Harry Allen refers to White Americans as “white supremacists.”
His logic in doing so, from my interpretation of his words, is that white people have the power in this country, thereby making them supreme, though not superior, to Blacks Americans. And Harry, it’s always a dicey proposition to attempt to break down your carefully crafted thoughts and words, so I am ready to stand corrected if necessary.
I cannot disagree with Harry, based on the dictionary.com 1st definition of the word:
su⋅preme
1 [suh-preem, soo-]
–adjective
1. highest in rank or authority; paramount; sovereign; chief.
However, there is another word that’s relevant to this self-perpetuating state of affairs, which has nothing to do with white supremacy or racism. Instead, it deals with things tending to remain in their current state. Does this word describe a physical concept dating back to its description by Sir Isaac Newton (you know the one: ”inertia”)?
No, it’s a much more common, everyday word. The word is “conservative,” and again, I go back to the 1st definition found at dictionary.com:
con⋅serv⋅a⋅tive
[kuh
n-sur-vuh-tiv]
–adjective
1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
People, humans, are conservative. There are individuals who are not, but as a species, we are indeed disposed to preserve existing conditions – to a point. The existing conditions can get so bad that many people actually take action to change them, but those conditions must be very, very unpleasant to those who are in position to effect the change.
How bad must it get? Well, if you look at a number of nations in Africa, you will see that there’s some really bad stuff going on, and people in positions to effect change are not taking action to do so. In America, there is racial discrimination, racial bias, racial profiling, taking place every minute of every day in just about every city and town in the nation, whether in thought or in deed.
But, as in Africa, it is simply not in the interest of the “supremacists,” the supreme, those who are “highest in rank or authority,” to do anything but preserve, conserve, the status quo. ”White supremacist” is an ugly, disgusting-sounding term to most Americans, but the words don’t lie. In this country, white people are supreme, in virtually every industry and institution across the land, and we are taking no action to change that situation – not solely because we are racist, though most undoubtedly are whether they are aware of it or not, but because we, as human beings, are conservative, and to our human minds, the devil you know is better than the one you don’t.
