Disappearing White Privilege?

I must say, I hate when people relegate racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia to Mississippi. I hate it because I travel extensively. I follow the news extensively. I'm a history bug. I consider all of the above -hatred - an American problem; not one exclusive to any state or region of the country. From Watts, to Detroit, to Chicago, to Memphis to Jackson to Dallas to Washington D.C., senseless acts of violence have erupted in this country, taking the lives (or in the case of Reagan, attempting to take the lives) of some of our most promising leaders.
When historians write of these times, most of them talk about the politico-economic uncertainty that produced flames of fear and hatred. What they don't talk about is the importance of the hot air coming out of people's mouths that whipped those flames into 5-alarm fires of violence. Case in point: the Oklahoma bombing of 1995 was not a random act of violence. It was carefully planned and orchestrated. Could it also be that Mr. McVeigh, and other domestic terror groups are being given signals to use extremism and violence against opposing points of view from Conservative -often Republican -leaders?
With the passage of the health care bill, the secret service has seen an increase in terror threats against Democratic lawmakers. In Ohio, New York, and even in Washington D.C., seemingly random acts of violence and racial/sexual epithets have been hurled at lawmakers. In Pinson, Alabama, a Mr. Mike Vanderboegh is calling for like-minded patriots to break the windows of Democratic lawmakers before rifle owners have to resort to pulling guns in a new revolution. Mr. Vanderboegh is not patriotic enough, however, to turn down his government-issued social security disability checks which support his suburban lifestyle. Michelle Bachmann, giving an interview earlier this week, described herself as a "foreign correspondent on enemy lines." I saw senior Republican Party members fan the flames of angry Tea Party members by waving their flag back and forth. Meanwhile, on the floor of government, Republicans are just now proposing some sane amendments to the health care bill. Why now? We don't even know what's in the health care bill. Neither does Mr. Vanderboegh. And I'm willing to bet that most of those Tea Party members don't know, either.
So, what's the real issue here? We know that the Congressional Budget Office said that the new health care bill actually reduces the deficit, and is not guaranteed to grow the government. So, what are these people really wailing about? Most of them receive Medicare/Medicaid or some form of assistance. Those who are not already receiving this benefit, will certainly qualify for it in the future. So, I ask again, what's really going on here?
It is my belief that domestic terrorism and anger at government increase from those who stand to benefit the most from government increase is a screen for a more American problem: that of hatred. These people are terrified of losing what they feel is some sort of white privilege. In America, whiteness is a property that comes with not only a form of normalization of life and experiences, but with a certain intrinsic value protected by legal, social, and economic institutions. J. W. Cash called it the Proto-Dorian bond, and it is to be guarded and watered by the "blood of tyrants" who dare take it away. One of the cornerstones of white privilege is that it is exclusive. In order to enjoy this white privilege, one needs first and foremost, white skin. I think that may be all, because certainly the throngs of poor white people gathered in Washington D.C. and who live and benefit from government intervention, have nothing to gain under Republican rulership, which leans toward big business. According to W. J. Cash, the Proto-Dorian bond is a feeling of unity and support that unites whites across all class lines in a common culture of white supremacy. So, it was no slip of the tongue when Pat Buchanan, when being interviewed by Rachel Maddow, claims that white men alone built this country and its theirs.
All of this violence, protesting, screaming, and yelling is not about Big Government. It's not about health care. It's not about the deficit. If you ask me, these are just code words in a common culture of white supremacy. White supremacists feel like they are under attack, and may very well lose the white privilege they've enjoyed for more than three centuries in the United States of America. They are angry at the white people who voted for Barack Obama. They are angry at the white lawmakers who would betray them by guaranteeing immigrants and minorities a share of that seemingly shrinking American Pie. Most of all, they are afraid, and their leaders are stoking that fear every day. People like John Boehner, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, John McCain...good white American people who stand up to this "socialist/communist takeover" are their last hopes. In true American fashion, they react the only way they know how: with hateful words and equally violent actions that follow. If this violence results in tragedy, I think the people who are fanning the flames should also be held accountable, not just the participants of the protests and acts.

