On August 5th 2019, two days after the El Paso Massacre, Eddie Glaude, professor of African American Studies at Princeton, said the best thing I have heard about this moment in US history.
To Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC (annotations mine):
“You know, America is not unique in its sins, as a country, we are not unique in our evils, to be honest with you. I think where we may be singular is our refusal to acknowledge them and the legends and myths we tell about our inherent goodness, to hide and cover and conceal, so that we can maintain a kind of wilful ignorance that protects our innocence.
“See, the thing is, when the Tea Party was happening, we – people were – we were saying, pundits, “Oh, it’s just about economic populism. It’s not about race.” When people knew, people in social sciences were already writing that what was driving the Tea Party were anxieties about demographic shifts, that the country was changing, that they were seeing these racially ambiguous babies on Cheerios commercials, that the country wasn’t quite feeling like it was a White nation anymore. And people were screaming, from the top of their lungs, “Yo, this is not simply economic populism. This is the ugly underbelly of the country.”
“See, the thing is is this – and I’ll take the hit on it – there are communities that have had to bear the brunt of America confronting, White America’s confronting, the danger of their innocence. And it happens every generation. So somehow we have to kind of, “Oh my God, is this who we are?” And just again, here’s another generation of babies.
“Think about:
- The two-year-old, had his bones broken by two parents trying to shield him from being killed.
- A woman, who has been married to this man, for as long as I have been on the planet almost, lost her husband.
“For what!!??
“And so what we know is that the country has been playing politics for a long time on this hatred. We know this.
“So, it’s easy for us to place it all on Donald Trump‘s shoulders. It’s easy for us to place Pittsburgh on his shoulders. It’s easy for me to place Charlottesville on his shoulders. Easy for us to place El Paso on his shoulders.
“And if we’re going to get past this, we can’t blame it on him. He’s a manifestation of the ugliness that’s in us.
“I’ve had the privilege of growing up in a tradition that didn’t believe in the myths and the legends because we had to bear the brunt of them.
“Either we are going to change, Nicolle, or we’re going to do this again and again and babies are going to have to grow up without mothers and fathers uncles and aunts, friends, while we’re trying to convince White folk finally leave behind a history that will – maybe, maybe, or embrace a history that might set them free from being White. Finally.
“Finally!”
Source: MSNBC (YouTube video, 3 minutes), Young Teen (image).
See also:
- “This is not who we are” – an Obama / Biden saying
- The White “we”
- Childish Gambino: This Is America
- Japanese history textbooks – the US is hardly singular in whitewashing its past!
- MSNBC
- Eddie Glaude
- James Baldwin – The Fire Next Time – a book Glaude teaches at Princeton
- The racial future of the US:
- Racial Future #1: Painter: The Fourth Enlargement of American Whiteness
- Racial Future #2: Bonilla-Silva: The future of racial stratification in the US
- Racial Future #3: Smedley: The future of American racism
- Racial Future #4: Feagin: Toward a Truly Multiracial Democracy
- Racial Future #5: Abagond: The future of race in the US
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@abagond
When you added your thoughts, you may or may not have changed what the professor was saying!
Could you print what he said without adding your word?
Prior to the white coming to these continents as well as Africa the people had been engaging in wars against each other. it was disease that killed the American occupants (Native American) and greed and a myth that Christianity was the power that started the drive in the US of A . A recent movie about White Trash has pointed out the myth of white supremacy!
I might add it was the buffalo soldiers that defeated the remaining Natives Americans!
https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/buffalo-soldiers
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=_cPII2l-K4s)
The fact is money is the power and the manipulation of people using money and favor as tools to control.
The believe that blacks have, that they are inferior is buried deep in their conceptual being and therefore they continue to believe they will lose!
Those blacks who do not have that concept make the foolish mistake of believing they are winners and move to the top of the heap and join the other winners who do not care what their skin color is!
There are very few winners in this world. They are listed each year as they grow. One of the things I notice is that a billionaire is no longer among the top dogs. You must have quite a few billions to be important like 60 or 100 billion.
