Ever since I came of age — back there in the Dark Ages — I have known about Bottom Drawer Letters. There exist a category of missives that are dangerous and the best way to save your self, and sometimes to save those you love, is to write a “Bottom Drawer Letter” and then put it there — in the bottom drawer of your desk or your dresser or 
some bottom drawer somewhere and leave it there until you are ready to send it.
This post, for some reason started out as a bottom drawer post idea. I haven’t been sure I wanted to write on this subject. I’ve been hanging onto a saved post that existed as a title only since last December. And I think I finally decided I want to put words to paper and raise the topic of racism in a way I have not before.
The rise in popularity of donald trump has revealed more about American racism (and I mean U.S. — I’m not including our good friends to the North [Canada] or South [Mexico]) than most U.S. citizens have wanted to look very hard at. And yes I am intentionally lower-casing his name because his behavior has demonstrated time and time again that he does not deserve the respect that goes with capitalizing his name. Since he has been on the national political scene we observe a rise in White Nationalism, in hate speech, in racial violence and other manifestations of racism. This man didn’t invent hatred and racism but he has capitalized on it’s seeds for his own glory and wealth. 
A look at the voting demographics from the 2016 election make it clear that the only ethnic group trump did well in what White America. And he did significantly better among White MALES than among White FEMALES. The rhetoric that he spouts appeals to a group who see their power dwindling and who fear the loss of their privilege. For them treated the same as everyone else would be a come-down, for they have been the privileged ruling class in the U.S. for it’s entire history and they aren’t going to give up power easily. 
Its’ clear from birth statistics that just waiting around for things to change isn’t going to work to their advantage. Whether or not one ethnic group has higher birth rates is not the issue. With social values having changed there are simply more and more children being born who belong to minority groups and White MALES see that as a threat. A threat that is important enough to them that they think nothing about enacting more and more legislation over the female body in a misguided effort to hang onto power.
Percentage of population in 2015 & 2060, distributed
by race and hispanic origin:
If you are a White MALE and you are looking down the road of the future all you can see is a decline in your ability to hang onto wealth and power. And it must be frightening if wealth and power are the things that move you. It’s no wonder that the last few decades have seen a rise in personal wealth on orders of magnitude never before seen. Those guys are scared and the accumulation of vast sums of wealth are one way they can protect themselves and their families. That, and the continued subjugation of people of lesser resources and assets.
The rest of us are so accustomed to being (by comparison) poor that we don’t even think to ask for equality with them. For most of the population the argument is more about a “livable” minimum wage — not a livable wage, but what is the least we can ask for and moan and beg to receive from the rich. The same applies to healthcare and education. Most of the population are stuck begging for some form of healthcare that doesn’t bankrupt them, and the idea of universal healthcare seems completely unreal even though it’s a right in every other First World nation. Young adults go into hock to pay for an education that they hope will give them some prospects to rise in the world and many of them are still paying interest on interest on interest for decades instead of using the money to raise their families and build a strong financial base. White MALES don’t want a strong base of voters. A strong base of voters scares them. And they aren’t afraid to use any and every tool at their disposal to maintain what they have.
I’m not blind to the fact that I am among them. I AM a White MALE. I can’t honestly say I fully understand how much I do to further this agenda. I know I do a lot of things that I think move towards social justice, but I also recognize that being one of the privileged I may be blind to my own bias. Most of us are blind to our own biases. If we weren’t we would change and be “better” humans — assuming that we actually wanted to be better humans — which I don’t honestly think is true of everyone. Some of us just want our own life to be easy regardless the cost, or the suffering to others.
That makes me ashamed to be American at times. But shutting up, or leaving, do nothing to change what is for the better. So, I try to speak up when I can. And I try to do the little things that I can to effect change.
I have no illusions that the change which much come can be entirely peaceful. Revolution — accelerated change — is never easy, never predictable, always spontaneous, and it never goes the way it was planned — because the forces of anger can never be harnessed and predicted. And today, people are getting angry. Their hopes are dashed and their dreams are doused sooner or later they will stop being polite and start reacting to the way they have been treated. And it won’t be pretty.
Power never gives up easily. I cannot think of a single historical instance when the ruling class simply said, “Oh, you peasants are right, here, come and live like us, like we who have ruled you for centuries.” Rich White Males are afraid. And they have good reason to be. 
Whether we will see other manifestations of the fear-of-loss-of-power like donald trump remains to be seen. I expect we will. They may look different. They may show up in other arenas than politics. But until racism is recognized and dealt with they will not disappear.
Sad to say.
Have a nice day. 😀
P.S.: If you want a very different take on the same topic you might want to look at this article in the British Guardian. It’s worth a quick read. Well, it might not be a quick read, but it’s a worthwhile look at a subject that not many are talking about.
From the Far Side of '70 
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