The Public Professor

The U.S. has a long history of electoral corruption. But the last half-century has seen mostly clean elections. Are we about to return to the bad old days?

If even the Mormon Church can’t convince more than a third of its loyal followers to get the vaccine or mask up, you no something bigger is going on.

White Americans get a lot of things wrong about race.  And I’m not just talking about white supremacists.  Or people bitter about the supposedly undue attention, sympathy, and “breaks” that minorities receive, insisting “real” racism was a problem only in the past, because Civil Rights “fixed” it and anyone complaining about racism is just looking for an unfair edge in America’s level, color-blind playing field.  Or even those who simply minimize and downplay the existence racism. Rather, I’m talking about the small majority of whites who recognize that racism remains a big problem in America.  They often get it wrong.  How? Many of them think that race is primarily about black and brown people.  It’s not.  The fact is, racism is primarily about white people. Minorities suffer the effects of racism, and we must acknowledge and work to end that; however, you cannot cure an infection by simply placing a band-aid over the sore.  You must clean out the wound thoroughly, surgically if need be, disinfect it, and then attack the infection at its root with antibiotics.  In the old days it might have meant cutting off an appendage or limb.  Similarly, racism won’t end or even be substantially reduced by strictly focusing on the suffering of its victims and making amends.  Those are important and necessary first steps, but they don’t get at the core of the problem.  Minority suffering is racism’s result, but racism is caused by what white people think and do. Yes, white people should empathizing with black and brown people (with all human beings, really) and it is vitally important that whites listen to minority voices.  However, ending or substantially reducing racism will not come about until white people talk to each other and sort themselves out.  Because racism is a white problem.

Planned to publish this essay on Monday, but changed my mind at the last minute. So much for prophecy. Here’s my essay about the U.S. coming apart under Trump, as I wrote it before the Capitol riot, only one line added since.