“Old Selfish White People”

[riqster]

https://bluntandcranky.wordpress.com/2014/11/26/old-selfish-white-people/

A guest blogger today. Damn, he is an artist:

Gentle Reader, here is a magnificent bit of prose from musician/artist/awesome dude Bob Ray Starker. Read and become enlightened, as did my cranky self:

Okay, I started out today trying to be civil and constructive, but all anyone wants to do is throw mud at each other… so what the hell, let’s get into this…

I am a 50 year old white american straight man and here is what I know for sure: Black people have never messed with me. Gay people have never messed with me. Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, poor people, none of them have ever messed with me.

Which group of people have repeatedly made my life harder than it had to be for no good reason at all? White people with more money than me.

They have laid me off, closed companies I worked for, made a lot of money by underpaying me for the work I did in their employ, bought elections when I could only afford to vote in them, and, perhaps most infuriating of all, they have relentlessly messed with my non-white, non-straight, non-wealthy friends. And they continue to do it because their world is ending and they are afraid of losing control as the human race slowly evolves beyond their limited scope of understanding.

So who am I most worried about when I lay in bed awake at night? Old selfish rich white people. All in all, I could have done without them.

Well said by the Saxman. Nailed it to a tree, he did.

All y’all, googlize this fine young man. Read his words, buy his art, attend his shows: but first and foremost, read what he said today. Read, reflect, and act.

[BeyondGeography]

1. Yup

[RiverLover]

2. Brilliant post, thanks for sharing! ~nt

[riqster]

4. Bobby is awesome.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. You forgot "rich" in your title. n/t

[riqster]

7. Copied from the original author.

[TBF]

6. Great post. K&R nt

[riqster]

8. He is an amazing talent. We go way back.

Cat played the keyboard parts to " Won't Get Fooled Again" on his alto sax, and killed it.

[Tsiyu]

9. That about sums it up, Saxman!

I try to explain to people, watching FOXNoos and thinking you're getting the "straight story" is like having a well-dressed Caucasian couple walk up to you pointing to the brown people and the liberals in the distance.

"See those awful people? They are destroying your way of LIFE!"

And while you're staring at the brown people and liberals, working up your righteous hatred, the well-dressed white man's got his hand on your wallet and the well-dressed blonde is going through your wife's purse.

But this parable is too deep for them, usually.

[riqster]

11. Inertia is powerful. Too many people don't want to exert themselves to change.

[Tsiyu]

32. That, and people are overly concerned with what other people think

They want to feel part of the tribe, no matter how dysfunctional.

It's too easy to just crack open another Bud Light and agree with the woman with the great cleavage and legs on FOXNoos.

[UglyGreed]

10. It's so true

I've said the same thing myself here at DU a few days ago.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5852319

[riqster]

12. An interesting take on it!

[UglyGreed]

13. I'm cranky at times

also, I'm going to bookmark the site. Thanks for the link.

[Pakid]

14. Right on

As for me the only people who have put it to me have been Republican and Right-wing Christan's. Lie, Cheat and Steal every time you turn your back on most of them!

[KitSileya]

15. It'll be interesting to see whether a certain contingent on DU

go as apeshit with what you posted as when a minority poster said essentially the same thing some months back. Several 250+ threads about how discriminatory it was and racist too. Will that happen again? I suspect not - older White DUers only feel offended when it is an African American who says these things.

[LiberalElite]

16. I'm older white DUer and

I am offended. I don't care if this person is black white or purple with pink spots. OK? does that put me in that "contingent"?

[Skittles]

17. yes

it's the TRUTH - it's rich white people who truly negatively impact our lives - fuck it, let's just say it - RICH WHITE MEN

[LiberalElite]

18. OK rich white men - I'm not one of them.

[Skittles]

19. yeah, they could have narrowed it down a bit

it's a real clique is what it is

[daleanime]

26. Small group of around 1600.....

have most the wealth and power in this nation.