Go back to Europe where the “white’ rules! What do you find “Lords” who ruled over the poor “white” people while keeping them as close to the bottom as possible! Dig deep and see what a serf was and today what an insignificant person most of the Europeans are They just cover up the same treatment that others complain about.
Who says you are inferior! Surly not that professor that you quoted. He is near the top of the heap and he is attempting to point out the inequities of the poor. I worked from the bottom up, dropping out of high school and joining the military. my sister and her children are all highly successful and can write their own ticket.
I am not bragging, there are many, many highly successful blacks in this nation, that exceed my abilities of education and knowledge. It is those that make the attempt and are fortunate enough to have the mental capacity, drive, and fortitude to withstand the batteries of life!
The poor will be with us forever!
Now let us get to the current world problem of the “white nationalist”! That is who was responsible for El Paso. The movement is like the communist movement in Russia where millions of “White” Russians were killed by ‘Red” Russians. How many people did the NAZI party kill while they attempted to establish the first Nationalist Party? Please let us not forget China where the Communist slaughtered, tortured and otherwise messed over their people while the changed to Communism.
Any thought that the current political movement of the Nationalist has anything to do with blacks is almost folly.
Somewhere there is a group of people with money who are seeking to take control of the world.(Please do not laugh) In this nation, the best soldier is the former “white trash” who has risen since being educated after World War II and who has been trained by our military.
They can be convinced that others are inferior and become good soldiers. The man in El Paso might even think he will be welcome in prison where so many white nationalists are living out their lives. It takes years to execute a person in this nation.
Watch the current government of this nation as it weakens the various control devices that had been put in place to stop such takeovers.
In the meantime, keep looking at the individual mistreatment of blacks while the nation slides into the brink of some chaos!
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@abagond Ask yourself: Who is supporting Steve Bannon in Europe as he organizes the “white nationalist”?
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“So, it’s easy for us to place it all on Donald Trump‘s shoulders”
Yup.
That’s why I always say that “Trump is a symptom”.
I don’t wish for Donald Trump to be used as an expurgatory symbol because that only allows the deeper underlying social realities to go unexamined. Remember when America was supposed to be “post-racial” because Obama was made president? Didn’t Moscow Mitch even say, quite recently, that Obama was reparations?
Trump is frequently used in the opposite way as Obama to represent America’s racism. However, people often confuse the symbol and the reality. It would be a mistake to think that getting Trump out of office “solves” the problem just as it was a mistake to think getting Obama in would.
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It’s true the country as always been racist. And Trump is a manifestation of that racism. I wonder will Dr. Glaude’s words have an impact on those that need to understand them? When I saw this on social media last week, I am still trying to process it all. It’s food for thought.
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“This Is Us” The foundation of America was built on racism. America is a gigantic ocean and we have all swallowed some of the water.
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How many Trump supporters and just the whole of white Americans understand what Dr. Glaude’s words mean?
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I do remember folks losing their “ish” over that Cheerios commercial.
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That’s why it takes a Tim Wise or a Robin Di Angelo who are white to teach what “whiteness” is. I don’t think white people will receive that type of truth telling and teaching about this social and psychological construct.
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I saw and heard the professor when he made those remarks on television the other day. His words were very profound and compelling and truthful. However, the words “us”, “we”, and “our” do NOT apply, imo. The ugly racism displayed by mainstream America completely belongs to them and no one else. There is no “us”.
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@Pam: I wish I could give you a million upvotes. 👍🏿
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“Either we are going to change, Nicolle, or we’re going to do this again and again……..” What “we” is he talking about? Black people? America as a whole?
What “we”?
“while we’re trying to convince White folk finally leave behind a history that will – maybe, maybe, or embrace a history that might set them free from being White. Finally.”
Seriously? “We” black people have been trying to convince white people for well over two centuries, that at the very least, we are equal to them. That we are more than the animals that they perceive us to be. They have, as a group, shown us that they have no intention of letting go of, or sharing their power, even if means their destruction.
