We're Watching White Anxiety Turn Into Violent Rage

[Celerity]

Many white Americans believe in the myth of their own greatness. And it’s become a threat to us all.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/were-watching-white-anxiety-turn-into-violent-rage



During Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign I can remember very clearly an extended family member saying, “There is no way America elects a Black man to that office, but I’m proud he’s trying.” Then, once Obama won, the sentiments of “never” from one family member grew to a chorus of Black people holding their breath that he wouldn’t be assassinated and/or harmed following his history-making election.

While many during those first few years wanted to tout America’s new status as “post-racial,” Black and brown America knew the truth. While his election wins in both 2008 and 2012 were indeed historic, the whitelash that had been brewing since the advent of birtherism and the Tea Party would soon manifest itself in an upending of all that “post-racial” hope. That’s when Republicans nominated the anti-Obama—a man who ramped up racial anxieties rather than speaking to them with compassion and nuance—Donald J. Trump.



Trump is (and always has been) a caricature of white privilege and white resentment. A silver spoon heir to a multimillionaire, whose failures in business were repeatedly bailed out by Daddy, he somehow conned people into buying his image as the savior of poor white America. He rebuffed political norms and embraced the “good old days” of unapologetic racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and Islamophobia—all while embracing white nationalism and fetishizing the American flag.

While the Obama era made us believe in our better angels and our better selves—Trumpism had a substantial portion of white America believing that their rejection of equity and inclusivity is some perverse form of patriotism. While Obamaism was about multiculturalism and the abundance of this country’s offerings, Trumpism emphasized scarcity—the idea that America’s bounties are zero sum, and that white Americans needed to stake their claim to what is theirs alone, what they are owed, and who they should hate and fear encroaching on “their America.”

snip

[haele]

1. Very true. Donald Trump was our first White Male pResident.

Elected strictly because he was a White Male.
Being a Celebrity just made the Media lust after him and overlook (or straight out lie) about any faults. And, of course, the Techno-crats - the Tech and Finance Bros - loved him because he was crude and strutted around flaunting his Mob-boss privilege persona like they did in private, so what did they care about the disruption he would cause to society in general? He was like one of them.

But make no mistake, he was elected because the alternative was not a White Male.
If there had been a White Heterosexual Religiously acceptable Male running against him, that one would not have been subject to as much hatred against him as was against Hillary Clinton or any other qualified minority Male.
The dirty tricks machine would have had far less to work with, and all those "anxious Real Amurrikan Diner" folks who wouldn't trade social places with a minority if you gifted them their max year's wages just because they just have to look down on someone might actually consider a Democratic politician talking about realistic policies that benefit them.

This is not a Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda comment about the 2016 election, it's a sad commentary on the shear stubborn doubling down on cognitive dissonance that so many Americans have fallen victim to.

The better candidate was Hillary Clinton, likable or not. But the White Male Candidate was Donald Trump.

Haele

[MuseRider]

2. I am so sick of white people

and I AM one. NOBODY ever told me I was better than anyone else and I have never seen the need to be.

"Their America" my ass.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Same here, I am sick to death of white christians and I am a white christian.

[OldBaldy1701E]

4. I'll just leave this here...

[paleotn]

10. Their fascist, racist Amurka. They make me sick.

[uponit7771]

14. Their thinking is a loud minority of people that make a LOT of noise

[scarletlib]

21. Me too and I am white.

[BOSSHOG]

30. Add me to the list MuseRider

Last edited Sat Nov 5, 2022, 11:24 PM - Edit history (1)

I’m not native Kansan, let’s say I married into the state and we live in Kansas. My wife born and grew up in the Sunflower State

I’m sick of whiny white guys of my old generation who are living high on the hog in the land of the free and whining and bitching on a daily basis about how horrible their plight in life is because of people they perceive as a threat. The situation they put themselves in (with incredible help from the gop) allows themselves to not take responsibility for any negatives in their life while maintaining a lifetime membership in the party of responsibility.

I really appreciate how Governor Kelly has tied Schmidt to brownback. Schmidt has not once mentioned brownback. Based on their relation you’d think ole Derrick would have ole Sam campaign for him.

[Solly Mack]

5. It has always been a threat to us all.

To embrace white supremacy is to embrace a perpetual state of ignorance and fear. It was always thus.

Ignorance and fear can and does drive people to commit atrocities because fear and ignorance can and does morph into not just feelings of hate but the idea that people who are different from you are out to destroy you and your world/way of life.

One of the ways people seek to control fear is to control their physical and personal environment - which does include controlling the people they have been taught/conditioned to fear.

A continued diet of fear and ignorance is needed to sustain white supremacy. That level of fear and ignorance has to be constantly fed.

To sustain those levels there must be a steady stream of lies and distortions about the country, its history, and people.

To live in fear and ignorance is to live a damaged life.

That kind of damage spreads outward and it impacts us all.

Course, it is hard to feel sorry for those who embrace white supremacy.

And I don't.

[ananda]

6. Excellent article!

Thanks

[Volaris]

8. Finally the media is starting to get that what broke their brains was the election of Obama..

The 'that will never happen here' moment happened, most ironicly, as a direct result of the White Mediocrity that WAS the entire term of Pres. Jr. and his crew of miscreants, and even the white electorate said 'well, even the black guy can't be THAT BAD..'

