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writing for godot

White America Needs to Chill

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Written by Arturo Tha Cuban   
Thursday, 02 May 2019 07:02

Disclaimer: When I say “White America,” “White People,” “Wypipo,” or white-anything, it goes without saying that I’m talking about the white folks who are engaged in whatever specific behavior I may be addressing at that time. In other words, “not all white people” is implied.

 

If having a disclaimer at the beginning of an article isn’t a great example of white America needing to chill the hell out, I don’t know what is. White men, in particular, have gone off the rails over the last decade. As discontent over growing diversity in the United States continues to spread, more white folks are seeing the political world through the lens of racial identity for the first time. Until now, white folks have enjoyed the invisibility that comes with whiteness because of their dominant position in society.

 

Hate groups have keyed in on this and are using it to create a narrative suggesting that white people are suffering from White Extinction Anxiety to boost recruitment. An ideology based on the idea that diversity is part of some sinister plot to destroy the white race. As hate groups pushed to grow resentment towards non-white people, hate speech and racist rhetoric became more mainstream.

 

The normalization of hate-speech has created an environment that foments the idea that the power and status of white folks need to be protected. This environment evolved into some profoundly large hate groups - of mostly white men - who believe that white genocide is a real thing; that immigrants of color are evil and should be stopped; that Black men are going around raping their women; that Jews control everything but Muslims are secretly taking over; that white America is burning under the flames of diversity.

 

Yeah, off the rails indeed.

 

Keep in mind, these are the same people who lose their minds when they see the words, white people; declaring it racist. Yet, even after we deviate and find a different way to say it (wypipo), they still claim that we’re being racist. Even going so far as to declare that wypipo is a racist term as bad as the n-word. Which is kind of funny to me because it’s not. Not even close.

 

I laugh, yet I’ve always found this type of behavior intriguing. Whether it was when I was beating the shit out of neo-Nazi skinheads in New York City in the 1980s, or today after studying racism for over 30 years, I have found an interest in how racists think, their ideologies, their motivations, and their actions. To find out why they peddle in fear and loathing for the purpose of attacking people of color and to what end. They all know they’ll never succeed.

 

Then there are these groups, formerly known as the alt-right. made up of the most fragile, weak, and small-minded men that I’ve ever seen in the realm of white supremacy. Richard Spencer? Please. Gavin McInnes? Weak. Chris Cantwell? Crying Nazi. All those not all white people types... you get where I’m going with this. If you’ve ever wondered where the term “white fragility” came from, I’m pretty damned sure it was because of these sellouts.

 

Don’t be fooled though, some of these ignorant bastards are members of heavily armed militias just waiting for a race war that was supposed to have occurred many times, yet somehow, never materializes. Some are just heavily armed and batshit crazy with hate, as you well know.

 

So what sets these guys and their cyber-tough counterparts off? Let’s discuss that and a few other things not all white people need to chill out on.

“White People”

I know, most white folks aren’t bothered by the words white people. But there’s clearly a growing number of them that freak-out at the sight of those two words. The dislike of being identified as a racial group with some glaring issues makes some folks really angry. After all, it’s a relatively new element in modern North American society that is not friendly to those with a superiority complex. With many often treating it as an attack on white people in general.

 

Here’s what I mean:

 

Simply saying the words white people identifies a group with shared interests and characteristics while questioning the group’s standing relative to other groups. Many white people loathe when other groups make noise to draw attention to issues of social inequity and injustice. They hate it when you shine a light on all that baggage. Then they act as if they’re being blamed directly - doing so of their own volition - to create an environment of victimization.

 

Here’s the thing, we talk about groups all the time. Particularly in politics - immigrants, Black people, Mexicans, Muslims, etc. - and no one says a thing. But as soon as you generalize about men, evangelicals, and white people, suddenly lumping people together is a problem. Even among most of my Liberal friends, just saying the words white people causes obvious discomfort. In the minds of white folks, the term is somehow charged with meaning and potential conflict that is vaguely subversive.

 

Because of that, I find it hard to imagine a world in which the words white people are received in a neutral sense instead of being viewed as fighting words. Look, we get it. We despise how Latin Americans are all lumped together as “Messicans” despite the fact that we come from many nations. Mexicans hate it too by the way. But we know why racists do it. It categorizes us into one group making it easier to dehumanize us and demean our respective cultures while attacking our individuality. Do you know what we don’t do? We don’t rage about it with folks who do it.

 

When we look at how “Black people” and “Mexicans” are used and in the context which they are often used (criminals, thugs, wetbacks, welfare queens, etc.), I can see why some folks would be upset when they see the words, white people. In essence, it’s an acknowledgment that categorizing people by race is detrimental to society. But instead of working towards coming together and moving forward, some of them want to go to war over it.

 

At the end of the day though, y’all gotta chill on freaking out over the words white people.

“Wypipo”

Not a racist word.

 

The term is actually used to avoid detection from social media algorithms that suspend people - sometimes deleting accounts - for criticizing the behaviors of racist white people. The policy of flagging posts that contain those two words is well known across all social media platforms with little exception. The term wypipo originated in the Black community as a way to circumvent silencing people who speak out. It has since become widely used in online social commentary.

 

Now there are dozens of different - and quite creative - ways to avoid detection such as yt, vvhite, clear, and my personal favorite, hwhite people. Don’t take offense if you ever happen to see these in use. Instead, understand why people have to do it. The reason behind the use of this term is due to the constant “reporting” of posts that contained the words, white people. Yes, some people are that outraged by those two words that they would report it. This is why we stopped using them.

 

So, for the love of coffee, lighten up on the wypipo outrage.

