General Discussion

zipplewrath

(16,698 posts)

30. Reality versus perception

Wed Oct 25, 2017, 03:13 PM

Oct 2017

I'm not speaking so much in "abstracts" as I am in perception. You are making the case that the white majority shouldn't see their problem as being rooted in minority "success". I don't disagree. The point I am making is that their perception exists DESPITE the presence of evidence to support it. Populations are far more likely to respond to their perceptions, and far more likely to connect it to changes they see going on in their communities.

It's the Harold Hill phenomenon. "It's the pool tables". They can more quickly understand and accept what they see going on right in front of them, than some abstract concept of globalism. If they are comfortable and doing relatively well, they can accept certain changes going on in their social environment. Let that comfort slip, and they quickly will be UNcomfortable with changes going on around them that they do not understand and that they do not feel includes or benefits them. And bigotry is a very easy one to tap into by a populist.

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This, and not economic anxiety, is what elected Trump. [View all] bigtree Oct 2017 OP

Haven't white people suffered enough? - From Matt Groening's Things Republicans say when no one FSogol Oct 2017 #1

How is this even possible? MuseRider Oct 2017 #2

Whites can no longer freely use the "N" word without repercussions or shame maxrandb Oct 2017 #40

Cuz they "see it" on Fox News LeftInTX Oct 2017 #52

Same here.. mountain grammy Oct 2017 #90

Don't read too much into it zipplewrath Oct 2017 #3

nah Eliot Rosewater Oct 2017 #5

FFS Cosmocat Oct 2017 #8

And yet all over the world there is a distinct causal relationship mythology Oct 2017 #37

Its a bullshit rationalization Cosmocat Oct 2017 #38

Same here. HughBeaumont Oct 2017 #48

My inlaws are decent people overall Cosmocat Oct 2017 #58

My BIL is a Trump supporter LeftInTX Oct 2017 #50

Everything you note is "culture" Cosmocat Oct 2017 #57

K & R, good summary! KY_EnviroGuy Oct 2017 #67

the 'economic fear' bigtree Oct 2017 #12

If we say it's just white people being meanspirited...what chance is there of changing anything? Ken Burch Oct 2017 #15

Then white people should stop being bigoted assholes Orrex Oct 2017 #19

well said. JHan Oct 2017 #20

+1,000,000,000 ismnotwasm Oct 2017 #21

Thank you, Orrex! sheshe2 Oct 2017 #24

I agree that white people need to stop being racist. That any movement for change Ken Burch Oct 2017 #25

Any time "economic inequality" is brought up, it eclipses all other concerns Orrex Oct 2017 #31

I agree with everything you said in that first paragraph. Ken Burch Oct 2017 #35

There is a financial investment in keeping us divided. If we can't see that...if we can't address JCanete Oct 2017 #72

One doesn't "fix" the other zipplewrath Oct 2017 #27

Right, but I noted above, "economic inequality" tends to dominate the conversation Orrex Oct 2017 #32

Agreed. Ken Burch Oct 2017 #36

Yes, indeed! brer cat Oct 2017 #33

Yes, exacty! mountain grammy Oct 2017 #91

Agreed that white people should stop being assholes. Ken Burch Oct 2017 #104

Not calling it for what is enables it Cosmocat Oct 2017 #39

I am a white male too, and agree that racism should always be called out. Ken Burch Oct 2017 #56

Have you ever considered that as a white male, your opinion of how racism should be addressed VermontKevin Oct 2017 #82

OK. Fair point. Ken Burch Oct 2017 #83

"they" kinda says it all. VermontKevin Oct 2017 #85

Why? Ken Burch Oct 2017 #87

how much economic success would it take to get these bigots to let go of their antipathies? bigtree Oct 2017 #94

Look, I'm not arguing that economic justice in and of itself would end racism Ken Burch Oct 2017 #103

If that is what the data shows us, why wouldn't you want to say it? stevenleser Oct 2017 #96

I agree that we need to call out racism. Ken Burch Oct 2017 #97

Lets start by not saying all we need to do is propose progressive economic policies and they will stevenleser Oct 2017 #99

I totally agree with you on that. I've never said that progressive economic policies Ken Burch Oct 2017 #102

I don't think so zipplewrath Oct 2017 #23

you're speaking in abstracts bigtree Oct 2017 #29

Reality versus perception zipplewrath Oct 2017 #30

And the reason lower class whites have taken it on the chin NCDem777 Oct 2017 #47

