Toxic masculinity, old white men should just sit down and shut up, male whites are the problem; is that fair? Not in my eyes, but it is in the minds of some on the left.
President Donald Trump reminds us of the crimes committed by illegal, or undocumented aliens (using the term undocumented aliens is like calling someone who breaks into your home an uninvited guest). Good folks on the left are countering with the charge that the real crime demographic is white men.
John Blake writes in CNN online that crimes committed by the dreaded white male are the true problem. His point is that more crime is committed by white men than any other race/gender group, and he is correct. Approximately 36 percent of the American population are white men, six point six are African American men, eight point two are Hispanic men, per Wikipedia.
Mr. Blake, sir, white men do commit more crime than others, but as a percent of the population they do not. If a South Sea Islander commits a crime it is one of some 482,000. If a white person commits a crime it is one in 147,120,000, so yes, Mr. Blake, you are correct, but it is a half-truth, comparing apples to pomegranates.
Quite frankly I do not understand how “old white men” became the new American villain. As an old white man, have I become a horrible person to be dishonored and denounced because President Trump is the President and I voted for him? OK, call me a horrible person, call Ranger Rick an angry old man, but how do you prejudge all old white men as one group? Doing so is just plain old-fashioned prejudice; judging anyone by the group is just stupid and wrong.
The left is quick to prejudge, but in doing so they judge Mr. David Young and Mr. Basura, two old white men who write in this esteemed publication, as racists, sexists, homophobes and bigots? Both gentlemen are to the left of Leon Trotsky and not anti any group (well, other than non-Progressives).
Have all white men over 60 become enemies of the people, even uber-liberal old white men like Senator Bernie Sanders? In the last two years? Should all white men be condemned as counter revolutionaries, folks who stand in the way of the progressive, socialist, left’s movement to the joys of National Socialism? I sure hope so.
Any old white male who disagrees or even agrees with the left on any matter are called the basic load of derogatory names, racists, sexist, homophobes and bigots based on their race, age and gender alone; is that not the purest of prejudgments? Is that not horribly wrong? Yes, yes, it is, but most of the American left cannot see it as they do not wish to see it. Politically correct prejudgment of old white men is not just accepted but celebrated.
When confronted with their vile prejudgment of all members of a race, sex and age group, many on the left will back peddle at a speed to win the Tour de France. Some are so blinded by the very racism they abhor that they will say things like, “I have no sympathy for white men; time they paid for their past sins.” The left will cite slavery, however no old white man is alive whose father, grandfather, great grandfather or in most cases great, great grandfather was alive during slavery.
But who cares, hate is irrational, even progressive hate. The left cites the Jim Crow laws of the 1960s as a reason to punish old white men, forgetting that those who passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that ended Jim Crow were old white men, and most men alive today were born after Jim Crow laws were abolished.
So, do we blame old white men for the sins we had nothing to do with? Not in a just America, but in an America blinded by disdain and politically correct prejudgment and hate we do. Many on the socialist left are so full of hate that they are blind to reality. I witnessed this type of irrational hate in the early 1960s Jim Crow South toward African Americans.
Army Bob
Another fine article, yes we old white men are most certainly painted as evil. Sadly those old white men leaning way left fail to see they are not really part of the true left. They come to realize this when they are thrown under the bus.
But they get up brush themselves off and continue promoting the hatred of us old white men on the right.
Yes in the eyes of the non white men and most women on the left. If a white Male stands for the flag and Country, believes in God , opposes abortion, illegal immigration, approves of citizens owning firearms. We are basically the “scum of the earth”
This so reminds me of the Vietnam Veterans coming home, being spit on and called horrible names, going back your job and because the boss or owners son ran to Canada, you being late to work were fired. ( yes, that did happen, for I lost my job for being late )
There are some of us old white men on the Right really could care less what we are labeled as. We have been down this road, coming home from Vietnam. went thru the race riots, so far have made it thru political correctness, have watched moral values erode, religion being removed, education systems failing, socialism trying to replace our Democratic Republic form of government. The list could go on.
But try as hard as they might…there will always be an old white man on the earth, who gives not a “tinker’s damn ” what the left thinks of him
Mr. Smit,
Harry,
Thanks again for the comment. Perhaps you need to drop your title of amateur, excellent work, well stated.
Old white men have been targets of “progressives” since the days of Cato the Elder who wanted to prevent marriages between Patricians and Publicans. One reason is that they are prominent and dominant and therefor targets for all those lower on the socio-economic scale. It is lonesome at the top, but somebody has to be there.
Mr. Greenawalt,
Sir,
“One reason is that they are prominent and dominate” writing about old white men, perhaps the term we not they would be more appropriate? Congratulations on being “at the top”.
Thanks for the comment.
ooh! I must be in real trouble. Thanks for the alert, Bob. I’m old. I’m white. I married my college sweetheart in 1971 – and stayed married. I served in uniform. I spent a portion of my career in the kind of job that had me carrying a sidearm and a badge and handcuffs. The good news is that I believe most people judge me on the content of my character. My liberal friends don’t judge me for my old age or whiteness, my conservative friends don’t judge me for my decidedly liberal politics. Allow me to digress to what I remember as humorous moment. In the break room of the Maximum Supervision Unit at my Department of Corrections office, about 1/3 of my years of work, one of the guys said, “Field Agent Basura, did you know that Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett got married?” I suppose I should have mentioned that I enjoy country music along with other genres. The news the celebrity marriage caught me by complete surprise. “I can’t believe it,” I said. “What the hell does he see in her?” When they stopped laughing, I was told, “That’s just what Rush said.”