[trekbiker]

21. must have been rich white men

who's businesses got burned down and windows smashed in Ferguson

[Skittles]

25. I don't think you could demonstrate more how far that went over your head

no INDEED

[SomethingFishy]

51. You can bet your ass it wasn't rich white men who donated the money

for them to rebuild.

But keep trying, if nothing else, you are amusing.

[KitSileya]

20. If you are offended that someone points out the truth that

older White Americans are the ones who are responsible for most of the ills of today's society, then yes, you are in that contingent.

[trekbiker]

22. now that IS Racist

painting with a pretty broad brush aren't you

[olddots]

27. -zzzzzzzzzzxzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzx

[riqster]

41. Care to provide a factual rebuttal?

[LiberalElite]

24. I'm not responsible for any of society's ills OK?

I am one lower middle income woman. Blame me and you are wasting your time BIG TIME.

[locdlib]

38. if none of this applies to you. why are you so pressed? you know the saying,

"if the shoe fits . . . otherwise you can move right along.

[AgingAmerican]

48. That's the problem with blanket accusations

nt

[Scootaloo]

82. There are no purple people with pink spots

This isn't a fucking punchline.

[NotHardly]

37. Pardon??

You must have a better internet connection than I do because from here I cannot see what someone's ethnicity might be.

Tell me where you bought your screen and from whom you have your connection... god knows, I want one of those because it would be just that much more interesting.

[KitSileya]

64. Well, if you check my profile, you'll see that I have been a member for quite a while.

While I haven't posted much, I have read enough to know that riqster is White, and bravenak is African American, for example. You don't need anything but reading skills and using those skills on the right posts to know that. No need for a special screen at all - what a relief!

[Number23]

53. ...

Oh, we occasionally talk about that thread in the AA forum. It is the source of both tremendous amusement and disgust all at the same time.

[bravenak]

59. I remember that!!!

I was told I am the worst racist on DU for saying those things and refusing to take it back. 300 recs that post about how terrible I am got. Everybody got a piece of me that day. It's in my journal.

[KitSileya]

63. Yes, that is what I was thinking of.

I have no problems acknowledging, for example, that even though I have no children, if you complain about how children and teenagers behave in today's society, I am also at fault, because I helped create the society in which these children are being raised.

Similarly, I have no problem acknowledging that as a White woman, I bear a responsibility for how things are, if only simply because I have not worked my butt off to change these things. From those who have much, much is expected, after all, and simply on the basis of where I was born and to which parents, I have been given very much.

And in 20 years, when I get closer to 60, if we haven't managed to make a better world for the generations that come after us, it is partly on my head the blame must lie.

[Martin Eden]

23. "their world is ending"

If so, let's hope it's the beginning of a much better world for everyone else.

[riqster]

57. We can hope.

[BlindTiresias]

62. No, wrong.

A nice thought but a delusional one. Automation allows them to insulate and defend themselves to a frightening degree. These people won't just wither away.

[Martin Eden]

69. I was quoting the OP

And I predicated the text of my post with the word "if."

I tend to agree the uber-wealthy have substantial resources to insulate themselves from economic calamity and physical threats, and my fear is they will be brought down only amidst catastrophic tumult.

But really, I'm more interested in floating all the little boats than sinking the big ones, and saving the ecosystems of this planet. In order to do that we will have to restore our democracy and create a more egalitarian society. This would of course entail considerable loss of political power by the elites and a more equitable distribution of the fruits of economic activity, but does not necessarily mean there would no longer be people who are relatively rich.

I don't expect the above to happen, but it needs to happen. And I guess it would be an end to their world in the sense they own and control the lions share of it.

[BlindTiresias]

76. Yeah except

Automation changes things drastically and gives immense advantage to the elite.

[Fuddnik]

28. Ain't that the fucking truth.

Coming from a 60+, straight white man.

[riqster]

58. Not far behind you in age, same otherwise.

[nruthie]

29. Very true.

Speaking as a poor old white woman, I totally agree.

