Conservative Truth - Race in America - Brian W. Peterson

In my 24 years of writing political commentary, I rarely write about two issues: race and abortion. Both issues are packed with their own unique brands of emotions – passions which boil so close to the surface of the tongue and brain that minds – and sides – rarely change.

In October of last year, I wrote about the negative impact Barack H. Obama had on race relations during his tenure in the White House (http://www.conservativetruth.org/article.php?id=6051), and I briefly referenced a time when I was fired for the color of my skin: an event that I now find fascinating, given that I have never personally known a minority who can make that claim. I used to live in southern California; I have known and been friends with many minorities. By their own admissions, none was fired for racial reasons.

To avoid repeating myself, we shall steer clear of that column’s subject: the Great Divider and his legacy. Suffice it to say the half-black president did far more harm than good for American race relations, starting when Obama-the-candidate indirectly pegged his own grandmother as a racist.

In perhaps my third column about race in 20+ years, I find it interesting how racism has become acceptable in 2018. In years past, only Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were acceptable, mainstream racists. Equally racist, though slightly more unhinged individuals such as Louis Farrakhan were just beyond the friendship orbit of liberals. Oh, they wanted so badly to pull him in and make him mainstream, but there were the remarks about spaceships; and Jews; and Whites being plagues. Liberals, particularly in the national media – many of whom are Jewish – couldn’t bring themselves to embrace the vile man.

The interesting aspect of race relations in America is that, in many ways, we are worse off now than we were 20 years ago. At the same time, racism by Whites, while not entirely stamped out, is – institutionally, certainly – a thing of the past. On the other hand, inadvertent utterances that could be conceived as somehow close to being perceived as almost racist means the loss of employment for a White person in 2018.

Two years ago, while in a long, warm conversation with the renowned 1970s so-called “blaxploitation” actor Fred Williamson (do not refer to it as “blaxploitation” or “exploitation” to Williamson), I realized that a White man and Black man were in a conversation that cannot take place with today’s younger generations. There was no difficulty with the subject of race. No awkwardness. Williamson characteristically spoke his mind, and I characteristically laughed and spoke my mind. He was engaging, honest, and blunt. Neither of us blinked. We laughed. We exchanged thoughts about his careers and about certain perceptions. But we didn’t talk about race the way it is spoken of today.

The former Kansas City Chiefs defenseman, who played in Super Bowl I, snarled at the memory of a teammate who made a key blunder in the loss to the Packers, just as he fiercely let his opinions be known about a specific actor whom he believed was mimicking his career. Williamson and I spoke about race freely. How could we avoid the subject? He was the “Black Caesar.” He was the star of a sub-genre of movies, and he was more than willing to talk about those days (although he still acts today). Yet there was not a moment of discomfort for either of us. I have no “White guilt” and he held no...whatever it is he is supposed to feel – a sense of oppression? – in front of a White man.

I still chuckle at our conversations that took place on two separate days. Despite the fact that we indeed spoke of race, we were simply two men, conversing. Nothing more, nothing less.

Today, young White people talk about race in hushed, apologetic tones, as though they share some guilt, as though they once owned slaves. They buy into the racist notion of “White privilege,” yet fail to understand the racism inherent in the term, let alone the belief.

When I chatted with Williamson at length, I felt no need to apologize for my whiteness and certainly no sympathy for his skin color; he returned the favor. We were two men. Period.

One deleterious factor is social media. Racists such as DeRay McKesson and the fake Black guy, Shaun King, who is really White but lives in an alternate reality (note: the definition of “insanity” is when mind and reality do not meet), broadcast their views on social media. King, McKesson, and others are on Twitter, where people freely consume their bilge.

In America, everyone has the right to be heard, but not everyone deserves to be heard.

The belief in “White privilege” is a belief in the destruction of centuries of civilization because certain White societies built up Western civilization. Actually, it is more accurate to point out that the English-speaking world built up what is now Western Civilization; but that is too complicated for an easy sale – the French, Dutch, Spaniards, and a few other nationalities would become a bit cranky about the matter. No reason to split hairs. Nevertheless, complaints about “whiteness” are just racism while wearing another pair of shoes.

With education levels declining at breakneck speed in our nation – critical thinking seemingly a matter of history – and now we throw in social media’s influence for good measure, the population is ripe, particularly among younger people, to believe that until the latest two generations of young people came along, minorities in America were beaten regularly and denied access to the first two seasons of Game of Thrones.

Why is “White guilt” “a thing,” as young people would say? Because they were taught it was a thing. Those old hippies are their college professors. Whatever they smoked in the late-60s and early-70s still clings to brain cells – at least to the brain cells that have yet to die off. Liberals control the education system. Many parents are afraid to challenge what their kids are taught in schools – from grade school to university.

I don’t like to write about race because I don’t care about race: I take people as individuals, not groups. I calculate there are far more White people I have disliked in my life than any other race, yet I am not racist against Whites. If you are a good person, odds are we can get along. If you judge me by the fact that I amWhite, and think that means I am automatically on the golden path to success, then you know nothing about my life. Try being a “token” of your race, then get fired from your job despite good performance. Then let’s talk about “White privilege.”

For full disclosure, my situation was not a White/Black one, which further takes the race dynamic deeper than your average talking head or politically correct commentator can intellectually handle. Racism in America frequently is not against Blacks; it does not come from Whites; those who only understand the White/Black dynamic are yearning for that old liberal paradigm they can work to their advantage.

There is an inconvenient truth for these New Age, PC racists: America was built on a European-centric tradition. That tradition had flaws because human beings were involved, but it built a society where anyone and everyone can flourish. The “everyone” part did not happen immediately, but we got there.

Those who wish to tear down our society are enemies to freedom-lovers everywhere. We have to educate the young people who follow these racists before they all tear down what is good and great in America.

Next time, we will look at the intellectual shallowness that emanates from this racism.

Race in America

Racism from Another Perspective

July 2, 2018