Salon: Embattled Whiteness Gave Us Brexit.

[Number23]

"Embattled Whiteness Gave Us Brexit. It Won’t Give Us President Trump."
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/06/embattled_whiteness_gave_us_brexit_it_won_t_give_us_president_trump.html

If you take NOTHING else away from this article, I hope that everyone reads, absorbs and celebrates this bit:

And we see this in the polling between Trump and Clinton. If the United States were largely white—if its electorate were as monochromatic as Britain’s—then Trump might have the advantage. As it stands, people of color in America are acting as a firewall for liberalism—an indispensable barrier to this surge of ethno-nationalism.

...This is critical. In our fixation on these dislocated whites, we forget those that haven’t embraced backlash. And in the United States, at least, we forget that the world of disadvantaged working people includes millions of people of color. They too have been harmed—often irreparably—by the march of financial capitalism and the weakening of the social safety net (if they even had access to it). But they reject the overtures of demagogues. Which is a reminder that, for as much as workers are circumscribed by forces out of their control, they aren’t pawns of history. They can still make choices. Nativism is one choice. We don’t have to respect it.

A very interesting read and I hope that everyone remembers this the next time a clueless, know-nothing talks about how "conservative" or "establishment" black people are. It is MINORITIES, the very groups who have been insulted, slimed and maligned this election season, that will keep liberalism and progressiveness alive and (God willing) keep Trump out of the White House.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Great OP

And the article at the link is a damn good read.

He lays out very clearly to white Republicans that Brexit isn't happening here. The 1 in 3 minority voters in America compared to the 8% in Great Britain is the foundation of a "wall" that already exists.

IE our wall is bigger and better than anything Trump is promising.

[brush]

3. Yep, we are the real progressive base.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. We are also the firewall for so many others

Elsewhere I'm trying to explain - without changing the subject to a "black American issue" - we've got your backs.

The second Civil Rights movement provides the playbook for equality. If we falter or give an inch it's going to be bad for a lot of groups that have made gains in terms of the laws of this land - based on Civil Rights legislation from the 60's.

Women
Other minorities
New Americans
GLBT community
Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, etc etc.

And so on and so forth.

We've got to hold the line in this election. Their lives depend on it as much as ours.

[brush]

5. Agreed. Much is at stake.

[YoungDemCA]

20. Black Americans have long been the canary in the coal mine for how egalitarian our society is

The aggressive contemporary rollback of civil rights gains, from Voter ID laws through the Roberts Court striking down sections of the VRA, should worry all of us who want a more just, more fair, more equal society.

Well said, JustAnotherGen!

[Number23]

27. An absolutely AMAZING point.

We've got to hold the line in this election. Their lives depend on it as much as ours.

Black people are always held out to be the benchmark of suffering and misery in this country. Perhaps as you suggested, we need to be held up more as the benchmarks for social progress and leadership because that is every bit as real and true as our misery.

Minorities have flexed some AMAZING muscle this primary season and there damn sure ain't no turning back now. The same folks that have yanked Britain back to the Dark Ages are trying to do the same thing here under the guise of "making America great again." We have to make damn sure they are not allowed to do so.

[JustAnotherGen]

36. Sometimes I wonder

Do the people who benefited - TRULY appreciate the level of effort? Allies and such and whatnot . . .

[1StrongBlackMan]

39. LOL ... Nope. They think they built it.

[sheshe2]

33. I am with you here.

you are the firewall, we still have your back.

[brush]

9. Where did you come from? Do you know you're on a progressive site?

Try selling that ignorance somewhere else.

[brush]

11. You again. Stop displaying your ignorance. AAs, as with other demographic segments . . .

don't all think the same.

Enjoy your stay here, as it won't be long.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. Shit - I missed him

Did he post a picture of his mom in a compromising position again?

[brush]

18. What? He/she has been here before?

[JustAnotherGen]

19. Probably the

"Just stop" guy.

[sheshe2]

32. Yup...

He comes here a lot!

[sheshe2]

31. Again?

He keeps coming... back~

[Number23]

26. That has been true and obvious for decades. But for some reason, some are DAMNED determined

to not see or acknowledge that, too stuck in their bullshit and lies about black people being "low information voters" and "social conservatives."

