SYSTEMIC, STRUCTURAL SEXISM (In America)

It's funny that the European countries we were beholden to and where most of us immigrated from are so much further advanced than we are when it comes to equality and social policies. Even Mexico, to our South, and Spanish-controlled Florida in the 1800's had abolished slavery when the trade was at it's peak in our country. And ever since racial equality has been a thing and gender equality (and insert social justice or policy issue here), the Europeans, namely British and French have been way ahead of us, Great Britain's Slavery Abolition Act of 1834 following France by some 40 years. Spain, who brought slavery to this continent, signed a pact with the U.K. in 1817 to abolish the slave trade. And even though we got on board in 1865 after the Civil War tore this country apart, slaves still weren't free. After a short period of "reconstruction," the South still persisted with the "new slavery," sharecropping, and Jim Crow Laws. It took the civil unrest of the 1960's to finally end the systemic racism and oppression of African Americans, a cancer that hasn't been totally eradicated from our culture.

Women's suffrage was a popular civil rights movement some four decades earlier. Still, women don't enjoy the same freedoms, bodily autonomy or adequate compensation for similar work as men.

This is one reason we need more female representation in the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches of U.S. Government. How can we call this a "representative democracy," a republic, when our Legislative branch is dominated and controlled by old, white men? The disparity was called out in an April committee meeting on Capitol Hill by Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA).

Pool/Getty Images (Google)

In a Young Turks video from April that garnered 2.4 million views, Rep. Porter goes head-to-head with a Heritage Foundation official, Dr. Burke, at this hearing. "Only about 28% of members of Congress are women. The median age of the Senate is 65 and the median age in the House is 58...so, on average, lots of older people, lots of older men," as she points out that policies protecting women's rights, especially single mothers, are never prioritized. These policies, specifically early childhood education, "won't benefit many members, most, the average member of Congress...even when their kids were young, most members leaned most heavily on their wives, and I say wives because most members are men...Too many in Congress don't get it because they didn't have to live it," Rep. Porter said.

She calls out "the familiar policy pattern" in Congress to invest in things they understand. "The collective body of older, richer men in Congress OVER-invest in things they understand (emphasis hers)." She claims policies to benefit single mothers don't personally benefit the average member of Congress and so they don't try to understand the problem as it never affected them personally, so they don't invest public dollars to support things like early childhood education.

STRUCTURAL SEXISM
Rep. Porter continued to call out her male colleagues for ignoring the plight of women, in general, and single mothers, in particular. She identified the ongoing inequality in public policy a result of "structural sexism."

"When we say that structural sexism continues to permeate this body...and our policies, that's what we're talking about. We're not imagining it." She claims that policies to benefit women are what "always ends up on the cutting room floor in legislation." She intends to make structural sexism go away with more progressive policies. "Women can and must contribute to our economy if we're going to have a globally competitive economy." Rep. Porter hopes that her colleagues will be moved to take action by "this single mom asking them to care, on behalf of all the other parents of young children who are struggling in this country." She claims to be the only single mother in Congress. She asked the committee, "What about the 10 million single moms? Where do they fit?"

She concluded by saying, "I'm sharing my story because my story doesn't get heard in Congress...Our whole perspective here is warped by the fact that this body is so disproportionately UN-representative of the American people's experience."

Springer Link says, "Structural sexism refers to discriminatory beliefs or practices on the basis of sex and gender that are entrenched in societal frameworks and which result in fairly predictable disparities in social outcomes related to power, resources, and opportunities. [It] also functions to normalize and legitimate such beliefs, practices, and inequalities of conditions and outcomes."

An October 2022 study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports, "Structural sexism manifests via norms that constrict women’s social participation, including at work." Furthermore, "Intimate partner violence (IPV) is underpinned by structural sexism, patriarchal norms, and unequal gender power dynamics."

FSU Assistant Professor Patricia Homan developed a new structural sexism approach to the study of gender inequality and health.  Her approach, published 2019 in the American Sociological Review, goes beyond sexist mistreatment by individuals to examine how the degree of systematic gender inequality in power and resources — i.e. structural sexism — in a society can impact people’s health. This was the same focus as the above-referenced NIH study. Both point to the effects on children and society, not just women. "Structural sexism can be evident in major social institutions, such as the government and the economy, in interpersonal interactions and relationships, such as marriages and in individuals’ beliefs and identities." The effects in government were pointed out quite well by Rep. Porter. Professor Homan came to the same conclusion about more progressive policies to reduce it's impact. “The first thing we need to realize is that gender inequality in the United States is not only a human rights issue, but also a public health problem,” she said. “Therefore, gender equity policy is health policy.”

