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Segregation is Alive and Well, Thanks to Progressives
This country has tolerated the attacks of Progressives who experience great satisfaction in calling Republicans and Conservatives racist. We are now seeing the downside of their crusade, as segregation becomes a reality once more. The history of Progressive racism has been ignored for many years, but the support of the Left for various forms of racism in the past can be tied to the call for segregation today, especially on college campuses. It is a frightening and ugly picture.
We need to take a look at the history that connects Democrats and the Left to racism. The most obvious relationship became apparent after the Civil War during the period of Reconstruction. The Democrats in the South were outraged about the freed slaves who chose to support the Republican party; after all, Abraham Lincoln’s declarations of emancipation were carried out by President U.S. Grant and both were heroes of the black community. As a result, Democrats essentially waged a southern war against blacks who became politically active; they brutally attacked and murdered blacks who met to become politically active as Republicans. President Grant was torn about the appropriateness of sending federal troops to regain order in the states, but it was clear that another war was on the horizon if he didn’t. The Ku Klux Klan was formed in 1866 and was active well into the 20th century. It was one of the most vicious terrorist and white supremacist groups that this country has ever seen.
Meanwhile, we can point to a number of “scholars” who supported the progressive cause and were racists and eugenicists:
Progressives spearheaded the eugenics movement, dedicated to reducing the reproduction of supposedly ‘inferior’ individuals and races. The eugenics movement spawned Planned Parenthood, among other groups. In academia, there were 376 courses devoted to eugenics in 1920 . . .
Progressive intellectuals who crusaded against the admission of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe, branding them as genetically inferior, included many prominent academic scholars — such as heads of such scholarly organizations as the American Economic Association and the American Sociological Association.
Perhaps the most celebrated racist in our government was President Woodrow Wilson, who publicly made racist comments:
[Reconstruction government was detested] not because the Republican Party was dreaded but because the dominance of an ignorant and inferior race was justly dreaded.
Another telling quote:
In the matter of Chinese and Japanese coolie immigration, I stand for the national policy of exclusion. We cannot make a homogeneous population out of people who do not blend with the Caucasian race… Oriental Coolieism will give us another race problem to solve and surely we have had our lesson. (Italics added.)
We finally arrived at a time when the country realized that we needed to take formal steps against segregation. Brown v. Board of Education, 1954, 1955 declared that separate but equal schooling in public schools was unconstitutional. Efforts were made to correct segregated schools over the years, with mixed results. Still, the Supreme Court moved the process forward.
Another unfortunate step that we took to disempower and denigrate the black population of this country was the War on Poverty. This period taught black America that they couldn’t be successful without government assistance; that they were incapable of moving up in society without the help of others; and perhaps most important, they were entitled to this assistance, due to their grievances coming out of slavery (even though slavery had been ended over 100 years ago).
So what is the connection of these past grievances to the present state of blacks in America, especially on the university campuses?
The Left has finally convinced black students that non-blacks can’t be trusted. They tell our black citizens that white people see them as different, inferior, and they must unite as blacks to protect themselves. Most of this discourse comes from the Progressive programs of the past. Today, however, the attacks on non-blacks have escalated, and it’s no surprise, according to James Huffman at the Hoover Institution:
Whatever privilege students may have before they arrive at college, the reality of American higher education today is that students of color have been privileged by their institutions in ways that invite segregation and differential treatment, whether done in the name of reparations for past discrimination, as affirmative action to overcome societally imposed disadvantages, or in the belief that celebrating and encouraging differences improves education for everyone. There should be no surprise that students of color often self-segregate and are seen as different by their fellow students.
Just what is happening on college campuses that is establishing segregation on campuses?
Black college students across the country have demanded that they be segregated from white peers, calling for ‘safe spaces’ on campuses meant only for so-called students of color.
The requests for segregated spaces are found among some of the demand lists put forth by students who took part in protests this fall alleging their campuses are oppressive, discriminatory, and represent institutionalized racism.
