It’s been more than a year since I last brought up the factual evidence of the institutional affirmative action for White Americans. The numbers don’t lie, and now, in the beast that is this political climate, we’re seeing the effects of that ignorance first hand.

Many can deny the causality of our current situation. It can be blamed on a political party, a president, an even other countries. What is most compelling, however, is the effect of selfish and isolationist practices ingrained in White culture. The idea that if I look out for myself, if I have no civic responsibility, if I contribute to the idea that Black problems, Latin problems, poor problems, middle-class problems, Kansas problems, and Wall Street problems don’t affect me, that my family and I will be ok. The arrogance that is afforded by the privilege of never having to confront who you are, your intentions, your mistakes, or your stupidity is catching up…and our whole country is suffering.

credit: seccad

The writing is on the wall. The polls are close, despite the basic logic of changing direction from the catastrophic failure of the status quo, because of the ingrained thoughts of ‘who deserves to be in charge’. It isn’t a Harvard-educated Black man, right? The brain-washing is evident in the blind rationalization of supporting candidates who have no secondary education, no foreign experience, and no business being in national politics. Cancer survival 4 times over and the church of Jews for Jesus don’t add up. Indeed, the white privilege of being ordinary and being just like me has reiterated the false premise of what is supposed to be the qualification. Only within the moments of a bi-racial candidate being extraordinary is being normal a privilege lauded by Whites.

All this, while ignoring the blatant truth that being ordinary of any other color gets you nowhere.

The financial markets are tumbling because of the privilege to exploit a system built on the mentality that this implied privilege will sustain itself. All of the players are white, rich, and making money hand over fist. In fact, the white privilege is so thick, the term of too big to fail is an oxymoronic caricature explicitly gargled throughout the players to ensure that the burden always falls to those who are not.

It seems too simple. It seems too far-fetched. It even seems too paranoid, but remember YBP, these are institutions that have existed for more than 160 years. The fall of these iconic symbols are a mere snow-globe symbol of a new day that is feverishly fighting forces that have festered like the aforementioned cancer. The end of anything always results in extreme measures to survive. Right before impact, you clinch your body. Right before getting stuck by a needle, you envision the pain and jump. In election 2008, the death of white privilege will go kicking and screaming into the night, yelling hypocritical logic like the validity of Bristol Palin’s illegitimate child and marriage. The comedic mindset that AIG can borrow money from itself, that McCain’s own advisors acknowledge that he isn’t fit to run a business, and that uneducated, rural Christian voters are somehow a sudden important factor is a farce.

We know this. Tim Wise knows this:

credit: arbyreed

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do–like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor–and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college–you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

Keep your head on a swivel, YBP. Keep your head….and vote!