Like compulsive gamblers, spouse abusers, and alcoholics, White America has a racism problem it refuses to acknowledge. People with problems like these often tell their relatives that they either don’t have the problem — or that it’s actually the fault of family members. Interventions rarely go well. More often than not, families don’t even intervene. This is precisely how White America deals with racism: it doesn’t.
On Wednesday Tim Scott, a Black Republican Senator from South Carolina, went on air following Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress to deliver the Republican response. Although for four years Scott rarely objected to any of Trump’s numerous racist Tweets or cruel executive orders, he attacked Biden for “pulling us further apart” in a matter of 100 days.
White Republicans no doubt enjoyed watching a Black member of their party doing their dirty work for them, defending a party that is 89% white, rushing to institute new Jim Crow voter suppression policies in dozens of states, trying to crush protests over police killings through new and likely unconstitutional laws, writing laws to protect people who run over BLM protestors or get liberal teachers fired, and enacting “religious protection” laws mainly to privilege White Christians.
These mint julep sipping White Republicans must have especially enjoyed watching Scott dutifully delivered the line: “Hear me clearly: America is not a racist country.” The Senator took some well-deserved heat for his nonsensical talking points. Michael Harriot, writing in the Root, tore Scott a couple of new orifices, laying out just how ridiculous Scott’s denial of a racist White America really is.
Of course, Democrats didn’t want to upset America’s racist white majority either, so they mouthed precisely the same words. Vice President Kamala Harris told Good Morning America, “No, I don’t think America is a racist country.” And on the Today Show President Joe Biden said those words as well, suggesting that racism of the past has left wreckage in its wake: “but I think after 400 years African Americans have been left in a position where they are so far behind the eight ball in terms of education and health, in terms of opportunity.”
In an editorial on WBSM’s website, local bloviator Barry Richard not only rejected white racism but hung the label of racist on those who acknowledge its reality. “I think the real racists are the ones who call racism at every turn. They see racism under every bed and around every corner.” That, of course means most Liberals and most Black people — except for Scott and Candace Owens.
But there’s really not enough distance between Richard and Biden here. Neither want to confront a meth head relative with his problem. And neither is ready to insist on a family intervention.
With such glaring inequities in policing, prosecution, incarceration, housing, education, wealth, health, political power, and longevity, playing semantic games and trying to deny reality is a dangerous game. America has a serious white supremacy problem that neither Republicans nor Democrats want to address. Like any disease, if left untreated the patient is going to die. We’re not going to make it as a country unless we go into rehab immediately. But that requires first acknowledging that you’ve got a problem.
Comments are closed.