The Rally At Charlottesville
The year is 2017 and I am writing a day after the rally "Unite the Right" at Charlotesville, VA. If you do not follow the news you may not know that hundreds of white supremacists carrying citronella torches marched last night at the University of Virginia. Some of their chants, which were filmed on video, include "white lives matter", "you will not replace us", and "blood and soil", the last one being an allusion to "Blut und Boden" from Nazi Germany.
Perhaps the news I consume and the people I follow influence my perception on the gravity of the situation. I'm aware that the KKK and other groups with similar views have always existed and marched in the US. Despite that, I can't help feeling genuine shock at the events and my perception of these groups is that they have become more confident and brazen on their views. They have reason to feel confident. David Duke, Andrew Anglin, Rocky Suhaida, Alex Linder, Don Black, and many others voices in the white ethno-nationalist movement endorsed the man who became president. They won and they feel that their interests and views are being represented by Trump and other people in his administration. I am not accusing Trump of being racist (I will keep my opinion on that to myself for now) but I do see him as complicit and willing to tolerate the ideology in exchange of votes. I remember staring, in shock, at the footage of nazi salutes and nazi references at a conference in Washington DC led by Richard Spencer. I remember Trump hesitance to disavow the KKK claiming not to know anything about them even though he disavowed Duke. Every so often I am reminded of this toxic entanglement when I hear Stephen Miller trying to use his well rehearsed ethno-nationalist lite rhetoric as he speaks for the White House. I am reminded of it as I see Gorka, a man of extremely intolerant views of islam and questionable credentials being praised by Trump. I was reminded of it during the campaign when Trump referred to mexican immigrants as drug dealers, criminals and rapists and then unironically added the "assumption" that some were good people. I am reminded of it simply because these people, including Bannon, have a job at the White House. Their hostile extreme views are palatable enough to permit them a place at the table, a table which belong to americans of all ethnicities and races. To top all of this we (progressives, the left, POC) are blamed for the resurgence of ethno-nationalists. The narrative goes that we brought this upon ourselves by challenging the soft-core discrimination that is so embedded in our culture that is invisible to others. Our refusal to allow the remnants of racism to continue unchallenged is seen as defiance and an attack on the norm. By complaining, we made white conservatives share the spotlight of american politics and shattered the illusion of what was supposed to be a post-racial society. An illusion that only worked to soothe the nerves and conscience of those who are not victimized by it.
As a result of this fight a sense of resentment has been building up and in that resentment lies the unholy matrimony of ethno-nationalists and republicans. Both groups feel angry, ignored, betrayed and frustrated. Because the republican base is largely composed of white conservatives and do not seem to be interested in the issues that exclusively affect non-whites, its platform tends to reflect policies that disproportionately benefit white people even at the cost of everybody else. This doesn't mean that republicans want to turn America into an ethno-nationalist utopia but the results of their policies are ethno-nationalist friendly. I don't think every republican is aware of this. A sense of entitlement that comes naturally with privilege pervades their thoughts and it makes them feel that whatever they lack in life should have been rightfully theirs and it was taken from them by the others (POC, immigrants, the poor, etc). Thinking like this is easier than actually examining their own failures or the actual failures of an economic system they worship. If they could look past race they would see that we're in this together. The struggle for better chances and for the overall improvement of society is a common fight across all races. They could look at the system instead of focusing on the people who try to survive in it. That may involve some cognitive dissonance but growing up is often a labor of pain.
Edit: Hours after writing this post, a member of the ethno-nationalist group "alt-right" drove his car against a multitude of counter-protesters. Many were injured and one person died as a result of this attack.
Perhaps the news I consume and the people I follow influence my perception on the gravity of the situation. I'm aware that the KKK and other groups with similar views have always existed and marched in the US. Despite that, I can't help feeling genuine shock at the events and my perception of these groups is that they have become more confident and brazen on their views. They have reason to feel confident. David Duke, Andrew Anglin, Rocky Suhaida, Alex Linder, Don Black, and many others voices in the white ethno-nationalist movement endorsed the man who became president. They won and they feel that their interests and views are being represented by Trump and other people in his administration. I am not accusing Trump of being racist (I will keep my opinion on that to myself for now) but I do see him as complicit and willing to tolerate the ideology in exchange of votes. I remember staring, in shock, at the footage of nazi salutes and nazi references at a conference in Washington DC led by Richard Spencer. I remember Trump hesitance to disavow the KKK claiming not to know anything about them even though he disavowed Duke. Every so often I am reminded of this toxic entanglement when I hear Stephen Miller trying to use his well rehearsed ethno-nationalist lite rhetoric as he speaks for the White House. I am reminded of it as I see Gorka, a man of extremely intolerant views of islam and questionable credentials being praised by Trump. I was reminded of it during the campaign when Trump referred to mexican immigrants as drug dealers, criminals and rapists and then unironically added the "assumption" that some were good people. I am reminded of it simply because these people, including Bannon, have a job at the White House. Their hostile extreme views are palatable enough to permit them a place at the table, a table which belong to americans of all ethnicities and races. To top all of this we (progressives, the left, POC) are blamed for the resurgence of ethno-nationalists. The narrative goes that we brought this upon ourselves by challenging the soft-core discrimination that is so embedded in our culture that is invisible to others. Our refusal to allow the remnants of racism to continue unchallenged is seen as defiance and an attack on the norm. By complaining, we made white conservatives share the spotlight of american politics and shattered the illusion of what was supposed to be a post-racial society. An illusion that only worked to soothe the nerves and conscience of those who are not victimized by it.
As a result of this fight a sense of resentment has been building up and in that resentment lies the unholy matrimony of ethno-nationalists and republicans. Both groups feel angry, ignored, betrayed and frustrated. Because the republican base is largely composed of white conservatives and do not seem to be interested in the issues that exclusively affect non-whites, its platform tends to reflect policies that disproportionately benefit white people even at the cost of everybody else. This doesn't mean that republicans want to turn America into an ethno-nationalist utopia but the results of their policies are ethno-nationalist friendly. I don't think every republican is aware of this. A sense of entitlement that comes naturally with privilege pervades their thoughts and it makes them feel that whatever they lack in life should have been rightfully theirs and it was taken from them by the others (POC, immigrants, the poor, etc). Thinking like this is easier than actually examining their own failures or the actual failures of an economic system they worship. If they could look past race they would see that we're in this together. The struggle for better chances and for the overall improvement of society is a common fight across all races. They could look at the system instead of focusing on the people who try to survive in it. That may involve some cognitive dissonance but growing up is often a labor of pain.
Edit: Hours after writing this post, a member of the ethno-nationalist group "alt-right" drove his car against a multitude of counter-protesters. Many were injured and one person died as a result of this attack.
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