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Whites and the Next Racial Clash in America
Time ^ | 12/05/03 | JACK E. WHITE

Posted on 12/05/2003 5:44:11 PM PST by freedom44

According to political scientist Carol M. Swain's unsettling new book, "The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration," the U.S. is on the brink of an explosion of white "tribalism" that could trigger unprecedented levels of racial antagonism and an epidemic of violence. The underlying cause: a swelling "white nationalist" movement fueled by simmering resentment of affirmative action programs like those used by the University of Michigan. "The book is a wake-up call to warn people that we're following a dangerous course by pushing identity politics and multi-culturalism," explains the Vanderbilt law school professor. "There's nothing special about the U.S. that says we couldn't have ethnic cleansing and violence here like in Bosnia or Rwanda."

It's shocking to hear such a dire prophesy from a scholar like Swain, who is rapidly establishing herself as one of the leaders of a new, increasingly vocal neoconservative brand of black political analysis that rejects affirmative action and reparations for slavery and holds blacks responsible for their own uplift. Until recently, most left-leaning black theorists derided her as a hopeless optimist. Her previous book, "Black Faces, Black Interests," ruffled many black politicians by dismissing their fear that a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the use of race in the creation of majority black congressional districts would be a disaster. Instead, Swain predicted, the ruling actually would be good for African Americans. As she foresaw, even in the Deep South strong black candidates were capable of winning enough support from whites to prevail in districts where black voters were outnumbered. She also argued that disbursing blacks into mostly-white districts could make it easier for liberal Democrats to compete with conservative Republicans by building multi-racial coalitions. Blacks "need more representation of their liberal views of policy than they need people who look like them" in Congress, Swain contended. Anyone looking at the toothlessness of the Congressional Black Caucus in the Republican-dominated House would find it difficult to disagree.

But, as Swain says, she "turned from a Pollyanna into a Cassandra" as her research into a book criticizing racial preferences made her aware of the spread of what she calls "the new white nationalism," a form of racial extremism more dangerous than the Ku Klux Klan because of its veneer of erudition and mastery of the Internet. Groups such as former Klansman David Duke's National Organization for European American Rights and the National Association of White People eschew the discredited notion of white supremacy. Indeed, they don't claim that whites are superior to anyone else and may even be inferior to Asians.

Instead they push the notion over websites, in publications such as Jared Taylor's "American Renaissance " magazine and through on-campus recruiting drives that all racial groups have unique interests and the god-given right to fulfill their destiny. They see themselves, as Swain has written, as "defenders of the legitimate civil rights of white people against what they allege are a host of racial double standards." In short, that affirmative action has made whites the most discriminated-against group in the country and that it can only get worse as a tide of immigrants transforms the U.S. from a white nation into a rickety Third World republic. The language white nationalists use to promote their insights is stunningly familiar to anyone who has listened to black nationalists like Louis Farrakhan — but that's not surprising, since the white nationalists appropriated it. As Swain observes, "the multicultural left has provided a language that works very well for whites who want to push white-identity politics," says Swain. "They say that if it's good for blacks to celebrate their heritage, it's good for whites to celebrate theirs."

What concerns Swain the most is such groups now seem to be finding an audience among mainstream whites whose gripes about racial preferences and high crime rates among blacks have been tuned out by white liberal politicians. Though she has no proof that the membership of such groups is mushrooming, their influence is being felt widely. Indeed, some of the rhetoric used by white nationalists is indistinguishable from the verbiage used by President Bush in his assault on the "quotas" supposedly used by the University of Michigan. "If we keep going down this road, it's going to increasingly pit racial groups against each other," she warns. "Some white people, who are otherwise good people, who don't hate blacks, are going to be pushed into the arms of these extremists if we don't change course."

Swain thinks there's only one way out of this bind: recognizing that whites have "legitimate" beefs about race that should be openly debated by politicians and scholars. She also believes we should immediately do away with racial preferences in university admissions, hiring and government contracts that not only fuel white resentment but send the message to blacks that they can't meet the same standards as everyone else. Swain's detractors say such steps amount to no more than a cowardly capitulation to racism, but she won't back down because she does not believe that blacks need the crutch provided by race-conscious policies. For Swain, a deeply devout evangelical Christian, such beliefs are not academic. Now 49, she went from being a high school drop-out and single mother in rural Virginia to a Ph.d and a chair at a leading university. "Somehow, we've got to embrace an American national identity that pulls us together instead of dividing us into warring camps," says Swain, "perhaps through a renewed emphasis on the Judeo-Christian idea of a common creator and the brotherhood of man." It's an old-fashioned idea that could prevent Swain's troubling predictions from coming true.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bookreview; carolswain; newwhitenationalism; preferences
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To: cyborg

I know many men who have had children taken away, disappear,etc. with evil ex-wives

Sarcasm? 70 % of divorces are initiated by women. Theres something about the "system" that aint right, IMO (and many others). The only people in this country who are subject to debtor's prison are divorced men.