White Identity Politics

The concept of White Identity Politics is based on not just personal identity, but of securing the status of white people at the top of the hierarchy thus maintaining the power and influence over just about everything in North American life. This “political” idea is nothing more than an extension of the normalization of hate speech. Now, under the guise of a political standpoint, white supremacists want to enact policy that benefits white people before all others.

 

Many argue that “not racist” white people fall into the category of identifying with White Identity Politics. They claim that “not racist” white people identify with policies and will elect politicians who address the issues around White Extinction Anxiety (not a real thing). Others, like me, argue that they are just racists by another name because they are actively upholding the pillars of white supremacy. Because come on, let’s face it, that’s exactly what they are.

 

Look, I'm sure it scares white people to think that they are on the verge of extinction. That the point of no return is fast approaching. That the defense and protection of the white race are crucial. But it's all unnecessary because none of this is happening to white people. Racists are perpetuating these false narratives online and people are buying into it at an alarming rate.

 

If you know someone who believes this, tell them to chill.

White Extinction Anxiety

If you're anything like me, the first time you heard these words you probably said something like “what-in-the-actual-hell” is this about? Yes, it's (supposedly) a real thing. There's no science behind it, but who needs that shit when racists have feelings. amirite?

 

All kidding aside, White Extinction Anxiety is something that (allegedly) happens to white people when they start seeing demographic changes in and around their communities. It gives them the feeling that they are being pushed out. That feeling then turns into frustration and that frustration will inevitably turn to anger. Anger that exposes itself during social events, private parties, and even public places with the use of racist tropes and racist rhetoric. Many times resulting in verbal and/or physical aggression directed at minorities.

 

In this scenario, most of the anger and “anxiety” comes from the idea that giving minorities social equity and equal justice will somehow emasculate white men and topple their perceived hierarchy. In other words, it's an excuse for otherwise abhorrent behavior justified by the idea that their privilege must be protected; it’s white supremacy.

 

Let’s get something straight. Despite what racists may be saying, no one is out-to-get white people. Extinction? Are you kidding me? White folks aren’t even endangered. Sure, the demographics in North America might be changing but that’s because the culture has always been in a constant state of flux. America is made up of people from all over the world. Always has been, always will be. Nothing you can do about it but accept it.

 

White extinction anxiety isn’t real.

White Genocide

So far, the only folks in North America talking about genocide are the alt-right. You know, white nationalists. Those guys who talk and act like Nazis. The Kleen Kut Ku Klux Klan. Remember? They tried to intimidate people with tiki torches. Yeah, those fucking guys.

 

White Genocide is another myth perpetuated by white supremacists to help boost recruitment efforts. It is based on the idea that white people are being forced to assimilate by non-white populations in an effort that is being controlled by a vast Jewish conspiracy. As with all white supremacist ideologies, this is used to scare white people into justifying a commitment to White Identity Politics and White Nationalism, eventually leading to increasing calls to violence.

 

This theory is deep. It contends that mass immigration, racial integration, low-fertility rates, abortion, organized violence, and the governmental confiscation of white people’s land are part of a much larger worldwide conspiracy. It suggests that these actions are deliberate and intent on replacing and removing white people, dismantling white collective power, and turning countries minority-white, thus causing white people to become extinct by forced assimilation and eventually, violent genocide.

 

There is no evidence to suggest that this is probable. None.

Moving Forward

Getting through these tumultuous times is going to take all of us. The white supremacist coalition of the white delegation who believe this shit are dangerous and they’re growing in numbers every day. If you know anyone going down this road, ask them to drop the racist language and get off the hate train. Talk to them. Do something. Clearly, people like this need to get out of the house more and come back to reality.

 

As all predominantly white countries experience a rise in white nationalism due to the spread of hateful ideologies like this, we have to do better to call it out. Going down this rabbit hole is becoming more common for white people. Particularly, white men. Usually starting out small and seemingly innocent enough, eventually leading to White Identity Politics which later progresses into something much more sinister.

 

I know, some of this borders on comical. But it helps to understand what modern-day racists believe and why. They believe it because the new-look racist is clean cut, dresses well, and sounds intellectual. They mimic the modern-day pioneers of the tech world in the way they present their ideologies. They promote themselves like Tony Robbins, and they pitch their bullshit to the masses like they're selling used cars. And they’re selling them, fast.

 

What they're selling is fear and loathing of anyone who doesn't look like them. They’re selling toxic masculinity. They're selling hate wholesale and getting rich doing it. That’s the biggest driver for the modern-racist. Money. The biggest purveyors of hate - and those that sponsor them - are generating a massive amount of wealth by making an industry of what was once an untapped market in today’s society using an entrepreneurial approach.

 

Again, this is not to say all white people are like this. In fact, many white folks welcome diversity and are inclusive and willing to learn from different cultures. They teach their children, and subsequently other children, about acceptance and equality. Many of them are active allies in the fight against inequality in the United States. We (people of color) honor and value their actions every single day. White folks on our side using their influence, privilege, and sometimes power to help achieve justice and equality is not just valuable, but absolutely necessary.

 

The only way to achieve real and tangible change and building social equity for all is by working together and for each other. That includes ALL OF US.

 

* * *

 

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: The overuse of the words white people in this article is done for two reasons. First, I can’t remember the last time I typed those words, so I used them profusely in somewhat of a little celebration. Secondly, because I truly think white folks need to calm down about it and start getting used to seeing them. The current state of affairs in America requires that we all start asking ourselves some really tough questions. Finding answers will take all of us including you, the white people. Don’t get hung up on the unimportant and focus on the issues.

 

Listen, learn, act.

 

Much love.


 

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