A DISTURBING REPUBLICAN VISION FOR AMERICA

  

The claim that the small Eastern European country of Hungary has become a Republican political utopia, to be replicated in America, seems ridiculous. How could a nation with a population of less than 10 million and a short history of European style parliamentary government have anything to offer the conservative right in the United States?

Yet, Donald Trump and his minions have often embraced Hungary’s elected Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, as a model to emulate. Recently, Tucker Carlson, the Fox News commentator, moved his show to Hungary for a week. He visited with Mr. Orban and gushed about his achievements. This year, the Conservative Political Action Conference, an influential annual gathering of conservatives in America, will be held in Budapest.

 Last summer, the conservative NYT columnist, Ross Douthat wrote, “Orban’s interventions in Hungarian cultural life, the attacks on liberal academic centers and the spending on conservative ideological projects are seen as examples of how political power might curb progressive influences.”  If the Republican Party finds in Orban an exemplary political figure, it makes sense to review his policies and political philosophy. Who is Viktor Orban, and what changes has he made in Hungary that have grabbed the attention of the American right? 

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe.  It is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west.  Viktor Orban first came on the political scene as a member of the center right, similar to Angela Merkel of Germany. By the time of his second stint as Prime Minister in 2010, he had morphed into something quite different. He boasted of becoming a proponent of an “illiberal” form of government. At the heart of his ideology was the principle that liberal multiculturalism must be defeated. For Orban, illiberalism means that Hungary is for the Hungarians. What follows is a summary of the policies adopted by Hungary since Orban has been Prime Minister.

Border Security The American right is enamored with the barbed-wire fences at the Hungarian border that appear clean and orderly with none of the chaos so common at the American Southern border. What is left unsaid is the Hungarian policy of denying food to families held in immigration detention centers. Viktor Orban’s anti-immigration propoganda has convinced many citizens that he is all that stands between them and a hostile Muslim invasion.

Elections While vote counts are not outwardly rigged in Hungary, elections are often one-sided affairs. Almost all of the campaign donations and advertising support Orban’s political party, Fidesz.  Bogus opposition parties are organized as a means of dividing the legitimate opposition vote. Observers have characterized the Hungarian Parliament as “a window decoration for a one party state.”

Hungarian Constitution Within months of taking power, Orban and his majority in the Parliament began rewriting the Constitution.  The country’s constitutional court was expanded in size, and Orban filled the new seats with loyalists. Another provision forced all judges over the age of 62 to retire so that these posts could be filled with friendly jurists.  As a result, The Prime Minister’s illiberal policies are guaranteed court approval.

New Legislation National laws were passed permitting Orban to fire civil servants en masse and replace them with partisan supporters.  Orban installed hand-picked department heads to run election supervision and the national media apparatus. These offices had been non-political under previous laws.

Independent Journalism and Media Orban’s government used the new constitutional provisions and legislation (through exorbitant taxing schemes) to silence independant media organizations. They were forced to sell to the state or to oligarchs aligned with the new illiberal system of government.  By 2017, 90 percent of all media was owned or indirectly controlled by Orban’s political party, including regional newspapers.

Reshaping of the Hungarian Electorate Because Orban’s opponents were denied state sponsored employment (and discriminated against in receiving government benefits) almost a million citizens, or one tenth of the population, left Hungary for Western Europe. Many lost their right to vote against Orban in Hungarian elections.

To boost the number of his supporters, Orban offered citizenship and voting rights to more than one million non-domestic Hungarians living in nations surrounding Hungary. These voters support Orban at a jaw-dropping 95 percent. Within Hungary, the Prime Minister has offered his supporters popular tax breaks, loans and access to medical clinics.

The Business Community Profitable Hungarian Corporations and successful small businesses report a troubling trend of mafia-style tactics to force them to sell out to Orban’s friends. If an offer from the state or an oligarch to purchase a successful company is refused, the organization is choked into submission by high taxes and smothering regulations.  Enriching Orban’s allies and neutralizing perceived threats guarantees a high degree of undemocratic social control.

Education The Orban government has reshaped the public school curriculum to remove opportunities for critical thinking that might encourage students to question the government’s policies. Liberal university centers have been denied funding and shut down.

