The End of the White Man's World

About a week ago, I came across the following article on Right Wing Watch. The article states that:

Pat Buchanan devoted his column last week to adding his own racist spin to the issue of population decline in Europe, which he laments is turning "European Man" into "an endangered species."

Europe's population woes, Buchanan writes, mean that “European Man is an endangered species” as since World War I “all the great European empires—British, French, German, Russian, Italian—have vanished” and “are being invaded and repopulated by African, Asian and Middle Eastern peoples they once ruled.”

He’s also upset about the growing non-white population in America, warning that by 2050, “most Americans will… trace their ancestry to Asia, Africa and Latin America.” In a column last year, he wistfully called this “the demographic winter of white America.”

European Man is an endangered species. European Man is dying out. By 2050, Russia, the fourth most populous nation in 1950, will be 15th, behind Egypt, and far behind Congo and Tanzania. The only Western nation in the top 14 will be the USA. But most Americans will then trace their ancestry to Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Since 1914, all the great European empires—British, French, German, Russian, Italian—have vanished. All the great armies and navies have melted away. All are being invaded and repopulated by African, Asian and Middle Eastern peoples they once ruled. And almost all of the native-born populations of Europe are aging and dying and passing away.

Pat Buchanan is not your stereotypical redneck white supremacist. He is a man of power, a man of influence.  That man was an advisor to U.S. Presidents. He was a key Republican figure, a Presidential candidate and a major news analyst.

Unfortunately, his views are not fringe views. They represent the covert, subliminal driving force behind many right wing policies in this country. Those views represent the unspoken motivation behind the hatred of Obama. They are the force behind the opposition to immigration reform and  affirmative action. Fear is their motivation. They fear the end of the white man's world.

The End of White Supremacy?!?!

The white man's reign as the majority is coming to an end. The Washington Post reports that:

For the first time in U.S. history, most of the nation’s babies are members of minority groups, according to new census figures that signal the dawn of an era in which whites no longer will be in the majority. 

Population estimates show that 50.4 percent of children younger than 1 last year were Hispanic, black, Asian American or in other minority groups. That’s almost a full percentage point higher than the 49.5 percent of minority babies counted when the decennial census was taken in April 2010. Census Bureau demographers said the tipping point came three months later, in July.

The racist Right Wing sees their world slipping away. Perhaps, this is why they have been vigorously pushing anti-immigration measures, voter identification requirements and anti-affirmative action efforts.

This may be part of the reason why they hate President Obama. At least symbolically, his election represents the beginning of the end of white supremacy. The White House is no longer for white men only.

Honestly, the percentage of the white population does not matter.  American racism is institutional, systemic and structural. The racial disparities in education, criminal justice, economics and health care will remain in place. White owned corporations will continue to wield undue influence over the White House and Congress. Similar to Apartheid South Africa, white supremacy will remain in place even as the white population decreases, especially if Latinos, African Americans, Asians and white progressives do not unite and organize.  It does not matter if black people and Latinos are in the majority if we remain disproportionately uneducated, poor and incarcerated.

White supremacy is a system, not a population rate. The fact that this story is even news speaks volumes about the racist history of this country.