Systemic Racism Is a Conceit of the Elites

 

If you’re one of the elite, or feel entitled to be elite without lifting a finger or breaking a sweat–but you’re not elite so obviously someone is keeping you down, oppressing you and rigging the game so that you cannot reach the exalted status to which you aspire, you have the luxury of believing in systemic racism.

If you work, you don’t care who is on your crew, as long as that person can get the job done.

Not 10 minutes ago, I finished reading and then commenting on Gary McVey’s (@garymcvey) outstanding post on Henry Ford and Nazism.  Then, a couple minutes before it was time to call The Lovely and Talented Mrs. Mongo, I went outside to finish my drink and fortify myself with some nicotine.  When I’m on the road, whether CONUS or overseas, from the time I step foot outside the house for the trip, until the time I shuffle back in with my suitcase and computer bag, everything negative that happens on the home front is my fault.  I get it.  I got it.  I’ve learned how to telephonically roll with the punches.  Still, my worst trips are the CONUS trips, because I can’t claim I was in a location where there was no cell coverage or landlines.  No cover story for not calling, so suck it up, Cupcake.

To ensure I’m the best Mongo I can be, I ensure I’m in the right frame of mind to make the call and have the conversation and not get impatient about things that I consider irrelevant and make the fatal error of saying something akin to, “Got it, move on.”  See, that’s bad marital decision-making.  Better to patiently listen and, as/when appropriate make sounds like “Mm-hmm,” “Uh-huh,” and “tsk-tsk.”  Also, I don’t have one big superpower, but I have several little ones.  One of which is the ability to let my mind wander, during the conversation, over the things I need to do the next day of the trip, the things I need to do upon my return home, how best to echelon the tasks I have coming up.

The mini-superpower is, when I get the inevitable “You’re not listening to me!” I can recite the last five minutes of the conversation verbatim, even though, yeah, I wasn’t listening.  Move over, Iron Man.

But as I walked outside, there were members of a crew pitching quarters outside the side door of the La Quinta Inn I’m at.

If you’re the manager of a construction site, and you’ve got a requirement for a surge of skilled, scheduled labor, you often import a crew.  Then you put them up at a local, livable but slightly seedy (hey, never lose sight of King Bottom Line) hotel like my beloved Miami La Quinta so that they can lay the pipe, do the wiring, plumb the project.

I’ve noted over the last couple days that such a crew is staying at the (my) La Quinta.  I estimate that the crew is between 11 and 14 tradesmen.  Working-class men who are there to get the job done.

When I walked outside to get a little pre-phone call nicotine fortification, a slice of that crew was pitching quarters.  While I was out there, another five or six exited the building, headed out for chow.

It was, something out of a movie, but whoever made the movie would be accused of stereotyping and inserting obligatory tropes.  When I looked at the panorama of working-class dudes that just want to do a job: there’s the tall, lanky black dude with the jeans under his ass but the boxers covering the rest–oh, and he had a magnificent mane of dreads.  There’s the Hispanic dude with tats all over his neck.  There’s the long, greasy-haired white dude who is kind of short and squatty with those cargo shorts that fall below knee-length and upon whose belt you can see the chain that loops down but rises again to secure his wallet in his pocket.  That dude has tats like the Latino dude, except for his tat schemata was gained trespassing somewhere, and instead of shotgunning rock salt at him, the owner shot him with salted ink. Random, no theme, no coherence.

I watched these guys, while some of them moved out for dinner and some stayed pitching quarters.  I abjured the offer of joining the quarters pitching by saying, “Gentlemen, I do not partake of games of chance, lest I not be able to make this month’s rent.”  Eh, I got a laugh out of it.

But while I finished my bourbon and my unfiltered Camel, with my mind on Henry Ford, antisemitism and Nazism, I realized that there was no racism anywhere near where I stood.  There were men, masters of their craft, there to do a job, and I am more than sure they cared about the competence and craftsmanship of their cohort far moreso than each other’s race.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call I gotta make.

———–BREAK———–

So, called The Lovely and Talented Mrs. Mongo, and the call went directly to voicemail, immediately thereupon I got a text saying, “I’m on a call, call you later.”