WHY DO I CARE?
You might wonder why I began with the issue of slavery and racism. Well, because one led to the other as a systemic societal issue, one that persists today. We will never eradicate racism, but we can educate. The same applies to any social issue, including gender inequality.

I have raised two daughters, one who just celebrated her 20th birthday, the other turns 23 in a few days. Both of them were adopted, my youngest daughter is African-American. That is why I liken the race and gender inequality issues. She faces them both and suffers micro-aggressions on the daily, even in progressive parts of Colorado. That's why I care deeply about these issues, but specifically the sexism that is so deeply entrenched into the fabric of our culture.

My daughters both have a problem with this patriarchal society, as do I. We finally have a woman of color in the White House, but it'll still be many, many years before one is elected to the highest office. As Rep. Porter points out, my daughters, especially my youngest, are so under-represented in Congress and at all levels of government, that it's no wonder.

Screen captured image from a YouTube video posted by Graduate School of Social Work - DU, titled "Power Privilege and Oppression," uploaded six years ago

The history of humankind, as we've been taught for eons, was pushed and pedaled by the patriarchy. They have controlled the narrative, from the time of the ancient sages until the present. We've been force fed a whitewashed, male-dominated version of human history. Why did it take until 2016's "Hidden Figures" film with Tom Hanks for most of us to learn that black women were behind our successful lunar missions at NASA??? Their stories, by and large, are untold in the history books. Harriet Tubman was one of the exceptions in history class, and not the rule. How many female heroins does the Bible exalt? Exactly, very few. The Judeo-Christian worldview for all of time has been one of patriarchy. God, the giver of life, has always been portrayed as an old, white man. Why does God possess a gender? And why would we assume his race? Jesus was born of a Virgin Middle Eastern woman OF COLOR! He was a man of color. Seems kind of silly that we've been pedaled a patriarchal view even in Sunday School.

I've fought hard against these stereotypes and have encouraged my girls, likewise. They grew up to be feminists just by their observations of the world. I merely joined them when they were old enough to make these judgments about society for themselves. And because I don't want them to suffer the inequality of old, nor for their potential daughters to grow up in a patriarchal society, I've pushed for more gender equality and been an outspoken advocate of same...for my daughters and granddaughters benefit. Men have ruled the narrative--the church, government and history--for quite long enough.

"White people are scared to death right now, particularly white males. They are scared to death they are going to lose their power in the future, and they are," says renowned race relations teacher Jane Elliott. "If you want to be treated well in the future, treat people well in the present."

Divine Feminine Energy

I was watching an Eckhart Tolle video where he was reading from the Tao Te Ching. In the excerpt he read, "Master" was a feminine energy which I translated to be "an enlightened one" or Enlightenment, itself.

It reminded me that in Judeo-Christian Scripture that "Wisdom," as a persona is often a female. So I began to wonder if this was a theme carried throughout spiritual thought.

My research was nowhere near exhaustive, not by any stretch, but I did find common themes.

Take the Indigenous People. They perpetuated the idea of "Mother Earth." And this divine feminine energy is also found in Paganism and other nature-centric religions. It's definitely inherent to Hinduism--Tridevi, or three goddesses, is a term used to describe the three main female deities. Then, there are the goddesses of ancient mythologies. Again, I'm not compiling an exhaustive list, just providing some wide-ranging examples of feminine divinity.

Anyone familiar with this blog, knows that I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian home, rooted in Catholicism and later becoming Protestant.

The idea of feminine divinity was NOT celebrated in my home. In fact, the "worship of Mary" was one of my father's main criticisms of Catholicism. He was raised in that Church.

These are ideas I've begun considering and even embracing in the latter half of my life. It's no coincidence that humans on this planet owe their life to their mothers who incubated and delivered them. So why is it such a stretch for many Christians (dare I say MOST), to embrace the idea of a feminine deity?

I don't hold those chauvinistic ideals anymore.

I clearly see the dominance and utter devastation the patriarchy has wrought on society, and particularly in Western philosophy and religion.

It's evident in our politics and policies in America. It shouldn't rule our religion, as well.

It appears to me that the divine feminine energy has always been present, I just hadn't realized it. I knew the Biblical Proverbs that spoke of Wisdom as "she," but the Pauline Epistles make it real clear that women should not have a voice in churches.

