“White guilt is the terror of being seen as racist – a terror that has caused whites to act guiltily toward minorities even when they feel no actual guilt. The lust it has inspired in whites to show themselves innocent of racism – has spawned a new white paternalism toward minorities since the 1960s that, among other things, had damaged the black family more profoundly than segregation ever did.” – Shame
Occasional actress and liberal activist Rosanna Arquette in August 2019 tweeted – “I’m sorry I was born white and privileged. It disgusts me. I feel so much shame.” Just what we need, another patronizing Hollywood elite virtue-signaling while playing the click-bait political correctness game to score social media kudos. This, my friends, is quintessential white guilt.
In 2006, conservative columnist Shelby Steele published his popular book “White Guilt”, defining this new malady “as a way for whites to keep up appearances, to feel righteous, and to acquire an easy moral authority all without addressing the real underlying problems of African Americans”. It’s almost like Arquette read the book and used it to construct her tweet! White liberals, so afraid of being labeled a racist, developed a way to appease minority sensibilities while at the same time deflecting the stigma of racism. The problem with white guilt, however, is it is not sincere, there is no genuine feeling of remorse. Instead, it is based on a white paternalism that is condescending to all. But as you will see, it sure makes a whole lot of political hay.
White racism may have been subdued by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, but it was quickly replaced with a new exploitation, white guilt. As it goes, America was founded on sin and is evil to its core. This perpetuated an aggrieved and anti-American sentiment leading blacks into victimhood, a position they came to relish. Grievance grew as discrimination receded. While black poverty was on the decrease leading up to Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, it has been stagnant ever since. Blacks who had begun to find their independence were stopped in their tracks. Instead, they found their power in protest.
The solution for those dealing with white guilt was a bevy of government programs promising to level the playing field. These included affirmative action, race quotas, and the like. Trillions have been spent on poverty programs since the 1960s, and yet blacks continue to languish. This misplaced pseudo-guilt from people like Arquette makes blacks the victims but never their equals. Modern-day white liberalism fans the flames of inequality and unfairness, real or imagined, while substituting government action for genuine concern. It is a marriage made in heaven; where white liberals gain power and prestige from black victimhood, while blacks use victimhood to manipulate whites.
Instead, racism is no longer the biggest problem faced by blacks. Today’s racial disparities are now linked more to dysfunction within the black community and the liberal policies that created them. Fathers became absentee, a troubling shift from the early generations of black families that came out of slavery when black marriages met or surpassed those of whites. Now a disproportionate number of blacks are on food stamps and other welfare programs. A devastating legacy passed from one generation to the next.
Another favorite pastime for white liberals is the bashing of America, its values, and that of Western civilization where capitalism is deemed a remnant of white supremacy. Racism is discussed as if we were still in the grips of slavery and anyone who holds a different opinion is a bigot. Using discrimination to make minorities feel like victims has been so successful, that it has been expanded to draw in any number of potential victim groups to grow its base. Women, gays, and Muslims are all ripe for the picking.
In his 2015 book, “Shame”, Steele takes up where “White Guilt” left off as he examines the shift from the discrimination of the past to the misplaced government interventions of the present. Lamenting that blacks have failed to reach true equality; Steele reveals how white guilt has removed personal autonomy and the ability for blacks to take responsibility for their own lives.
The America of the 2000s is not the America of the 1800s and should not be treated as such. Blacks already have everything they need to succeed. All that is required is that they be left alone to develop their talents. And the worst environment for that is government intervention.
Comments