101 posted on 12/05/2003 7:46:45 PM PST by Nonstatist
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To: Doc On The Bay
All men are created equal came out of the Declaration of Independence I think. Haven't looked it up and I do make mistakes. But not on the job.
102 posted on 12/05/2003 7:47:51 PM PST by U S Army EOD (When the EOD technician screws up, he is always the first to notice.)
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To: Vidi_Vici_Vinnny
Pog Mo Thoin.

thanks for the lesson, what are ya, a linguist? :^)
103 posted on 12/05/2003 7:50:27 PM PST by mylife
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To: Nonstatist
No. No sarcasm. There are men, I'm thinking of one right now, who have had wives toss papers in their face then disappear with the kids. While I understand some divorces may be legitimate, I think men get railroaded A LOT esp. when coming to father's rights. Believe me, as you've pointed out, there are other injustices in the world.
104 posted on 12/05/2003 7:52:24 PM PST by cyborg (mutt-american)
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Comment #105 Removed by Moderator

To: Radix
She may be a babe, but she'd better take her meds just the same.

How about this:

"such groups now seem to be finding an audience among mainstream whites whose gripes about racial preferences and high crime rates among blacks have been tuned out by white liberal politicians. Though she has no proof that the membership of such groups is mushrooming, their influence is being felt widely."

I'll bet her boyfriend has to turn on all the lights and check the closets before she'll come in the house.
106 posted on 12/05/2003 7:56:17 PM PST by SBprone
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To: rdb3
Well, I think she is not ugly but rather handsome and a nice smile.

I think her essay is reasonable but not gospel.

How's that?

;>)

and she appears to have been a responsible parent which is far more important than being a writer.
107 posted on 12/05/2003 8:05:38 PM PST by wardaddy ("either the arabs are at your throat, or at your feet")
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To: Travis McGee
"You certainly will not want to find yourself within a gas tank drive of a major American city."

-----

I don't want to find myself within a gas tank's drive of a major American city *today*. With the current state of affairs.
108 posted on 12/05/2003 8:08:03 PM PST by applemac_g4
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To: applemac_g4
I will live in Montana,as long as I can have my laptop with solar power cells, a short wave radio and lots of dried pepper vension.
109 posted on 12/05/2003 8:12:04 PM PST by cyborg (mutt-american)
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To: Joe Hadenuf; Travis McGee
an' just who sez we in the rural areas will let them carpetbaggin' cityfolk usher themselves in onto our land? It is cityfolk liberals who have lit this particular fuze. Let them who play with matches burn their own houses down - not ours.
110 posted on 12/05/2003 8:12:59 PM PST by King Prout (...he took a face from the ancient gallery, then he... walked on down the hall....)
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To: King Prout
Look you rural folk have gotten your payback in full measure for all that civil war carpetbagging. I have to put up with Hillary Clinton as senator.
111 posted on 12/05/2003 8:14:35 PM PST by cyborg (mutt-american)
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To: freedom44
BUMP!
112 posted on 12/05/2003 8:15:38 PM PST by BureaucratusMaximus (if we're not going to act like a constitutional republic...lets be the best empire we can be...)
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To: mylife
Even Paul Haaarrrrvey made comment that this is no "melting pot", but a "pressure cooker".
113 posted on 12/05/2003 8:16:53 PM PST by DeathAngel
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To: Travis McGee
"a gas tank drive of a major American city.
"

I think you may have just coined a new phrase, there, buddy: A remote hick town is now known as a Gas Tank Town.
114 posted on 12/05/2003 8:20:19 PM PST by DeathAngel
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To: mylife
hey - doesn't that mean "kiss my butt"? LOL
115 posted on 12/05/2003 8:24:29 PM PST by Burn24
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To: freedom44
WTF is it with Vanderbile University?
116 posted on 12/05/2003 8:24:48 PM PST by vetvetdoug
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To: U S Army EOD
"All Men are Created Equal" is a concept that I Believe our "Founding Fathers" debated FURIOUSLY, before they accepted it into our Declaration.

Our G'Dads decided that WE (US) derive our Lives & Liberties from "GOD-GIVEN-RIGHTS!!"

Our G"Dads decided that NO GOVERNMENT had the authority to supercede "THE BIG GUY!!" So WHEN a "Government of Men" attempts to SUPERCEDE our "God-Given Rights," THAT "Government" is ILLEGITIMATE--& it's "Declarations" are ILLEGAL.

WOW--WHAT a Concept!!

& YET,---THIS is the basis of our Constitution!!

Perhaps we had BETTER "Pay Attention!"

Doc

117 posted on 12/05/2003 8:33:53 PM PST by Doc On The Bay
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To: Dallas59
I see a big rowl coming between Blacks and Hispanics. They "dislike" each other.

Wonder why so many blacks, black congressmen, and black organizations sponsored the bus trip for illegals across American to gether in NY to demand amnesty and full benefits?

You can go to their website iwfr.org to get a good idea.
118 posted on 12/05/2003 8:37:03 PM PST by Travelgirl
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To: B-Chan
Professor Swain has the guts to discuss topics that virtually nobody in academia will begin to even think about.
But, read her stuff very carefully - I did listen to one of her speeches on C-Span, and seemed to lump anyone who had reservations about illegal immigration as a white supremacist, which would be laughable but nobody batted an eye.
119 posted on 12/05/2003 8:40:07 PM PST by Freedom4US
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To: Doc On The Bay
But there were two civil wars over that, The Whiskey Rebellion, and the War Between the States.
120 posted on 12/05/2003 8:40:13 PM PST by U S Army EOD (When the EOD technician screws up, he is always the first to notice.)
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