It's well past time that we shake off the bonds of patriarchal religion and societal norms and embrace the divine feminine energy. It's a thing of wonderment and beauty.

I haven't waxed spiritual in awhile, so I felt this post was needed. Thanks for stopping by and entertaining my ramblings. 

Favorite YouTubers and YouTube Culture

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about Life as a Dance and Where I'm Going. Days before that, I wrote about Reality TV/Vlogs. Well this is a continuation on those thoughts.

While I've been staying at my sister's house in Acton, IN, I've spent a lot of my days replacing cable TV with YouTube and two of my favorite channels are women living off-grid--Stephi Lee and VanWives, Crystal and Jaz.

Stephi Lee's Channel (click here)

Vanwives (click here)

Stephi recently converted from Van Life to a home of her own and focuses on her inward journey, as well as her outward. That includes her struggles with Cystic Fibrosis and Mental Health. She's a nomad and an artist, so I just love her vibe...and her honesty about her struggles is refreshing. Steph is not the typical "look at me living my best life" YouTuber. She's more honest, authentic and real! Check her out.

The Vanwives also converted from Van Life to a cabin in the woods of Nova Scotia in the last year. Their transformation of the land they own has been an amazing DIY project. They are living totally off-grid in a self-sustaining vegetarian-style lifestyle. It's rustic and remote and totally amazing! Check them out, too. Also, their Australian Shepherds are ADORABLE! (You gotta love dog people!)

But my transformation to almost exclusive YouTube watcher, with an occasional Netflix doc or news show on Peacock, has some pitfalls of it's own. I have NO MORE patience for repetitive commercials. Thankfully, most YouTube ads are no longer than :15 each (the non-skippable ones, anyway). And I've gotten so conditioned that I find myself getting impatient with the microwave! I'll be reheating my coffee for :30 and looking for the "Skip Ads" button. :D :D :D

That's mostly a joke...but not really. I hate ads. I started watching "Escaping Polygamy" for free on PlutoTV, but their ads are so frequent and so repetitive, I had to find the episodes on YouTube and watch them there!

But as with most social media, when you're following some "internet celeb" on their YouTube channel, you've got to take their "reality" with a grain of salt. I always find myself asking how these non-traditionalist/off-gridders actually make money apart from monetizing their channels. I haven't looked into ramping up my own and monetizing it. Who'd watch it anyway??

The point is, there is an alternative way to receive news and entertainment these days...what with streaming and the Internet. I get most of my infotainment and news from YouTube and other social media.

Now, with my Facebook getting hacked and suspended, I'm spending more time on Twitter and YouTube. Those have become my primary sources of late.

I've still been following Martijn Doolard and his cabin transformation in the Italian Alps, the Bus Life of RegretLyss, who I've discussed before, and occasionally I'll watch The Cottage Fairy's channel. She's got a book due out any day. If you're looking for something different, I'd recommend watching, even subscribing to, any of these channels.

There are ways to watch YouTube ad free, either through purchase of YouTube Premium, or add-on extensions through Google Chrome. I'll put up with the "Skip Ads" button and the shorter interruptions. I'm okay with those...but if you start cursing your microwave because there is no skip button, well, it might be time to get outside and take a break. I think today I'll take a bike ride :)

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #2 English-Speaking

Alright, folks, we've come to the TOP TWO reasons I'm moving to Belize! 

I need to get out of the U.S., but I am unilingual. You'd think after all my years in Florida, I would have learned some Spanish, at least enough to carry on a simple conversation. But, alas, no. I picked up some things here and there, words and phrases, but I never made the effort to learn Florida's second language.

And I didn't have my sights set on Central America. In fact, until recently, I hadn't even considered it as a destination. My sights have been on Fort Myers Beach or The Keys in Florida since living in the former 2011-2014. As I've mentioned previously, and those that know me, know this--THE BEACH IS MY HAPPY PLACE! I've also mentioned other coastal locations, outside the U.S., I had considered, like Cuba or the Bahamas. Those places are outside the contiguous States, but close enough to be a short flight or boat trip away. Heck, people have swum the 90-mile Florida Straits between Cuba and The Keys.

But a big consideration was that I find an English-speaking country. I didn't want to be fish-out-of-water in a Latin American country where I didn't know exactly what was being said. I didn't want the language barrier to cause me confusion or trouble. So I began a search for coastal destinations where English is the primary language.

