From Newsmax
May 24, 2022
co-authored with Jeff Ballabon
White supremacism is back in the news. Why?
One reason is that the Buffalo shooter left a lengthy, disturbed “manifesto” touching upon many themes — adopting and attacking slogans used across America’s full political spectrum — including white supremacism.
The more important reason is that Democrats from Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on down like talking about white supremacism and so, of course, does the mainstream media..
To hear them tell it, little else in America matters. It’s irrelevant that COVID-related isolation and anxiety appear to have played a significant role in the shooter’s psychological decline.
It’s irrelevant that the shooter railed against eco-fascism and Fox News.
It’s irrelevant that there are unprecedented numbers of illegal aliens streaming across our Southern border and being ferried around the country — or that government advocacy on their behalf might contribute to psychological instability.
It’s irrelevant that American media, political leaders, medical professionals and other leading institutions lie consistently, repeatedly and with zero accountability — or that the affront to common sense and observable reality might drive an already unstable young man to the point of violence.
No, such considerations and the entire context of his rant are entirely irrelevant because they might point a finger at America’s corrupt mainstream leadership. So instead, those leaders choose to point the finger at their designated villains: white supremacists. And lo! Standing behind those white supremacists, our corrupt leaders always manage to find their political opponents. Quelle Surprise!
White supremacists are the easiest target in America. While it is unclear how many Americans actually qualify as “white supremacists,” there don’t appear to be many. Certainly, they boast no organizations of any real size, have no evident political clout, few media platforms with any significant following, and approximately zero support anywhere on the political spectrum.
While individual white supremacists can inflict extreme violence and harm, there is no effective white supremacist movement in America today. That sort of white supremacism is indeed a dark part of American history, and though Americans have buried it, it’s wise to remain vigilant against those who would like to resurrect it.
At the moment, however, antipathy towards white supremacism represents one of the few matters of truly bipartisan consensus.
So why do Democratic politicians seem convinced that they can use it to score political points?
The answer is simple: Democrats and Republicans despise white supremacism for different reasons.
The right despises white supremacists because they’re supremacist. The left despises white supremacists because they’re white.
The point is clear though rarely stated. “Supremacism” is a noxious set of beliefs that can emerge within any group. Supremacists believe that their group is inherently superior to the other groups with which it is forced to interact. Members of the superior group are entitled to privileges and benefits denied to others.
White supremacists identify themselves as “white,” see “white” as a meaningful group definition, and believe that “white people” are entitled to be respected for their superiority.
They chafe at any notion of equality for members of the groups they deem “inferior.” They rail against “plots” to level the playing field and any suggestion that their “whiteness” makes them in no way special.
Black supremacists feel the same way about being “Black.” The Christmas massacre in Waukesha, for example, was committed by a Black supremacist. Organizations like Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam are explicitly Black supremacist.
The Black Lives Matter platform is suffused with Black supremacism. American Black supremacism is a far newer phenomenon than white supremacism, and it is now far more powerful.
Few if any Democrats ever speak against Black supremacism. In fact, many deny that it exists at all — and some even go so far as to insist that Black supremacism could not exist. When violence ensues, as happens with alarming frequency, they ignore, excuse or justify it.
Muslim supremacists feel the same way about “Islam.” Islamism is a globally important political movement of Muslim supremacists. 9/11, the San Bernadino massacre, and numerous other acts of terrorism flow from that supremacist ideology.
Islamism is by far the most prominent and most dangerous form of supremacism in today’s world.
Few if any Democrats ever speak against supremacist Islamists. When they decry specific acts of Islamist violence, they are quick to detach the violence from the underlying supremacism.
Republicans, conservatives and pundits to the right of center are far more consistent in their opposition to supremacism. They also excel at distinguishing broad groups from their supremacist members.
Most people — including those who take pride in their own identities and the groups to which they belong — reject supremacism. Most find the supremacists within their own groups or movements embarrassing aberrations, or worse.
It would be nice if leading Democrats would be as forceful in shaming, confronting, and opposing supremacists who don’t happen to be white. Sadly, there’s no sign that they’ll begin to do so anytime soon.
No responses yet