White Supremacy, or why we do what we do in Iraq

[jobycom]

Robert Jensen is a professor at the University of Texas, and will be speaking at a public forum my club is sponsoring this Wednesday, so to introduce me to his thoughts, a friend sent me this link. It is about racism here in America, but to me, it explains just as perfectly why we can invade nations like Afghanistan and Iraq, why we can torture their people, lock them into airless container cars to suffocate by the thousands, torture them in prison camps, label them as evil enemy combatants, and in all other ways consider them not human.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18596

"As I walked to my seat, I was well aware of Payne's impressive record. I had read his work, and I know he is a more experienced journalist than I am. He's won more prizes Iand written more important books than I. Payne has traveled more widely and reported on more complex subjects. He is older than me, and has done more in his life than I have. I also have heard Payne speak before, and know that he is a more commanding and more forceful speaker than I am.

So, as I sat down at my seat, I did what came naturally; I felt superior to Les Payne. If it seems odd that I would feel superior to someone I knew to be more talented and accomplished than I am, then here is another relevant fact: Les Payne is African American, and I am white."

end quotes

What strikes me is that Robert Jensen had this personal revelation because of a non-white man who had proven easily to be his superior in all ways that Jensen valued. With Iraq, with Muslims that we decide to label as extremist and militant, with a group of people we create fantasies about as misguided, naive little people with a religion that preaches our extermination, with all the other fantasies we create about Islam and Muslims and the Middle East, what chance do most of our soldiers, even most of our leaders, have of seeing human beings, and not some lesser species?

Growing up in Mississippi during bussing in the 70s, I had to come to grips with Jensen's revelations from a very early age. I sometimes think that southerners who have gotten past the blatant racism of segregation and outright hate are less racist than others, because we have had to face the issue head on, while someone say in New York City has never had to face it, since they've never been accused, nor have they been guilty, of the same type of racism in the south.

I wonder how many people have extended their awareness to Muslims? I hear all the time on DU how violent Islam is, how Muslims would be better off with Democracy, even with Christianity, etc, etc. I also hear all the time some people who are aware of the issue, who realize we don't mind blowing up "brown people" as much as we do white people. But I wonder how far we all take that understanding. Do we, for instance, understand the frustration of a common citizen, even a world leader, in Iraq or Palestine or Saudi Arabia, who has to make Americans see that they are being abused all the time by our policies, that our policies are exploitive and dehumanizing, and that we don't even hear them? That we don't believe that their voice is as relevant as our own thoughts? Can you imagine the frustration that the more angry, the more activist, of these citizens can become?

Terrorism isn't caused by Islam. It isn't caused by elitist leaders brainwashing their less fortunate. It isn't caused by poverty. All of those are factors, but not the cause. Terrorism isn't even caused by evil, though of course it is itself evil. It is caused by our deafness towards people we don't consider our equals. The essence of Democracy is that people get to decide who will lead them, and in what form of government, even if that form of government is based on Islam and not on our secular democracy. We steal that Democracy from them, because we know what's best for them. We are superior. Supreme. White Supremacy, is what it is.

[kalian]

1. Very good editorial. Thx for posting.

[Gildor Inglorion]

2. It's not JUST white supremacy...

although this is an excellent editorial. It is the common human perception of the "other," which, because it is different from us, is not human and therefore a target for abuse. Any homosexual boy knows this fact intimately by the time he's ten years old.

[jobycom]

3. Faces of the enemy

You're right, the creation of the "other" is the source of it, and that is not a syndrome specific to our country or time. It is obvious throughout history in every recorded culture.

Since our nation is so largely white, at least in its leadership (government and corporate), then non-white is the "other." In the Middle East, it is compounded by non-Christian, non-democratic, non-English speaking (as the French know), etc. Maybe the supremacy is brought on by being isolated, being a majority, not having anyone who can really tell us we are wrong.

[Karenina]

4. :SIGH:

The brutalization that this demonizing and dehumanizing feeds is simply so appalling, destructive, unnecessary...

[Karenina]

5. The issue is one of power.

This is why it is IMPERATIVE that American forces leave Iraq IMMEDIATELY. The pretense of "moral superiority" has CRASHED AND BURNED in view of the entire world. It is the ONLY honorable and sensible thing to do.