When I first moved to Oklahoma in 1981, and it was especially noticable after spending two years with an inner city ministry, it was abundantly clear to me that the racism of the south is embossed in the culture. A short time after that, when President Clinton described America as a racist nation, I understood what he meant especially with regard to his home state of Arkansas, right beside Oklahoma.
Being from the north I can see things are different up here. They are far from “right” but still they are very different. For instance, in the north it is much easier for minorities to get jobs. I met too many in the south who would avoid hiring minorities, especially blacks, just out of principle. It was an ugly thing to watch. And while in the north the job situation is much better there remains that condescending attitude.
Charlotte and Tulsa are southern cities. No difference exists whether they are historically Dem or presently Rep or Dem. Right now that masks the issue.
There is no government program that can change the human heart. The progressive things that, with enough good law enforcement, social attitudes can be changed. There is some degree of truth in that. But what it misses is that there is no vacuum in which hate does not exist. It works this way: What is the attitude that needs changed? It’s the idea of racial preeminence. That is, there has been a group which contributed most to our national success and that group, identified ethnically, has an assumed preference in setting social policy. That group also happens to be the largest ethnic group in the country. (Of course that preference is really one of worldview and ethnicity is secondary. But that’s another question.)
The progressive response is to set in place laws which seek to diminish that assumed preference. So these laws are established and enforced so that equity among ethnic groups is enforced. (This method covers all groups which the progressives would arbitrarily define as a protected class.) Now equity is established. It is thought that, over time, attitudes will change and those who given equity will be naturally treated with equity. People will get used to the situation and will adjust to it. It seems only a matter of education and exposure over time.
What the progressive misses is that all groups, whether majority or minority, want their minds to be free. Progressive manipulation of social attitudes, once exposed, builds resentment. While the talking heads would ascribe this to the old racism of libertarianism it is nothing of the sort. It is that all, both minority and majority persons, are still “longing to be free” and are thus fighting for the same thing.
There is a very real sense where the Charlotte & Tulsa protestors and rioters are fighting for the same thing that the northern white suburban evangelical is fighting for. This situation has been created and exacerbated by the progressives. The manipulate the economy so there are fewer jobs and greater dependency. They manipulate education and media content to manipulate. The take control of business operations for purposes of social engineering.
One of the first things that the evangelical can do, in all ethnic groups, is to educate our churches as to how we are all being manipulated. And then we can find ways to counter the progressive’s efforts. It’s a sort of counter revolution. And it’s not what they want to hear.