I’ve noticed that in many posts and articles scattered around the internet, “white men” are regularly singled out as the source of all evil on Planet Earth. Being a white man myself, (and harboring the added baggage of being an “old white man”) I find this trend disturbing, and dare I say it…racist!
Now I agree that the white race has caused a lot of mayhem and ill will in our climb to the top of the heap, and many white dudes are responsible for the economic downturn that has plagued the ongoing inequality in society. The vast majority of power brokers are white men. Even so, would it be any different if the culprits in charge were black, yellow, or brown?
As the illustration above points out, the three California Senators who recently disgraced their office and betrayed their constituents just happen to be black, yellow and brown. If you look at the nations around the globe, are those ruled by people of color deaf to the siren call of corruption? Is it white men who bury women up to their necks and pummel their unadorned heads with jagged stones? Or force children into slavery, prostitution and military conscription? Human nature is mostly color blind.
I also find it troubling that much of this criticism comes from white men and women. While I, as an editorial cartoonist, will gladly skewer my own kind, I try to point out that they should be condemned and ridiculed because of their actions, not their race. The same goes for those offending Senators. I actually enjoy the company of other white people, just as much as I enjoy the company of any other race. If I cringe in front of the mirror, it’s usually because of a zit, not my pasty pale complexion.
My advice to my self-loathing white brothers and sisters is to consider jumping off a cliff and thus ridding the world of your loathsome caucasian selves. I would tell you to fuck off, but don’t fuck each other. You’ll only make more white people that way.
Good point, Bob. There are very few white villains in Africa; fewer still in China, yet the villainous are still well represented. I’ve no idea what the villain count is for those of color in government here vs. their overall number, but I’m sure they’re “well” represented.
I do have a general feeling that the republican villains in my lifetime outnumber the dems, but that’s probably more of a case of perspective than anything else. But soon the whites will no longer be the majority here in the USA, and such talk will all but disappear from intelligent conversation. (It will NEVER disappear in bigoted circles.)
I guess I never got the whole race thing when I was growing up. That’s probably because races weren’t demonized in my house, and I attended a high school that would be considered a model of integration today.
As I followed the developing stories of the three men in a tub, it never occurred to me that Blacks, Hispanics and Chinese are thieves and scumbags. It did occur to me that these three individuals might be thieves and scumbags.
Similarly, I’m not compelled to feel guilty because two of the three biggest mass murders in history were white boys, the whole colonial thing didn’t go well, and some moron in the suburbs of Kansas City killed three people Sunday because he thought they were Jews.
It just tells me that whites are no better–or worse–than anybody else.
When it was announced last week that Stephan Colbert would replace David Letterman, there was a feeding frenzy of indignant posts denouncing late night TV as “a bastion of white men only.” Why didn’t a woman get the job? Or a black man? Even Rush Limburger demanding a “real” conservative!!! So why did Colbert get the nod?…Because Colbert is funny, that’s why. And he doesn’t see “race.”
Who owns the media? I think allot of white bread in that bakery!
Just goes to show you that politics is color blind – villains of every stripe are welcome.
But, villains beware – you might be wearing some stripes of a different color at the end of your tenure.