The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

The Accusatory Finger of Blame

Posted on | October 30, 2021 | Comments Off on The Accusatory Finger of Blame

Thomas Sowell’s The Vision of the Anointed is the best explanation of the psychology of liberalism, and it was Sowell’s insight that helped me understand an otherwise inexplicable phenomenon: White people who habitually accuse other white people of racism — “RAAAAACISM!”

This is an exercise in moral narcissism — the white accuser seeks to display his own moral superiority by pointing out the sins of others: “Not only am I not a racist, but I am endowed with the capacity to identify racism in my fellow white people, and the courage to speak out.”

And they expect to be applauded for their wisdom and courage.

The real problem with this, beyond the Salem witch-hunt mentality involved, is the blithe assumption that racism is the one-size-fits-all explanation for every woe afflicting racial minorities. Anyone familiar with Sowell’s work knows how dubious this assumption is. However widespread racial prejudice may be at any given time or in any particular place (and such prejudice is more or less a universal human trait), the prevalence of “racism” does not the define life chances of minorities, in America or anywhere else. So the paranoid mentality that seeks evidence of racism everywhere (and which generates “hate crime” hoaxes) is a waste of time and energy that functions as a political distraction from the real social problems that confront us. Christopher Rufo exposes the deployment of Critical Race Theory at AT&T:

AT&T Corporation has created a racial reeducation program that promotes the idea that “American racism is a uniquely white trait” and boosts left-wing causes such as “reparations,” “defund police,” and “trans activism.”
I have obtained a cache of internal documents about the company’s initiative, called Listen Understand Act, which is based on the core principles of critical race theory, including “intersectionality,” “systemic racism,” “white privilege,” and “white fragility.” CEO John Stankey launched the program last year and, subsequently, has told employees that private corporations such as AT&T have an “obligation to engage on this issue of racial injustice” and push for “systemic reforms in police departments across the country.”
According to a senior employee, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, managers at AT&T are now assessed annually on diversity issues, with mandatory participation in programs such as discussion groups, book clubs, mentorship programs, and race reeducation exercises. White employees, the source said, are tacitly expected to confess their complicity in “white privilege” and “systemic racism,” or they will be penalized in their performance reviews. As part of the overall initiative, employees are asked to sign a loyalty pledge to “keep pushing for change,” with suggested “intentions” such as “reading more about systemic racism” and “challenging others’ language that is hateful.” “If you don’t do it,” the senior employee says, “you’re [considered] a racist.” AT&T did not respond when asked for comment.
On the first page of AT&T’s Listen Understand Act internal portal, the company encourages employees to study a resource called “White America, if you want to know who’s responsible for racism, look in the mirror.” The article claims that the United States is a “racist society” and lays out its thesis plainly: “White people, you are the problem. Regardless of how much you say you detest racism, you are the sole reason it has flourished for centuries.” The author, Dahleen Glanton, writes that “American racism is a uniquely white trait” and that “Black people cannot be racist.” White women, she claims, “have been telling lies on black men since they were first brought to America in chains,” and, along with their white male counterparts, “enjoy the opportunities and privileges that white supremacy affords [them].”

Glanton published that column in the Chicago Tribune on May 31, 2020 — the same day the governor of Illinois sent the National Guard into Chicago after three days of looting and vandalism.

The 2020 riots in Chicago caused more than $100 million in damages, and have been followed by an unprecedented surge of gun violence. There were 769 homicides in Chicago in 2020, a 55% increase from 2019. By the end of September this year, Chicago had recorded 2,726 shootings and 616 homicides for the year, on track to eclipse even last year’s astonishing bloodshed. What does this suggest about the role of white racism in the problems affecting black Americans? If accusations of “racism” against police result in skyrocketing homicide rates in Chicago (where more than 80% of shooting victims are black), doesn’t this suggest that maybe “racism” is not the fundamental problem involved?

My point is not to begin a discussion of root causes, but merely to illustrate the futility of this witch hunt for “racism.” What good does it do, in terms of the quality of lives of black people, to have managers at AT&T go through a brainwashing program that includes this Chicago Tribune column about the ubiquitous guilt of white people?

Of course the CEO of AT&T is white. John Stankey is paid $20 million a year to run the company that owns CNN. You might think he would have better things to do with his time than to lecture his employees about their “obligation to engage on this issue of racial injustice” and promote “systemic reforms in police departments across the country.”

The cop risking his life for $45,000 a year is demonized as “racist” by this clown who gets paid $20 million a year to run AT&T. Exactly what does that do in terms of helping black people in America?




 

Category: Racism

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