Their not wrong to be pissed about the govt lied about WMD in Iraq (they SHOULD BE). The problem is what they DID with that anger...

(ON EDIT) more and more, I'm beginning to think what america needs, is not a second New Deal, but a New Reconstruction...

[paleotn]

15. If Thaddeus Stevens and other radicals had their way.

The south was as prostrate as post WWII Japan and in dire need of the same cultural rewrite. But even the north had no stomach for it unfortunately. Line from a movie, but I think it captures Stevens' thoughts..

"You know that the inner compass that should direct the soul toward justice has ossified in white men and women, North and South, unto utter uselessness through tolerating the evil of slavery. White people cannot bear the thought of sharing this country’s infinite abundance with Negroes.”

I fear they still can't.

[ColinC]

9. More reason to start regulating media outlets and misinformation as soon as possible

If we win this election -and we must, there needs to be bills passed to bring back a modern fairness doctrine.

People truly believe that democrats have become child eating lizard people. It seems crazy but we have let the insanity get far too out of hand…

[lambchopp59]

18. Hear hear!

If the Fairness Doctrine hadn't been repealed, Fox Noise would have been fined out of existence by now.

[Evolve Dammit]

11. Great post. And remember, Fred was arrested at a KKK rally in NYC. Drumpf is a racist x1000.

[ismnotwasm]

12. Yup.

[paleotn]

13. There's no post racial Amurka......

Not when 40% of Amurkins can't get their heads out of their asses. And they're the ones who supposedly believe in free markets. Well...that is until they fear they can't compete. THEN they have to tilt the playing field in their favor once again.

[intheflow]

16. It's never been "white anxiety".

It's racism and resentment from the descendants of enslavers and wanna-be enslavers. This is the resurrection of the Confederacy. "White anxiety" is the kinder, gentler way to say "racist," and as such, panders to racism by trying to code it.

[leftstreet]

17. +1

"white anxiety" is a term meant to paint the racist as the victim

[happy feet]

19. +2

[IronLionZion]

20. First it was economic anxiety, now it's white anxiety

are people not enjoying the good jobs and wages under the white president Joe Biden?

Or maybe they want a servant class for cheap labor. Immigrants or visa workers can help with that. If they want white immigrants, how about Ukrainian refugees?

[debm55]

22. Over what? I read the article. What do these white people think they are owed? I know they are angry

but I don't understand. I just can't understand where they are coming from. No one is owed anything. Most of my neighbors are the angry white. I know that tRump stirred them up from under their rocks. Still can't figure out the anger they carry. Have they carried this anger all their years until Trump gave them permission to show it? They are a sad lot looking at America as being against them. And I"m white.

[IronLionZion]

24. Even their politicians spew complete nonsense

like litter boxes in schools. Things that don't exist. It's like they enjoy being angry just for being angry's sake.

I don't get the paranoid conservative mindset at all.

[debm55]

25. Me either.

[Deep State Witch]

23. Dan Cox

We just saw an ad for Dan Cox, the Repug candidate for governor here in Maryland. It literally claimed that "Wes Moore was going to endanger your daughters." WTAF? That's not a racist dogwhistle, that's a bullhorn! I just kind of rolled my eyes and said, "racists gonna racist." (BTW, we were the only white people in the restaurant at that point, including the staff.)

[electric_blue68]

26. I've Had It up to the wazoo about Certain White People for Decades! And I'm white...

My 2nd gen parents raised me to be anti racist. Especially my mom since I was around her a lot more They had no illusions that while witnessing the awfulness that Jim Crow could cause, of Bull Conor &, Co wither their hoses, and attack dogs (I was not yet watching the news steadily, exceptions being Cuban Missile Crisis, JKF's assassination, funeral), they knew there was(is) plenty of Northern Racism.

I was always careful to make white friends as I got into my tweens, teens, and beyond that didn't show racism as far as I could tell.

My Afro-American, Afro-Caribbean friends - to give the
prime, first example - when two Afro-Caribbean girls were the first in our gifted 5th grade class; I made sure to be welcoming to both.
Then while one's personality didn't go well with mine, the other's one did, and we were friends for years. Plus myself always learning more about current, and past experiences of Black people in America.
Thus the same with my Asian, and Latin friends.

Besides racists causing all kinds continued low grade, up to life affecting, and deadly interactions with BIPOCs...
they miss the opportunity especially in a very multi-racial city like mine of expanding their circles of friendship, and meeting some very interesting, kind, and creative people.

[ificandream]

27. Excellent commentary.

It's sickening to read (and realize again) that Trump was an anti-reaction to Obama. We are a sad sad lot.

[Yavin4]

28. A Black man became president. That's why they now hate democracy.

A sizeable segment of White Americans only support things that maintain their racial privileges. Public transportation support nose dived when Whites only sections were deemed illegal.

Same is true with democracy itself. They will only support it if only White people win.

[czarjak]

29. Rushbo said, "I hope he fails"...

After eight years, he was “still just a GD n-word” to the racists I’ve known since grade school.