Tag: opressor/victim ideology

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Whitey in the Woodpile

America on Shaky Ground, Part 3

Do you really think the likes of Carol Swain, Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas and Ben Carson achieved success by crawling around under someone’s bootheel?  Of course not, they believed in their own ability to succeed, worked hard and took advantage of all that America has to offer.  As Dr. Swain eloquently explained “I was born into a world where systemic racism was real—no-fooling, outright-bigotry, back-of-the-bus real. But here’s what you need to know: Yes, that racism shaped the black experience—but even then, it did not define it. Change was in the air. Call it systemic reform.”  

The systemic reform Dr. Swain referenced has transformed our country.  While there is more work to do, a person of any color can succeed in America.  Our collective American message should be one of possibilities, hope, hard work, personal responsibility, and perseverance.  We should encourage all citizens to learn from the past and shoot for the stars.  Sadly the opposite is happening. We are bombarded with negativity and defeatist messaging that black folks are victims to white oppressors.  Some would have us believe that America is drowning in racism and white supremacy.  As one BLM leader said regarding US systems of law: “when we talk about institutional and systemic racism, I can’t think of an example of a system that is clean.”  Welcome to the race chapter of the victim/oppressor club where black outcomes are stymied by whitey in the woodpile.  

Will stoking animosity between racial groups result in the advancement of our nation?  Highly unlikely.  Has any group of any size achieved success when the team members are infighting rather than focused on the goal?  A group with a common focus that knows what’s working, what isn’t working, creates reality based plans, learns from mistakes, avoids problems and works in concert has a chance of winning.  A group divided by hate sinks to mediocrity or collapses entirely.  We see this concept played out in our families, sports teams, small business, large corporations and countries.  Since this is a fundamental fact of human interaction, why has a narrative been deployed that pits citizens against each other rather than a message of unity that uplifts us all?  

It is extremely disorienting to watch black people who have achieved the pinnacles of success tell their black brethren that their success is hampered by white people.  Where is Captain Obvious when you need him?   There are many reasons individuals and groups achieve different outcomes not the least of which is the individual’s attitude and work ethic.  However, these peddlers of victim ideology offer only one excuse for poor outcomes – systemic racism.  

Anyone who listens to the local news knows that there are serious problems that plague poor minority neighborhoods that are unrelated to racism.  These communities suffer from lousy government schools, the disintegration of the family, a culture of government dependence, drugs, out of control gangs and black on black violence to name a few.  Instead of honest conversations regarding the economics of poverty and comprehensive multipronged strategies, we see black youths loot and burn their own communities, often destroying minority owned businesses.  Then BLM tells us “looting is reparations”.  Translation – violence that destroys other people’s lives is okay because whitey is in the woodpile.  

The actual occupants of the woodpile are race hustlers and others who seek to benefit from the extreme division caused by corrosive victim/oppressor ideology.  These evil people are sacrificing our black youth for their own gain.  It is beyond sad that many have placed themselves in victim status in search of a handy oppressor to blame for their personal outcomes.  Victimhood is at best a recipe for mediocrity and will likely result in worse outcomes for struggling black folks.  How can this be good?  

Even though we still feel the shock waves from slavery and the unbridled racism that followed, it is my fervent belief that the vast majority of Americans are not racist.  Please consider how these folks will react as the nationwide hunt for whitey in the woodpile intensifies and white people are tried and convicted for the actions of their ancestors.  It is very bad business to fight racism with racism unless division is the actual goal.  There is a better way.  

We will delve into the subject of race in greater detail in future articles but for now our goal is to list destabilizing factors impacting America.  Without question, the racial segregation of Americans via victim/oppressor ideology puts us on dangerously shaky ground.  

Shaky Ground Summary

As a reminder we will only examine what is happening and leave why unasked for now.  Below is a summary of destabilizing factors addressed in this and previous articles in the America on Shaky Ground series.  

  • Part 1 – Division and distrust caused by the prohibition of gathering.
  • Part 2 – Division and distrust caused by categorizing women and men into victims and oppressors.  
  • Part 3 – Division and distrust caused by racial segregation via victim/oppressor ideology.

Notes

  • Dividing our nation along racial lines is so incredibly destructive that it behooves all Americans to study this issue in depth rather than react emotionally to three word slogans.  Empirical evidence and historical context are essential to evaluating the current narrative accurately.  A great start is the “Black Wisdom Matters” series of videos curated by Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams and other very smart people.  Here is part 1 of 7.  
  • “Discrimination and Disparities” is an excellent book by Thomas Sowell that offers an in depth examination of disparate outcomes among groups and forms of discrimination.  This is critical information for assessing the current conversations on “equity”.  “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” is a collection of thought provoking essays that provide necessary historical facts missing from critical race theory based narratives.  
  • The Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization is more than it appears and research into BLM and the founders is wise.  This video by Ami Horowitz is worth your time.  
  • This Forbes article provides a quick summary of the history of slavery. Note to all our poorly educated students, America did not invent slavery.

Pearls of Wisdom from Thomas Sowell

Below are two Thomas Sowell quotes which elaborate on the concepts discussed above:  

“While the lessons of history can be valuable, the twisting of history and the mining of the past for grievances can tear a society apart. Past grievances, real or imaginary, are equally irremediable in the present, for nothing that is done among living contemporaries can change in the slightest the sins and the sufferings of generations who took those sins and sufferings to the grave with them in centuries past. Galling as it may be to be helpless to redress the crying injustices of the past, symbolic expiation in the present can only create new injustices among the living and new problems for the future, when newborn babies enter the world with pre-packaged grievances against other babies born the same day. Both have their futures jeopardized, not only by their internal strife but also by the increased vulnerability of a disunited society to external dangers from other nations and from international terrorist networks.”  Black Rednecks & White Liberals.

