Republicans outraged at criticism of some of their racist loyalists
are acting like a lynch mob explaining away the rope. “We didn’t hang
him because of race. We hanged him because there was a tree there.”
The party’s faithful, which sadly includes many angry racists,
continue to engage in hate talk. Birther idiocy about Obama’s alleged
alien illegitimacy, automatic weapons brought to presidential
appearances, back-to-Africa posters, Southern governors talking of
secession, ugly photos, Joe Wilson’s tacit assumption of white
supremacy with his public show of disrespect – these aren’t spontaneous
outbursts of emotion. They are well-executed strategies by dangerous
elements of Republican party – and their hand-washing enablers.
But when someone calls them out on the racism, Republicans accuse the truth tellers of “playing the race card.” Many – not, thankfully, all – in the mainstream media are the ultimate not-my-problem bystanders, afraid to get involved, shaking their heads
at the belligerents as if there was not a profound moral principle at
stake. Talking about race in America is playing with fire, they say.
They are willing and even eager to cover the real fires when they come,
but they will not participate in prevention.
GOP strategists assume all talk about racism probably helps their
cause. It keeps their base fired up; it distracts from the issues at
hand, like health care reform. For different reasons, the White House
must try to keep the focus elsewhere. Obama is everyone’s president,
and he is right to lead by example, to prove wrong by action the
dehumanizing, racist ideology still alive in America.
But we can’t be silent in the face of mindless bullies. They must be forcefully confronted.
I hope it is true that America is slowly approaching a post-racial
era. Most young people I know, at least those that grew up outside
bigoted families who taught the fourth “R” of racism, are way ahead of
their elders on matters of prejudice. Nixon once pointed to extremists
and asked a great, Silent Majority to join him in opposing them. I
believe a silent (and not-so-silent) America is opposed to today's
right-wing extremists. They need to know we are standing up to protect
them.
On the other hand, what will it take to ease the tension between the
worldviews in collision in America today? White racists believe
non-whites are subhuman. The election of Barack Obama has shaken them
in a way far different from progressives' reaction to George W. Bush.
The pre-Civil War era is called the ante-bellum period, the time
before the war. Like that time, there is talk of secession from
Southern governors like Rick Perry. Like that time, there is a growing
“tenth amendment” movement based in part on the idea that Obama’s
presidency is illegitimate. Is this America's new ante-bellum era?
No, there won’t be a shooting Civil War. But I have to ask: don't
many of us have the sense that the racist anger will continue to grow,
or to grow louder, until some tragedy occurs? Will it take the deaths
of young innocents?
For once, can’t we confront a menace like this head-on before the
tragedy of the last act? The old saying from the theater is, a gun
introduced in the first act is fired before the play is done. Well,
guns have been introduced again – on the street – in the opening acts
of this awful drama. If we are the civilized people we say we are, we
will bring the curtain down now. We cannot wait.
Cross-posted at DogCanyon.org