The demands have been presented to campus administrators and are chronicled by TheDemands.org, a website run by a racial advocacy group called the Black Liberation Collective.
Not all of the 76 demand lists, each from a different university, seek segregated spaces — but several do.
It’s impossible to know how many universities are acquiescing to these demands. And of course, there are many ways to describe safe spaces. But a number of colleges are dedicating specific buildings or organizations to blacks-only, as well as dormitories and special events.
These demands can be credited to the Progressive movement, as it supposedly strives to help those who have been shut out or left behind.
The discouraging and even frightening conclusion we can draw from these activities is that they encourage segregation and emphasize differences. They do nothing to bring people together in activities, discussions, and debates. There is no exchange of ideas or outcomes of understanding. In the absence of communication, misunderstandings, misconceptions, fear, and anger will only grow. Racial tensions in this country will continue to broaden and escalate.
As James Huffman of the Hoover Institution states:
The concept of white privilege is a logical outgrowth of the concept of institutional racism. In reaction to the now quaint notion that intent to discriminate must be proven to establish illegal race discrimination, lawyers and race scholars came up with the concept of institutional racism. The idea is that racism is so deeply rooted in American society that it persists even amongst institutions that have made genuine efforts to correct for any intentional past discrimination.
But there is nothing subtle about the most pervasive form of racial discrimination prevailing at most American colleges and universities today. It is done in the name of lifting up those who have been discriminated against in the past. But there should be little wonder that the intended beneficiaries of this allegedly benign discrimination feel themselves isolated and treated differently. By design, universities have isolated them and treated them differently.
Such a tragic outcome for those, black and white, who sacrificed to overcome racism.
What do you foresee regarding segregation and racism in this country?
Published in Culture
First, Elijah was ordered by G-d to take these actions. There are many battles in the Tanakh where another people who worship other gods were destroyed. It wasn’t so much as a punishment. It was because, as I said earlier, Jews repeatedly got friendly with these people who were their neighbors and started to adopt their ways–repeatedly! It wasn’t out of hatred they were destroyed–it was pure survival.
Clearly we don’t do these things nowadays, but the Jews are still at risk, maybe more than ever.
I think that it was perfectly justified hatred. They did this sort of thing all the time in the Jewish Bible. I’m not critical of this. But you should realize that it’s a tale of bloody slaughter, not just of others, but among the Israelites themselves. That’s why I mentioned Jehu (2 Kings 10). There are many, many other examples.
Seriously, read the Psalms. Psalms 9-12, 14, 17-18. Here’s Psalm 15:
Same comments as I made re Elijah.
BTW, the toilet thing is funny. I know enough Hebrew to recognize sleeping (ya-shayn) , I guess he could have been asleep on the pot!
First, I think there is a difference between hatred and to despise. Here is my translation:
. . . He who lives without blame, who does what is right, and in his heart acknowledges the truth; whose tongue is not given to evil; who has never done harm to his fellow, or borne reproach for [his acts toward] his neighbor, for whom a contemptible man is abhorrent.
Contemptible is someone deserving scorn. I can have contempt for someone but not hate them. I can even despise a vile person without hating them. I have contempt for Nancy Pelosi, but I don’t hate her. And there others for whom I would feel the same way. Remember, G-d even told the Hebrews to forget what happened with the Amalekites. And I don’t believe G-d ever expects us to hate except in the extreme circumstances. He never calls for hate.
Susan, I’m sorry if I gave an incorrect impression that I think that Jews have created the current problem. It is the identity politics of the Left that has created the current problem, and created fertile soil for white supremacists. I think that it is accurate, unfortunately, that some Left-wing Jews are a part of this problem, but this is only one among a number of groups that, it seems to me, reject the American project and want some sort of separatism or special treatment.
The discussion started with Stina expressing her frustration, which I share, about the epithets of “white nationalism” and worse that are applied to members of the white majority who want to enjoy and defend their culture. Every minority group gets to do things and have attitudes that, if an ordinary white guy did the same thing, gets him condemned as a neo-Nazi.