Mr. Basura,
Thanks for the comment. “Friends” will not judge you however the millions of folks who do not know you will and are judging you for your race, gender, age and sex. Prejudice in it’s purest form but many can’t or won’t see it.
A bit more humor, God made Paratroopers because even Marines need heroes.
Your “college sweetheart” deserves a Meritorious Service Medal for 48 years of sticking with a Marine and Special Agent.
Thank you for your service Marine.
I wasn’t a Special Agent. I was a Field Agent for the state. I did work with some FBI guys, especially with the Fugitive Task Force. We got along well. My point was that old white males are not monolithic. I liked the paratrooper line. Makes sense to me; I’d never jump our an airplane, unless it was on fire, and maybe not even then.
You ask the question, “How does the left prejudge all old white men as a group”. The same way POTUS prejudges all illegal aliens by the actions of two (2) recent incidents.
And why have you written this article to comment on “Old white men are the NEW American villains” when there have been old white men as American villains since the beginning of our country. Yes, there have also been young white men as villains. I know the females could be accused of the same villainy at some point in our history. I just wish this country would climb down off their partyship thrones and quit throwing mud at each other. This is supposed to be a country of EQUALITY FOR ALL. Maybe that has always been a pipe dream but it would be nice if our leaders and population at least aimed for that goal.
Pat, very nicely stated. We all (yes, I dare say ALL of us as human beings) make judgments based on generalities, at least initially. Then those who ponder issues go a bit deeper and realize the obvious, that we have served to support aand perpetuate stereotypes, be they “old, white men,” snowflakes, commies, rednecks, or “dumb blondes,” etc.
“Climbing down off their partyship thrones and throwing mud” is the true challenge for each of us, and, as you say, an admirable goal for leaders and general population alike.
Being an old white man myself I feel the change.We are all called racist because of the events during our past. We are called sexist because we told a women how nice she looks today.I am not either but feel profiled as one.I am very slow to speak openly because of that. I did not know you voted for Trump till you told us but I do not hate you for that.
Dennis, it occurs to me that too many of us (and I do include myself here) have lost our thicker skins in today’s social/political climate. I’d bet my social security check that you know this old saw as well as me, probably from parents who encouraged us boomer kids to “suck it up.” If the shoe fits, wear it.
We need to recapture some, I say some, of that attitude. When I start to feel “profiled” as hippie, leftie, socialist, commie scum, I remember that I know myself better than those who know me only through my imperfect opinions. I know those shoes don’t fit me enough to wear them. I might try to squeeze myself into them, but there is never a perfect fit by which someone may truly know me. So I don’t wear those shoes, because they are uncomfortable at the very least. (And they can hurt like hell at the very worst.) Being slow to speak can be an important virtue, because it means you may be taking time to really think issues through before making your opinions known. “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” (Quote attributed to A. Lincoln, Mark Twain, Samuel Johnson among others)
Old white men are the new American villains? Only believed by those who go through life wanting to be victims and insist on segregating the American populace into “the right” and “the left”, “conservative” and “liberal”.
Stating the political beliefs of Townbroadcast’s editor and publisher along with one of online media’s contributors “to the left of Leon Trotsky” is absurd. If the Townbroadcast publisher’s beliefs were in fact “to the left of Leon Trotsky”, the author’s regular opinion pieces would never see the light of day in this online news outlet. Trotsky was a hardline Marxist who espoused one party authoritarian rule. Neither of the accused have written anything that would suggest that Maxist ideal.
Maybe the author is trolling to elicit responses. A statement designed to stir the pot.
As a white male north of 50, my experience has been that being a white male, regardless of age has been a good demographic to find one’s self and that’s purely luck of the birth draw. Since the end of the Civil War white males are the group that’s been hired first in factories, more likely to get apprenticeships to skilled trades. White males are more likely to be accepted into colleges and more likely to be accepted into grad schools. In the business and legal world white males dominate the boardrooms of law firms, banks and corporations. White males continue to make up a majority of senior enlisted and officers in the US military.
We have recently seen many more women and minorities elected to political office in statewide and Federal elections but the US Senate has seniority based leadership. Majority leader Mitch McConnell is 76 and minority leader Chuck Schumer is 68. Both are white males. Our country has had 45 Presidents and 44 of them have been white males. Current President Trump is 72. Since 1900 the only US Presidents who were under 50 when elected were Kennedy, Clinton and Obama with Obama being the only minority elected.
To anyone paying attention, being an old white male in 2019 US means you won the genetic lottery and have had more opportunities than any other Americans 50 and older. If any white male over 50 wants to define himself as a victim in 2019, have at it. You have chosen to exist in a conflicted world you have created in your “conservatives vs liberal”, Left vs Right, mind.
And so it goes.
So beautifully expressed. No more need be said.