My heart aches as I see people moving here to our small communities or those who have been educated in schools "teaching" a radical view of America — the only reason Aly Strappazon could write about "deep seated" white "privilege"/"fragility" and "definitions" that cropped up two seconds ago.
Not sure how old Aly is, but her view of whiteness might want to be informed by the history of the herculean efforts/or in her words "started down the road"/"repairing"/"creating a space" and billions of dollars that have been spent over the past 60 years to help mitigate our past sins and do "antiracist" work. We have worked hard to "challenge" and "lay a proper foundation."
The 1960's Civil Rights Act, the "war" on poverty, etc.
Facts also inform us that the white Christian in England, William Wilberforce, worked for decades to end the African slave trade (slavery that has been ubiquitous in every culture over the centuries — nothing unique to America) and the over 600,000 white and black men who died in a war that wasn't civil.
Aly might want to "listen" or "self-reflect" on the lack of effort by much black privilege: blacks in colleges demanding their own dorms, graduation ceremonies, etc. Colleges and corporations now evaluate admissions based on color percentages and sexual identity rather than merit/qualifications.
Black celebrities, sports stars, an ex-President who earn up to $400M annually — might they live on $1M and give the rest to impoverished blacks? Their own version of power/financial "inequity"? Most of us would like that kind of privilege.
Cities like Portland are now a dystopian scene of destruction by BLM/Antifa are Marxist organizations that seek to destroy our institutions. How do those white rioters who harass, yell the n-word and injure black police and store owners fit her narrative?
The very Marxism mentioned above embraces "non-fragile" values that over the last century have cost the lives of millions in Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc.
The Critical Race Theory that drives this worldview of grievance and envy is not about race, but about class, as the middle class businesses in both black and white cities are being destroyed by upscale, spoiled, college "educated" white young people.
Aly's view of America as systemically racist leads to hopelessness, not a cure, no real listening, no healing — just destroy what others have worked hard to build.
She might want to learn more "factual evidence." We are the least racist country in the world — the reason people of color pour across our southern borders and over two million Africans move here — why in the world would they leave their non-racist (yes, I'm being sarcastic) countries to move to a systemic one? I understand much of these new definitions are based on feelings and not facts.
I hope she can self-reflect on her own fragility/guilt and come to embrace what many of us want to hold onto — American privilege of freedom of speech, assembly, religion, etc.
America is a great country with people of every race who work hard and play by the rules.
