IS RACIAL BIGOTRY AND WHITE SUPREMACY A THING OF THE PAST?


THE DEADWILEY TRUTH
OP-ED COLUMN

By Eric M. Deadwiley

 

IS RACIAL BIGOTRY AND WHITE SUPREMACY A THING OF THE PAST?

 
45th Governor of Alabama, George C.  Wallace Jr.
 
Today in American society, we all live in a different social climate than that of our Fathers, Mothers and Grandparents. We have a Black President for the first time in the history of this great nation. We have more political representation than at any point in the history of America. Blacks now hold more positions in Federal, State, City and local governments than in previous generations. In fact, I don’t believe that anyone could say–with a straight face that things have not changed considerably since the days of slavery and Jim Crow in America. This is why a firestorm of criticism is being launched at our esteemed elder, scholar, activist, intellectual and civil rights icon, Harry Belafonte, for the statements he made in a Harlem Church along-side of Mayor-elect Bill De Blasio. the New York Post reported Mr. Belafonte as saying:

 

Already we have lost 14 states in this union to the most corrupt group of citizens I’ve ever known. They make up the heart and the thinking in the minds of those who would belong to the Ku Klux Klan. They are white supremacists. They are men of evil. They have names,” “They are flooding our country with money. They’ve come into to New York City — they are beginning to buy their way in to city politics. They are pouring money into Presbyterian Hospital to take over the medical care system.”

“The Koch brothers, that’s their name,”


 

Criticism has also been directed towards Bill De Blasio for not condemning the statements when he took to the podium “after” Mr. Belafonte made his statements. Mr. De Blasio eventually (in Radio and TV interviews) disagreed with Mr. Belafonte’s opinion, although not repudiating Mr. Belafonte. In a strange twist of logic, I suppose Mr. De Blasio and Mr. Belafonte were correct in their comments. No one can say for sure that the Koch brothers are Ku Klux Klan members. Only the Koch brothers and the Klan would know that. After all, the KKK are a “secret organization” steeped in “secret” fraternal rituals and observances.  They run their organization under a cloud of secrecy and loyalty, just like all ruthless bandits, crooks and lowlifes do. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) “The number of Patriot groups, including armed militias, has grown 813 percent since Obama was elected – from 149 in 2008 to 1,360 in 2012.” These white supremacist groups do not exist in a vacuum. Nor does the fraternal order of the KKK exist solely from southern bigots and back woods poverty stricken country boys.

Today, the “racial bigots” most likely work right next to you on your job and smiles in your face every day and “never” uses the “N” word in public. This may be a shocker to some people, but the racial bigots are not all White or poor. Mr. Belafonte knows this fact all too well. At age 87, Mr. Belafonte understands real “racism.” Not the racism that most people categorize as a simple dislike or hatred of a group or ethnicity. Dr. Claude Anderson believes that Racism is a “competitive” relationship between groups of people. According to Dr. Claude Anderson, "racism exists only when one group holds a disproportionate share of wealth and power over another group then uses those resources to marginalize, exploit, exclude and subordinate the weaker group." The Koch brothers have in the past and continue to fund and back some of the most ultra-conservative extremist factions of the Republican and Tea party. My mother has a saying that she often uses which is “you are judged by your peers.” This is simply to say that people could draw an opinion on your thoughts and beliefs by evaluating the thoughts and beliefs of the people you befriend, associate with or support.

Being billionaires,  does not exclude the Koch brothers from being bigoted or being members of organizations like the KKK. Historically, Klan members came from every walk of life. There were Klan members who worked in law enforcement, Federal, State, City and local government. Klan members held political office on every level. Though we can’t say definitively that the Koch brothers are members of the KKK, we can say with all truth that the Koch brothers support people who hold racist and bigoted views, which gives us a good clue on their personal social views. “There’s a reason why Nuns don’t hang out with Prostitutes.”  When our parents told us to stay away from those kids hanging out on the corner, it was because our mothers understood the theory of “guilt by association.” This is a truth that we all know very well. This is also a Deadwiley Truth.  

 

Eric M. Deadwiley is a Freelance Op-Ed Columnist, Investigative Reporter and Author

 

Contact:         Eric M. Deadwiley

Email               edeadwiley27@yahoo.com

Blog:               http://thedeadwileytruth27.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

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