Tag: racism

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

President Joe Biden gave a joint speech before Congress last week, which I think is as close to a State of the Union Address we’re going to get from him this year. In it, the President talked about a lot of topics, some of which were actually in English, but one of them that has become a focal point is systemic racism. Much like air or pop singers who use AutoTune, systemic racism is everywhere from your local police to pancake syrup (and I wish I was joking about that last one). Yet, the Left feels confident they can combat systemic racism and win because…well, they’re Leftists!

While the Left finds systemic racism under every rock, very few are willing to tell us what it is, only where it is. So, leave it to your humble correspondent to lift the veil on this controversial topic.

systemic racism

What the Left thinks it means – when entire systems discriminate against people of color

What it really means – an easy explanation for a more complex issue

Let’s be fair here. America’s history is rife with racism, and we’re still dealing with the repercussions of that history today. And we still haven’t gotten a handle on how to address the past and make progress, at least from a governmental perspective. The Left recognizes this and has a strategy to deal with it.

1) Find the system
2) Find the racism
3) Complain about the racism
4) ?
5) Profit

Right now most of the Left’s plans to deal with systemic racism is stuck in Phase 4, but they’re still able to move to Phase 5 when it’s time to elect more Leftists. Yet, with all of the systemic racism that’s supposed to be out there, why it is the systems themselves aren’t being torn down or reformed?

It would negatively impact Phase 5.

Politicians of all stripes love crises because they create opportunities to expand their power base, get a little more scratch from people, shore up support for ideologically-driven goals, and so on. If a problem gets resolved, though, that avenue dries up. Thus, any issue that can be exploited will be exploited until it no longer generates the desired upsides. Then, the issue mysteriously goes away! Amazing how that happens, isn’t it?

Of course, the Left has no problems taking actions that benefit themselves while giving the black community the shaft. Remember the 1994 crime bill? That resulted in higher numbers of blacks being prosecuted and incarcerated for drug-related crimes. Remember the “three strikes” sentencing initiative? That also negatively impacted the black community due to the number of repeat offenders. In fact, I can’t really point to anything the Left has advocated that has wound up helping the black community in any meaningful way over the past couple of decades. They’ll throw money at the problem, which generates votes, but doesn’t move the needle towards actual progress.

That brings us to systemic racism. It’s a nice idea in theory, at least to Leftists, because it allows people of color to blame their woes on a nameless, faceless system rather than actions taken or untaken, and it allows white Leftists to show solidarity to people of color without actually helping. And by tacking on as many systems as possible, the concept of systemic racism will continue to live on ad nauseum. (And, no, that’s not a typo.)

Here’s the problem, though. The concept doesn’t seem to reflect the wider reality. Even with America’s racist past, our present and even our future are far removed from that past. Look around you. I’m willing to bet most of you live in integrated areas where you’re around people that don’t look like you. In some cases, there will be strife because some people haven’t gotten the memo about getting along, but most of the time, we coexist without issue. At least, that’s the impression I get from the “Coexist” bumper stickers and, oh yeah, the utter lack of violence, destruction, and general mayhem. You know, aside from Portland.

This opens up a whole lotta questions, the first one being where is the systemic racism? If it’s as extensive as the Left wants us to believe, it should be, well, everywhere. The fact we can’t see it may not be absolute proof it doesn’t exist, but it’s hard to argue it’s there if there aren’t concrete examples. If mortgage banks contribute to systemic racism (as the Left believes), there wouldn’t be as much, if any, intermingling of cultures and people of different racial backgrounds. We would be gentrified.

You know, like white Leftist neighborhoods?

That leads to more questions, each one damning the idea of systemic racism further. Think of it like a game of Jenga on the San Andreas Fault during a 4.5 earthquake. You might appear to have a strong foundation, but sooner or, well, even sooner the whole thing comes tumbling down.

That’s not going to stop the Left from making systemic racism a thing because it still leads to Phase 5, and there are enough people willing to believe it exists. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to convince those who believe to look at the reality of the situation. Instead, let’s focus on what we can affect: the systems themselves. Just because systemic racism isn’t a widespread problem doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem where it exists. And right now, there’s one prominent group where systemic racism is prevalent and pervasive.

I call it the Democrat Party.