[brer cat]

6. That's a great OP, Number23.

K&R

[MrScorpio]

8. Damn Skippy nt

[sheshe2]

12. "You all are the firewall-

an indispensable barrier."

Yes, you are and I thank all of you for that.

Thanks Number23, most excellent read.

[lovemydog]

14. Most definitely.

[Starry Messenger]

15. Thank the gods for that.

XO

[Surya Gayatri]

16. Massive K & R. Thanks for posting. So spot on.

[DonCoquixote]

17. a meaningful slice

"The older workers and pensioners who backed “Leave” are handing power to men of capital like Boris Johnson and Farage, a former commodities trader; the working and middle-class whites who back Trump, if they succeed, will hand power to a longtime financial elite, leading a party that bends fully to the prerogatives of financial elites. No, this is a backlash against the cosmopolitanism of those elites, against the belief that they broke the contract that upheld the relative social and economic status of people like them. If you’re on the left, this is a backlash for all the wrong reasons."

I hear many of the far left talking about how this is a victory, and they show the same lack of foresight that made Bernie lose. to them I say "YOUR exercise in self congratulation and self immolation masks the fact that you have the LUXURY and YES PRIVILEDGE to say "we are choosing a lower standard of living for noble reasons" omitting the fact that the ones who will be doing most of the starving will be your poorer, browner fellow citizens." Of course Brussels needed a bloody nose, especially for how it treated all people, but especially brown people. However, let us not gild a RACIST act because of that dis-proven saw of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The elites will only get STRONGER, the Germans only richer.

[Number23]

28. This was no victory for the left and anyone that espouses that shows their utter and complete

ignorance and lack of even elementary understanding of politics, domestic and foreign.

No "leftist" could celebrate the racist dog-whistling done by the Leave campaign. First we had Boris Johnson alluding that Obama's "Kenyan roots" are what lead to him being opposed to the UK leaving the EU. Then we had the UKIP not even pretending to be subtle with its racist depictions of floods of unwashed, brown immigrants flooding the UK. It's already been noted how similar those ads were to Nazi propaganda.

This was racism, nationalism and closed-mindedness wrapped up in a bow of craven political cynism. The reaction from even members of the Leave campaign with their "dear God, what have we done?" looks on their faces and the number of people that have already declared they regret their Leave votes speaks to how dishonest, unethical and decidedly UNPROGRESSIVE all of this has been.

[MADem]

43. You're damn right. But I see people here trying to play it

like it was about "jerbs."

I'm appalled. And anyone who takes up that banner and starts waving it might as well fill out their application to be an auxiliary member of UKIP.

And yes--the complete opposite of what an actual "progressive" is, that point is so well taken. That word has been twisted and polluted in the last year or so--to the point where it has become meaningless in the best case, and in the worst case, a synonym for "racist" over the pond.

[Number23]

45. There are people racing around DU saying that Brexit was a rejection of the Third Way

For real. The Third Way. Who knew the Third Way had gone global??!

All of this is one of the many, many reason that so few take the "left" seriously. They seem to have absolutely no understanding of politics, no knowledge of history, and are quick as hell to embrace their enemies because of a rejection/adoption of some policy or ideal even if for COMPLETELY different and/or horrible reasons all while breaking their backs to alienate their allies.

Boris Johnson et al went out of their way to let it be known that Brexit was 99% based on rejecting immigrants and you've got white "leftists" in America trying their hardest to pretend that it was about every damn thing else. Even after the Leave folks OPENLY admitted that their campaign was based on xenophobia, racism and flat out lies, there are a number of "leftists" determined to pretend that it was about "sticking it to the 1%." And people of color and smart white folks see all of this and it's one of the many reasons that we keep these folks at arm's length.

[MADem]

46. The celebrating in the street mostly touched on "those people."

The ones who 'can't speak OUR language' and take up 'all OUR benefits' (emphasis sardonic and deliberate). It's sad. I really thought UK was getting past the rough spots, especially as the young people came up and saw that regional alliance as the New Normal...now with Brexit the old folks are happy, but the young kids' futures are in jeopardy and their opportunities are fewer. Such a damn shame. It'll take them years, maybe decades, to fix this if they don't find a way to say "Oooops--never mind, we didn't mean it" and do that quick.

Of course, they're celebrating in Dublin--all those "Highly Fluent English language speaker" jobs that UK kids will be fired from will be On the Market in Ireland!

