Nina, this is brilliant. The Baldwin quote, in particular. The fact that the nation was founded on principles that the founders themselves did not believe in and that we have never come to terms with it---it doesn't bode well for us. Also, I have to admit, I don't know why anyone is surprised by Christians who do not believe in The Golden Rule. (Although---being golden it ought to have some appeal to Trump.) Who can forget the Spanish Inquisition?
I freely admit to suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, defined as the feeling of sick horror normal people experience at the thought of someone as deranged as Trump becoming President.
Nina, I despise what you have written here but, oh my, you write it so well. Keep it coming, please. You help my sanity in these absolutely abhorrent times.
I love your writing Nina; this sentence: ‘The inevitability of their shrinking power, symbolized by that (Obama) election, chafes them still’.
It’s shadenfreude, it makes me feel better to believe their shrinking is still inevitable. It’s too late to remember that compassion is the only way out of this. But they are the underserved-starved and betrayed by a pale, paper thin Christianity, the longest con. I do feel for these generations of mediocre white men. I just kinda hate them at the same time.
THEY live in the mud of sweaty self-centered fear, obsessed with their fickle privilege.
The Great Whitening for sure kicked into overdrive with Obama's election, which was followed in 2010 by the Citizens United decision and the Tea Party election, but it was building decades before that. I'd start with the reaction to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prompted the white Southern Democrats to swarm into the Republican Party. By 1980 candidate Ronald Reagan was preaching "states' rights" at a campaign rally in Neshoba County, Mississippi. His administration proceeded to use racial grievance and white rage to distract their voters from their gutting of the middle and working classes on behalf of the wealthy. Subsequent Republican presidents followed suit, notably putting far-righties on the Supreme Court.
Btw, two brand-new books focus on the Reagan '80s through the lens of Bernard Goetz's shooting of four Black teenagers on an NYC subway: Heather Ann Thompson's FEAR AND FURY and Elliot Williams's FIVE BULLETS.
Sadly I am too familiar with the thinking of my white southern family who grew up in segregated Atlanta to be shocked by your diagnosis. I was informed in 2008 that my parents would be rolling in their graves. 1 question:what is SDE? Truly shocked by the preacher as I quit going to church years ago.
I'm curious about SDE too. Acronym Finder turned up 59 definitions, and the only one that comes anywhere close is "State Designated Entity" -- and that's a stretch.
Great essay. It’s remarkable how low we’ve sunk and how quickly, and with how little attention from the legacy media, who still report on Trump as a conventional president.
Nina, this is brilliant. The Baldwin quote, in particular. The fact that the nation was founded on principles that the founders themselves did not believe in and that we have never come to terms with it---it doesn't bode well for us. Also, I have to admit, I don't know why anyone is surprised by Christians who do not believe in The Golden Rule. (Although---being golden it ought to have some appeal to Trump.) Who can forget the Spanish Inquisition?
Thank you! And w the observation on the gold!
I freely admit to suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, defined as the feeling of sick horror normal people experience at the thought of someone as deranged as Trump becoming President.
I am an old white guy who is not proud to be one these days. I do march though. We gotta rid America of the scum white guys.
Me too.
Nina, I despise what you have written here but, oh my, you write it so well. Keep it coming, please. You help my sanity in these absolutely abhorrent times.
Hang in there ❤️
Love all your pieces. Go girl
Excellent work Nina. Thank you!
I love your writing Nina; this sentence: ‘The inevitability of their shrinking power, symbolized by that (Obama) election, chafes them still’.
It’s shadenfreude, it makes me feel better to believe their shrinking is still inevitable. It’s too late to remember that compassion is the only way out of this. But they are the underserved-starved and betrayed by a pale, paper thin Christianity, the longest con. I do feel for these generations of mediocre white men. I just kinda hate them at the same time.
THEY live in the mud of sweaty self-centered fear, obsessed with their fickle privilege.
The Great Whitening for sure kicked into overdrive with Obama's election, which was followed in 2010 by the Citizens United decision and the Tea Party election, but it was building decades before that. I'd start with the reaction to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prompted the white Southern Democrats to swarm into the Republican Party. By 1980 candidate Ronald Reagan was preaching "states' rights" at a campaign rally in Neshoba County, Mississippi. His administration proceeded to use racial grievance and white rage to distract their voters from their gutting of the middle and working classes on behalf of the wealthy. Subsequent Republican presidents followed suit, notably putting far-righties on the Supreme Court.
Btw, two brand-new books focus on the Reagan '80s through the lens of Bernard Goetz's shooting of four Black teenagers on an NYC subway: Heather Ann Thompson's FEAR AND FURY and Elliot Williams's FIVE BULLETS.
Sadly I am too familiar with the thinking of my white southern family who grew up in segregated Atlanta to be shocked by your diagnosis. I was informed in 2008 that my parents would be rolling in their graves. 1 question:what is SDE? Truly shocked by the preacher as I quit going to church years ago.
I'm curious about SDE too. Acronym Finder turned up 59 definitions, and the only one that comes anywhere close is "State Designated Entity" -- and that's a stretch.
Looked it up too—small dick energy. Aha moment.
Excellent article Nina. Thank you.
Great essay. It’s remarkable how low we’ve sunk and how quickly, and with how little attention from the legacy media, who still report on Trump as a conventional president.
Bravissima!
Thank you for your great writing!