“Whatever chances such people have of acquiring the missing ingredients for their own advancement are reduced to the extent that their problems are misdiagnosed as the sins of other people rather than things that they themselves lack—even if they lack those things for reasons beyond their control. Often the things they lack can be acquired sooner and more extensively than they can either reform other people or get the society as a whole to provide for them through a redistribution of existing wealth what they are capable of producing for themselves through an upgrading of their own productivity. Moreover, rising productivity adds to the net wealth of the society and the world, which is more likely to gain the respect of others, as well as self-respect, than are reiterated pleas or demands for a share of what others have created.”  Black Rednecks & White Liberals.    

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Bad Ole Men

Part 2 America on Shaky Ground

Last week a guest speaker opened her remarks with an obvious excuse.  She told a large gathering that “covid protocols” prevented her from attending in person. I suspected then she was full of it and was on alert for more.  I didn’t have to wait long.  She proceeded to explain when she was in meetings with men “her voice was not heard” and that other women would help her employ strategies so men “would hear her voice”.  Let’s put our boots on and wade in.  

As someone who has always worked in male dominated fields and was typically the only woman in a testosterone filled conference room, I can say with certainty that I rarely had a problem with my voice being heard.  If my message was not initially understood, I wondered how to communicate more effectively.  People process information differently and one’s style has to be adjusted accordingly.  These differences do not necessarily break on gender lines although, news flash, men and women are different.  Even with an appropriate communication strategy, failure can occur for reasons that have nothing to do with gender.  The listener can be a jerk, have extreme ADD or be one of those manic talkers incapable of listening.  Regardless of the countless factors that contribute to failure, in some quarters it’s always the bad ole men who prohibit women’s “voices from being heard”.  Women are the victims and men are the oppressors in this corrosive narrative.

Sadly some women have been actual victims at the hands of truly bad men.  These women are real victims through no fault of their own.  Victim/oppressor ideology attempts to project the no fault reality of the genuine victim to all women.  If a woman buys into this theory, she has no personal responsibility for bad outcomes in the conference room or life.  It’s the oppressor’s fault.  They get away with it because good folks will never ascribe blame to real victims and it’s just so hard to tell the difference between real and ideological victims these days.  As a result people have stayed silent and allowed this con job to take root.  

Conversely, traits of actual bad men are projected to all those in the targeted oppressor group and viola, all men, including good men, become victimizers and misogynists.  A casual observation of the men we know proves the lie of gender based oppressor theory.  

This concept is not new.  When I started out 40 years ago, a few folks dangled the victim card in my face.  I swatted it away like a bad smell.  I was focused on achievement and had no use for “poor pitiful me” ideology.  Even then our society had progressed to a place where women had the opportunity to advance unfettered should they choose to do so.  In fact, a competent woman in a male dominated industry actually had the advantage.  In order to recognize this, however, it was essential to have the correct perspective.  I believed in my ability to succeed and remained focused on the goal.  Equally important the source of my failures could be found in the mirror.  That isn’t to say that I was free of insecurities. Like all humans, I had plenty and perhaps more than most.  But insecurities were my baggage to offload, not an amorphous self-limiting ideology that cast me as a victim.  

One difference between then and now is victimology has gone mainstream infecting Americans of all ages including young impressionable minds.  Should we encourage our daughters to view themselves as oppressed or teach the concept of personal responsibility? Do we want them to fear there is an oppressor behind every male face?  Or should we teach them to evaluate the character of both men and women acknowledging there are good and bad of each?  Should we teach our sons they are bad simply because some stranger with questionable motives has labeled them an oppressor?  Or should we teach them how to think?  Should we ensure young people understand the prerequisites of success or turn them into victims trapped below a self-imposed glass ceiling?  

Victim/oppressor ideology divides us horribly.  Consider how real victims feel towards their attackers.  Now imagine that negativity and distrust percolating in the newly oppressed ideological victims.  As we see on the news daily, it is disastrous for America and puts us on very shaky ground indeed.  

A more insidious and equally dangerous result is a culture of mediocrity.  How can anyone possibly be the best they can be if bad outcomes are always someone else’s fault?   How does an individual learn and grow without the benefit of acknowledging and examining their own mistakes and poor choices?  Victim/oppressor ideology therefore stunts growth potentially reducing the chance of success.  Dampening the achievements and ambitions of individuals results in mediocrity or worse.  As the number of achievers declines, the overall success of America will diminish and with this comes destabilization. 

Luckily for the propagation of our species, the gender chapter of the victim/oppressor club has not attracted wholesale membership.  We women like our men and do not take kindly to painting our good men with a bad ole man brush.   The race chapter however is growing at an alarming rate…

Shaky Ground Summary

As a reminder we will only examine what is happening and leave why unasked for now.  Below is a summary of destabilizing factors addressed in this and the previous article in the America on Shaky Ground series.  

  • Part 1 – Division and distrust caused by the prohibition of gathering.
  • Part 2 – Division and distrust caused by separating women and men into victims and oppressors.  

Notes

The phrase “prerequisites of success” was lifted from one of America’s great critical thinkers, Thomas Sowell.  I highly recommend “Discrimination and Disparities” for an excellent discussion on this topic.