For a child of the sixties, it is hard to believe there is any question whether black lives matter in 2019. Still, even though diversity is a true American advantage, identity politics is tearing away at pluralism and the American Dream. Indeed, some racial, religious and social groups don’t seem interested in maintaining their traditional cultures or developing their special interests within the confines of a common civilization.
If the Democratic presidential field is any indication, the US still has a huge black-white problem. White progressives (O’Rourke and Buttigieg) admit to white supremacy as if they’re in an AA meeting. Black progressives (Harris and Booker) spot racists behind calls for moderation and seek reparations. Sadly missing is truth, justice and the American way (more on this later).
Unlike the sixties, when “white only” signs and Alabama cops clubbing black teenagers were seen by all, today’s “aggrieved” minority and “advantaged” majority see a different America. To wit, only 15 percent of whites believe their race is important to their identity, compared to 74% percent of blacks; and only 27 percent of whites believe their race is an advantage, compared to 73 percent of blacks who think they are treated less fairly than whites (source: Pew Research).
Such a bifurcated perception requires the “aggrieved” minority to draw upon the lessons of Martin Luther King, who emphasized unmistakable truths and exercised emotional patience. Social justice is a journey – not a destination – and special interests must adapt to the majoritarian view of The American Dream.
Kanye West was belittled for criticizing the Black Lives Matter portrayal of white police officers as the enemy. Turns out West was right, because new research proves white police officers are no more likely to shoot minority citizens than non-white officers (source: National Academy of Sciences). For most Americans, that is good news because few wanted to believe the fascist narrative. In fact, fatal police shootings correspond to community crime rates, not racial bias.
Researchers found police were more likely to shoot whites in high-crime white communities and blacks in high-crime black communities. Further, black officers were more likely to shoot black citizens in high-crime black communities, because the officers were drawn from the same community. And 90 percent of the civilians shot were actively attacking police or other civilians with a gun. Common sense, right?
The point here is that black leaders, such as senators Corey Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), need to use incontrovertible truths to advance racial justice; such as the real photo of the three white Ole Miss students posing with guns in front of the Emmett Till memorial. When both senators posted knee-jerk allegations of racism after doctored videos of white kids in MAGA hats and Jussie Smollett’s staged hate crime, they divided the USA.
Booker and Harris should borrow from Gandhi (with a majority) or Dr. King (with a minority): a few incontrovertible truths beat many half-truths in the battle to win the hearts and minds of our common civilization. This is especially important when the majority, white Americans, believe things other than race are important to their identity.
Curiously, Harris (who attacked Joe Biden for opposing bussing) and Booker (who accused Biden of being the “architect of mass incarceration”) ignore everything but race. Joe Biden spoke of working with Dixiecrats to promote the need for future bipartisanship – not to admit to a singular mind with racists. He opposed bussing for practical reasons – not because he supported segregation.
Biden actively advanced racial equality back in the day. Booker and Harris know this – and Biden knows they know this. Therein lies the danger to our common AMERICAN civilization of which 70 percent are “extremely proud” and 20 percent are “very proud” (source: Gallup Poll). A shrewd politician might not laud Biden’s past. A dirty politician sows division within the party by offering half truths that imply Biden’s racist past.
Most Democrats don’t believe a pragmatic and centrist Biden presidency dooms the American Dream for non-whites. And, after 20 years of Bush-Obama-Trump division, independent voters might give the centrist Biden a landslide victory. When Ms. Harris knows 39 percent of black voters support Biden, compared to her 20 percent, are hers the words of one who can (or even wants to) unite our common civilization?
Joe Biden must push back, forcing Harris to explain her resistance as California’s attorney general to investigate racially charged police shootings, and Booker to explain why the DOJ intervened in the police department he was running because of civil rights violations. To be sure, the Democratic debates need a little truth, justice and the American way – and a lot less identity politics.