basically, they've manufactured a bunch of enemies to explain the conditions that folks find themselves in. There are many parallels between the media propaganda in this country and that of Nazi Germany and at some point, someone is going to "burn the Reichstag" or set off a staged event that truly moves this country towards a sort of dictatorship of sorts. Some would argue that this has already occurred.
"I think Obama is safe for now."
As do I, but a well-publicized attempt on Obama's life, or that of a family member(s), might be the spark that grows into a conflagration of retaliation.
"This is inextricably tied to the economic crisis that is unfolding, so nothing can be ruled out."
This is a dangerous game Republicans are playing--using race to distract from the real issues, with the hope that the fire they're setting will scorch the earth that they don't give a damn about anyway, or will be limited in scope.
"[T]he conversation turns to politics and he's parroting the exact same stuff being bantered about on Fox complaining about illegal immigrants, 'liberal policies' and etc."
I have lived within a Republican stronghold for some time, and I hear some of the same rhetoric.
Here's the deplorable truth: Right wing radio, and Fox News, have high ratings--they're being listened to, and they're being believed.
Our only hope is that sanity, and commonsense will prevail, and that Republicans who're using race to divide and conquer, will be seen for who they are--but it's hard to separate people from their character, their beliefs, or their biases and bigotries.
Pander to these things, and you're halfway to your goal of a racial face-off.
"[S]omeone is going to 'burn the Reichstag' or set off a staged event that truly moves this country towards a sort of dictatorship of sorts. Some would argue that this has already occurred."
Republicans are using our economic downturn to push their agenda as hard to the Right as is practical in the short term.
They're rolling our their Big Guns to take aim at what's standing in their way of total political control--unions, and liberal policies that support the poor and the middle class: health-care reform, Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance.
Republicans are also taking aim at federal and state governments, to reduce their effectiveness by cutting their budgets, or threatening to eliminate them altogether.
Without federal agencies to supervise Big Corporations, these corporations can then become the oligarchic, shadow government of this country, with bought and bossed Republicans and Democrats on the courts, and within the congress, and state legislatures to do their bidding.
["[T]his has already occurred....]
Absolutely: our duly elected local, state, and federal legislators, and the courts (top to bottom, especially the top) are taking marching orders from this new autocratic minority--corporations and the super-rich.
As it stands now, government of the people is in name only. If the trend continues, democracy is doomed!
Excellent post BD, too many people eyes are wide shut to the truth. However, we need to continue to try to open their eyes one at a time if that is what it takes. It does work it is working for me at my new site for my community. Look for an email from me soon. I have been very busy at my other site, with the Safehaven, and life. Sorry, I have been out of touch...It is heating up in town and the campaigning for a new Mayor and Board of Aldermen is few months away...I am trying to behave; I will fill you in with more information of my ultimate goal with my new site in my email.
Thanks, Blinders Off. I'm reminded of the fish that are thrown back into the ocean after washing up on a beach.
A man's companion asked him why he was attempting the herculean task of returning beached fish to the ocean, because in his mind, the fish were too numerous.
He pressed, "What possible difference could it make?"
Quietly the man picked up a fish and tossed it back into the ocean, and quipped:
"It made a difference to that one!"
If one teaches one, informs one, tells one, in time we're all taught, and informed.
If you "behave," you won't attract negative attention, but you'll be untrue to you.
I'll be look for your e-mail.
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