I was going to end this commentary with the observation that Republicans should be careful what they wish for in praising Hungary’s political system. On second thought and most troubling of all, these policies may be exactly what many right wing Republicans are seeking as they follow Donald Trump down the rabbit hole into the next election cycle.

 

 

 

WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY DO WE WANT?

 

For the past several months, I have been paying close attention to conservative talking points from right wing media and from family members and neighbors who still have Trump signs in their front yards. I knew that my regular diet of progressive opinion pieces and cable television analysis was missing something. A recent article in Foreign Affairs (The Real Crisis of Global Order, by Alexander Cooley & Daniel Nexon, January/February 2022) helped me make sense of it all.

When reducing the raging arguments across America to their essence, one issue stands out. Each political party and its followers claim that the other side is taking steps to destroy democracy.  Each believes that it is the last bulwark to prevent the demise of our longstanding American constitutional Republic into an unrecognizable form of government.   

Democrats and Republicans have separately developed a model for America that precludes compromise. As explained in the Foreign Affairs article, “There remains the overwhelming crush of intense political polarization, hyperpartisan scorched-earth tactics, and legislative gridlock…After 30 years of dysfunction in the country, the political and foreign policy establishments have failed to reckon with this reality.”

The epiphany for me is that the political battle being waged is not about losing democracy. It is about choosing sides on an acceptable form of democracy with a distinct plan for America. The Republican vision is centered on saving white culture. Democrats want diversity with policies based on universal equality.

Not unlike today’s Republicans, many nations that hold regular elections have adopted illiberal democracies that are against immigration and in favor of a stronger executive branch. This approach often includes attacks against an open media and against legislative checks and balances. However, if a majority of voters continues to favor such a system, it remains a democracy in spite of its tilt toward nativism.

In today’s political climate, it is easy to forget that only 70 years ago our country was still fighting anti-democratic forces seen in domestic political movements, parties and politicians. Our 1950s federal government permitted the authoritarianism of racial segregation and bias against Jews and other minorities.  Women were discriminated against at work and had little protection from domestic violence. Adults were jailed for expressing their sexual preferences.  Democratic elections were a sham in Southern states. Yet, we labeled ourselves the leader of the democratic free world. 

Today, many Republicans are in favor of a more illiberal democracy that would counter what they view as the “replacement” of white political, social and cultural control with a takeover by black/brown and secular tendencies. A recent study revealed that almost all the Trump supporters who invaded the Capitol on January 6, were from communities that had experienced an uptick in minority populations over the past decade. Other polling has disclosed that in order to push back against this perceived loss of white influence almost half of the American electorate is willing to embrace limitations on voting rights and to permit partisan challenges to election results. More troubling, according to a new national survey by the nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute, almost one-third of Republicans say they think violence may be necessary to solve the problems facing the United States brought on by progressive policies,

Democrats insist that Republicans who support Trump are responsible for the impending collapse of democracy. They equate the political developments over the past year as a sure sign that Republicans intend to transform America into an authoritarian state.

Not to be outdone, Republicans also accuse Democrats of attempting to subvert democracy. The allegations include the fabrication of criminal charges against Trump so that he cannot seek reelection, doing away with the Electoral College, packing the Supreme Court with liberal justices, and changing the Filibuster procedural rules in the Senate.

A look behind the curtain reveals that democracy is a convenient foil and not the real issue. If saving democracy were at stake, the conflict would be between a powerful central state and a small political elite waging war against society as a whole. Our present conflict is between two equally matched segments of society each attempting to use democracy to impose its vision of America on the other.

Americans have been down this road before in choosing between two diametrically opposed views of their country. In 1858, the societal conflict between North and South lead to the Civil War.  In 1968, the conflict between baby boomers and their elders over the Vietnam War and civil rights appeared irreconcilable. The United States survived both.

The interesting question is whether America, with today’s stark divisions, can be governed at all. I find some encouragement in the words of Historian Richard Hofstadter, who wrote during the violence of the late 1960s as follows. “When one considers American history as a whole, it is hard to think of any very long period in which the country has been well governed. And yet its political system is a resilient and well-seasoned one that has shown the ability to summon enough talent and good will to cope with its afflictions.”

