Thread by @from_runs

THE REBRANDING OF RACISM AND BIGOTRY.

This is an oversimplification, but it serves to frame the discussion.

First, there were the KKK, white supremacists and neo-Nazis. These were so extreme, and (appropriately) elicited such a backlash, that they couldn’t attract members.

So they tried toning it down. They said, now we are just white nationalists. We don’t hate black people, we just think that each race should be with their own. And since America is majority white, that means that should be white country.

A subset of this is neo-Confederates and secessionists, who think that the South should bring back the Confederacy or the red states should form their own white countries.

The public wasn’t buying what they were selling, so they toned it down some more.

Now, they say, we are just Western (white) chauvinists. Nothing to do at all with race, we just think that Europeans and Americans are superior people because of all their accomplishments. Europeans Americans deserve to be on top because of that.

This white chauvinism is more subtle and harder to debunk. For example, they have found some minorities to serve as props in their public facing activities, while still discussing their racism and bigotry on social media.

I’ll take a shot at debunking white chauvinism.

Massachusetts has the highest income per capita in the US, Mississippi the lowest. Using the chauvinistic argument, Massachusettsans are better people than Mississippians, or at least more worthy of admiration. It is right to model our behavior on Massachusettsans rather than ...

... Mississippians. Or, to use Trump-speak, Massachusettsans are winners! Mississippians are losers.

Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes said: "I love being white and I think it's something to be very proud of. I don't want our culture diluted. We need to close the borders now ...

... and let everyone assimilate to a Western, white, English-speaking way of life."

I think this “rebranding” is BS. These so-called white pride people are the same KKK, white supremacist, neo-Nazis assholes that they always were.

I have neighbors whose ancestors were not Europeans. They are American citizens, and their liberty and their rights are guaranteed by the US Constitution just like mine are.

American culture isn’t fixed, it isn’t static. Every day, by their actions, people in America create...

... American culture. Infusions of ideas and practices from other cultures don’t “dilute” America, they add to America.

So, to the Western chauvinists, I say, you are going to have to close down Taco Bell. No more tequila for you.

No sushi, no Chinese food. Want a “white way of life?” Okay, no blacks or Hispanics in sports.
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