After all, they are a power structure that benefits from keeping people of color down…

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

During the first Presidential freakshow…I mean debate, moderator Chris Wallace asked Presidential Donald Trump about his stance to discontinue federal racial sensitivity training using Critical Race Theory. You would have thought the President decided to throw kittens and puppies against a brick wall by the way Wallace and the Left reacted to the President taking action on this.

As you might expect, the Left loves Critical Race Theory and hates anyone that would curtail its use. But what exactly is it? An academic exercise? A sociological theory? A combination shampoo and conditioner that prevents dandruff while keeping your hair bouncy and manageable? Well, allow me to be your tour guide on this bus tour of the latest Leftist Lexicon entry. And remember to bring your hip waders because it’s going to get pretty deep here.

Critical Race Theory

What the Left thinks it means – an important concept necessary to address systemic racism and create an even playing field for all

What it really means – a crackpot idea that perpetuates racism as a means to gain financial, political, and social power

Granted, I might have a bit of a slanted view on Critical Race Theory because, well, I’m applying common sense and logic to it. Darn my logical mind! Let me try to explain it concisely and without my biases getting in the way. Critical Race Theory has two facets. The first is white supremacy has obtained and maintained a monopoly of power through various systems, including the law. The second is these systems can and should be dismantled and transformed to balance the scales, as it were.

On second thought, let’s go with what I originally typed.

The first tenet of Critical Race Theory sounds a lot like what the Left thinks today about whites, or as I prefer to be called Honkey-Americans. There is an article of faith on the Left (which is weird given their stance on religion generally) that there are power structures all over the place controlled by whites. You can’t swing a dead voter’s stack of absentee ballots without hitting one! If you question it, the Left doesn’t provide proof. Instead, they call you ignorant, backwards, or worst of all…a Trump supporter!

The funny thing is the lack of proof the Left provides is the proof of the lack of racist power structures. Even though there are still predominantly white positions of power, there are people of all colors making strides into said positions. Do we have a point of equity yet? Nope, but we have a point where race is not a factor in determining qualifications for a position. If anything, hiring practices may be moving in a direction where being white is a hindrance.

Then, let’s take a look at college enrollment and pre-enrollment activities, like the SATs. As far back as the 1990s, the SATs have been adjusting their scoring based on the race of the student taking the test. It’s like handicapping a horse race, but with scores. If student A is of a certain race, he or she will get points added to the final score. If student B is of a different race, he or she will get deducted points from the final score. Based on research done on these scoring practices, the ones getting the points added tend to be black, while the ones getting points deducted tend to be white and Asian. When these students enroll in college, blacks get higher acceptance rates than whites or Asians with similar or superior qualifications.

Feel superior yet, my fellow Honkey-Americans?

The second tenet of Critical Race Theory looks good on the surface, but underneath lies, well, lies. Even if you replace all of the white people in power (which would be incredibly sexist) and replace them with people of color, it’s not going to change the system itself. All it will do is change who is in charge of it. And if you do destroy the allegedly racist system and rebuild it in your image, what would that look like? I think I do.

Maybe there are some white farmers in South Africa right now willing to help educate the Critical Race Theory fans about what their ideas might lead to if allowed to come to fruition. Provided they’re not murdered for being white, that is.

The real damage from Critical Race Theory isn’t limited to the perceived systems of power. It’s also affected education, the legal system, and of all things freedom of speech, just to name a few. But it’s in those few areas where the bulk of the damage can be done because each area I just mentioned affects us personally, even if we’re not people of color. We have at least a generation or more of college students who have been taught on various aspects of Critical Race Theory in numerous academic disciplines who then apply that information in other sections. And before you can say “Put on a mask,” it’s spread far and wide.

On second thought, you might need a hazmat suit because Critical Race Theory is as toxic as 1987 Chernobyl.

One of the big questions I have for Critical Race Theory advocates is what happens if you can’t persuade people to adopt it. It’s going to be a hard sell for a lot of people, so there is going to be pushback, and based on what I’ve seen on the topic, it’s not well-developed beyond “white people suck.” And if this is about holding people accountable, who will keep you accountable should your idea go the way of South Africa, circa…oh, today?