Yep uponit7771 Oct 2017 #63

Its 100 percent bullshit Cosmocat Oct 2017 #68

It's not about benefiting them NCDem777 Oct 2017 #70

Its really sad that there is a segment of folks on our side of the aisle who will dismiss empirical stevenleser Oct 2017 #93

You forgot the sarcasm thingy. n/t Coventina Oct 2017 #18

Lol yardwork Oct 2017 #62

Yes exactly. elleng Oct 2017 #101

We didnt need the study but nice to have it, wont matter though, because right here Eliot Rosewater Oct 2017 #4

oh yeah christian whitel folks are terribly oppressed, so oppressed they are not billiionaires Thomas Hurt Oct 2017 #6

Someone (I don't know who) once said The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2017 #7

Truth! pandr32 Oct 2017 #11

Posted this 100 times Cosmocat Oct 2017 #9

True. That 84 % believe that discrimination exists delisen Oct 2017 #10

When you're used to white privilege just a little leveling of the playing field for POCs seems... brush Oct 2017 #13

I've got to start picking up the junk calls on my phone and take the polls. This is nuts. Vinca Oct 2017 #14

Yeah, he tapped into those old racial anxieties that have been with us forever. Tobin S. Oct 2017 #16

Majority Of White Americans Wish They Had Dark Skin and Nonwhite Features dalton99a Oct 2017 #17

They were fed a steady diet of resentment politics. JHan Oct 2017 #22

why do you think that isn't connected to economic anxiety? Yes, it is also just plain privileged JCanete Oct 2017 #26

Cause it's a false reason, might as well blame puppies ... That's why it's not econ exiety uponit7771 Oct 2017 #64

Well that was convincing. You are absolutely wrong if you think it isn't a factor in how people JCanete Oct 2017 #71

My experience with a group of hardcore Hillary-haters were that they'd done well in the Obama years. Girard442 Oct 2017 #28

True and False Tom Rinaldo Oct 2017 #34

Reverse discrimination and victimhood peggysue2 Oct 2017 #41

Yeah I know people who were civil before they started watching Fox. Initech Oct 2017 #44

Yep uponit7771 Oct 2017 #66

This is my heroine Motley13 Oct 2017 #42

Minds warped by Fox, right wing clergy, and AM hate radio. Initech Oct 2017 #43

Because it's absolutely not possible for human behavior to be driven by more than one variable loyalsister Oct 2017 #45

I'm white and have experienced racism towards me. Joe941 Oct 2017 #46

what about discrimination bigtree Oct 2017 #49

Well based on the definition of discrimination... Joe941 Oct 2017 #55

Recreational paranoia ck4829 Oct 2017 #51

They believe cuz they "see it" on Fox LeftInTX Oct 2017 #53

Economic anxiety and racism are linked marylandblue Oct 2017 #54

I don't believe economically disadvantaged people automatically blame minorities and immigrants bigtree Oct 2017 #59

I don't think it's automatic either marylandblue Oct 2017 #60

it took leadership to turn Americans away from their antipathies in the civil rights 'era' bigtree Oct 2017 #61

Your average rural R voter Cosmocat Oct 2017 #69

you do understand that vast economic disparity isn't really addressed if it isn't addressed on JCanete Oct 2017 #73

Bullshit deflection Cosmocat Oct 2017 #74

Well, there is the left-wing argument, and then there is the national corporate propaganda that JCanete Oct 2017 #75

There are these people called conservatives Cosmocat Oct 2017 #77

Sure, but we only need a small percentage. We don't need all of them. And we could get that JCanete Oct 2017 #81

Why Do They Hate Black Women so Much ? JI7 Oct 2017 #65

The below quoted is particularly idiotic; J_William_Ryan Oct 2017 #76

Their idea of discrimination is no longer being on top. Tatiana Oct 2017 #78

No longer being alone on top AND not being able to discriminate as easily as they used to be able lunasun Oct 2017 #79

Tim Wise on white denial: Garrett78 Oct 2017 #80

This is so true. mountain grammy Oct 2017 #92

And it didn't have a damn thing to do with "economic anxiety" back then either. Garrett78 Oct 2017 #95

Right, exactly. mountain grammy Oct 2017 #100

it's really not either/or. trying to turn everything into a competition doesn't solve anything. nt TheFrenchRazor Oct 2017 #84

White saying that they are discriminated against question everything Oct 2017 #86

"Latinos, women, gays, immigrants- take your pick - have been getting special attention, protected" bigtree Oct 2017 #88

This is what they say (nt) question everything Oct 2017 #89

Not allowing people of color to vote elected the White Supemacist Asshole. Jim Crow L. Coyote Oct 2017 #98

Make America White Again Awsi Dooger Oct 2017 #105