Two countries that I never even considered came up in the Top 10--Panama and Belize. Nothing about Panama, other than it's proximity to the equator, appealed to me. Belize, being a little closer and a lot less political/military, became my top choice. The fact that it's economy, like Florida, was run on tourism (and the exchange rate is great/easy) was another minor factor.

It actually surprised me that language would be such a big consideration. But I was looking for ease of assimilation and this fact draws a lot of expats from northern countries, like me. I initially looked into Corozal on the northern coast. But a little more digging soon revealed that Placencia is more my speed, though much further south.

These people, diverse as they are, can understand me! I won't struggle so much to fit into this melting pot of cultures, people and dialects. That is a HUGE plus, especially considering a move outside of the comforts of home.

In my last blog post, I recapped the other eight reasons that led me to choose Belize. I won't repeat myself here...but it did surprise me that FOOD did not make the top five. Coffee, sort of an afterthought at #10, would normally rate higher, as well. But ease of assimilation by knowing the "native" language--and Belize was a British colony in my lifetime--is more important than I would have expected. The Bahamas and Cuba, due to their proximity and the former also being ruled by the UK, were other places where assimilation would be easy...but they aren't BELIZE! Also, the corruption in Cuba was a major concern.

And while I've read all the fears about crime in Belize. It is localized and central to southern Belize City where gang activity is high. My sister also worries about traveling through Mexico and the proximity to drug cartels, but as I've told her, I'll simply steer clear. I've done my homework and Belizeans are warm, friendly and welcoming. Even the gangs don't usually target tourists or expats...it's more brown-on-brown crime...and in the city.

I'm sure I'll eventually travel into the city, the main airport is there, and the port for cruise ships, but I will stick to the well-known, well-lit streets...and would probably go with a local who knows the area. But English-speaking Belize IT IS!!!

Belize Recap - 8 REASONS WHY!

If you've been following along on your scorecard, we've reached the TOP TWO, but before we go any further, let's recap. These are the 8 REASONS I've come up with SO FAR...

It's super economical to live there.

It's very comfortable, climatologically speaking ;)

There's CULTURE!

FOOD!!!!!!

Diversity's a plus.

And that goes for the ecology, too. Plenty of natural wonders there to enjoy.

It's not too far from home -- same continent, same hemisphere!

And the coffee is DIVINE!

As Billy Banks would say, "BUT WAIT!!! There's MORE!"

Stay tuned as we dive into the top two reasons I'm moving to Belize (pun intended).

 

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #5 Culture

"English-speaking and Creole-dominated, Belize has more in common with its Caribbean island neighbors than its bordering Spanish-speaking countries. With a laid-back ambiance of swinging hammocks, large swaths of impenetrable jungle, and an underwater world of twisted corals, neon fish, and gentle manatees, Belize is a tropical treasure." SOURCE--https://www.adventure-life.com/belize/articles/history-and-culture-of-belize

I couldn't have said it better myself. Sub-tropical, laid back, colorful, diverse, Caribbean...are just some of the words I could also use to describe Destination: Belize.

From coast to jungle, there's so much to love about Belize. One piece of their history, dating way back before the common era, is Mayan Culture. I can't wait to go explore the ruins there!

"There was still a large Mayan population in Belize when Cortés arrived in 1519," according to Belize History at this travel site. Then in 1660, the Brits arrived to set up a logging camp. That began Belize's long history of colonization. They only became an independent country on September 21, 1981. That's the day they celebrate their independence. The democratic country is really still in it's infancy and trying to fight it's way out of third world status...tourism is helping.

Yesterday, I wrote about the diversity of their food, and before that the diversity of their people. The diversity of it's topography, history and culture is another draw. I can't wait to discover their music and customs firsthand...to play my djembe on the beach, to dance to the music of the Garifuna people and to immerse myself in the Caribbean vibe.

While there is no theater district in Placencia or local orchestra, there is still an abundance of culture available. Who has funds for an annual membership to the symphony anyway? I'd prefer a symphony of Western African hand drums, anyday!

The beach and the ruins will be my church!

Imagine meditation at this spot--Cahal Pech! The closest thing we have in The States are earthen mounds built by the Mississippian culture within Native America.

I had considered Cuba, as a Caribbean destination, for it's food, music and culture, or the Bahamas for it's laid-back, English-speaking, island vibe...but Belize offers all of that and more. It's the Belizean culture that starts my TOP FIVE reasons for moving south!