As Bill Clinton would say, “There’s the rub.” Wait, that was “Rub me there.” Either way, the basic concept of Critical Race Theory lacks the kind of specificity that would make it persuasive and actionable. Then, there’s the prospect the idea could spread to other minorities and be used against the ones currently pushing for Critical Race Theory. For example, what if Critical Race Theory was used to say African-Americans have institutions of power that have been used to oppress Asian-Americans? Or black conservatives using it to suggest black Leftists have institutional power used against them? And don’t get me started on the power structures that have oppressed albino Eskimo tap-dancers who self identify as Cher!

From where I sit (which is usually in my living room), Critical Race Theory has the potential to be abused to the point of absurdity, further diving people and making the current situation worse. To put it another way, Critical Race Theory is the academic equivalent of 2020: you don’t know what’s going to happen next, but you know it’s going to suck.

Here’s my solution. Ignore race and treat each other like human beings. Sure, it’s not good for the Leftist outrage machine, but it has a track record of working multiple times a day in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and social interactions. Look at where you live, work, and play. Even in my neck of flyover country, people of all races and beliefs get along, and without needing or wanting Critical Race Theory. If anything, we have Critical We Don’t Care About Race Because It’s A Superficial Reason To Hate Each Other Theory. It may not roll off the tongue easily, but it makes a heck of a lot more sense than the alternative.

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that inevitably everything bad can and will be pinned on race. Just within the past year or so, everything from chess to Dr. Seuss has been deemed racist by some member of the Left, and not ironically I might add. The reasons for this are simple: 1) it’s identity politics, and 2) they’re morons.

Yet, if someone like me were to try to push back, the Left would accuse me of “white fragility.” Personally, I’m more into blues, but I wasn’t aware fragility was color based these days. I did, however, know it may be Italian.

To keep everyone in the loop on this, let’s explore white fragility in all of its…I would say glory, but there’s nothing glorious about it.

white fragility

What the Left thinks it means – a negative reaction from whites in reaction to people of color pushing back against white-controlled entities

What it really means – racism against whites

The Left will disagree with my definition of white fragility because of their own definition of racism. To them, whites can’t be victims of racism because whites have power, while people of color don’t. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say the cities where Black Lives Matter members/supporters have burned and looted might have a different opinion of how powerless people of color are. Regardless, this notion is at the core of white fragility because it implies whites are scared of people who don’t look like them exercising the rights whites have been able to exercise themselves.

Which, of course, is crap fostered by the Left in their attempts to be the Great White Hope to people of color.

The Left truly believes they are the only ones who can speak for people of color, and too many people believe it even within the POC community. (Apparently a lack of irony is not just a Leftist phenomenon.) Yet, when it comes to white people like me who openly question why race is such a factor in these types of discussions, the strong white Leftists and their POC counterparts all assume it’s because we’re scared of the change they say is inevitable. Yes, whites will no longer control anything and will have to pay for the sins of systemic racism because…reasons.

And really that’s what it comes down to: reasons devoid of reason.

Any pushback against this sort of thinking is deemed as “white fragility,” but it’s not. In today’s society, taking a stand against racism is pretty much the current societal default setting. The issue is being against all racism, not just the acceptable racism against whites that is so pervasive on the Left. Although the Left has watered down racism to the point of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s Presidential aspirations this year, there is still a definition of racism that works pretty well: the idea that one race is superior or inferior to others. The entire concept of white fragility has its foundations in the notion whites are weak and incapable of adjusting to a situation where whites aren’t the majority.

Guess what, Leftists. You’re racists! Congratulations, and don’t forget to grab your racism starter kit before you leave. And since you believe only whites can be racist, you have no defense.

Once you get beyond the delicious irony of white Leftists being the actual racists in this situation, there is another level of delicious irony when you consider Leftists are the ones who say words are violence. Let that sink in for a moment. The people who love to use “white fragility” think words are violence. If that isn’t fragility, I don’t know what is, but it’s good to know I can use my vocabulary to bludgeon a Leftist figuratively and quite possibly literally.

At the end of the day, it’s night, but it’s also the height of white Leftist snobbery to use white fragility as a response to anyone who isn’t down with their imaginary struggle. If anything, it takes a strong person to stand up against the Left’s bullying these days, so fragility isn’t even in the equation. What is in the equation is the lengths the Left and their POC allies will go to protect the Leftist narrative at the expense of the very POCs white Leftists claim to support. Using racist terminology while proclaiming utterly unrelated things as racist weakens the concept of racism, thus making it harder for actual racism to be confronted. And using “white fragility” to dismiss concerns, legitimate or otherwise, doesn’t help. All it does is create divisions where there don’t need to be.