From the Plantation to the White House

Last night, something historic happened. America elected its first black president, Barack Obama. I tried to be jubilant, but the benydryl won out, and I dropped into sleep right after his speech. My husband and brother celebrated for me by illegally shooting fireworks in front of our home!
I awoke this morning, however, joyous but not surprised. I knew it was going to happen. And how did I know? A surprising source: football. National Football League, and the way it deals with African American coaches should teach us a thing a two about why we can't let our guards down. We might have shouted last night, but today we must be sober. We stil have work to do, and here's how football teaches us this...
1. It took a long time for Black coaches to be considered as candidates for coaching jobs in the NFL. When they are picked, they are usually given the sorriest teams imaginable. They are put under more pressure to produce results, and given less time than their white counterparts. Remember how Tampa Bay did Tony Dungy?
Think of what it took for a Black candidate to be taken as a serious competitor for the office of president. We are fighting a senseless war of aggression in one country, and half-ass fighting where we are needed most. We have lost our sense of moral and intellectual integrity and our perception as a beacon of hope. Because of greed and racism, the housing market has gone down, and caused a global financial crises. The stock market has crashed and crashed again. WE are experiencing our own depression. Education is in a standstill. America lags behind even some third-world countries in educational funding. Crime is sky-rocketing. In short, this country is a mess. This country had to be tore up from the ground up for a Black man to be considered for presidency. At this point, I think people would have accepted a dog over another Republican, if that dog were white. Even with all of this going on, Obama had a tough fight because of his skin color. Which brings me to my next point...
2. America's team, the Dallas Cowboys, has never had a Black coach, and Jerry Jones won't even think of interviewing one for the job. He wants that winning team, and doesn't think it's a shame that his stubborness is costing him good will in the eyes of his fans and colleagues. Think of the Dallas Cowboys as the South. Do you all realize that the South is one of the poorest regions in the nation, and always votes Republican? With the exception of Virginia and Florida, Obama did not carry any Southern states. So, we can't sit back and relax. Normally, everybody gets to dump on Mississippi, however, this election has proved that the whole South is content to remain at the back of the bus. The South has taken her stand yet again, and like Jerry Jones, is content to accept losing and/or dying over positive change with an African American leader.
3. And then there are teams that have liberal and empathetic coaches, and players shoot themselves in the foot. These teams, like the Bears, and the Bengals, are unruly and undisciplined. They stay in trouble both on the field, and off the field. It is as if their money and superstar status have given them a license to act a damn fool, and piss away a magnificent opportunity to just play football, rather than hit the grind like the rest of us. These men, drunk on the wine of the world, screw up their marriages, their jobs, and their families because they are not mature enough or disciplined enough to handle the enormous responsibilities that come with success. Don't laugh at Michael Vick, one only needs to pay attention to the behavior of some urban African American populations to understand his behaviour. Instead of taking advantage of the tremendouse educational opportunities given us by our ancestors who died in the Civil Rights Movement, and before then, we became satisfied raising our families on trinkets, baptizing them in materialism, and teaching them to accept mediocrity. After the Civil Rights Movement, many Baby Boomer African Americans dropped the ball and fumbled it. They decided that being able to buy more material goods was more important than teaching our current generation our history. Now, it is coming to fruition. We have more Black men in jail than college. We have Black women having a bunch of children by different men so that they can receive more food stamps and other benefits. We have a generation whose only knowledge of Black history consists of a preacher from Georgia and woman whose feet were tired....Period. We are lost...almost.
But Obama gives us hope. And this time, we cannot afford to fumble the ball to the likes of BET and other psychologically damaging images of ourselves. We must look to ourselves and take responsibility for ourselves.
1. Let us reembrace Jessie Jackson. People make mistakes. WE need to stop putting our leaders upon a pedestal, thereby alleviating ourselves of any responsibilities for our own personal actions. Jessie did wrong, but he is our brother, and our father. We need to show him love. We do wrong, too. It's just that his wrongs are public and ours are private. We need to stop putting everything on the preachers' shoulders, and read and study for ourselves.
2. Let us always lift up President Obama with our prayers. Yes, he will be tested. But don't give in to typical Negro apathy, "I told ya'll he wasn't gone do nothing."
3. Let us be parents again, and not friends. Let us teach our children our history. Let us stop putting in ourselves into a system of volunteer slavery that tells you that a maxed out credit card at an interest rate of 29.9% is worth a new outfit for church, and passing on the curse of financial irresponsibility to our children. We don't have to be dressed to be blessed.
4. Let us look past the surface of things. Let us start to address some things that have been quiet as kept for far too long. Let us stop pretending that the young folk are to blame for so much silliness. We learned it from somewhere.
While we lift up Barack in our prayers, let us pull ourselves up by the emotional bootstraps. Mr. Obama once said that his favorite writer is Toni Morrison. I can see that. I can see that because in her books, she lets you feel the power of the white supremacy, but does not concern herself with it. Instead, she holds the Black community responsible for what happens to its weakest individuals. When we don't guide our children, love our neighbors, address our painful pasts, or pray for one another, disaster usually happens to somebody who felt like their own people did not love or support them. By the time the community realizes what is has done or failed to do, it is often much, much too late. And in her narratives, we have nobody to blame but ourselves.