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #7 DIVERSITY

Belize may be English speaking and close in proximity to the U.S., but it's no one-size-fits-all, WHITE BREAD (aka white bred) community. There is diversity!

Yes, you have your older, white expats who've retired to places like Corozal, but you also have THIS:

BELIZEANS:
A multiethnic amalgam of African, Asian, Caribbean, and European influences. They are a very laid-back people with their own Cajun-like form of English (think Jamaicans). As Wikipedia points out, "Colonization, slavery, and immigration have played major roles in affecting the ethnic composition of the population." So, really, you could place all of those I describe below, even the expats of European descent, under this one umbrella.

MAYANS:
Or descendants of the ancient Central American civilization that built great cities with pyramids and such. Since so much has been written about them, I won't elaborate here.

MESTIZO:
Latino or Hispanic Belizeans who make up 2/3 of the country's population. The name literally translated means mixed, as in mixed heritage. They are a multilingual people, fluent in Spanish, Creole and English. Many of them fled Mexico and practice a mix of Catholicism and indigenous religion, according to this site.

KRIOLS:
21% of the population are the Belize Creole people, like many islanders brought to the "West Indies" against their will by European slave traders, the same African descendants (mostly) who make up America's Creole population.

GARINAGU:

Or Garifuna People (singular), are considered an indigenous tribe of African-Americans in Belize and Nicaragua, though their roots are in the islands of the "West Indies," like the Kriols above. They have a unique culture and language. To read more about their history, CLICK HERE.

MENNONITE:
CNN featured this population in a story last year, calling it a secluded "community frozen in time." According to the report, they number 12,000 but began as a colony of about 3,000 Canadian Mennonites who migrated from Mexico to Belize in the 50's. They are a Christian religious sect related to the same in this country, and likewise dress very conservatively and live off the land.

As you can see, there are many distinctions among the people of color in Belize, both indigenous and immigrant. And white people make up JUST OVER ONE PERCENT of the population...so I finally get to call myself a ONE PERCENTER!!! I certainly don't mind living as a minority.

The diversity of the population there, which nationwide is only about 400k, really fascinates me. I can't wait to go down and learn more about these indigenous and Afro-Caribbean communities. I love collecting peoples' stories, as a rule, but to learn something new along the way? BONUS!

America is a melting pot of cultural diversity, as well. It's just that we no longer honor it or hold it up as a virtue, like what our Statue of Liberty once represented. We've become very tribalistic, even xenophobic. It's led to a deep divide, not just politically, but culturally. If you are someone who thrives on knowledge and discovery, or tends to hold progressive ideals, you are labeled "Woke," and for a lot of the country, that is a BAD THING! How can learning and progress be bad for society??? But that's the state of affairs in America...and I can't wait to get away from it.

While I'm sipping water from coconuts on a white sandy beach, seabreeze in my hair, I look forward to learning from the people of Belize and of honoring their diversity. The people there, I'm told, are so friendly, accepting and laid back. I doubt there is a lot of tribalism or xenophobia.

Even in minority populations here at home, I've found a welcome embrace. I'm an adopted member of the brown community, partly because of my adopted children (and their cousins of mixed origin). My family is NOT straight Anglo-Saxon/European! I actually embrace diversity. I like to think I'm a bit cultured (NOT xenophobic or nationalistic).

So REASON #7 I'm drawn to Belize and looking so forward to moving there? It's DIVERSITY! Celebrate that shit!!! :D 

White Privilege Breeds White Nationalism

If I could start any non-profit I wanted tomorrow, I think it would be an educational program to treat middle-aged (and older) white males in denial. Their disease? Denial of white privilege. It's an epidemic that seems to only affect that demographic.

Disclaimer: I'm a 50-year-old white male who has benefited from white privilege my entire life.

My co-patriots would like to claim that I'm a guilt-ridden, self-loather who thinks reparations are in order and we should all self-flagellate. Sure, make me a victim in this scenario. But isn't that what "they" do? If you listened to all the alt-right propaganda, it's people like me, in the media, on the streets, waging a war against whiteness! Their way of life, their race and even their gender are under attack!

Poor little white dudes.