And why is it “our” f@@@##, blankity blank job to try and teach them anything? Don’t they already know? Aren’t they superior? They make the rules. They set the standards. Sorry. I got kinda carried away. I’m done.
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@ Pam @ August Noone
I think he means we/us as a country (USA) – and/or maybe pundits.
It is clear from what he says that it is White folk, by and large, who practise a dangerous innocence and that Blacks and Latinos suffer accordingly.
If he had said, “This is you!” it would have come off as an attack and zero percent of what he said would get through to White people, the ones who need to hear it most.
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They would give their life to save the master’s house – quicker than the master would. If the master said, “WE got a good house here,” the house Negro would say, “Yeah, WE got a good house here.” Whenever the master said “we,” he said “we.” THAT’S HOW YOU CAN TELL A HOUSE NEGRO.” – Malcolm X circa 1965
““THIS IS US!!
“And if we’re going to get past this, WE can’t blame it on him. He’s a manifestation of the ugliness that’s in us. – Eddie Glaude 2019
“If the master’s house caught on fire, the house Negro would fight harder to put the blaze out than the master would. If the master got sick, the house Negro would say, “What’s the matter, boss, WE sick?” WE sick! He identified himself with his master, more than his master identified with himself. – Malcolm X circa 1965
“See, the thing is, when the Tea Party was happening, WE – people were – WE were saying, pundits, “Oh, it’s just about economic populism. It’s not about race.” When people knew, people in social sciences were already writing that what was driving the Tea Party were anxieties about demographic shifts.” – Eddie Glaude 2019
Mr. Glaude made some very good points. However, by continuing to inject “WE” into the subject as if all groups are to blame on some level for the recent carnage, he greatly diminished the strength of his talking points and/or theory. Just the specifics as to what group of people who hold these “myths and legends to “hide and conceal” their fragility as a group would’ve been good enough.
Again, out of what appear to be fear and a dose of longitudinal conditioning, Glaude squandered an opportunity to do so. Yes indeed, the theory of white supremacy is dangerous and so are House Kneegroes who are afraid to speak the naked truth. Personally, I’ve always been a student of the school of thought that in order provide a solution, you must first recognize what the problems are.
PS: All emphasis through capitalization are mine.
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Good post
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@ Abagond
Let me see, a white man drives across Texas to kill Mexicans (not Hispanics) and the black people make the matter about them!
How many blacks were killed or shot?
Of all of the mass killings and shooting this year, how many of them have been black victims by white offenders? I have not been able to find the statistics!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States_in_2019
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@ Abagond
When did blacks and Hispanics and/or Mexicans start becoming bosom buddies so you can say that the white man is against each equally. It seems to me that the Hispanic has come into the nation and is doing the jobs that the blacks and poor whites use to do!
I would say “the man with the money” has brought the Hispanic into the nation to break the back of the unions (all workers both black and white)!
I am confused!
We are discussing two separate subjects. One is the killing of some individuals (6 identified as Mexicans – actual Mexican citizens) in El Paso and the other is the present status of the black race in the US.
It appears as though the people traveled back and forth across the border between El Paso, USA and Civdad Juarez, Mexico freely and with no problems.
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@blakksage
First I doubt if anyone was called a negro in the period you discussed, he was probably called a n-word.
Second.since the house n-word lived in the house and had all of his possessions in the house I suspect he would fight as hard as he could to save what little he owned.
Now my experience only goes back to the all black military (1945-1949); therefore I cannot pass judgement on the days of slavery.
Unlike those of you who know all there is to know about house n-word during slavery I assume (a– u me) they performed about the same as people do today, when they have such jobs.
During the three years I was assigned to the black units I did not go into the barracks with the men, I went down town to live with my girl friend; therefore, I did not get to know what they were talking about. I do not believe the house n-word individuals went around the field hands. I believe, based on my experience the field hands told on each other! The white officer who controlled the men had experience handling field n-word!