[riqster]

42. Old non-rich white man.

The author is a middle aged white man who is also broke.

[JustAnotherGen]

30. Someone posted maybe a week or two ago

A thought provoking - can whit liberal men be maligned . . . Something along those lines.

And I agreed - because I believe they can be - but it's a pecking order/class thing. And it's normally white male on white male.

[riqster]

43. Color, class, and actions. The shoe will fit few of us here.

[workinclasszero]

31. Wow thats the story of my life too!

I am a 50 year old white american straight man and here is what I know for sure: Black people have never messed with me. Gay people have never messed with me. Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, poor people, none of them have ever messed with me.

Which group of people have repeatedly made my life harder than it had to be for no good reason at all? White people with more money than me.

They have laid me off, closed companies I worked for, made a lot of money by underpaying me for the work I did in their employ, bought elections when I could only afford to vote in them, and, perhaps most infuriating of all, they have relentlessly messed with my non-white, non-straight, non-wealthy friends. And they continue to do it because their world is ending and they are afraid of losing control as the human race slowly evolves beyond their limited scope of understanding.

So who am I most worried about when I lay in bed awake at night? Old selfish rich white people. All in all, I could have done without them.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[jtuck004]

33. Must be nice to live in an all white world so you know exactly whom to blame. Because in

my world, although mostly white folk own everything, they don't own it all anymore. And when people get millions of dollars in their bank account they sometimes forget their neighbors and all of a sudden bankers are their new best friends. In my world it doesn't matter what color they are, or what job.Heck, even if they become President, you may still find millions of your neighbors hurting, and their children living in poverty for decades, as long as they get theirs.

I don't need to be like some sack-headed-cross-burner, pointing at people's race to describe my problems. Those who have, and are making our lives harder than they have to be "for no good reason at all" are those for whom money is more important than we are. And they come in all colors.

[riqster]

46. They may come in all colors, but in this country, most are white.

And selfish. And Repubs.

[NotHardly]

34. Sick and Tired of the Agism thing here and elsewhere

Have a nice cup of shut the f*ck up.

What is with the agism thing everywhere... who are you to paint with such a broad brush?

Why alienate when you don't need to?

So, until you get as truly sensitive as you all pretend to be... have a nice cup of STFU.

[riqster]

47. What is it with the ignoring 90% of a post thing?

Age was part of a set of criteria. Without the other parts, it is not a pejorative.

[Dont call me Shirley]

49. It's Family Dynasty, the youngsters of the family dynasties are in on the shit spewing too.

Look at Jebbys kid, George. He's young and just as big of a greedy vile schmuck as poppy.

[butterfly77]

68. What wrong? Is it that ...

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

[C Moon]

35. I loved it!

[Comrade Grumpy]

36. Ooh, the race-baiters are out in force.

You blame old selfish white people. Someone else blames lazy, shiftless black people. See how that works? It's equally stupid and divisive in either direction.

[riqster]

40. Bollocks. We are talking color and actions.

I would ask you to find a " lazy, shiftless" minority member who has caused the damage described in the post.

[Beausoir]

60. Yep.

[riqster]

39. I am old and white. But in no other way do I resemble those being excoriated by the post.

Not selfish, not ric, never laid off anybody. Read the whole post before being outraged.

[maced666]

44. Race baiting.

Different pond, same fish.

[riqster]

55. What rot.

The post mentioned selfish old white men. Not all white people, but those who by their actions put themselves in a small subset.

[pansypoo53219]

45. people have been buying the divide & conquer bullshit TOOOOOO long. its not the poor blacks stealing

but the 2%.

[riqster]

56. Damn right. Wall street looters cause a lot more damage than rioters.

[pscot]

50. Awesome. All except

the part about evolving.

[SomethingFishy]

52. Well apparently this old white man

is poor enough to get it. But I see many aren't. I'm actually surprised there is so much vitriol.

