Modern American Conservatism and Racism

Years ago, when I was riding a city bus, I shared the bus with several other people, including some white women and a young black woman and her child, a little boy.  The little boy was cute and all of us noticed him.  Then, one of the white women said, “They’re cute when they’re that age.”  Another white woman said, “Yeah, when they’re THAT age.”  As much as my heart lifted when the first woman began what I thought was a touching and human comment, the inhumanity of the second woman’s comment seared into me like a burning blade.  I looked at the child’s mother and our eyes briefly met. We both knew that her beautiful, playful, innocent child would be relegated to secondary status in a racist society.  I remember how angry and helpless I felt, one white teenager treading water in a sea of racism.  The time was the early sixties.

Several years later, I was stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.  It was the spring of 1968 and both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated while I was stationed there.  I greatly admired both men and grieved when they were killed.  I remember the day Reverend King was shot, encapsulated in one frozen, horrible moment.  I was sitting at the end of my bunk, staring at the floor, my hands in my lap, stunned at the news.  A young black airman in my flight was a few bunks to my right.  He was in the same posture, staring at the floor, and I could not begin to guess what he felt.  Then, a white airman came in and exclaimed, “I’m glad they shot his black ass!”  I looked at the black airman and his gaze met mine, and that was all that happened.  That was all that was necessary.  As much as he felt anger, I felt shame, and both of us remained silent.  I suppose it would have made sense to beat the crap out of the white racist, but what was the point?  Our eyes met, we looked away, and ventured off into our individual lives.

I suppose my point is that I kind of get Barack Obama’s point.  I certainly don’t presume to understand the black American experience the way that black Americans do.  I can’t look through their eyes and I don’t have their skin.  I also don’t really understand the world view of political conservatives, although I respect and admire many of them.  And the biggest problem I have with them is over racism.  The American conservative movement of the late twentieth century would not have occurred without racism, and it offends me that they run from that reality and disown it.   Isn’t it ironic that the conservatives clamor for Barack Obama to disown Reverend Wright, but they clam up when it comes to disowning and disavowing the prominent role that racism played in their own political ascendancy?  The ascent of modern American conservatism had little to do with patriotism, or a philosophy of governance and little to do with Ronald Reagan’s alleged charisma.  Without racism, there would have been no conservative ascendancy.  The theory that modern American conservatism was the result of a philosophy of small government and the literary efforts of Goldwater and Buckley is one of the greatest lies in American political history.  Modern conservatives have never governed according to that philosophy.  In fact, so-called “conservatives” like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush spent money like water and aggravated the deficit, and the Reagan administration sold American arms to American’s enemies in Iran.  Conservatism doesn’t owe its ascent to philosophy.  It owes it to racism.

When Senator Barack Obama gave his courageous speech on racism in America, he avoided the elephant in the room of American politics:  the role of racism in the rise of modern American conservatism.  Unfortunately, so have virtually all media commentators.  Senator Obama’s message, while challenging, was an attempt at healing, a call for American discourse to adopt a frank discussion of racism in this country and its affect on people.  Racism helps to explain the words of Reverend Wright, a patriot and Marine.  Racism helps to explain a lot of cruel and thoughtless comments and behavior on the part of otherwise well-meaning, decent people, both black and white.  Barack Obama addressed racism at the individual level, which is a good place to start.

But he did not address the racist fuel that charged the engine of modern American conservatism.  And that is a discussion we also need to have.

© March 21, 2008 by Mike Tully