The ascendency of white power

[Onlooker]

I think as whites have started to experience a small taste of oppression--forced to accept a black president, forced to compete more equally for jobs, forced to give up jobs to minorities as a result of anti-discrimination laws, forced to suppress their bigotry as a result of hate crimes laws, forced to tolerate the integration of their work places and communities, and so on, many whites are starting to act more and more as if they were part of an oppressed group.

Just as the traditional Germans grew alarmed by the rise of Jewish power, the increase in the number of Gypsies, and the rise of things like gay rights in Weimar Germany, whites with so-called traditional values are rising up now. The frightening thing is not only are they rising up in large numbers, but they already have enormous power in politics, the courts, the police, the military, the economy, and they have the numbers.

The fact is when we look at the very worst evils of modern world history, most of them have come from this sort of white power. Hitler, Mussolini, King Leopold, Franco, and all the abuses of Colonialism all developed out of so-called traditional values. Their cruelty knew no bounds, and they found ways to rationalize their behavior that the common man readily bought into because he was given the crumbs of imperial wealth. Today, we live the lives we lead in part because of the way the west exploited other peoples.

Obviously, there are a great many of us who will stand against this sort of oppression, but do we have it in our hearts to be as manipulative and cold-blooded as the opposition. It's clear that for years, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and leaders of the Republican right have used outright lies and distortions to great affect to portray the good government policies of Clinton and Obama in a dark and evil way, and that portrayal has been embraced by the white right.

Sometimes I think we're just too naive to engage in the ruthless political fight and painful alliances necessary to stand up to the white right. Sometimes I think we believe that the truth will prevail, and the meek really will inherit the earth. Sadly, that has never been the case. My hope is that all the progressive groups find a way to align and raise the kind of money and kind of militancy needed to match that of the right. But, I'm not optimistic because we find it so easy to turn on each other.

[Tumbulu]

1. I keep thinking that the progressives

need to act in a different way. Instead of throwing money into the media - where they will always be outspent.

Donations should go to dentists, hospitals, grocery stores, gas stations. Every 100th person gets their cart paid for by the Democratic Party. Coffee shops- every 15th person's order is paid for by the Democratic Party. Forget TV, forget media, buy real things for real people, but make it clear that it was paid for by the Democratic Party or some liberal group in support of the Democratic candidate.

And with that gift include a list of public serves that would not exist without the Democratic Party. This should be on printed material that gets handed out with the free teeth cleaning or pair of glasses.

Why do millions go to TV and Radio? Forget them and go personal and real.

And imagine if a war on giving out free glasses, groceries, tanks of gas went on between the parties, well for once the people would benefit, rather than just the executives of the media conglomerates and the advertising industry.

[Tumbulu]

2. and that the person who gets the gift needs to be a registered voter

and sign on a paper that they will indeed vote in the coming election. They don't need to say how they will vote, but just vote and people will then get some benefit, other than being called up for Jury Duty, for being a registered voter.

My 2C's on the good OP's points.

[pretzel4gore]

3. no disconnect between rightwing...

the reactionary rightwing has been- and always will be- the hidden demon of human politics. In 'scrooge' story by dickens ferinstance, the clock at quitting time shows 7pm....and bob cratchit started work at 7 am that morning. He worked saturdays too -only non Sunday off all year was xmas day (and yall wonder why xmas is such a big deal nowadays!)...Mister pig HATED any effort to reduce work hours (farm workers worked sunup until dark!) ...what happened then is that Master pig violently RE-ACTED; he took control of news/info media right about French Revolution time in 1796, and Master Pig KNOWS his entire fraud/scam depends upon selling snakeoil to the silly mob year in, year out. Mister pig likes to differentiate between the ultra far rightwing (nazis/skinheads) far right (fascists/conservatives) and the right (bizmen/police/military/ mass media) and he gets away with it because, well stealing candy from baby is easy, and as ARISTOTLE once said, democracy can't work cuz the people are too easily defrauded!
btw, Aristotle is the main intellectual, non-religious, founder of western culture!

[jaysunb]

4. +1

:)

[FrenchieCat]

5. Good piece.

And yes, it is almost cliche, because it is true.
We fight each other, while they fight all of us,
meaning that we help them outnumber us.

In the end the winner won't be the intellectual principled "us",
it will be the disciplined and tactical hateful them.
And yet....still, we assist them instead of uniting to help us.