The richest 85 people in the world control 65 times more wealth than the bottom half of all people put together

http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/01/23/the-85-richest-people-in-the-world-have-as-much-wealth-as-the-3-5-billion-poorest/


Gee I wonder how many of them are old and white.

[riqster]

54. Yep. Same here. I was so NOT offended that I asked permission to share.

I am old and white, but was able to see that my friend was not talking about people like me. Not difficult.

[BlindTiresias]

61. Evolving beyond their control?

This is a dangerous delusion. Automation allow them a degree of control and insulation that is historically unprecedented and allows the implementation of the worst eliminationist impulses among the elite.

[Odin2005]

65. There are plently of young racist white people, too.

Reddit was enough to prove to me that my Millennial Generation is hardly less racist.

[blkmusclmachine]

66. ,

,

[arthritisR_US]

67. He's fecking impressive. Damn, we need more

of him!! TY for posting this, it gives me hope

[baldguy]

70. Sure, it's the truth. But, as we see here, not everyone can accept it.

Until the middle-class guy who works 50-hr weeks and has a dog and a cat and a mortgage and 2.5 kids and 1.5 wives understands that he has infinity more things in common with the unemployed homeless guy living under a bridge than he does with the Mitt Romneys of the world nothing is ever going to change. And telling that guy the people he's been idolizing & striving to imitate are the people who have been working enslave him for the last 30 yrs is just going to backfire.

[Scuba]

71. As an old white man, I'm outraged.

I'm outraged at the old, white, rich men who are fucking this country.

For those who found the essay racist or agist, you didn't get the fucking point!

[mulsh]

72. The only time I ever seriously considered buying a gun was when I woke up the morning after

a birthday party in the Mother Lode for an old Oakland friend. my first thought was "I need to get a gun to protect me from those bozos."

Nearly every one else there was middle aged and white like me. All of them let loose streams of the most violence infused fearful fantasies and threats about the usual racial demons I left the party early. That I had grown up in Oakland with most them depressed me even more. I have avoided that group ever since that party. I never bought a gun

[Faux pas]

73. Kickin'

[VA_Jill]

74. I am an old white person

I sincerely hope to God I am not an old SELFISH white person! Therefore I have no resentment about this article whatsoever, and I think those of you who do are sorely mistaken in your outrage, or should I say POUTRAGE? He has got it absolutely right...the problem in this country is OLD SELFISH WHITE PEOPLE, and if you don't get it, then you're not looking at the whole picture.

[riqster]

75. Or even the whole thread title.

[Doctor_J]

77. Michael moore wrote a whole book about this

Twenty years later it's still true

[riqster]

78. Good reminder.

[Johnny Rash]

79. Yeap! It about sums it up for me too!

I especially like the following from your post:


"They have laid me off, closed companies I worked for, made a lot of money by underpaying me for the work I did in their employ, bought elections when I could only afford to vote in them, and, perhaps most infuriating of all, they have relentlessly messed with my non-white, non-straight, non-wealthy friends".


I could write a book about this topic alone.

It would be called: "Screw Your Own Kind And Become Filthy Rich".

In all the years I have worked for Rich-White-Folks, I have never begged for food or money. All I wanted to do is work hard and get paid for it.

Where did it get me?

Nowhere!

Why?

It seems the Rich-White-Folks want to get their money back badly. So, what do they do to get it back? They make sure the Law is on their sides.

As a result, what do I have?

"Promises of change" made by the same dirty politicians, over and over again!

Perhaps, it is "Selfishness"! Perhaps, it is simply "Greed"!

Regardless, nothing is ever going to change until the "Rules of Equal Wealth Distribution" are upheld by all.

[Moostache]

80. As a not (yet) old white man...

I agree 100%.

The selfishness of some in the white power structure (and especially those who ride those coat tails for their very existence) is a large part of the overall problems we face. Their willingness to destroy any and everything for their own momentary gain is another...

[arikara]

81. K&R

Everybody needs to read and digest that.