Granted, there are entitled white folks (Karens, Chads, etc.) who can be used as examples of white fragility, and rightly so. As a white (or if you prefer Honkey-American) man, I can tell you most of us are sick of these idiots, too. Not all of us are like that, though. And shouldn’t we avoid condemning an entire group of people because of the actions of a few?

Or does that standard only apply to Black Lives Matter? Asking for a friend.

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

Have you ever heard of the Law of Unintended Consequences? If not, the gist is sometimes what you want to happen comes with strings attached that you didn’t anticipate. Like eating gas station sushi on a long road trip. You may be happy in the short term, but further down the line you’re going to wind up puking your guts out at a Rest Stop outside Laramie, Wyoming.

Not that that’s ever happened to me, mind you…

Anyway, the Left is experiencing a gas station sushi situation of their own, thanks to a little something called cancel culture. When the Left wants a conservative marginalized from the open market of ideas, they do everything they can to discredit and silence them, expecting them to either apologize (which the Left will never accept) and comply (like confessed liar and Media Matters founder David Brock) or to go silent to avoid further persecution. Now, some prominent Leftist celebrities are watching this practice boomerang against them, and now they’re being held to the same standard they held for others.

And somehow it’s the Right’s fault.

This looks like a good time to look at cancel culture and mock it.

cancel culture

What the Left thinks it means – a movement co-opted by the Right to silence anti-Trump speech

What it really means – the Left not getting the message of 1984

I’m not a fan of silencing people for offending modern sensibilities because it tends to drive their message underground where it can thrive away from the attention of the offended. However, the Left and some members of the Right believe the ends justify the means. They’ve tried with Rush Limbaugh, Chik fil A, Fox News, and others with varying degrees of success. Mostly failure, but I want to be generous.

The entire idea of cancel culture, much like most of Leftist ideas, is absurd at its face. However, with the Left’s dominance of media, those ideas have been given absolute power, and in this case absolute power screws up absolutely. Keep this point in mind because it’s going to get even weirder.

Recently, Leftist celebrities are being called out for using blackface in sketches and shows. Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, Joy Behar, Tina Fey and others are facing legitimate criticism and apologizing for offending people. And in Fey’s case, she’s asking for the episodes of “30 Rock” that used it to be taken off any platform that replays her show. Although the apology and the removal of the offensive material may be enough to satisfy the cancel culture club, it doesn’t change the fact Fey and the producers of “30 Rock” made the decision to allow blackface in the first place.

That may be the biggest shock for the Left right now. Not only have they thought, said, and signed off on racist activities, they’ve championed the very tools of their own destruction…when those tools are used against other people. Although it’s fun to point and laugh (because, believe me, I have), it astounds me how tone-deaf these people are. It’s almost as if they thought they’d never be held to the standards they’ve set for others because their ideology made them immune. They say the right things, they support the right causes, so in their minds, they can’t be batting clean-up behind Adolf Hitler in the World’s Worst People Softball Tournament. It’s almost as if they never expected to get caught and suffer the consequences of their actions.

In other words, they’re all Hillary Clinton, circa 2016.

Leftists have tried to get in front of the cancel culture story by saying it doesn’t exist, but that was only after several people were caught up in cancel culture that the Left decided to say it wasn’t real. Just a teensy bit late on that, kids. Meanwhile those of us who paid attention in history and any literature class that included George Orwell in the reading list could see where this was going because it ends the same in fiction and reality: eventually everyone gets the axe in one form or another. Even the most stalwart believer of an ideology can be called an infidel at some point and, in fact, it’s the Leftist approach to everything. If they can’t find some reason to expel you, they’ll invent one. Paging Juan Williams…

So, how do we fight cancel culture? By not giving into it. The Left need you to be scared of being publicly shunned to force compliance or silence. Social media is a breeding ground for this kind of insanity, so either be completely non-offensive so they can’t find dirt on you or be loud and proud of who you are. Not everyone will be able to be as brash as Candice Owens, so find your comfort level and stick with it. Also, keep your emotions in check. Once you lash out at someone for an opinion that differs yours, you’ve sprung the trap that will allow you to be canceled at some point.

