"You cannot love America and avoid the topic of race."
Or, "The Washington Post gives us a lecture."
Scanning the Washington Post Op-Ed section recently, I came across this essay about America and race. While a valid topic to discuss, the leaps of logic and lack of rationality contained within this piece struck me as obtuse and frankly, insulting as a reader. The author begins with this:
“A survey of my writing quickly reveals an enduring focus on race. People have wondered why it’s such a preoccupation. They often don’t ask directly; instead, they might ask a question such as, “You served in the military; have you considered writing about leadership or national service?” The prelude to that question — “I’m tired of hearing about race all the time” — is left unsaid.”
To the Progressive mind, there is a sincerely held belief that everyone obsesses over race and ethnicity as much as they do. A study is published on minority wages or employment levels not up to par and mainstream media has a core meltdown over it. When it comes to published statistics of non-minority deaths due to despair, drugs, alcohol or suicide? Meh. Yet we are constantly berated with the news that everything is worse for a protected minority class of citizens, regardless of personal choices or agency. From the Wapo article:
“But that’s not why I write about race. As I see it, race is seldom the actual root of a civic or policy issue. Certainly, it can be and sometimes is. Birtherism, hate crimes and even the internment of Japanese Americans (and not Americans of German or Italian descent) during World War II all stem from racist beliefs and acts. But, in my eyes, in the present-day United States, racism is better understood as the flashing light that warns us of cracks in our nation’s foundation.”
Most knowledgeable people are tired of uninformed commentary that leaves out historical facts. Yes, Americans of German and Italian descent were interned during WW2. Not to the extent of Japanese-Americans, but to deny it outright to try and strengthen the writer's argument simply undermines it. Here is an excerpt from the encyclopedia on the internment of German and Italian-Americans:
“This total included approximately 11,500 people of German ancestry and three thousand people of Italian ancestry, many of whom were United States citizens. These detainees were housed in Justice Department and army camps scattered across the country, from Crystal City, Texas, to Ft. Lincoln, North Dakota, to Sand Island, Hawai'i.”
The columnist continues:
“If you want to know the ways in which our practice of democracy or republicanism falls short of our professed ideals, pay attention to race. Look to the struggles that racial and ethnic minorities have faced when attempting to exercise the right to vote or have their policy concerns prioritized. If you want to identify flaws in our economy, note all the instances where Black and Latino folks, in particular, are left behind — employment, wages, housing, wealth and credit. If you want to see the flaws in policies concerning immigration, national security, the legal system, health care, poverty and the social safety net, pay attention to the disparities experienced by those outside the racial majority.”
Using racism as a silver-bullet analysis on the failings of certain groups in America is a fallacy. When a simple Google search of income statistics lays bare the truth that America is the proverbial land of opportunity for those classified as ‘minorities’, the writer’s argument falls flat.
“I write about race because I care about America. That sentiment might come as a shock to some. It is rare today to hear someone who talks forthrightly about the ills of structural racism lead with a declaration of patriotism or pride in the nation’s progress. But this is squarely within the tradition of Black America, from historic stalwarts Ida B. Wells and Langston Hughes to modern-day activists such as the Rev. William J. Barber II and Colin Kaepernick.”
Colin Kaepernick is not the best example to use for the downtrodden. Also, the term structural racism has not been relevant since about…1955 or so. The writer once again ignores that most of his readers have followed American history and learned of legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Affirmative Action, and events within the American socio-cultural realm that show opposite effects. the book, “Age of Entitlement: America since the Sixties” by Christopher Caldwell nicely lays out the folly of social engineering.
“Race isn’t the problem with the American experiment so much as it is the best indicator of the experiment’s structural problems. Consider slavery: It’s not the nation’s original sin because a significant number of White Americans enslaved Black people; it looms so large for America because the nation was supposedly founded on the idea of human equality yet allowed this grossest of inequalities to persist and expand.”
Notice how the conjunction between, ‘The Founders were bad’ switches to ‘The Founders wanted equality for all.’ For Progressives, reflection and perspective on America’s beginnings are viewed favorably or with ill-repute depending on the what is needed for the topic at hand.
“The nation’s trouble is not that it has a racist bone that simply needs removing but that it is disturbingly slow to recognize that racism is the sharp pain that helps us locate the fractures. I write about race because finding the fractures in our society and our democracy is a necessary step toward healing and strengthening, not destroying, the whole of the nation.”
“I write about race because you cannot love America and avoid the issue. Yes, there are other topics — some of critical importance — but nothing reveals where the nation is most vulnerable like the question of race. If we want a United States that more fully realizes its potential, and I believe most of us do, fixing the structural flaws revealed by race presents the most promising path.”
This is the paradox of the negative identity. Take away the historical grievances and the identity vanishes. When everything identity-wise is tied to a perceived sense of being wronged, whether actual or imagined, this belief becomes almost magical to a group. As the nation moves further away from any semblance of national identity and continues to fracture into multiple tribes, this will not bode well.
Links:
‘You cannot love America and avoid the topic of race’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/12/writing-race-topic-matters/
‘German-American and Italian-American Detainees During WWII’
‘Negative and Positive – Identity and Self’
https://www.solidmaybe.com/essays/2017/8/18/negative-and-positive-identity-and-self