Okay.  Proofread the post (for me, proofreading is a relative term, I’m more than sure that there are spelling/grammar mistakes aplenty).  I was about to hit “send.”  Then, I thinks to myself, “Hey, those guys are still out there pitching quarters.  I wonder what they would think of the post?”  So I went outside and asked them if they’d participate.  They thought I was maybe/probably a weirdo, but said yes.  I went back to my room, grabbed the MacBook, and then exited and read everything above the BREAK to them.

First, it was a point of pride that they were not tradesmen surging to a job site.  They were employees of a conveyor-belt-making company, down in Miami to provide warranty service.

Out of the cast of characters depicted above, the sample was a big black guy, the Hispanic with the neck tattoo, a pure-D country redneck accented dude, and then a clean-cut kid with a beard, maybe on a summer job, dunno.  Looked like Spencer Klavan’s kid brother.  I told them that because the post was about systemic racism, the black guy would get to comment first.

After the post (all names here are made up) Darryl the black guy said, “well, it sounded like there were a lot of stereotypes in there.”

“Dude, you’re a big-ass black dude and–what kind of cigarette are you smoking?”

“A Kool.”

“Okay, is there a bigger stereotype than that?”

And that kind of kicked off the whole, free-wheeling conversation.  Me mostly listening to the warranty servicers and throwing in a question every now and then.  I don’t have the time or memory to try to reproduce the whole conversation word-for-word, but I’ll try to convey the gist of the conversation.

Hispanic Neck Tattoo Guy (HNTG) pointing at pure country redneck guy: “Yeah, we’re friends now, but I did not like this guy when I first met him.  Now, we’re tight, man.  We hang.”

Me:  Okay, how come you didn’t like him?  ‘Cause he’s white?  ‘Cause he sounds so redneck he should be named Cooter (accepting a little bit of operational risk, here)?

Cooter:  No, man.  See, Juan used to work for the company, then he took a break to do some other stuff, then he came back.

Mongo:  Lemme guess, you didn’t work there when he left, but you were there when he came back.

Cooter:  You got it.  And when he came back, they made him a crew boss, ’cause this guy knows things, man.  You don’t let that kind of talent go to waste.

Mongo: Okay.

Cooter:  So they pulled a couple guys off my crew to round out his crew, and one day in the cafeteria, I just stopped and talked for a while with my old guys that were on his crew now.  And then this dude is hatin’ on me all the time.

Juan: That’s right, I couldn’t stand this guy.

Mongo: Lemme guess, I think I got it ’cause it works like this in the military.  Juan, you had the ass ’cause Cooter didn’t go through you before he talked to your guys.

Juan: That’s exactly what it was.

Cooter:  So, we went somewhere where we could hash it out privately.  I said, “Dude, what’s your (CoC)ing problem?  And he told me.  And I was like, Holy (CoC), I’d feel the same way.  And we been tight ever since.


Cooter:  Man, this whole racism thing is just stupid.  Some of my best friends are–

Mongo:  Stop!  You can’t ever start a defense of why you’re not a racist with that.  You’re setting yourself up for failure.

Cooter:  Yeah, but it’s true.

Mongo:  Doesn’t matter.

Then I gave some of my insights on how to respond if one is called a racist.  Can’t go into it.  Severely non-CoC compliant.

Then I brought up the whole Rush Limbaugh (Peace be upon him) Rushism about how if you love this country you’ll be called a racist, bigot, homophobe.  Oh, and what’s that word for when you hate women?  Misogynist?

Cooter: Man, who thinks that way?  Look, I got a friend from high school that I always thought was a little fruity, y’know, but after a while I figured out he was full-up gay.  Now, I ain’t down with gay [insert a bunch of homoerotic jokes here that we made, asserting that he was, in fact, gay].  Nah, man, I don’t abide that stuff.  But I tell you what, if I was drivin’ down the street and some dudes were beating him up, because he was gay or any other damn thing, I’d pull over and whoop some ass and take care of that guy.  I’m not sure how many people would.

Mongo: Really?  You’re not sure?  (raise my own hand) Who here would pull over and help out a gay friend if he was getting beat up, whatever the reason?

