General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "I didn't know how racist America was until it elected its first black President." [View all]unblock
(52,250 posts)sad to say, but there has been a racist element in this country since forever and while we have had major advances in legal and public acceptance, the racism has not been stamped out.
far from it, it has been steadily nurtured and legitimized by the southern strategy and every republican since, as well as foxpropaganda. the rise of the internet and 1,000 cable channels has given a forum for every sick voice out there that in the days of 3 tv channels wouldn't have found the time of day.
combine this with the demographic changes, these people feel that whites are losing their grip on power, and racists start to act like cornered beasts.
i can protest that i'm not one of them, i can whine that not all white people are like that, but in the end, i know that i can't do much to change their minds or shut them up, so my own voice is pretty irrelevant. i can call them out on it and tell them to knock it off, and all they learn is to stop telling racist jokes in front of me, as if i'm the one with the problem, not them.
i can't do much but cry and fear for the future.
honestly, though, this was inevitable. racists were never going to go quietly into the night. there was always going to be (at least) one last violent outburst, these people hold these horrid and irrational fears too dear to do otherwise.
in truth, the worst is yet to come, i suspect.