freeman3 wrote:That article is kind of like the Brahmin telling Untouchable to stop trying to divide with complaining about how things are...
We just had an election won a president catering to white prejudices, so now the issue is minirities making all the fuss? Another right-wing fantasy that the government has created racism/prejudice with its policies. There seems to be a tendency in the US to try and say we live in a post-racial society, no way anyone's views could be influenced by prejudice, and the real problem is minorities complaining about racism holding them back , with the exception of a very few.
Better to accept the reality that humans are inherently tribal (as Danivon notes) and deal with reality instead of a fantasy. It's a lot better than it used to be by prejudice did not end just because it is not overtly considered acceptable (which is a good thing by the way). You don't get to MLK' s Dream World by pretending you have already reached it...
Yes, human beings tend toward tribalism. There is no better example than our prison/jail systems. Visit one, spend some time there, and it is plain to see. Inmates segregate, and even fight, over trivial issues to prove their racial loyalty. It's pretty sad.
However, some of what you say here is straw-man-ish.
Another right-wing fantasy that the government has created racism/prejudice with its policies.
I don't feel that way at all.
However, I do think that as racism recedes, and it is receding, the Democrats are losing their ability to reach minorities with a message, so it's become all about brand loyalty. "Real (members of whatever group) vote Democrat."
That's not a message.
You don't get to MLK' s Dream World by pretending you have already reached it.
You also don't get it by pretending it's impossible OR by pretending that we still live in the 1950's.
There are many indicators racism is declining--the number of interracial marriages, the visible increase in interracial adoptions, the pathetic numbers that "white nationalist" rallies draw.
One will never stamp out prejudice. It is part of the human condition. However, we also live in a society in which it is fine to pretend it only goes in one direction. Prejudice is not limited by skin color--some people of every skin color are predisposed to dislike, or even hate, those of other colors.