White Supremacy, The Grift that Keeps On Giving
In my previous post I try to explain why nearly half of the white people in this country believe that America belongs to them.
The Founding Fathers’ implied promise of white supremacy is so deeply ingrained that too many white people will vote against their own self interests in support of candidates that even mildly hint at policies, protocols, and procedures in legislative and administrative enactments that are oppressive re the marginalized people of color, and that favor white people over people who are not white.
Trump has succeeded in instinctively tapping into this American reflex and created a persona made out of political whole cloth.
He came down that escalator as the personification and embodiment of the Great White Hope who alone could fix, follow up, follow through, and fulfill the broken implied promise of White Supremacy in the wake of the presidency of a black man.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public/people…
—-Widely attributed to American author and social critic H. L. Mencken (1880–1956)
Americans, as a group, are not especially intelligent and can be readily entertained or fooled to produce financial benefit for someone.
President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
This explains, in large measure, why Trump has been able to cash in on his inauguration and the big lie.
Trump’s Inaugural Committee raised an all-time record of $107 million, well over twice the amount raised by [President Barack] Obama’s 2009 Inaugural Committee, and in all likelihood spent considerably less for Trump’s inauguration than was spent on either of Obama’s inaugurations.
To date, Trump has grifted in excess of 250 million with the big lie ( that’s a quarter of a billion dollars to me and you Rusty) and will raise much more should he run in ’24.
So here’s my question:
Where is all of this money, and where is it going?
06/21/2022 @ 1:36 pm
I have a new and deeper appreciation for the underlying question/theory in this post. The few things that I have worked out are, first, power and ethics are opposed by necessity and diametrically opposed. I thought this was a bit simplistic at first, and gave myself time to find exceptions. Not only have I found none, but I have found support in Kant and in Leibniz. The animal world, and the majority of human activity is motivated by, informed by, and regulated by fealty to or utilization of power. Ethics sits atop these considerations in human events, in order to make the world less brutal. Sadly, most human activity defaults to animal-like perspectives and methods.
The quotes of Mencken, and Johnson points to the lack of intellectual heft or rigor within American culture, and likely world culture broadly. They support the thrust of ethical exploration of the Enlightenment, and explain with greater accuracy how ethical constructs and conduct rest upon individual thought, practice, and discipline. Mencken and Johnson were right. What they observed supports the notion that people broadly default to the power of racism, and other such tribal-isms. I once considered the estimation of “half” of white people as racist to be too caustic. I now see that as a conservative understatement. It is not that this resultant racism is as intentional as a desire, but rather a failing or a weakness from a lack of intellectual muscle to understand and support the duty of ethical conduct. And while I do see this as a failing due to weakness, I also believe that anyone who can understand these simple words bears the responsibility for taking up that duty. No excuse can be made for continued dereliction of moral duty.
As for the money, that surely cycles back into an unethical pursuit or support of some power structure. That power structure is most likely Trump’s personal bank account. A portion of that would go to fueling the engine of the privilege that he maintains, and the bulk of it likely to upholstering the luxury of that privilege.
06/21/2022 @ 8:23 pm
“I once considered the estimation of “half” of white people as racist to be too caustic. I now see that as a conservative understatement. It is not that this resultant racism is as intentional as a desire, but rather a failing or a weakness from a lack of intellectual muscle to understand and support the duty of ethical conduct. And while I do see this as a failing due to weakness, I also believe that anyone who can understand these simple words bears the responsibility for taking up that duty. No excuse can be made for continued dereliction of moral duty.”
Amen Bitey, amen!
You once castigated me for using the phrase “most white people” in the same context that you articulate here. The fact that you now see the phrase “half of white people” as a “conservative understatement” places us squarely on the same page re the nature and extent of racism in this country…
I am heartened by the idea that we are in agreement on this matter…
06/21/2022 @ 8:50 pm
Yes, you read me right. The problem before was that I read you wrong. To state it differently, I think white people can’t help but be racist with the constant instruction and pressure of dominant culture. The exception(s) is/are those who devote themselves to the intellectual practice of an ethical examination of everything that they do, and how they have come to know whatever forms their worldview. Admittedly, that is a high bar for most. As Mencken and Johnson observed, few ever reach it. That said, it is everyone’s duty.
06/25/2022 @ 12:38 am
I don’t doubt that number at this point. As virulent racists, I doubt it. As lazy irresponsible racists, absolutely.