[cyberpunk]

48. I saw a FB photo album of just like a hundred fifteen images

all twitter screenshots of people who are experiencing outright, blatant, in the face racism from these xenophobic motherfuckers and I swear on my life, I've never felt more disappointed in humanity in general.

[cyberpunk]

47. ...Those aren't even in the same Phylum, let alone the same animal

wtf? While I have no love for centrist policy, anyone who would try to frame Brexit as anything CLOSE to third way policy in the same breath is smoking some high quality shit. Brexit was angry, white nationalists, plain and simple. UKIP is essentially the British KKK-- something that cannot, and should not be said about Clinton.

[Number23]

49. "Brexit was angry, white nationalists, plain and simple." Exactly

The Leave campaign could not have made that more obvious. And yet, some folks are still burning calories trying to pretend that racism and xenophobia had nothing to do with Brexit, that it was a "rejection" of "neoliberal" policies and "giving the finger to the 1%."

There is no rationalizing with some people. They are determined not to get it.

[fleabiscuit]

21. Excellent. I liked this line too; "Complacency isn’t called for, but confidence isn’t wrong either."

That adequately describes my guarded thoughts.

[ismnotwasm]

22. K&R

[freshwest]

23. Signed in to Rec and Thank You

That part is indeed true. AA's have protected everyone's rights. It is appreciated.

[sheshe2]

24. Freshwest!

Good to see you here sweetie! Miss ya~

[Number23]

29. Hey there! Don't blame you one bit for not being around much. Not one damn bit

But still nice to see you.

[sheshe2]

25. When I finished the whole article, excellent I might add....

I saw there were 1.8K responses.

Lol~ don't read them, I only read a dozen or so. I guess it is true some things are cheaper by the dozen and hell yes they were cheap.

[Cha]

30. "As it stands, people of color in America are acting as a firewall for liberalism—an indispensable

barrier to this surge of ethno-nationalism."

Don't I know it and Appreciate it, 23, Thank you~

[Cha]

34. From Samuel Leroy Jackson @ BET where he got his Lifetime Achievement Award..

Samuel L. Jackson received the lifetime achievement award and was introduced by Spike Lee. Jackson ended his speech by offering praise to Williams, calling him “the closest thing I’ve heard to a 1960s activist.”

“That brother is right and he’s true, and when you hear what he said, make sure you vote and you take eight more people with you to vote, OK?” Jackson said. “Don’t get tricked like they got tricked in London!"

http://blackamericaweb.com/2016/06/27/bet-awards-pay-tribute-to-prince-jesse-williams-ali-and-samuel-l-jackson/

Samuel L Jackson~

[Number23]

37. Ha! LOVE me some Samuel L Jackson. But London was one of the few places that DIDN'T get

tricked but I totally understand what he's saying.

[Recursion]

35. If we survive this it will be because of minority voters

And I will spend the rest of my political life making sure the right and left remember that...

[1StrongBlackMan]

38. Great OP ... But I would have excerpted the segment on "whiteness" ...

[aikoaiko]

40. Do you think Bouie would include Sanders with Trump when rejecting demagogues?

[Number23]

44. Probably. Others have.

[treestar]

41. I had been to London a couple times and thought the UK was getting more diverse

But recently read that the UK was still 87% white. That is a big difference from the 67% in the US. That's a firewall for us.

[MADem]

42. Really--all this "trade" canard and "unfair rules" stuff is nonsense.

Brexit is all about xenophobia, and the sad truth is that the old racists who voted for it are condemning the young globalists who LIKE having an international passport and are not afraid of opportunities abroad to a misery that will take YEARS to undo.

And it is true that where the rubber meets the road, the minority voters are the ones who favor MORE inclusion into society, not less. The GOP tries to muddy that up by sounding the alarm against problems that are not really problems (sample: If gay people get married, that means WE can't;as though marriage is a zero-sum game/If gay people get married, they're going to want to march into a church where they've never attended services and DEMAND to say their vows at that altar!).

As Ricky used to say to Lucy, "It's just so ridiculous!"

It's astounding to me how some Americans can play the "white is the default 'real American' card" with a straight face, STILL. I really thought we started to move past that shit in the 21st Century....but I guess a lot of those angry people who have "lost their place" have to have someone to yell at.

[heaven05]

50. +1000