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By Rickey Hampton, Editor and Founder of The African-American Athlete
Almost nothing surprises me anymore. Not even seeing the former Klan Wizard, David Duke, and the man who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania, agree on the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville.
It wasn’t even surprising to see so many angry young white people taking part in the violence, that led to the death of Heather Hyer, and indirectly caused the death of two Virginia State Troopers. In addition, a man still lies in ICU after yelling “Her name was Heather,” and being beaten by Nazi’s.
But here is one thing that actually does surprise me. Why are these white people so angry? Hey, angry white people, you do realize that you are white, right? Don’t you understand you are part of arguably the most privileged race in the history of mankind?
I mean, really, who has had it better than white people?
Noooo-body!
Surely, your anger isn’t because somebody wants to take down the statue of some old dude (Robert E. Lee) who has been dead for more than 200 years, and who held black people as slaves, and who literally went to war to make sure human beings would remain slaves.
Or, maybe you are angry because we can’t go back to the ‘good ole days.’ You remember those times, don’t you? Remember when you could ride mediocrity to almost any station in life? Many of you failed to educate yourself, and failed to excel in a sport, or an art, or something that required a bit of dedication and talent. But in the ‘good ole days’ you could not hit rock bottom as long as there was some black person to abuse and look down on.
By the way, is going back to the ‘good ole days’ what you guys mean by ‘Make America Great Again?’
Of course, for black folk there is no such thing as the ‘good ole days’. For most of us, our existence in America has been a struggle for equality and justice from the moment we sat foot upon these shores.
Now, all of you angry white men should know that if you returned to the days that you discriminated, segregated and oppressed black folk, that the greatest portion of yourselves are returning to poverty as well. Many of your ancestors arrived here after the civil war. It is quite likely they would have been nothing but poor, and possibly working as indentured laborers.
Most poor whites could not afford the amenities the plantation owners had. I mean, they owned slaves. Slaves were called on to tend to the plantation, raise the children, satisfy their master’s sexual fantasies, construct the foundation of this country, and build the wealth and dynasties of those privileged white families.
While your family probably didn’t own a plantation, you still shouldn’t get too depressed. After all, you are still white!
You were literally born at the 75-meter mark in a 100-meter race, while everyone else is still at the starting line. Everything about America was built with you in mind. You have never been told to ride in the back of the bus, go to inferior segregated schools, hospitals, restaurants and movie theaters. You have never been shackled by any segregation or discrimination policies. Police brutality has never been an issue to you, nor has the inequalities in the justice system.
Frankly, I don’t think you guys could last a week dealing with the issues black folk do on a daily basis. In 2016 the black unemployment (8.4 percent) was practically twice the rate for whites (4.3 percent). A Pew study in 2014 saw the median income for whites at $71,000 to $43,000 for blacks. College educated whites earned $106,000 to $82,000 for blacks. And yet you whine about the government not providing you with more? Not finding you an education and a job?
And you guys are mad?
Really?
