I came upon this article today, and it dumbfounded me. The title “A FEAR OF ‘WHITE EXTINCTION’ IS PROVOKING RACIAL BIAS AMONG AMERICAN WHITES.” New research finds that demographic shifts provoke such fears and prompt more robust support for conservative policy positions.
TOM JACOBS – JUN 3, 2019-This article was written a year ago.
As I was reading this article, I tried to put myself in a white person’s shoes. I can tell you it was complicated as I am Hispanic with Taino and African ancestor (a minority group). Still, I wanted to understand what this phrase meant and how being white in America feels.
The first few paragraphs talk about how White people dominate the demographic of American life. At one point, stating that in the 21st century, White people are affected by low birth rates, leaving white people to gradually died out. A belief white American fear, and it is called “Status Threat,” which links you to another article, “A PERCEIVED LOSS OF STATUS drives WHITE NATIONALISM.”
The article talks about White Fear over minority groups (Blacks and Hispanic people) becoming the dominant race in America. As I continued to read, I become angrier and dishearten by the belief that white groups are so ignorantly fearful of diversity, multicultural, congregating of cultures. It dawns to me that Slavery has been around for over 400 years, and many will argue on the precise year it happens.
It also occurs to me the mentality of the white mind, and how ancestry habits and convictions are passed down from generation to generation, how history places a big part of society and culture. How we learn and how we teach is a martyr for deracinating white America.
This article and many like this; need to be read even if they make you feel uncomfortable, troublesome, and uneasy. Materials and the history of human culture need to study and examine. It is up to us to learn from each other’s cultures and beliefs and try and understand why things are the way they are. And, how we can educate, inform, research, and discover for ourselves the truth.
Life in America in 2020 is scary for some of us. It can be unsettling and painful. That is why it is crucial to educate yourself on the importance of race. It is essential to stand your ground and speak of injustice.
Many white groups are so afraid that they are turning to hate, dehumanizing, and infrahumanizing other groups because of higher status, more power, being more human than others, which leads to less empathy among groups. Hatred also leads to killing, brutality, and violence in our country alongside malevolence and acrimony behavior of prejudice.
And, when white groups become violent, they become powerful and dominating, forgetting that we are all human beings, we are all living and breathing in this world. Hate becomes the governing force to fight the fear of socialization in people, often cultural, background, and belief.
I am just a writer, voicing my words on fear and hate. We all have our own opinions on the many subjects of brutality and discrimination among humans. I feel it is wrong, evil, and not part of who I am.
I sat down reading these articles putting myself in a white person’s shoes. I felt confused and scared about how they see other people and their cultures, how ancestry habits passed down to generations of misunderstood and chaotic society. It is saddening to understand their beliefs for many years of discrimination towards black lives with so much hate. And, all because of color and the domination of power.
I love all races and groups. I have many family and friends from multicultural backgrounds. I don’t see color as a threat; I see a living, breathing, beautiful human with love, compassion, and kindness. I treat everyone with respect and love. I believe color is gorgeous, white, brown, tan, yellow, black, and gray is an array of freshness. It is what makes us unique.
Take time to listen to others even if the conversations are painful and hard. Take time to empathize with an open heart and use compassion to comprehend the hurt, pain, and happiness. It is our right to feel safe, in agreement, and harmony for one another. We need to ban detestation from our old beliefs and cultures and stand unison with each other.
I hope this article and the many I will write, share, and post will help you understand my experience and the experience of others who are voicing concerns. I hope these articles will shine a light and help spread an understanding of cultural differences.
It is time to Stand together because Black Lives Matter!
- Here is an explanation of why Black Lives Matter:
Alicia Garza, one of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag’s creators, explained in 2014 how Black lives mattering is a precondition for all lives mattering:
“Black Lives Matter doesn’t mean your life isn’t important – it means that Black lives, which are seen as without value within White supremacy, are important to your liberation. Given the disproportionate impact state violence has on Black lives, we understand that when Black people in this country get free, the benefits will be wide-reaching and transformative for society as a whole. When we can end the hyper-criminalization and sexualization of Black people; and end the poverty, control, and surveillance of Black people, every person in this world has a better chance of getting and staying free. When Black people get free, everybody gets free.”
- And, here is some way to understand Why Black Lives Matter!
If you break your arm and go to the doctor, and the doctor says, “all your bones matter, not just your arm.” You’re going to look at them stupid because yes, all your bones matter, but they are fine, your hurt arm needs attention now.
BLM is that injured arm, saying all lives matter is redundant.
- OR, think of it this way:
If you get into a car crash and one person has a severe head injury, but the others have a few bumps and bruises, the person whose life is at risk gets first priority when it comes to medical care. That doesn’t mean paramedics won’t help the rest of the passengers, but that triage places the direst situation first in line. Or, to look at it another way, if someone keeps setting your house on fire, you’d want firefighters to do something about it. Wouldn’t it upset you if instead, people kept telling you that “all houses matter equally,” if yours was the one burning?
It’s a natural reaction to respond to one group centering its experience with, “But what about all lives?” or “Isn’t my safety important, too?” But the truth is, Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by police violence and systematic racism in our nation. Our entire social structure centers around whiteness as a default. Asserting that “All Lives Matter” just reaffirms — or at best ignores — that reality. Of course, every life is valuable, but not everyone’s lives are in danger due to their skin color. Saying “Black Lives Matter” isn’t equivalent to saying other lives don’t, but rather that Black lives should matter as much as white lives.
We are all entitled to our own opinion and the opinion of others. I ask that you are mindful and respectful.
Thank you.
~Diadel Kimberlee
Credit goes to https://psmag.com/news/a-fear-of-white-extinction-is-provoking-racial-bias-among-american-whites
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/19/E4330
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a32745051/what-black-lives-matter-means/