In whatever fashion the conflict is resolved, I do not believe that a society  based on Trumpism or one committed to socialism is in our immediate future.  The kind of country most of us can tolerate (together) lies somewhere in-between. I am confident our democratic constitutional republic will reach a messy moderate result, as it always has.

 

 

 

 

IN SEARCH OF EMPATHY

 

Finding empathy has been on my mind this holiday season. I often recall one of my favorite quotes from Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird. “First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”  Numerous philosophers and famous people have attempted to define empathy. None has captured it better than Atticus has. As we close out a year of deadly pandemic, destructive weather and political insurrection that threatened the very heart of our democracy, no human emotion deserves more of our attention than empathy for one another.

Most of us spent the year wondering why we do not understand half the country or how they think. We grumble to our own tribe: “The other side is not rational; they never make sense.”  Rather than take Atticus’s advice on empathy, we have used the pandemic as an excuse to stay physically and emotionally distant. We cocoon in social media with our comfortable self-serving opinions. After all, it is much easier to stick with those who agree with us than to risk entering the cold, dangerous world and trying to understand the positions of others.

Perhaps the first step in seeking empathy is to gain some perspective. Before progressives vilify all Trump supporters and anti-vaxers, or conservatives attack those who brought Biden to the White House and criticize mask mandates, pick up the New York Times “Year in Pictures 2021.” Take time to view the photographic summary depicting the millions of humans who suffered unfathomable tragedies. After spending a moment contemplating each photograph, the disputes tearing us apart politically seem rather inconsequential by comparison.

Many of the photographs highlight the pandemic. As we close out 2021, over 800,000 Americans (500 in Washington County) and almost 6 million individuals around the world have perished from COVID. The loss felt by each family in their own unique cultural, ethnic and religious context is the same heart-breaking grief. The photographs record open crematoriums in India, stacked bodies in East Los Angeles and football-sized cemeteries in Brazil.  To feel empathy for each family who must carry on is what makes us human.

The photographs go on to chronicle the natural disasters that killed tens of thousands around the world and left many more homeless. In America, the weather events seemed endless. The forest fires in our drought-stricken West that get worse every year.  Rising sea levels causing the collapse of an upscale condominium in South Florida. A winter storm that overwhelmed the power grid in Texas. Hurricane Ida coming ashore as a category 4 storm in Louisiana.  Most recently, the destructive power of unpredictable tornadoes in Kentucky and neighboring states. 

We need each other to repair the damage and to move forward as a nation and as responsible members of the international community. Differing political views are healthy and are the foundation of a working democracy. However, such views cannot be permitted to stand in the way of compassion for those that are less fortunate or who have suffered loss.  We must never lose the ability to have empathy for and to seek understanding from those with whom we disagree.

Returning to the chronology of photographs, many are depictions of brave individuals attempting to gain democracy or enforce their civil rights. Russians rallying in support of the jailed opposition leader who challenged President Vladimir Putin.  Protestors seeking a return to democracy clashing with security forces in Myanmar and in Hong Kong.  Rebel soldiers closing in on the capital in Ethiopia. Veiled women teachers trying to keep schools open for girls in Kabul, Afghanistan. A portrayal of one of many Chinese re-education camps, where millions of Muslim Uighurs are interred and subjected to severe human rights abuses. An impromptu celebration on the streets of Minneapolis following the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. 

We should all pause and permit these photographs that illustrate political violence and civil rights violations to be seared in our memories. Our democratic republic is not guaranteed. There are reasons that democracy flourishes in some nations but falls to authoritarianism and anarchy in others. Our system of government is hardly the natural order.  To make democracy work, we need empathy and understanding for all the political, social and cultural differences America has to offer.

Empathy is the opposite of anger and helps us reunite fractured communities. Empathy has the power to bring together people who would otherwise never meet to make our diversity a positive force. It has the ability to teach us, to heal us and to reach us in moments of isolation, when we think nobody understands, in times of illness and natural disaster.

In short, empathy is exactly what we need as we enter the new year and continue to face the perils of a pandemic, severe weather and political upheaval.
 

