OPINION: A few months ago, I had to control myself when an older white man purposely and with anger banged into my shopping cart in the grocery store for no apparent reason. My impression was that he was trying to provoke me into a violent altercation. Knowing that there were cameras recording things in the store, I called him out as evil, and he retreated down the aisle.
A few years back at a church function, a white congregant said, "Fuck you," while we were both working as volunteers. When she apologized after I informed the church council of her actions, she told me she had taken medication and didn't remember what she said.
Ten years ago, I was waiting in line when a white woman broke in front of me. When I called her out, she mentioned, "survival of the fittest" and went to another checkout lane.
All these incidents stuck in my mind as attributed to deep rooted anger/hate probably coupled with pain killers and attempts to cause a stir, perhaps leading to dire consequences for me. I'm glad I kept my cool...
Now I'm confronted with two news items:
1) a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center that there has been "a 30 percent increase in U.S. hate groups over the past four years and a 7 percent increase in hate groups in 2018 alone, according to the center's annual 'Year in Hate and Extremism' report. The group designated 1,020 organizations as hate groups in 2018, a high of at least 20 years." (https://www.npr.org/2019/02/20/696217158/u-s-hate-groups-rose-sharply-in-recent-years-watchdog-group-reports)
2) a U.S. Coast Guard employee, Christopher Paul Hasson, who is also a self-described white nationalist, was arrested in Maryland last week for plotting mass killings (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/20/us/christopher-hasson-coast-guard.html)
Racist ideologies are not new and have been documented in conservative journals. In the May 1995 Edition of Georgia Trend Magazine which featured Newspaper Publisher Otis Brumby on the cover, an opinion piece was printed on page 78 written by Virgil R. Williams, a supposedly noble communicator.
In this article, Williams states in the first paragraph, "A phenomenon is occurring in the lives of the white American male. He is rapidly losing his once esteemed position in American society. Beneath the surface, he is seething with anger. The three characteristics that describe him - white, American and male - are all under attack."
Virgil R. Williams is an entrepreneur, former executive and bank owner, and current CEO of the Williams Companies which provide services to engineering and oil/gas sites. Williams lives in Suwanee, GA in Gwinnett County on a massive estate, according to Globalglobetrotting. (https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/virgil-r-williams-house/view/bing/).
Williams is also former director of Bank of America and former owner of the
Georgia Force Arena Football team. I don't mind him having things, especially a nice house, but why is he saying white men are losing ground and must do something because of the plight they are in?
So what do folks like Williams, Hasson, and Trump have in common?
*They appear angry, especially at people they deem lower than themselves.
*Reconciliation is not their priority.
*They fail to face reality: the world is run by whites who use racism/white supremacy/fear to suppress non-whites.
*They don't respect white women or "other" races.
*They want it all, including death to those not like them and will even kill other whites who get in their way.
What do you think? What action should be applied?
Update: The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported in 2004 that Virgil R. Williams had $67m in bank stocks (792,048 shares) when he retired and also owned the Georgia Force Football Team which he later sold to Arthur Blank.
Recent: Alabama newspaper publisher says KKK should ride again: https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/02/21/goodloe-sutton-alabama-kkk-editorial-wont-back-down-ku-klux-klan-linden-alabama-racist-editor/2938252002/?fbclid=IwAR2r94FcAycPQdXY2M2w5rFqPMCCqeQoNJVogf0Lw-uBLXp6XDDyCtFj17A
A few years back at a church function, a white congregant said, "Fuck you," while we were both working as volunteers. When she apologized after I informed the church council of her actions, she told me she had taken medication and didn't remember what she said.
Ten years ago, I was waiting in line when a white woman broke in front of me. When I called her out, she mentioned, "survival of the fittest" and went to another checkout lane.
All these incidents stuck in my mind as attributed to deep rooted anger/hate probably coupled with pain killers and attempts to cause a stir, perhaps leading to dire consequences for me. I'm glad I kept my cool...