Above all else, though, try to be as intellectually diverse as possible. I don’t like Samuel L. Jackson’s politics, but I enjoy his work as an actor and I would never want him to be censored by anyone. As long as he’ll let me be me, I’ll let him be him. That’s the thing the Left doesn’t get. You don’t have to be in lockstep with everyone you like, and anyone who says you have to is an idiot. By keeping an open mind and accepting not everyone will dance to the beat of your own drum, not only will your life be more open and interesting, but you’ll recognize those who think they can tell you who you should and shouldn’t see are missing out. Plus, if you learn about ideas and concepts outside your comfort zone, you may become a fan of them or at least a better-informed critic.

On top of that, you can prove you’re not an immature brat like the Left. So, double-bonus!

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

I had a piece already written about a lighter subject, but recent events out of Minnesota changed the best-laid plans of mice and bloggers.

When four members of the Minneapolis Police Department detained and eventually killed George Floyd for attempting to pass counterfeit money, it started off a chain of events resulting in property being destroyed, people being injured, and general discord around the world. And, as you might expect, politics got injected into the situation early and often.

Enter Representative Ilhan Omar and the other members of “The Squad.” The Minnesota Congresswoman took to Twitter to help promote donations to ActBlue.com, a Leftist website, under the auspices of racial justice. What is that? I’m glad you asked, otherwise I’m out a topic for the Lexicon.

racial justice

What the Left thinks it means – getting justice for disenfranchised people of color

What it really means – tilting the scales of justice to favor people of color at the expense of actual justice

There is a reason statues of Lady Justice wear a blindfold; justice is supposed to be blind. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been when it comes to police officers and black criminals. In the former case, sentences tend to be on the light side, while in the latter case, those sentences are harsher. And it’s been going on for far too long.

Hence, the Left’s renewed call for racial justice. This is another term the Left devised that combines a powerful word that appeals to most Americans (justice) and adds a politically-charged modifier (racial) designed to advance an agenda. In this case, the goal is to take any negative feelings about racism and apply it to the judicial system to allow blacks and other minorities a chance to experience what the Left thinks/knows whites have enjoyed for so long.

The scary part is the Left has a point. Blacks and whites do not have equal justice in America, no matter how hard we try to ignore it. And before you start throwing out statistics about what percentage of blacks commit what percentage of crimes, the fact it took days to arrest the officer who choked George Floyd and at least contributed to his death shows how screwed up our justice system is.

Having said that, the Left’s solution isn’t to fix the problems, but screw them up even more by using race as even more of a factor than it already is. Of course, that’s by design. One of the cornerstones of Leftist ideology is to undermine the American legal system and institute a global legal system, an idea most American Presidents have rejected. But, the Left doesn’t give up that easily and has made progress towards their goals. The very fact we have four Representatives on record advocating for racial justice in an attempt to raise funds is proof of how emboldened they feel right now.

By adding race into a court proceeding, it guarantees the results will not be just because it prevents the jury from doing its sworn job. It’s not to try to figure out what race deserves what punishment; it’s to determine guilt or innocence based on the law and the arguments presented by the attorneys involved. Any thought outside of those two elements muddies the waters, making actual justice harder to obtain.

Granted, I’m a white guy and have undoubtedly received preferential treatment because of it, even though I don’t want it. We are supposed to be equal under the law, so I prefer to be treated equally. No, that doesn’t mean I want to be treated as poorly as blacks have. It means I want blacks to be on an even playing field with me. Racial justice doesn’t strive to do that. Instead, it strives to make race a major factor in determining whether I go free if I’m found not guilty or punished more severely if I’m found guilty.

In trying to bring racial justice to fruition, the Left has made justice racist. Good job, I guess?

Meanwhile, we should not be scared to point out the disparities between how blacks and whites are treated. It doesn’t start with looting, violence, and vandalism. It’s starts with a conversation so we can learn from each other and build a stronger relationship as a result. And, yes, that means we white folk are going to have to be willing to listen and accept how blacks have been treated overall, but it will lead to a much greater result, one that will make The Squad’s call for racial justice obsolete.