RECENTLY ELECTED REPUBLICANS ARE DAMAGING THE COUNTY

  

The transformation of Washington County from an overwhelmingly Democratic jurisdiction into one where a majority of the voters are registered Republicans has been a swift and total sea change. In the 2021 general election, 10,000 more Republicans cast ballots than in 2017. This gives Republicans a clear majority at the polls and ensures that Washington is as “red” a county as many of its rural neighbors to the east and north. The recent voting trend reverses a period of Democratic majorities and governmental control that predates the 1930s depression.

In the latest elections, Republicans have easily captured the majority on the Board of Commissioners, in addition to the offices of District Attorney, Sheriff and Controller. Beginning this January, all of the Row Offices (Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds) will be held by elected Republicans. In recent state and national elections, Democratic candidates have not fared well in Washington County. The effort to elect a bipartisan Government Study Commission went down in flames because certain elected Republican officials fought vigorously against it.

It will take a well-trained team of political scientists to analyze the data and determine the reasons for this abrupt change in voting patterns. Westmoreland County is undergoing a similar transformation; so, we are not alone. It is not clear how many Democrats switched their party affiliation or how many are new voters. I suspect that the nativist appeal of Donald Trump has caused many chronic non-voters to take an interest in local government for the first time. Whatever the reason, elected Republican officials will be in charge of all non-judicial county functions as we begin this new year.

Since the Republican transformation began several years ago, it has become obvious that winning elections is a whole lot easier than governing Washington County.  Early on, rash decisions were made in the Row Offices to replace long-time knowledgeable employees with partisan Republican supporters who had no experience. Without a transition plan to train new employees in how to conduct critical clerical functions, many of the Row Offices made mistakes and could not keep up with their responsibilities, as defined by law.  The problem was exacerbated by the pandemic. This forced the courthouse to close and caused already challenged offices to be short staffed.

Unfortunately, rather than working with other county officials and with the courts to solve problems as they occurred, the newly elected row officers chose to say a lot, while knowing little. The rhetoric was and continues to be full-throated attacks against any elected Democrat still in office and against their nominal political leader, Republican Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughn, who helped get them elected.  Yearly audits designed to correct clerical and accounting deficiencies before they got worse were labeled “personal vendettas by Democrats.” Administrative court orders to cure deficiencies or to turn over records and files were publicly criticized and resisted.

Republican officials made up new rules on the fly in direct contradiction to their statutory authority or chose to ignore administrative orders issued by the President Judge. In short, long-established nonpartisan clerical functions, designed by law to ensure the orderly functioning of the county judicial system, became partisan political battlegrounds. In true Trumpian fashion, these officials attacked the messenger who pointed out deficiencies rather than dig in and resolve the problem for the betterment of the voters who placed them in office.

No one can recall the mundane Row Offices being front-page news until a Democratic Clerk of Courts stole funds from the office and his Republican replacement, (with little to do since several functions were removed from her jurisdiction), began spending her time seeking media attention.  She has filed more appeals from court orders and sued more individuals for a variety of offenses in a matter of weeks than the Clerk of Courts office has undertaken in decades. In the process of avoiding a contempt hearing scheduled against her for ignoring court directives, she has attempted to become the aggrieved and persecuted figure in the eyes of her many social media followers and the evening news. While it is all interesting theater, the embarrassment to the county and disruption to judicial processes has been vast and immeasurable.

The tragic figure in all of this has been Chairman Commissioner, Diana Irey Vaughn. She realizes that the opportunity for her party, now finally in control of county operations, is about accountable leadership and not partisan rhetoric.  Irey Vaughn was a minority Commissioner for many years and knows what good government looks like.  She has no interest in tearing down what works or in supporting witch-hunts into corruption that does not exist. Her responsible position has drawn the ire of the new breed of Republican leadership who want to replace her with one of their own.

The newly elected Republicans should be careful what they wish for. If they replace Irey Vaughn, all of their imagined dragons will be slain. There will be no one else to blame for damaging missteps as Washington County slips into mediocrity or worse. Without knowledgeable officials in key positions, the county’s municipal bond ratings will go down and surplus county funds will disappear. In addition, businesses will lose confidence, and taxes will increase. Living or working in Washington County will become undesirable.

