How problematic is racism in America? Depends on who you ask. According to a Pew Research study, “Americans tend to view racism by individuals as a bigger problem for Black people in the United States than racism in the nation’s laws. Black Americans themselves, however, are more likely to say racism in U.S. laws is the larger problem.”
After U.S. House Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., keynoted a far-right conference organized by Nick Fuentes, backlash from both sides of the aisle of Congress was swift. But since then Republicans won control of the House, Reps. Greene and Gosar have also won back their House committee assignments. Straight Arrow News contributor Rashad Richey argues Greene is only one obvious example. He says America has elements of racism and denying it only contributes to the problem.
Okay, listen, Donald Trump did not create racism. Donald Trump created Donald Trump. Racism was already here. But I have a perspective about the new public racism inside of the Republican Party.
You know, it started to actually be unpopular, to be known as a racist in the United States of America. Now, during the 60s, you could not get elected governor in some states unless you are on record for saying the N word. That’s how racist America was. Are we as racist as a societal construct today? No. Are we still dealing with biases, prejudice, racism, bigotry? Yes, it has not evaporated.
Let’s talk about Marjorie Taylor Greene just for a moment. You literally have a person in the U.S. Congress who decided to keynote a white supremacist rally, not something that people call a white supremacist rally, not a conservative rally people are saying was a white supremacist rally, but an actual white supremacist rally led by Nick Fuentes, who is okay with being exactly that: a supremacist. Now, Marjorie Taylor Greene, does it some Republicans come against her, but she is still one of the most effective fundraisers, and there’s more. Beyond that, the mantra that’s being used for the 2024 presidential election cycle of the GOP. People like Mike Pence and others, they are saying, well, “America is not racist.” As a matter of fact, they had a chant at one of the rallies where they were repeating this over and over again: “America is not racist. America is not racist.”
Listen, if you want to solve this problem, you will not solve it by chanting it. That’s not how this works. If America does not have elements of racism, why are we even addressing it? Why are we talking about it? And if America is not racist, or there’s no racism left here anymore, where did it go? And when did it change?
