The White Supremacy Myth

Western culture is a broad term for traditions from Europe, rooted in Greco-Roman philosophy, Christianity, and Enlightenment ideals. It has influenced Western Europe, the Americas and the regions of Australia. Because of western culture’s elements of capitalism and individualism, western culture has also sought to explore and often exploit other regions of the globe…This has been known as “colonization”, a term that I believe is blatantly overused these days.

According to Wikipedia, Nearly 60% of the world’s population lives in Asia, with more than 2.8 billion in the countries of India and China combined. The percentage shares of China, India and rest of South Asia of the world population have remained at similar levels for the last few thousand years of recorded history. Racially speaking, the people living in these regions are quite homogeneous. Note that western “colonization”, at least racially, has never been prevalent in Asia although the western culture of capitalism, or a form of it, is present.

Contemporary anthropologists and other scientists, while recognizing the reality of biological variation between different human populations, regard the concept of a unified and distinguishable white race as a social construct with no scientific basis. Prior to the modern era, no European peoples regarded themselves as “White” and instead defined their identity in terms of their religion, ancestry, ethnicity, or nationality. Pre-modern descriptions of race focused on physical complexion rather than on the idea of race.

In the U.S., the term Caucasian is used as a synonym for people considered “white” or of European, Middle Eastern, or North African ancestry for census purposes. I would have to say that this definition is certainly a construct. Furthermore, Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately as an ethnicity, not a race, although people of Hispanic origin can choose any race. A construct? Yup.

Of the 8.2 billion people on the globe there are approximately 1.6 billion black people and 1 to 1.5 billion “white” people. These numbers combined with the Asian population of 2.8 billion result in about 2 or more billion people being of other races or “complexion”. What do these numbers tell us? White supremacy is a myth…It would be more accurate to say that the globe has capitalism supremacy.

People of all races and ethnicities use trade with each other to help their particular societies develop and thrive. Those societies that isolate themselves do so at their own peril. This includes cartels that trade in illicit goods and services because their practices are not transparent.

Transparent trading partners bring peace and prosperity to all people on the globe. Anyone who decries white supremacy is an isolationist and wants to cheat in a transparently fiscal ecosystem. And if you’re cheating you’re probably doing something else like lying and plotting against the others, typical addiction behaviors obviously. A reality we are now seeing play out in many regions.

The next time you hear someone blaming white supremacy for something, try to discern their ultimate motive for doing this. Maybe the blame should be on their own nontransparent practices regardless of their skin color?

Triple A Consequences

Are you part of a group? By group, I mean a set of people who have something in common. If you are part of a group, is it important that you all think alike and act the same? Are there rules for your group and consequences when someone breaks a rule? What are the benefits of being in your group?

When I was young I belonged to a group of neighborhood friends. The neighborhood was what we had in common. Initially we all went to the same grammar and elementary schools. Some of us went to churches of different religions in the same neighborhood too. We liked to hang out, play games, celebrate happy occasions and sometimes even get in trouble. That was kid stuff!

By middle school some of us went to different schools and so became part of other groups like sports, theater and music groups. Then as teenagers we each had to focus on what life had in store for our individual future development. College, the trades, or work became the focus yet there was always some time somehow to reconnect with that old neighborhood group. Change for our group was inevitable because even though we shared the old neighborhood as a common bond, none of us had the same talent, skill, passion or drive. The only rule was to be kind to each other. The only benefit was that we were friends. The rule and benefit extended to anyone else who wanted to be with us and abide by the same rule of kindness.

Be kind, be friendly. These are the best rules for being in a group…Any more rules can become a clique. I’m not fond of cliques because they tend to be exclusive.

It’s not a stretch to say that some groups are social constructs. The people in the group are socially connected with a common sense of belonging. When this belonging becomes a vehicle for “social change” then it is important to be critical of the group’s goals. Goals are different from rules because goals are the changes being sought. Are the goals inclusive or exclusive? Do the goals uplift all people or deprive some people of their rights?

It is very important for an individual to understand completely why they identify with a particular group before they become engaged with them. This is the ultimate struggle humanity faces! Insidious people often build social systems (ie. constructs) that tend to erode public trust. Once the system is in place, those who identify with it on some level can be swept up by its ideology often without realizing the consequences. What are those consequences? 1) Allegiance to the group, 2) Activism without critical thought, 3) Anger toward everyone outside the group. This triple A rating (Allegiance, Activism, Anger) is a sign of danger to the freedoms we hold dear in the USA. Kindness disappears. It can be an emotional struggle to remove yourself from a socially constructed group.

I think most independent people are smart. They may not engage in many group affiliations. Usually they are committed to reason. They are the ones to discern the dangers of the triple A consequences and vote against them regardless of the propaganda narrative. And if they miss the danger the first time, they will definitely correct it the next time. As the proverb goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Don’t get fooled again…Discern the dangers, correct the consequences.