Instead of looking forward , they ’ re stuck to a past that will never be revived , no matter how many elections they rig or people they terrorize or kill .
The America I was born into and grew up in as a kid was a very different place from today . In the 1950s , the country was firmly under the control of straight white men :
• Blacks ( and other minorities , varying by region ) were confined to certain parts of town and were routinely beaten , arrested , or even killed for stepping into whitesonly areas .
• In 1951 only about 15 % of Blacks were successful in registering to vote in all of the former Confederate states .
• With few exceptions , the only minority faces seen in media were those portrayed as either buffoons or criminals .
• Abortion was illegal , and in many states , you could go to jail , even if you were married , for possessing birth control of any sort , including condoms , in your own home . IUDs and birth control pills did not exist .
• Schools , restaurants , hotels , and most private businesses were racially segregated .
• Women ( even white women ) couldn ’ t sign a contract , get a credit card or open a bank account in their own names without the signature of a father or husband .
• Immigration into America was regulated to maintain the country ’ s racial balance .
• Gays and lesbians were routinely beaten , imprisoned , raped , and murdered with no consequence to their tormentors .
• Police had carte blanche to terrorize and kill minorities of all types .
Since then , a lot has changed :
• The browning of America began in a big way in the 1960s with egalitarian changes to our immigration , voting , and public accommodations laws .
• The Women ’ s Rights movement picked up steam after the legalization in 1961 of birth control pills and Roe v Wade in 1973 , although Republicans have successfully blocked the Equal Rights Amendment to this day .
• Full citizenship for LGBTQ people picked up in the 1990s and was finally realized ( in law , at least ) when Vice President Biden and then-President Obama endorsed gay marriage , and the Supreme Court ratified it in June of 2015 .
Throughout the past 30 or so years , as the larger of these changes have been cemented into law and culture , straight white male backlash has grown to the point where , today , white male supremacy is the core product sold on rightwing television and hate-talk radio / podcasts .
That backlash has gone from passive resistance against integration , to the Tea Party , to openly declaring Barack Obama “ not a real American ,” to rightwing media embracing the “ Great Replacement Theory ” first championed by “ America First ” actual Nazis 80 years ago .
An effort to realize our nation ’ s founding creed that “ all men are created equal ” has been twisted in the minds of Trump followers into a sinister plot to deny straight white men their God-given role in American society . Now it ’ s being used to justify political violence ( 57 % of Republicans today say January 6th was “ patriotic ”), election-rigging , and courtpacking .
This idea that Democrats , in addition to drinking the blood of children and embracing “ international ” Jewish villains ( like George Soros ), are actively working to “ replace ” straight white people with people of color and / or LGBTQ folks is particularly poisonous and virulent .
Tucker Carlson , with the approval of the heir to Rupert Murdoch ’ s billions , began this in a big way during prime time on Fox “ News .” On April 8th , for example , he told his viewers :
“[ T ] he Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate , the voters now casting ballots , with new people , more obedient voters from the Third World .”
Four days later , Carlson explained to his mostly white Fox audience the Great Replacement Theory and how , in his opinion , Democrats were its main advocates :
“ Demographic change ,” he said , “ is the key to the Democratic Party ’ s political ambitions . In order to win and maintain power , Democrats plan to change the population of the country . They ’ re no longer trying to win you over with their program … They don ’ t even really care about your vote anymore . Their goal is to make you irrelevant .”
On April 15th , Carlson echoed the Nazi theory that the pinnacle of evolution was , as Hitler preached , the white ( Aryan ) race :
“ Acknowledge the reality of evolutionary biology ,” he demanded , sliding into the evening news buzzwords that every white supremacist in America instantly recognized . “ It is real .”
He added :
“ They are changing everything , whether we like it or not . A new language , new values , new biology , new curricula , new social mores , and hiring standards and body types . A brand-new national population . And then , because that is still not enough change , a whole new system of government … What will the consequences of that change , of that revolution be ? In your bones , you know the answer . It ’ s terrifying , and it does not have to happen .”
Fox ’ s Laura Ingraham also said it out loud :
“ Of this , my friends , you can be sure , your views on immigration will have zero impact and zero influence on a House dominated by Democrats who want to replace you , the American voters , with newly amnestied citizens and an ever increasing number of chain migrants .”
The Trial Lawyer x 57