Now I'm confronted with two news items:
1) a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center that there has been "a 30 percent increase in U.S. hate groups over the past four years and a 7 percent increase in hate groups in 2018 alone, according to the center's annual 'Year in Hate and Extremism' report. The group designated 1,020 organizations as hate groups in 2018, a high of at least 20 years." (https://www.npr.org/2019/02/20/696217158/u-s-hate-groups-rose-sharply-in-recent-years-watchdog-group-reports)
2) a U.S. Coast Guard employee, Christopher Paul Hasson, who is also a self-described white nationalist, was arrested in Maryland last week for plotting mass killings (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/20/us/christopher-hasson-coast-guard.html)
“If you don't understand white supremacy/racism, everything that you do understand will only confuse you.”
Racist ideologies are not new and have been documented in conservative journals. In the May 1995 Edition of Georgia Trend Magazine which featured Newspaper Publisher Otis Brumby on the cover, an opinion piece was printed on page 78 written by Virgil R. Williams, a supposedly noble communicator.
Virgil R. Williams is an entrepreneur, former executive and bank owner, and current CEO of the Williams Companies which provide services to engineering and oil/gas sites. Williams lives in Suwanee, GA in Gwinnett County on a massive estate, according to Globalglobetrotting. (https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/virgil-r-williams-house/view/bing/).
https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/virgil-r-williams-house/view/bing/
So what do folks like Williams, Hasson, and Trump have in common?
*They appear angry, especially at people they deem lower than themselves.
*Reconciliation is not their priority.
*They fail to face reality: the world is run by whites who use racism/white supremacy/fear to suppress non-whites.
*They don't respect white women or "other" races.
*They want it all, including death to those not like them and will even kill other whites who get in their way.
What do you think? What action should be applied?
Update: The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported in 2004 that Virgil R. Williams had $67m in bank stocks (792,048 shares) when he retired and also owned the Georgia Force Football Team which he later sold to Arthur Blank.
Recent: Alabama newspaper publisher says KKK should ride again: https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/02/21/goodloe-sutton-alabama-kkk-editorial-wont-back-down-ku-klux-klan-linden-alabama-racist-editor/2938252002/?fbclid=IwAR2r94FcAycPQdXY2M2w5rFqPMCCqeQoNJVogf0Lw-uBLXp6XDDyCtFj17A
F says: I know that I enjoyed reading the last Word..The plight of the white american male.
ReplyDeleteG says: Cutting straight to the chase, yes I believe racism is rearing it’s ugly head even more so today and we can credit Mr Trump!
ReplyDeleteJ says: From a sociological perspective, we know culture is transmitted from generation to generation. Negative and/or dysfunctional culture - in this instance "White terrorism and Supremacist Ideology, dies a hard death. In that regard, we are just fifty-one years past the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The children and grandchildren of the generation that fought against such legislation are now the influencer's, politicians and power-brokers of this present generation.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to the "waiting in line"incident, the phrase "survival of the fittest," has a more sinister context than that of Charles Darwin. (Check out the link to the book Might is Right, or The Survival of the Fittest.") The book was first published in 1890, it's author Ragnar Redbeard - aka Arthur Desmond, was a forefather of the modern day White Nationalist Movement and is still revered as such today.
The banality of the Williams article begins with the second body paragraph... "Let me say at the outset that I am not racist..." Not racist, yet the content of the article clearly reveals his position on affirmative action programs and social stratification in the United States. In essence, you Black Folk's can dominate the playing fields, but you've not earned a place at the board room table!
Excellent article Tomi!!
E says:
ReplyDeleteI have such a difficult time with racism. I know it exist and has for many ,many years, but I think Trump makes it worse with his “I am better than everyone” attitude.Just wish we were multicolored and then there would be no need to be racist. God created all. The person is what matters,not the color. I love you and your family for who you are and you could be green people from Mars for all I care. Just can’t understand one person thinking they are superior to another because of race. Think I have lived too long. I enjoy the articles you send me. Thanks. Love to you and family
G says: Very interesting
ReplyDelete