13 Aug 2019 Root Causes of Rising Animosity Remain Unchecked
Our nation’s racial problems are “far more complicated than our leaders have grasped.”
Project 21 member Dr. Carol M. Swain writes that “reckless accusations and misguided approaches” are “sowing seeds of division” in America.
Tweets may be part of the problem, but calling President Donald Trump a white nationalist or pushing for more gun control is “a waste of time” that will not help the situation. Reining in out-of-control liberal policies is more important.
There is a “convergence of certain issues that would create a perfect storm for racial unrest,” she writes, that is creating the potential for “unprecedented levels of racial and ethnic violence.”
Dr. Swain initially suggested this scenario in her 2002 book The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration. Now, in a Tennessean commentary, she writes about how escalating racial tension is being seriously mishandled right now. She points out:
The mainstream media and leftist politicians are focused on white supremacists and white nationalism. It is an obsession, yet a ploy. Meanwhile, they ignore acts of violence committed by racial minorities, so nothing is done to solve or even acknowledge the problem…
If we want to end violence and create a great society, we must give each other permission to speak.
Instead, a largely unchecked liberal agenda – helped by the rise of the Internet and its ability to unite like-minded, angry individuals opposed to this agenda – is stoking tensions. There’s animosity toward liberal overreach in the pursuit of fundamentally transforming America. In particular, people are bonding over:
- Loose immigration rules
- Reduced job opportunities for the unskilled
- Resentment of preference policies
- Rising violent black-on-white crime
White nationalism is aided by the kindling of left-wing rhetoric. Dr. Swain notes:
Most surprising was how the language and rhetoric of multiculturalism and identity politics furnished the intellectual underpinnings for young whites to think in terms of white identity and white consciousness…
Political correctness run amok, and for what ultimate worthy purpose? America’s failure and reluctance to reform immigration – accompanied by the intolerance and marginalization of anyone who demands enforcement of the laws – creates a situation where some Americans are poised to strike out against perceived enemies.
To read all of Dr. Swain’s startling Tennessean commentary – “American Leaders are Ignoring the Issues That are Fueling Racial Hatred and Violence” – click here.