The only good news for county residents is that in time, voting patterns will again begin to change.

 

A FALL TRIP TO THE SOUTHERN LOW COUNTRY

This autumn, we were looking forward to a November trip to Portugal when the ongoing pandemic convinced us to reconsider. Rather than struggle with masks and constant testing while traveling through this beautiful country, we postponed our plans until March of 2023. We had not been away all summer and were eager to travel, but where? Sedona and San Diego were on the list but in the end, my spouse was set on returning to the low country in the Deep South. Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, South Carolina became our destination.

Expect the unexpected when flying over the next six months.  The airlines drastically cut back their operations because of COVID. They have struggled to replace staff to meet the growing demand.  We scheduled a 6 A.M. flight to ensure the plane would be on the ground (it was) so that we would make our DC connection to Savannah (we did not).  

Mechanical difficulties delayed our flight and we arrived in DC just as the connecting flight was boarding. Our luggage made it on the plane and we were directed to wait until late the next day to continue our trip. Not to be deterred, we immediately booked a flight to Charleston, two hours from our destination. Upon landing, we found a one-way rental car at an outrageous price and drove to the Savannah airport to pick up our booked rental car and luggage.

For the rest of the week we were treated to beautiful November weather, small crowds and outstanding dinners. The old town in Savannah features many fine Hotels situated in renovated warehouses near the river.  The famous moss draped squares are within walking distance as is the old town walking market, featuring hundreds of small shops.

We spent a fascinating afternoon at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, with exhibits from the great era of Atlantic trade. Of special interest were the descriptions of naval encounters during both the American Revolution and Civil War. A new exhibit presented a multi-media depiction of the middle passage that brought African slaves to the Deep South. The message was clear that the slave trade was a massive crime against humanity.

 Our third day saw us on the road, heading north to Hilton Head. For some reason, this barrier island has developed a reputation as more sophisticated than its more pedestrian neighbor, Myrtle Beach. The only evidence of this was the more exclusive Sea Pines Plantation that charges a toll to enter this exclusive enclave.

The Resort fees and lodging on Sea Pines are more expensive than the rest of Hilton Head. Sea Pines is the home of the beautiful Harbour Town and its iconic lighthouse and golf course. At the end of this portion of the island is the world famous Salty Dog Café where one can lunch overlooking the harbor and buy merchandise of every description.

We booked one of the many resort hotels outside of Sea Pines. The off-season rates were reasonable and the location was only blocks from a well-kept beach. Upon our arrival, we made dinner reservations at several interesting restaurants. Each day started with a light hotel breakfast where we made plans for the day, on either the beach or exploring the island.

Our day trips included a morning at the small out of the way Audubon nature preserve. It provided a pleasant walk around a small lake with numerous songbirds indigenous to the South, serenading us. Our next stop was a picnic lunch at the Costal Discovery Museum that featured a restored family home and outbuildings.  The exhibits described Hilton Head in the laid-back days before a bridge connected the island to the mainland. Surrounding the homestead were miles of hiking trails.

Before departing the island, we took in one of the many boat tours that provide guaranteed encounters with the local bottlenose dolphins. We photographed Harbour Town and the lighthouse on our cruise around the bay. Our final dinner was an early meal at the marina as the sun went down.

The next morning we traveled back to Savannah where we would spend our last day before an evening flight to Pittsburgh. The weather was sunny and warm, the perfect opportunity to tour Old Fort Jackson, a National Historic Landmark only minutes from downtown Savannah. An enthusiastic young woman, garbed as a confederate soldier, gave us a tour of the complex, the oldest brick fortifications on the East Coast. She demonstrated many of the armaments adorning the fort and the smell of gunpowder was heavy in the air.

Our flight back home was uneventful and gave us time to reflect on how nice it would be to live in the Deep South during the fall and winter months. However, upon arrival, the blustery Western Pennsylvania weather felt about right for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday.d, water, and living things to gain more environmental awareness. Explore history, culture, 

BE THANKFUL FOR A “GLASS HALF-FULL” THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

As the fall and winter holidays came and went last year, celebrations were few, and the mood was dismal. There was uncertainty about new vaccines and how they would be utilized. 2020 was dominated by the news of how COVID-19 spread across the globe. 2021 focused on ending the pandemic through vaccine distribution.

