Michael Harriot Profile picture
Writer, board-certified wypipologist, last real Negus alive. BlackAF History/Drapetomaniax podcast/theGrio…At the SAME DAMN TIME. Never reneged; Never will.

Sep 14, 2020, 15 tweets

I've received a lot of hate mail and DMs yesterday from people who saw me on MSNBC

Asked about Donald Trump's racial philosophy, I said: "Donald Trump sounds like a white man." I am not above admitting when I've said some stupid shit (and lord knows I have) but...

A thread:

First of all, let's be clear: The Republican Party is a WHITE PARTY. No Democratic President has won a majority of the white vote in 50 years. White people are 62% of the population but 81% of the GOP.

And EVERY OTHER nonwhite DEMOGRAPHIC IN AMERICA votes Democrat

Maybe the Democratic Party has figured out a special technique that hypnotizes dumb poor black people. Everyone knows we don't wanna work because we want gov't "handouts."

But no one seems to be able to answer 1 question:

Why doesn't it work on poor, uneducated whites?

In fact, the MORE EDUCATION or the MORE MONEY a white person gets, the more likely they are to vote for the Democratic party

As you can see, Trump's talking points aren't REPUBLICAN talking points as much as they are talking points that reflect the political position of WHITE PEOPLE.

For instance, TRUMP doesn't think we pay too much attention to race. REPUBLICANS don't think that. WHITE PEOPLE DO.

When Trump dismissed the reality of white privilege to Bob Woodward, he didn't sound presidential.

He just sounds WHITE.

And if you have a problem with that, don't @ me. Holla at the 2 biggest and most respected pollsters in the known universe.

He dismissed systemic racism, despite the overwhelming amount of research and data proving disparities in every financial, educational and criminal justice institution in America.

So do MOST WHITE PEOPLE

But I know why white people don't agree with what I said:

They don't talk to each other about privilege or race
They don't see their whiteness as part of their identity (which is why they spout that reductive BS about "not seeing color" as if that is something to aspire to.)

But here's what I was talking about:

We don't know the America that Trump and white people are speaking of.

I can't count how often people tell me they grew up or live in a "diverse" neighborhood. But after I challenge them to look at the actual data, they are always shocked.

See, because America is still segregated, MOST WHITE PEOPLE people live in places where they are OVERREPRESENTED — EVEN IN THE MOST DIVERSE CITIES IN AMERICA

And when they do talk about race, it's with OTHER WHITE people.

Now, there are some people who think it's not fair to say "white people" when I'm talking about SOME white people. But I was referring to MOST white people. A statistically proven fact.

I didn't have time to list all the names, so I called them "white people"

The only reason it's racist to ask black people about black on black crime is bc 95% of us aren't criminals. If the MAJORITY of black people were, it would be fair.

See the difference?

I don't think wypipo are SPECIFICALLY talking about me when they discuss the "black vote."

If I were stampeded by a herd of elephants, and someone asked me what happened, I wouldn't list the elephants' names. I'd just say "elephants did it."

When someone mentions black unemployment, I don't scream: "I have a job!"

At my job, I use words. People actually pay me to use them. I like to think I'm decent at doing it.

Which is why, if I EVER mean "all white people," I would say it.

Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.

A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.

Keep scrolling