whites, the controversies about the Confederate flag, and the humiliating
images of white people as a race, I feel compelled to make a public statement.
I do not agree with the stereotypes that drive racial discussions in our
community. As silence could imply consent, I will say as clearly as possible
that I am not ashamed to have been born as I was. I am not ashamed to be white.
Let me deal with specific issues.
I am not ashamed of myself and other whites that there was race-based slavery
in the United States until 1865. I am not ashamed that a system of segregation
existed in the southern states until fifty years ago in which blacks occupied
an inferior position to whites. Those conditions are now ended, largely
because of white peopleâs efforts and sacrifice. Also, the Confederate flag
represents many different things in peopleâs minds besides the inhumane system
of slavery.
It would be better for those who hate plantation slavery so much to combat the
neo-slavery that exists in our own day: the economic exploitation by financial
institutions, the injustices sanctioned by the courts, the horrendous working
conditions that some lower-echelon workers have to endure. If you are so
righteous and brave, take on the live slave masters rather than those long
dead.
I am not ashamed of âracistâ attitudes among whites unless my own. People are
free to think as they please, based on their own personal experience. Black
people, too, have hateful thoughts about whites. In their own way, they also
tend to think they are superior. All people tend to generalize in ways
flattering to themselves. However, I would not judge people by their thoughts
but by their deeds. Thoughts are and ought to be free. Deeds that are harmful
to others can be addressed through the legal process.
I do not condone the unjustified shootings of black people by police or by
lone-wolf white males, but I do not assume responsibility for them as a white
person. It is unfair to transfer the blame to the entire white race. The
blame for the police killings should be directed more narrowly to the police
who were involved, not only to the individual officers but also to the people
who supervise them. We need better police policies and procedures. The blame
for the lone-wolf killings falls upon the killers themselves. We have legal
procedures to deal with murder. The idea of enhanced punishment for âhate
crimesâ is an invention that serves mainly political purposes.
I cannot ignore the fact that American politics is polarized on the basis of
racial identity. Black people vote for the Democrats as a bloc; and white
people tend less uniformly to vote Republican. To keep their constituencies in
line, the Democrats must adhere to a type of racially slanted expression called
âpolitical correctnessâ. They must pass laws designed to combat white racism.
They must excoriate the racial bigot. For their part, the Republicans dare not
appease white voters in a similar way because the Civil Rights legacy is so
strong. They also realize that in 25 years whites will be a minority population
so that they as a party would not want to position themselves to be on the
wrong side of history.
I am objecting to the anti-racist culture in politics and society. This
culture has little to do with actual black people or actual whites going about
their daily business. Rather, it is a way of intimidating Americaâs majority
population to justify their exploitation. The anti-racist theme serves
political, financial, and corporate interests. It is no accident that our
political system is broken. There is no community of good will to fix it.
People are too divided.
You do not know who I am. For all you know, I am someone who secretly wants to
lynch black people but disguises the fact. Such is the lurid atmosphere of
hate and suspicion that surrounds discussions of race that someone like me, a
racial heretic, will be thoroughly demonized. And that is why I feel a need to
act at this time and be open about it. In the next half century, I hope that
race relations in America will be sanitized and racial discussions will be more
evenhanded.
I will be walking through downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday with a sign saying
that I am not ashamed to be white. I will be at the corner of Washington and
Nicollet Avenue at 11:45 a.m. and, at noon, will start walking up Nicollet to
12th Avenue. Then I will go over to Marquette Avenue and walk back down again
to Washington. The whole exercise should last about an hour.
I would be delighted if people would join me on this walk. I know the cause is
politically difficult, if not dangerous, but some may agree with its sentiment.
Even if you do not, this may be an occasion for discussions about race that are
different than the usual ones.
William McGaughey