Nikki Haley, right now the only thing that stands in the way of Trump winning the Republican nomination and probably the presidency, needs some advice. First she blows the answer on the cause of the Civil War, then she gets a question about whether the U.S. is a racist country.
No one, and that includes Biden, who wants to win the presidency can say that the U.S. is a racist country. You can’t. You might believe it, and you might give evidence, but voters don’t like to hear that their country is racist. Most Anglo voters don’t even understand the whole idea of white privilege. They don't feel privileged.
I taught American studies for years. Some of our country’s history is bleak, but here is what my team members and I told the students. While terrible things were done to Indians, Blacks, immigrants, Latinos, women, and so many others, there were always voices speaking out against mistreatment. Roger Williams, John Wollman, Susan B. Anthony, Davy Crockett, Frederick Douglass, Jane Addams, and so many more. Focus on those. It is hard to condemn the U.S. as a racist country when so many people tried to do the right thing. Be one of those voices.
While I will not say there isn't racism in the U.S., I would point to the root causes, among which are ignorance and selfishness, as what needs to be addressed. In discussions of the border crisis it's rare that anyone mentions the reasons why we don't want the immigrants here. Despite the policies of the Biden administration, I'm still waiting for the promised "taco truck on every corner".
ReplyDeleteThat would be quite handy.
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