The interface of white guilt and anti-white violence

Robin of Berkeley—who, until about five minutes before she became a regular contributor at American Thinker a couple of years ago, was on the left—has a piece at AT today called “Black Privilege,” about how whites are expected to apologize and make reparations to blacks. I don’t particularly recommend the article as a whole, but the closing paragraphs are worth quoting for the personal anecdotes they contain, and for the important last sentence.

But if this age is all about guilt and confession, I have a burning question. Why isn’t everyone required to confess their political sins? If I’m supposed to sit in a room, and tearfully confess, Oprah-style, about every judgmental thought I’ve ever had, why aren’t people of color required to do the same?

Frankly, I wouldn’t mind an apology from the black kids in middle school who taunted and threatened me because of the color of my skin. I’d like a big “I’m sorry” from the gangs of black girls in high school who, enraged by forced busing, mowed me down in the hallway. And for when I went to the Arab Market in Israel as a teenager and seven different Arab men, in seven separate incidents, grabbed my private parts, I’m more than ready to hear an apology.

And I’m also waiting with bated breath for apologies from the following: the black dude in pre-Giuliani Manhattan who fondled me in a similar way; the black man in Berkeley who mugged me, leaving me with a black eye and broken nose to die (I didn’t) in the middle of the street; and the countless black men in Berkeley who have called me a “f___g white b___” when I didn’t give them spare change.

But I don’t want an apology because of white privilege or black privilege, or any such nonsense—but because it is wrong to molest, mug, or otherwise violate another human being—no exceptions! This has nothing to do with race but everything to do with about human decency and consideration.

But in Obama’s America, there’s little human decency to be found. The rules have changed, and they consist of the new three Rs: rage, revenge, and reparations. And this malignant game of Blaming Whitey will go on and on until we call it what it is (hate), walk away from the table, and refuse to play.

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Kevin V. writes:

Reading the latest from Robin of Berkeley brought to mind something I’ve always suspected was true: If one were to gather all of the white kids who went to undergrad at Cal over the last 25 years and asked them if their experience in Berkeley caused them to change their political views and, if so, whether they were changed to the left or to the right, I believe the resulting findings would prove that Cal and the City of Berkeley are more responsible for the creation of right-wing whites than any other institution in the United States.

And that is just about the only nice thing I can say about Berkeley.

Kristor writes:

Hey, wait a minute! I live in Berkeley! It ain’t all bad. In fact, despite its liberalism, and all the social pathologies and silliness that it engenders, it is a pretty nice place to live. It’s full of beautiful old houses, has lots of trees, still pretty good parking, and the weather is the best in the Bay Area (adjacent neighbourhoods in the Bay Area can have significantly different climates), which means that it is pretty much the best weather in the world. And Peet’s Coffee started in Berkeley, which means that good coffee in America started in Berkeley. That alone makes up for a lot.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at July 20, 2011 10:00 AM | Send