Well-stated and well-reasoned as usual, Matt.
I have grown weary of feeling bad about being white. It’s become okay for every non-white person to harbor cultural and, dare I say, tribal feelings of disdain for whites or any other race not their own, but a white man positioning himself for self-preservation is considered racist and bigoted and short-sighted and hateful.
More and more, however, I find private discussions reveal a boldness in opinion toward that self-preservation among white friends. It’s not a malicious, hateful want. It’s a critical understanding of one’s place in the world and how we got here. I don’t wish harm or want to see any one person, group, race, or culture fall short. I want all of us to be brought afloat by rising tides. The idea of chaining white people to the bottom of the pool while trying to fill it with tea cups is hilarious at first blush but then terrifying when those of us chained to the drain realize they’re serious in their desires.
Thank you for speaking out on this. I don’t identify myself as Italian or Scottish or German or any of the number of other cultures making up my pedigree. I am white by the identification of my skin pigmentation. Otherwise, I am American. That used to mean something, and I feel it’s starting to again.
Neither do I, but the reality (and problem) is those other groups, races, and cultures don’t reciprocate your feelings. I would recommend reading about Lee Kuan Yew, who ruled over the multicultural Singapore for 3 decades, and what he learned during that time. See
https://lkyonrace.wordpress.com
Whites are being replaced in their own country, without their consent, since 1965, and there is no political will to discuss this, at a national level. If you want to discuss this, you are called names (racist, xenophobe).