Every hand went up.

Mongo:  See, you’re not alone.  They just want to make you think you’re alone.


A lot more, but I won’t go on, except for this.

HNTG:  Hey man, my 16-year old kid is smart!

Cooter:  Yeah, he’s got a smart kid.

HNTG:  Yeah, I tol’ him I had read that there was 37 genders out there, an’ what was all that about?  He said, “Dad, there’s two genders, and 35 different ways of being queer.”

I had a great time.  Want to continue to write about it, but I really, really have a phone call to make.

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  1. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    God bless normal people.

    • #1
  2. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Heh. The last time I went for a pre-employment drug screening test was in a clinic in OKC. I realized after a few minutes that I was the only person in the waiting room who didn’t have a neck tattoo – including the nurse.

    She seemed nice, though.

    • #2
  3. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    God bless Real Men. 

    • #3
  4. Roderic Coolidge
    Roderic
    @rhfabian

    Systemic racism is the ghost of racism. that is, not real, but possibly useful for bilking the gullible.  It’s what the race mongers point to during the current shortage of real racism.

     

    • #4
  5. CACrabtree Coolidge
    CACrabtree
    @CACrabtree

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    God bless normal people.

    Copy that.  Just reading about the crew hanging out at the La Quinta made me want to send the wife out for a six-pack of PBR and some chili-dogs.  Some real classic cuisine.

    • #5
  6. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    Great post! Thanks for taking the time to write it all out. Portraying those kinds of conversations isn’t easy, and you did it masterfully.

     

    • #6
  7. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Boss Mongo: I watched these guys, while some of them moved out for dinner and some stayed pitching quarters.  I abjured the offer of joining the quarters pitching by saying, “Gentlemen, I do not partake of games of chance, lest I not be able to make this months rent.”  Eh, I got a laugh out of it.

    Pitching quarters isn’t really a game of chance.

    • #7
  8. KentForrester Coolidge
    KentForrester
    @KentForrester

    Helluva post, Mongo.  

    • #8
  9. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    KentForrester (View Comment):

    Helluva post, Mongo.

    Kent, thanks.

    • #9
  10. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Randy Webster (View Comment):
    Pitching quarters isn’t really a game of chance.

    It is if’n there’s a chance I could lose my damn quarter.

    • #10
  11. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Inflation!  Didn’t they used to pitch pennies?

    • #11
  12. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    Inflation! Didn’t they used to pitch pennies?

    Pennies to nickels to quarters. Can’t pitch dimes. No heft.

    • #12
  13. CarolJoy, Not So Easy To Kill Coolidge
    CarolJoy, Not So Easy To Kill
    @CarolJoy

    Just to bring up a further point of confusion – it seems like  people on The Left think a guy qualifies as  a misogynist if he appreciates women too much. (Or even just a little too much.)

    I’m so glad I am at a point where most of my living is behind me. That I lived back in the era when if a guy got fresh, you could slap him one. And it was over. Point made; point taken. Life went on.

    Now if a guy  gets fresh, he might have to move out of town. Especially if his town is one of those Elite burgs where the men can’t be men and the women are so unhappy.

    The progressives’ main principles are these two:

    We can hate anyone who doesn’t love enough and who won’t demonstrate total tolerance at all times

    and 

    We are the ones who determine who is loving and who is tolerant.

     

     

     

    • #13
  14. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    That’s the world I lived in, I won’t say most of my life, but a good portion of it.  I enjoyed it.  It might be different, now.  Most guys who work with their hands are too tired to be mean.

    We just finished building a house, and because I’m still working and my wife is not, she dealt with most of the tradesmen.  She was always surprised at how accommodating they were.

    I worked in the field in construction for 25 years, and don’t remember an a$$hole.

    • #14
  15. CarolJoy, Not So Easy To Kill Coolidge
    CarolJoy, Not So Easy To Kill
    @CarolJoy

    Roderic (View Comment):

    Systemic racism is the ghost of racism. that is, not real, but possibly useful for bilking the gullible. It’s what the race mongers point to during the current shortage of real racism.

