My southern conservative dad (with a brain) says "it's" about race.

[Writer]

He grew up in Louisiana and was an adult during the Civil Rights era. He's also retired military. We chatted on the phone last week, and he said that he "watched blacks march 30 or 40 years ago, and now the whites are marching." He said that he believes their emotions are real, and not constructed, but that the fear is about the loss of control over society and the feeling that their values are being replaced by those of people who don't look like them.

My dad is intelligent. :)

[Skittles]

1. not understanding

exactly what values are being replaced?

[noiretextatique]

2. white supremacy

that's the "value" they are so afraid of losing.

[Gold Metal Flake]

8. AKA: "Our Lifestyle"

Their idealized version of The American Way.

[Skittles]

12. aaahhhh

the fifties "ideal America" that never was; yes

[Writer]

14. Right. White hegemony.

Or the challenge to their identities as lily white Americans.

[noiretextatique]

18. white, male hegemony as a natural state

but it's really authoritarian white male hegemony as a natural state. these folks actually liked gw bush and his band of murderous thugs.

[Skittles]

26. yup

absolutely - and they seemed to have little problem with a black female as long as she was pimping war for those thugs

[noiretextatique]

28. condiliar, that gun nut in arizona, clarence thomas, micheal steele

they have no problem with pathetic, deluded, fascist black people at all.

[redqueen]

9. +1

[gateley]

16. Whoa -- you nailed it.

:thumbsup:

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

20. They are afraid their

daughters might grow up to marry one of you know........................'them'

[Kajsa]

24. Yep!

And it's scaring the hell out of them.

Hence, the insanity and desperation.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. The white ones -

the ones in which whites controlled everything, and the whole world was wonderful.

These values:

[Barack_America]

10. The value of knowing that, however little you made of your life...

...you were always better than *somebody*.

[gateley]

23. God -- another laser-sharp insight!

Lest you misunderstand my post - It's not meant to be sarcastic (need a NOT sarcasm smilie) -- but an honest :applause:

[Gold Metal Flake]

3. Yes, that is right.

And they are being whipped up in order to create violence and profit.

What part of Louisiana?

[noiretextatique]

5. your dad is intelligent...and honest

:toast: very refreshing

[thunder rising]

6. I agree ... 1960 - 1971 in southern AL ... It's race. The dicotomy of church and hate

drives kids crazy.

[BlooInBloo]

7. Everybody knows it. The only question is whether white folks are willing to lie to cover it up.

[newtothegame]

11. That's sweet that your dad speaks for the entire right side of the political spectrum. n/t

[marmar]

13. Que?

n/t

[Kajsa]

21. Who

in the hell said that?
( besides you?)
The OP certainly didn't.

That's YOUR presumption alone- you can have it.

[gratuitous]

22. I'm not sure that was claimed

But isn't it interesting that a conservative Southerner seems to be saying much the same thing as Jimmy Carter, another Southerner? Sort of makes me wonder who these people are who claim that Carter went too far or crossed the line or something by saying that race is a factor in the criticism of President Obama. It seems that Carter's bona fides as a Southerner have badly discombobulated a number of people who would ordinarily have dismissed Carter's comments because he didn't understand the South or some such nonsense.

[gateley]

25. I believe the OP and Dad were referring to the whack, Hitler-Obama sign carrying

citizens, but maybe you missed that in your rush to judgment... :eyes:

[Avalux]

15. Yep. The Cleaver family of the 50s.

That is the America these people are so afraid of losing; the one where white men are in control of everything.

Change happens. They'd better get used to it because no matter what they do, this country will no longer be that ideal they hold in such high esteem. No going back.

[gateley]

17. Agree -- your dad is intelligent. Many conservatives (especially from LA!)

wouldn't be able to admit that -- even to themselves. Hugs to dad! :pals:

[lunatica]

19. They think Leave it to Beaver was a reality show

[gateley]

27. Bwah! nt

[madamesilverspurs]

33. Understandable, after all

we just had eight years of Eddie Haskell as president. . .

[Warpy]

29. I had one just like him

He was a right winger who saw right through the idiots. He loved his tax cuts and thought a fitting end to Falwell would be for him to get stuck in a glory hole with a hungry pit bull on the other side of it.

He thought a lot of it was probably racial, too.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Then your dad undrstands that there is a real caste system

in the South. Something that is quite a verbotten subject in the US.

And yes, they are worried that they will not only be displaced... but if you are not the top dog, somebody else has to in a caste system. If you think you are entitled by birth, and color of skin... and somebody else is getting the power... well you know where I am going with this.

Props to your dad by the way.

[BootinUp]

31. Yep. He is. nt

[elleng]

32. You're lucky that he's intelligent

and that he has a brain and that you can discuss these things with him.