During this holiday season, vaccinated families are able to plan for safe gatherings unthinkable in 2020. In the White House, sanity has returned to America, and a dystopian attempt to bring down the democratic electoral process was defeated. As a country, we celebrated the first Veterans Day in two decades when we were not engaged in a military conflict.

While the media remains focused on President Biden’s declining poll numbers, the real story on the first year of his administration should be the lack of bizarre tweets and over the moon chaos, so common under the leadership of Donald Trump. We have gone through a year when foreign dignitaries were not insulted, autocrats were not praised, government officials were not fired for expressing their opinions, white supremacists were not encouraged and minorities were not demeaned. Whether one agrees with Biden’s policies or not, it is gratifying to have qualified adults running the government.

The glass is only half-full because of the new challenges of a reopening world economy that has sparked inflation and bottlenecks in the supply chain. As oil prices rise to fuel the reopening economy, gas prices also rise. As large numbers of long delayed container ships leave their Asian ports full of Christmas merchandise, American ports cannot process the large volume in an orderly manner.  The surge in sales for electronic devices during the pandemic created an outsized demand for semiconductors that was further aggravated by Asian factories closed because of COVID. Now a shortage will last well into 2022.

The above challenges of transitioning to a new post COVID economy with both feet in the information age are real, but temporary. Next year will see prices stabilize and bottlenecks resolved.  Moreover, the Democrat’s new infrastructure legislation has provisions to build domestic semiconductor plants to end reliance on foreign supplies.

The pandemic continues to be a glass-draining event. Despite President Biden’s aggressive offensive against the pandemic, following the advice of his public health officials at every turn, COVID-19 has proven to be a persistent adversary.  As of November 27, 2021, 454 million doses of vaccine were administered for Americans, beginning at age 5. Efforts have been hampered by misinformation and anti-government hostilities that have encouraged more than 120 million citizens to refuse vaccinations.  New variants of the virus have been able to gain a foothold and spread rapidly among the unvaccinated.

The battle against the pandemic has been exasperated by confusion over changing policies as new data is analyzed. This requires updated public health directives over masking, testing and booster shots. We all want the virus to be gone and a return to a pre-pandemic world. This result is not realistic, and we must adjust as the virus becomes endemic (here to stay, but under control).

So how is it possible to claim that the glass is half-full and filling up?  For starters, the stock market is higher than it ever was under President Trump, and the S&P 500 has hit more than 50 record highs in 2021.  More than 5.6 million new jobs have been created in Biden’s first nine months in office. Under his leadership, unemployment is down to 4.6% from an estimated 10%.

Wages for middle class workers have increased in 2021 at the most accelerated rate in decades. Overall wages are up 6%, and hourly wages are up 11% this year outpacing inflation by 3x overall and 5x for hourly wage earners.  Economic growth is on course to hit a healthy 5% this year and 4% in 2022.

Democrats have passed an infrastructure bill to secure broadband internet and better roads, bridges, electric power and drinking water for all Americans. Despite fierce Republican opposition, Congress is within striking distance of securing better child-care assistance, free pre-kindergarten and lower drug prices, as well as requiring the ultra-rich to pay more in taxes.

Unfortunately, Republicans have done their best to keep the glass from filling up. Their efforts over the past year have focused on the lie that Democrats stole the national election. They label initiatives designed to ensure American excellence as socialism. They criticize the withdraw from Afghanistan, negotiated by Trump, while opposing the resettlement of Afghan refugees. They complain about too many business “help-wanted” signs in a booming economy. Lastly, they oppose vaccine mandates that would shorten the pandemic.

On a personal note, I was reminded that the glass is half-full and that gratitude is in order as I sat in Heinz Hall last weekend listening to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Older patrons trooped in with masks on faces and vax cards in hand to view the magnificent Christmas tree and to take in the return of live concert music. We were treated to a 40-minute Nicolo Paganini violin concerto featuring an 18-year-old Spanish prodigy, Maria Duenas. Her performance was beyond words.