     

    It’s gotten so bad with this systemic racism stuff that the word racism has lost its meaning.

    It now basically is the word that when used means that some Lefty somewhere wants more power.

    • #15
  16. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Talk about conceit.  I don’t where to post this.  I think you guys can handle it.

    “I am not the problem!  I am the solution!  You are the problem!”

    • #16
  17. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Flicker (View Comment):
    “I am not the problem!  I am the solution!  You are the problem!”

    “I went to college!  I went to college!”

    Cool.  Then I assume you know how to spell “pathetic,” right?

    Never seen anyone that I saw so likely to believe private citizens should not be allowed to own firearms, yet so likely to become an active shooter.

    • #17
  18. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    Awesome post, thanks Boss!

    • #18
  19. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Clavius (View Comment):

    Awesome post, thanks Boss!

    Glad you liked it, Clavius.

    • #19
  20. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    @exjon, @bethanymandel, this one should get bumped up.

    • #20
  21. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    @ exjon, @ bethanymandel, this one should get bumped up.

    Aw, shucks.  I’m just a simple caveman.

    • #21
  22. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    Boss Mongo (View Comment):

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    @ exjon, @ bethanymandel, this one should get bumped up.

    Aw, shucks. I’m just a simple caveman.

    Yeah, I know. I sent a private note to Jon suggesting that they redact your name, delete your picture, and claim that they “never knew ya.”

    You know, like all the rest of us do.

    • #22
  23. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Yeah, I know. I sent a private note to Jon suggesting that they redact your name, delete your picture, and claim that they “never knew ya.”

    You know, like all the rest of us do.

    Gracias.  I’d hate to have my cover blown.

    • #23
  24. Midwest Southerner Coolidge
    Midwest Southerner
    @MidwestSoutherner

    Randy Webster (View Comment):
    Pitching quarters isn’t really a game of chance.

    I pitch my quarters into pinball machines, and pinball’s only a game of chance if you don’t learn the rules and understand a little bit about physics. ;)

    • #24
  25. Midwest Southerner Coolidge
    Midwest Southerner
    @MidwestSoutherner

    Flicker (View Comment):
    I don’t where to post this.

    That hurt my ear holes.

    • #25
  26. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Midwest Southerner (View Comment):
    understand a little bit about physics.

    I figured I knew everything I needed to know about physics with:  F=MA.

    Everything after that is just units ‘n variants ‘n stuff.

    • #26
  27. Midwest Southerner Coolidge
    Midwest Southerner
    @MidwestSoutherner

    Boss Mongo: The mini-superpower is, when I get the inevitable “You’re not listening to me!” I can recite the last five minutes of the conversation verbatim, even though, yeah, I wasn’t listening.  Move over, Iron Man.

    I read this aloud to the hubs, laughing, because he has a similar mini-superpower. His works even when he’s falling asleep in the middle of the conversation… ha! Hey, we all have our skills, right?!

    • #27
  28. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Midwest Southerner (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):
    I don’t where to post this.

    That hurt my ear holes.

    You know I’m thinking maaaaybe it was satire.  But the dialogue would have been more inventive.

    • #28
  29. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    Boss Mongo (View Comment):

    Midwest Southerner (View Comment):
    understand a little bit about physics.

    I figured I knew everything I needed to know about physics with: F=MA.

    Everything after that is just units ‘n variants ‘n stuff.

    That’s all of mechanics right there.

    In my first lower division physics class in college, mechanics, the professor promised to give us all the formulas we would need for the final.  On the day of the final the TAs pulled up one of the chalkboards which had written on it “F = MA — good luck!”

    Yes, all the formula we needed.

    • #29
  30. Gary McVey Contributor
    Gary McVey
    @GaryMcVey

    This is a magnificent Mongo post and I’m proud to be referenced in it! My one regret is I first saw it listed while I was on the way out of the house, taking my wife to dinner. When we sat down I read a third of it. An hour later I had an excuse to read another third of it. Now I’m home and finally finished reading it. Mongo will forgive me, because he’s married too. He’ll understand. 

    This post really is what America is all about, isn’t it? 

    • #30
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