Let me demonstrate by re-working your Wikipedia quote about white nationalism:
Susan, yes, He does. I should probably stop. I know that you’re recently returned to Judaism, while I’m a Bible-thumping evangelical whose been studying the Book quite assiduously for almost 15 years now. And I’m a disagreeable lawyer who teaches a Bible study and is really good at searching Bible Hub. For several verses, even the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh translation (1917) version explicitly uses “hate”, such as Proverbs 8:13, Psalm 139:21-22, Amos 5:15.
The JPS Tanakh translation for the Psalm 15 quote above is: “In whose eyes a vile person is despised.”
Drawing a distinction between “despise” and “hate” seems quite a stretch to me. Google gives the following synonyms for despise (partial list): detest, hate, loathe, abhor, abominate, execrate, regard with contempt, feel contempt for.
I want to emphasize again that I’m not critical of any of this. The Jewish Bible is part of my Bible too. I just don’t whitewash it.
No. No. Jews do not call themselves a race, ever. We are a religion, tradition, culture, but not a race. Every race is represented in Judaism. BTW, I agree with your comments about Leftist Jews. They do so much to hurt the Jewish community, as well as others, including our country.
I know Stina said this, but it’s news to me. I’ve never felt as a white person, Jewish or otherwise, that I have to defend my culture. If they dislike me, hate me, it’s their problem, unless they try to harm me.
I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. To me, despising someone has a somewhat impersonal quality and lots less energy. To hate someone has an overwhelming energy that is quite different. I can say that I have lots of people (gosh, that sounds awful!) I despise, but I can’t think of anyone alive that I hate. At least, not at the moment. Maybe I need more time . . .
Yeah, we’ve probably explored this point enough. But it was fun!
People from developing nations might be a problem if they bring socialist ideas with them. That said, our public schools are so distorted these days, that outsiders might be raised less socialist! The best would be to filter applicants on entrepreneurial spirit and fear of government overreach.
Let me expose you to another view. As people come to America, they mostly assimilate quite well. Partly this is due to selection bias. People that come here now want to assimilate and are cast offs/anti-government types like the *white* people that came earlier. America is collecting people with a rebellion gene. Another reason assimilate is works well, is that America is easy to assimilate to. Just be law-abiding, ambitious, and independent and you can mix right in. That is not true in France, where an immigrant can never become French. Now, the oddest part of this assimilation is that the assimilated sometimes to refer to themselves as “white”. To them, “white” is not a race, but an assimilated mindset. Globally, “white” means different things in different places. Now, if you ask me who is the better American, Ted Cruz (Hispanic Canadian) or “Beto” O’Rourke (pedigreed white elite), I would say Ted Cruz. We should promote Americanism and not more Identity Politics.
I am not dis-interested in Identity Politics, I just dislike it. It bigoted and Marxist in nature, which is two bad things. Yes, white people are vilified by culture. But that is bad because it is bigoted and more bigotry will not make it better. When Beto apologized for his DUI and getting a slap on his wrist, he blamed “white privilege” rather than owning up to his dad being a judge. That is racist and horrible Identity Politics.
I think there are some folks that promote White Identity Politics, that don’t understand that America is about ideas and not about whiteness. Russia is filled with white people and they have crappy ideas. What they really want to defend is the ideas, but they either don’t understand that or they are confused by Leftist Identity Politics.
Jerry, you need to back off on your obsession with the Jews and stop attempting to intimidate Susan with your supposedly “superior” knowledge of Judaism. Your knowledge is through Christian, evangelizing, replacement theology eyes. Even your choice of Tanach is faulty, as it’s from a Reform perspective. Until you have read fluently in Hebrew and can address the JEWISH commentaries you are thoroughly out of your depth. This isn’t the first time you’ve spoken this way and you tend to dance on the precipice of someplace you really shouldn’t go. Back away before you go too far.
Are you accusing Jerry of cultural appropriation? :-)