Privilege came up in a conversation with a friend a couple of years ago. The friend did not accept She was speaking to the comparison between white people and minorities in which generally white people enjoy advantages that most minorities do not. My concept at the time, and I realize it now, was narrower and involved privilege among white people and I certainly do not enjoy the same advantages as the wealthy do. In fact it is that lack of privilege that has forced a new minority of which I am probably a charter member or about to become one. But because of our conversation, I now understand the broader view of privilege, the concept that simply because I am white I enjoy a certain level of privilege within a diverse community of minorities.
It goes like this: The recent election was devastating in so many ways but the next morning the sun rose, so there's that. And there's still snow in the forecast. Big fat moon coming up in the sky if we can see it. Cleared up some nagging chores throughout the day and it appeared the Earth was still spinning. So what's to worry about? This isn't the first president I didn't vote for.
Why is it that now we are supposed to unite and support our elected president in an atmosphere of cooperation and patriotism after eight years of our current president facing the worst obstruction of any in history.
The Republicans want us to come together to support the new president. After eight years of Republicans doing just the opposite to one of the finest presidents the country has ever had, that is not going to happen. A racist, misogynistic egotistical uninformed bully has been elected president largely from votes by people who will suffer more under this new administration. And the dangers he presents to the country far outweigh any desire to "just get along."
The idiocy of people voting against their own interests is described no better than in the attached meme. Wave the confederate flag and then tell people they lost the election and to get over it. Right.
On the same day that meme appeared this president-elect told a 60 Minutes interviewer he was going to get rid of Roe v. Wade but not same-sex marriage because that issue has been settled by the Supreme Court. That is the level of ignorance we are going to face for the next four years.
And those same voters who bought the presidential candidate's mantra of cleaning out Washington and taking back the country managed to increase majorities in both houses of Congress, the very people who caused what needs to be changed.
You have to laugh at those people who wanted to kick out the beltway insiders to get a fresh start and then voted for most of the incumbents in Congress, the very people who have caused the problems bothering people. With the presidency and majorities in both the House and Senate and the philosophies they espouse, the very core of our democracy is threatened and the people most likely to suffer most are those who voted for them.
For example, a large voting block of elderly people supposedly voted to maintain those majorities. Talk about voting against your own interests, this new power structure has vowed to cut or eliminate Social Security and Medicare, two programs that benefit the elderly and which many of us might not survive without.
The president-elect says he objects to Social Security on moral grounds. Moral grounds? I have been paying into Social Security since 1958. This was my retirement and I paid for it. As a matter of fact I am still paying for it as even my Social Security payment is subject to taxes and the FICA withholding, plus I pay a premium for Medicare as well. What is moral about taking it away from all the people who have contributed over the years? And in an era of skyrocketing drug prices and other health commodities, what is moral about removing the Medicare safety net?
Cutting or removing those programs will create a whole new minority, a whole new group of people without privilege – old white guys who depend on Social Security and Medicare.
So, to my mind with this threat over our heads along with so many others, I see no reason to shake hands, no honeymoon period, no "get behind the new president to make things work." It is time to obstruct the obstructionists at every opportunity. A true patriot is obligated to fight to save the country, not shake hands and move on with the folks who would destroy the fabric or our very foundations. I have no intention to be part of "one-united-people." A man who consistently spouts divisive policies is not a uniting factor and in fact is creating new minorities to crush all the time.
Regarding Social Security and other stuff
Regarding Social Security and other stuff