Larry Elder and the danger of the 'model minority' candidate - Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times ^ | September 13, 2021

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The term “model minority” has a specific history in the Asian American community, but I can’t think of a better embodiment of its concepts than Larry Elder, the Black Republican gubernatorial candidate who has made a career of saying the things white people love to hear about Black people.

Elder’s deeply held beliefs about race just happen to comfort the most racist, far-right wings of the Republican Party. He does not believe systemic racism exists, says that Black Lives Matter caused rising crime rates and that all people of color in America need to combat racism is a pair of bootstraps by which to pull themselves up.

And I don’t think Elder’s sudden prominence is an accident. Fielding a “model minority” candidate will probably become a common electoral strategy for the largely white Republican Party as it attempts to maintain control of a rapidly diversifying nation. Model minority candidates can help affirm far-right perspectives on racism while offering a defense against the charge that the Republican Party is too white.

This strategy “allows the GOP to recognize race and racism, but it lets them off the hook with respect to changing any policy about it,” said Janelle Wong, a professor of American studies at the University of Maryland. “It allows them to address race but also minimize it.”

Which means that going forward, we’re going to hear a lot of racial fearmongering and talk of these mythical “bootstraps” that open a magical door to the American dream.

[Moltke]

the things white people love to hear about Black people.

When the one is capitalized while the other is not, you know you're dealing with a hard core racist.

The author: https://www.latimes.com/people/frank-shyong