My background is Nordic, English, and Irish. And Episcopalian by birth. I am definitely in your article's target range.
My great great great great great grandfather (something like that) was a Captain on a ship for the East India Company in the 1500s. My family arrived in America on the first boats.
I see article after article on Medium bashing "my people."
But here's the thing. History is history. The current reality is the current reality. If people in my demographic want to continue to ignore the history that is on record, then the bashing is going to continue.
As long as there exists ONE racist fool - and foolishness it is, then we all need to fight racism.
For some reason, there is no record of anyone in my family holding slaves. They kept moving westward. So maybe I got lucky and was born into the rare northern European family that didn't approve of slavery.
But that's not why I didn't grow up a racist. The reason I didn't grow up racist is that it pissed me off when my parents spewed out their daily epithets. I didn't understand it. And I took it personally because I had some very close Black friends at an early age and later throughout high school. This wasn't the famous, "some of my best friends are…" - These were people near and dear to me, and the epithets were hurtful.
When Obama was elected, I had tears of joy. Surprisingly, I did when Biden stood at his Inaugural with Kamala, too, maybe because of her, or maybe just the joy of knowing that these last four years of anger, hate, and sadness might actually be countered with some hope.
It's possible that all the "white" bashing will have a backlash effect. I say, fine, bring it on. Because NOBODY who is not a racist should have a problem with it, nor should they take it personally. As a white person, I declare, formally, that if you are a white person and you object to anti-racism articles, then you are a racist. And if you say you are not, at least shut up and move out of the lane, because the fight against racism isn't going to stop because you're a little uncomfortable.
White people are NOT under any kind of pressure in this country, despite some of the lunatics who talk about how whites are on the verge of losing whatever it is they say they are about to lose.
When I get pulled over, I don't need to slam my hands on the steering wheel. I don't get glared at when I walk into a boutique in a tourist town. If I was looking for a job, I'd still have a built-in advantage, and the day I don't will be a good day, not a bad one. People who are afraid of losing that advantage don't have the courage to compete professionally. They don't get my sympathy.
Besides, when's the last time you saw a guy in a MAGA hat slinging shingles on a roof in a Dallas suburb? These people don't want to work. They want to drink beer and sit in a bar while complaining about immigrants and slapping the waitress in the butt before going home and kicking the dog.
The most bizarre aspect of racism is this. Go to any city in America with more than about 90,000 people in it. After the pandemic, hit a local festival. It will look like a United Nations gathering. It's a beautiful thing. It really is. But the other thing is, whatever it is that racist white people are afraid of HAS ALREADY HAPPENED.
"They" are here. They are our neighbors, our dentists, our store clerks, and our lawyers. They're our writers and philosophers and mathematicians. They're our ballplayers, actors, POETS, singers, and small business owners. They give us such a rich abundance of culture that it is unfathomable to imagine this country without them.
And yet, some white people consider this what, exactly? I'll tell you what. They think it is some kind of infestation. And why is that? My guess is that they are afraid, but I don't know what they are afraid of. Competition? That's all I can think of.
Want a dystopian, nightmare scenario? Imagine that every person in this country is a white Anglo-Saxon protestant. OMG, talk about hell on earth. Nothing against Sweden, but that's not where I want to live. I want diversity. (Although even Sweden is changing - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Sweden#Contemporary_immigration)
I really don't believe that racists think that they're superior. Some may claim they are, but I think the core of their behavior stems from the fear of being outclassed in a competitive environment by people they aren't willing to try to understand.
Some of this is human nature. The Irish in my family were ridiculed by the English in that same family. My father wouldn't even admit his black Irish heritage to my mother's family. And then, when your folks from Sicily arrived, my Irish family took a fist to their face, and so on. And, sorry to say, some of the most prejudiced, anti-Black people I ever met in Chicago were Italian (something they had in common with their Irish competitors).
I'll end on an optimistic note. What is happening now is also part of the natural order of things. Humanity, with its crazy instant communications, is actually growing up. Yeah, the internet gives the crazies a voice, but the overall consciousness - the collective soul as it were, is resoundingly of the mind that we are all one family.
Racism will fade away. I believe this very deeply.
But the fight needs to continue, especially now, while the racists are trying so hard to be heard. They can't be allowed to enter the mainstream. This may mean people like me take a few hits. I can live with that.
Apologies for such a long comment. I guess that's a measure of how good your points were that I was inspired to write so much. Thanks!!