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@ Allen Shaw
“It appears as though the people traveled back and forth across the border between El Paso, USA and Civdad Juarez, Mexico freely and with no problems.”
I don’t know if you’ve ever lived in a border town like El Paso, but this is typical. People who live there — people on both sides of the border — go back and forth frequently. Especially on the weekends, a lot of people cross the border for a day trip to go shopping or visit family.
“I would say ‘the man with the money’ has brought the Hispanic into the nation to break the back of the unions (all workers both black and white)!”
While there is some truth to this, please remember that Hispanics have also been union members and organizers, especially in agribusiness (Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, the United Farm Workers, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, etc.)
“It seems to me that the Hispanic has come into the nation and is doing the jobs that the blacks and poor whites use to do!”
Abagond just addressed this in his previous post, The Hispanic Invasion. The highest growth in the number of U.S. Hispanics is birthrate, not immigration. A substantial number of Hispanic American families never crossed the border — the border crossed them when their land and towns went from being part of Mexico to being owned by the U.S. after the war between the two nations.
El Paso was one of these towns. It used to be part of the Mexican city now called Ciudad Juárez:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez
The majority of Hispanic Americans are U.S.-born: https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2015/jul/29/jose-diaz-balart/majority-hispanic-population-us-born-says-jose-dia/
Hispanic Americans are often thought of as desperately poor people who work the lowliest jobs, but this only applies to a certain percentage, most of whom are recent arrivals. There are Hispanic Americans in all social classes and professions.
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I was nearly on my feet cheering when I watched this.
THIS IS AMERICA!
A country built on the genocide of one race and off the backs of another. No good can ever come of this country. It was sown in blood.
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@Solitaire
So we can be clear Mexico is a nation and a Mexican is a citizen of Mexico.
Hispanic is something like an ethnic group and the majority of the current individual are coming from Central America.
Nothing I said has been changed by your information.
Are we going to go through all of the changes in the border between different nation and the US as it grew! Do not forget California and parts of the border between the US and Canada.
Thanks for the history lesson, the world is full of changes of borders. India and Pakistan were once one nation, now they are having difficulty with “The Kashmirs”, a section of both nations.
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@femmebott
A broader study of world history is suggested. it is true that slavery in the US has been and will continue to be a problem. Racial problems have been a part of the worlds problems for thousands of years. Ethnic strive never stops causing problems. Religions bigotry is deadly!
The number of people that owned a significant number of slaves were very small. Today the same general area of the US continues to hold people down.
Ignorance continues to be the major problem. People allow themselves to believe they are superior. Their thought are more righteous then others.
Today, blacks will blame whites for their problems. I am reading that by 2050 the whites will be a minority and will no longer control the economics of the nation. Who will control then?
When reading about the “White Trash” I have come to believe it is money which controls and ignorance that is the glue that keeps people from joining together.
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Abagond, I’m loving the self-referencing (hyperlinks) here, it’s like you are trying show us how much Gaulde has read and embraced your blog.
It’s really uncanny how many points linked in this speech that you have already broached.
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his forefatherim?
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Trump and his administration and supporters are evil, heartless bastards. So, yeah I can still blame him.
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he’s manu for them.
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for robert:). —– Forwarded Message —– From: Di Wang To: Abagond Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2019, 07:13:24 PM GMT+2Subject: Re: 2000 Jews Ascend Temple Mount; Muslims Riot; Embracing Saddest Day of Jewish Year; IDF Foils Invaders from Gaza; Amazing Crash Course on Tisha B’av he’s manu for them.
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@Abagond
Try this! There is no such thing as a white man, there is some individuals who come from northern Europe and those who have been declared white by some law! Many of the so called white people are blacker than blacks! Try Indian Continent and the Middle East.
How do those, who want to have a war, win when the other side keeps calling others the same as they. Soon the only people that will be black with be in the USA. And of course Haiti!
The people I worked with for 35 years were so busy fighting each other, that they did not have time to pay much attention to me!
A person who waits for a handout is the worst enemy he has!
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