There is much that is good in this world, and the glass is slowly filling up. I hope we all experience some uplifting moments this holiday season to remind us why the journey is worth all the trouble.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEW DEBATE ON RACISIM

 

Since the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, the debate on racism in America has changed. It has morphed from an emphasis on identifying racist attitudes into a social conflict to regulate “unacceptable” speech and behavior. The issue is no longer whether white privilege and systemic racism exist (which indeed they do), but what the proper response from a white person should be.

A host of books, essays and podcasts has tackled both ends of the debate. The first wave tried to identify passive racism and instruct white Americans who would listen on how to act to repent for their sins. The newest wave has fought back against this trend by pointing out that there is great danger in employing white privilege as a sledgehammer to attack white behavior. First, this approach assigns white people the task of becoming the saviors of Black America. Second, it turns many whites who are not “woke” and ready to assume the mantle of “racial sinner” into becoming defensive and less inclined to support racial progress.

In recent months, this new debate has expanded into our schools. Here the issue is not changing behavior, but changing the American history curriculum to include an honest presentation on slavery, reconstruction and civil rights. Because of the confusion over the new language of racism, I will begin by describing some of the important misunderstood and misapplied watchwords. I will end with my thoughts on how to address the new debate on racism.

Black Lives Matter: BLM is a decentralized political and social movement protesting against incidents of police brutality and other racially motivated violence against Black people. BLM employs non-violent disobedience and has had a positive effect on diversifying police forces and improving community relations.

Woke: To be woke originally meant to be alert to racial prejudice and discrimination. As the cultural wars exploded, it came to encompass a broader awareness of other inequalities such as sexism. Conservatives have placed negative implications on woke by attacking woke positions which they believe degrade traditional white culture and revise American history.

Cancel culture: Conservatives have invoked this negative term to describe the practice of excluding somebody who is “unwoke” from social or professional life because they have said or done something that woke advocates believe is racist or sexist. Conservatives believe that cancel culture is prevalent in academia, the media and the arts.

1619 Project: The 1619 Project is the New York Times’ historical analysis of how slavery influenced America’s political, social and economic institutions. The 1619 signifies the date that Africans were first brought to America against their will. Conservatives have criticized the project for negatively revising American history in order to place guilt on white America and to promote an ideology that is unpatriotic. In fact, teachers and students who were offered the 1619 Project material were universally enthusiastic in teaching/learning more about the role slavery and Black Americans have played in our past.

White privilege: White privilege is the relative advantage racism affords to individuals identified as white, whether the individual recognizes the privilege or not. The inexhaustible list of privileges includes the presumption of innocence, assumption of intelligence, opportunities available from a white network, policy-making power and access to inherited wealth, better schools and the ability to vote without impediments.

Systemic racism: Governments, businesses, schools or any institution with power that favors policies that perpetuate racial inequality are said to practice systemic racism. This would include any process that is chronically a disadvantage for African Americans.

Critical Race Theory: The central idea of CRT is that racism is ingrained in America’s history, legal systems, and policies. It is an academic construct that rejects the idea that racism is simply caused by prejudiced individuals. CRT incorporates the ideas of white privilege and systemic racism into a theory that racism is inherent in many aspects of American life, and it supports policy decisions to improve equality for African Americans. CRT has never been taught in public schools.

It is important to understand that the above terms are haphazardly being thrown around in the new debate on racism. White privilege, systemic racism, cancel culture and being woke are easily misapplied for bad motives. A few examples follow.

Many disadvantages like poverty and drug addiction affect white as well as Black people and are not illustrations of white privilege. Building roads and lowering interest rates are benefits for whites but are not systemic racism. Cancel culture does not include fact checking erroneous information or publicly “calling someone out” for spreading falsehoods on social media. Urging the defunding of police is irresponsible and not a requirement to be woke.

I believe that once Americans begin to understand the parameters of the new debate on racism, real progress can be made. In education, a majority of parents will have no objection to their children learning about slavery and its influence if the presentation is a fair representation of our history. The key is to present lesson plans that are balanced with adequate explanation.

I will end where I began with the new excesses of woke culture seeking to regulate speech and behavior concerning gender and race. For me this conduct is a kind of collective anxiety of Salem witch trial proportions. Let us not fall into the Trumpian trap of insisting on one way of thinking about race in America.

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