Pyramids, Technology, and Power

Last night, I came across some tweets that were excellent food for thought. The first thread was about white supremacy. In case you're not on Twitter, here's the gist. White supremacy has existed in the United States from day one. At first, it was the English[1]--sort of. Mostly.[2] These folks brought white supremacy and slavery with them. So, right away we had white supremacy. Slavery was eventually outlawed. It's at this point that I'll make another addition. I recommend watching 13th. Because once the slaves were freed, they became competitors for jobs. The pyramid of power was threatened. So, the myth of the criminal black was born. White supremacy won out.

Other immigrants arrived. And if one thing demonstrates the fact that white isn't a race, it's a social power status, it's the story of the immigrant. When the Irish first came to the US as refugees, they weren't considered white--neither were the Italians, nor the Jews. Over time, groups are integrated into the power pyramid. Blacks are always on the bottom tier. White supremacy wins out. Then television came along (1950s) and not long after, the Civil Rights Movement happened (1960s). Americans were confronted with images of school children being threatened by the police. Suddenly, that shit was real. Eventually, the media looked away. Americans pretended that white supremacy didn't exist. It'd been solved. All the stories of people of color being harassed by police were "exaggerations" and "victimhood." Cities "mysteriously" self-segregate. White supremacy wins again. The handheld video camera hits the scene. Americans are no longer bound to what the media deems appropriate. The Rodney King case makes headlines. It turns out those stories of brutality were true. And then just as that memory begins to fade the smart phone and the internet hit. Again, images of black children being brutalized and murdered start hitting the web. White Americans can't lie to themselves anymore. There's proof. 

At the same time, Americans are no longer merely Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, German-Americans, or [fill in the blank]-Americans. It's no longer that simple. Millennials have a diverse background comprised of five or ten ethnicities. They're straight up American. Millennials are also more liberal as a group. They largely see no problem with same sex marriage, women's rights, universal healthcare, or gender fluidity. They believe in inclusivity for the differently-abled, and they're less likely to be as staunchly racist because they are, in fact, multi-racial.

​That's were that set of tweets ended--except that he said that he wasn't surprised by Jeff Sessions being confirmed because it was White Supremacy/the power pyramid rearing up again. I agree. It is.

I also see that this is, in part, due to a certain percentage of Boomers becoming their parents. They're Jonesing for the good old days of the 1950s when times were "simpler"--that is, before the Civil Rights Movement. These Boomers have become what they rebelled against. There were never enough of us GenXers to stand against them. But there are enough Millennials--particularly Millennials + GenXers that haven't bought into the (stereotypical for Xers) cynical defeatism. And Millennials are giving the Boomers what Boomers gave their parents. It's why I feel like this is the late '60s and early '70s all over again. And now I'll bring up the next set of tweets. They were all about how the Republicans are terrified. They're seeing an unprecedented level of political involvement from ordinary citizens. They're pissing their pants. They're only hope is that we'll grow tired and go back to ignoring Washington DC. They're frightened bullies striking out at anyone and anything that stands in their way.

But they've kicked awake the bear. Or, as Libba Bray put it, the witch. America's future isn't white. It's brown and yellow and black. And that's not a bad thing. Fuck White Supremacy. Fuck that pyramid. 

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[1] And also the Vikings (1000), possibly the Chinese (1421), the Dutch/Swedes/Germans (1626), the French (1492), and the Spanish (1492). See? We're already editing history, aren't we? The only difference is that the English stuck around on the mainland/east coast longer. Mind you, the Dutch were there the whole time. They were just outnumbered. The Spanish mostly hung out on the islands to the south--Hispaniola, Cuba, and so on. The French concentrated their claim along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (example: New Orleans) in addition to Canada. So, no. The English weren't the only Europeans here in the early days.
[2] I added the sort of/mostly. See above.