Sit back and enjoy the ride, gringo.
by Ruben Navarrette Jr (Drop him a line, folks.)
What is it with white males? You would think that a group that occupiesso many powerful positions and controls so much wealth would be secureenough not to be rattled by a few silly comments. But in the aftermathof the inauguration of the first African American president, skins arethin. It’s a new day – one in which, as some people see it, white malesare both convenient villains and our society’s newest victims.
Even the fact that white males are overrepresented in the ObamaWhite House staff and Cabinet doesn’t do much to reassure them thatthey haven’t lost their place at the head of the line. And now some inthe blogosphere and on talk radio seem to be cracking under thepressure.
Talk-show host Michael Savage recently warned his listeners thatfor the next four years, the Obama administration and those who supportit would be constantly plotting to victimize white males.
What set Savage off were comments by former Labor Secretary RobertReich who, in testifying before Congress on President Obama’s plan tocreate more than a million new jobs as part of the economic recovery,said:
“I am concerned, as I’m sure many of you are, that these jobs notsimply go to high-skilled people who are already professionals or towhite male construction workers. I have nothing against white maleconstruction workers, I’m just saying that there are other people whohave needs as well.”
Certainly, Reich, who is today a UC Berkeley professor, could havechosen his words better. But the former Clinton administration officialwas making a serious point about expanding opportunities for those whosometimes miss out. Naturally, “white male construction workers” shouldnot be singled out or excluded from the recovery. But nor should Reichhave been vilified as some kind of racist – not just by Savage but bymore than a dozen other radio hosts and bloggers who took offense.
It wasn’t just Reich. The critics were also on edge because of other recent racial utterances:
— Former Republican National Committee Chairman Rich Bond said theGOP has to reach out to minorities. “We need a great deal moretolerance for the other guy’s point of view,” Bond said. “Not everybodycomes from the same constituency as a majority-white homogenousdistrict in the South where all people care about is keeping their gunsand taxes.”
— After watching Obama’s inauguration, CNN’s Larry King announcedthat his 8-year-old son Cannon “now says that he would like to beblack.” As King noted, “There’s a lot of advantages to being black.Black is in.”
— During an interview that took place just moments after Obama wassworn in, comedian Chris Rock joked with the white male interviewer.”Can I just hit you right now?” he asked. “Wouldn’t it be funny if Ijust punched you in the face right about now? If I just walked aroundhere, smacking white people. He’s president. Pow!”
— Appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Inauguration Day, TomBrokaw said: “Having been in the South in the ’60s and Los Angeles andWatts and Northern urban areas, umm, uh, when we were evolving as acountry – I’m thinking of all the bigots and the rednecks and all thepeople that I met along the way, and I’m saying to them, ‘Take this.’ “
— Even the Atlantic magazine offered up the article “The End ofWhite America?” It concluded: “As a purely demographic matter …’white America’ … may cease to exist in 2040, 2050 or 2060, or laterstill. But where the culture is concerned, it’s already all butfinished. Instead of the long-standing model of assimilation toward acommon center, the culture is being remade in the image of whiteAmerica’s multiethnic, multicolored heirs.”
As someone who isn’t black or white, I enjoy the luxury of being anumpire who doesn’t have a stake in this 400-year-old conflict.
Sometimes, it’s obvious that African Americans are oversensitiveand see racism where it doesn’t exist – e.g., a harmless parody about”Barack the Magic Negro.” This time, it is some white Americans who aretoo eager to think of themselves as under siege by a changing countryand a changing culture – not to mention a new president who serves as aconstant reminder of both.
These worries are a waste of time. This is still a country oflimitless opportunities where anyone can succeed – as long as theydon’t spend all their energy coming up with excuses for failing.
To comment, e-mail Ruben Navarrette Jr. at ruben.navarrette@uniontrib.com.