NOW WHAT?

I haven’t posted anything to this blog in several months. I didn’t want to distract anyone from focusing on the mid-term elections. They are over now. The Democrats broke the Republican stranglehold on government by taking back control of the House of Representatives and had an excellent showing in state legislature and governor races. That’s the good news for liberals. The bad news is the mid-terms weren’t nearly the “Blue Tsunami” liberals were expecting; and liberals can’t blame it on poor turnout because voter turnout this year was considerably higher than in previous midterm elections. So, what’s going on?

I believe you have to look at what is happening worldwide to fully understand what is happening here in the USA. What is happening has to do with all of Western Civilization, not just the USA. Western Civilization, which is predominantly Caucasian and Christian, has dominated the world for the past 2000 years. However, over the past several decades, people of color from Africa, the Middle-East, Asia and Latin America, have been seriously challenging that dominance. The response to this challenge has been for frightened, conservative white folks to desperately flock to populist, authoritarian leaders who are promoting nationalist agendas and vehemently pledging to maintain the status quo at all costs. What are these conservative white folks afraid of? They are more than afraid. They are terrified that if people of color get control of their countries, they will do to white folks what white folds have done to them for the past 2000 years. I don’t believe that will happen, but given human nature and human history, I can’t guarantee it won’t....so I understand their fears. And remember, all behavior is driven by need and the need to feel safe is very real.

If this assessment is correct, then white liberals who have supported and worked together with people of color for many decades and are not afraid of them, need to rethink their strategy if they hope to bridge the ever widening gap that separates them from the desperate, white conservatives who see this as their last stand and only chance for survival. Bridging this gap will be even harder than it might otherwise be because the Robber Barons of the western world are doing everything in their power to keep us fighting with one another because they know that, if we ever unite, our first priority will be the redistribution of wealth.

Think of this as a redefinition of the problem. If it makes sense to you, please consider and share what you think we can do to lessen the fears of our neighbors, allies and fellow human beings. That is really the only way back from this precipice on the edge of oblivion.