The predominance of white privilege has shown it's ugly face throughout history, but I don't need to prove it's existence. To me, it seems as obvious as the nose on my face. To others who've benefited from it THEIR WHOLE LIVES, it's become a "dirty word." We don't like to face our own prejudices and shortcomings. I get it. But denying it's existence would be like spiders denying that they benefit from webspinning, or lions denying their royal jungle lineage. To further this metaphor, white men have existed at the top of the cultural food chain for so long, we even mold our deities in their image. Have you seen most portrayals of Jesus Christ?? I grew up believing that Jesus was a fair-skinned, blue eyed Westerner with a British accent.

Anthropologists best guess


Fighting the denial of the blatantly obvious would be the mission of my non-profit. I would force my target demographic--men who look like me and a lot less like the Jesus pictured above--to look into the mirror and get real with themselves.

In thinking on this idea yesterday, I had a moment of real gratitude. I said thank you to the Universe for my health, my intellect and my good looks. Yes, I'm a frumpy, aging, white man with graying brown hair, wrinkles around my green eyes and a gray goatee. But I could walk into any establishment, even after a long period of unemployment, and talk my way into a job. No one would bat an eye as I sauntered into the building because I fit the model of "normal" in our white-bred, Chrisley Knows Best society.

All I'm asking of my Wonder Bread, milk toast brethren is to walk a mile in someone else's shoes; consider for one minute what their world might look like if they looked like confused, Arab Jesus (see photo above). What would their middle class American suburban experience have been like if they'd been born with brown skin, a disability or even as the opposite sex of their OWN race? Because even white women have been marginalized throughout world history. EVERYONE EXCEPT WHITE MEN HAVE!

But to accept that truth would be to accept all the baggage that comes along with it--from patriarchy to slavery to abominations of every sort (think Hitler and Nazism). We've got a barbaric past. But why own any of that when you control the narrative? See my post last year in the wake of "kneegate" in the NFL.

Men, since the dawn of time, have controlled the narrative. We wrote all of the ancient, sacred texts, the basis for our morals and laws. Then, we made all the rules, we enforced the rules and we protect that patriarchy with a fierceness not even matched by the Spartans (or the Nazis). And because we were simply born into the ruling class--dominant gender, dominant race--we believe we get to continue making all the rules, writing the white-washed narrative and keeping everyone else in the margins. That has been our man-given right since the dawn of time, right?

And all I want is for my brothers all of white mothers to own up to it. Well, that's the first step, anyway. I really want them to go further and consider what this world has been like for people outside their Truman Show bubble. Understanding breeds compassion and empathy.

Denial of white privilege breeds the opposite. In today's American political climate, it's given us the resurgence of white nationalism. It's that militant side of white America who is ready to take up arms to stave the non-white onslaught. You know, all those rapist Mexicans that want to steal our jobs! Too much? Sorry, not sorry. Those are the outlandish claims being made (mostly on Fox News) by the alt-right.

"They" are so worried that someone else is going to usurp white control of everything and take with it all the power, the pen and the privilege. They will rewrite the rules and the narrative--this mythic, monolithic "them" (non-whites). Diversity of skin tones, gender identity and ideas scares the ever-loving shit out of the white aristocracy, especially those on the alt-right. They literally feel that they are in the fight of their lives. The world has turned against them--their government, the media, the people they've oppressed and marginalized for eons.

Maybe they SHOULD be scared! Maybe it'll make them re-evaluate their stranglehold on society and all of it's "norms." But, sadly, it hasn't. It's made most of them dig foxholes in their mostly white, cookie cutter, McMansion suburbs. It's forced them to drag us back, as a nation, into the white ages of Cleaver-land. I'm talking 1950's black-and-white sitcoms, where Father Knows Best and you can Leave It To Beaver.

Life was so much easier for whitey back then, wasn't it? We didn't have "the blacks" rioting and burning down their own neighborhoods and scaring us half to death. We didn't have "the gays" pushing some gender-twisting, liberal agenda down our throats. We didn't have "the gentler sex" demanding equal pay or speaking out (think #metoo). We didn't have "the godless atheists" challenging our WASPy ideals and core beliefs. It's SO scary being a white person these days!

The threat to white privilege has caused this huge backlash and talk of border walls, national (meaning white) security and bringing God back into the classroom. And it's not just non-whites under attack anymore. We have to dominate and control our women, once again, by rolling back advances like abortion rights (Roe v. Wade), voting rights (women are incarcerated, as well) and affirmative action (it benefited women, too). We have to continue to marginalize the voice of gay, white men, even, save their voice be heard and their "chosen lifestyle" be normalized (think recent PBS show, Arthur, debate). Everything non-Christian, non-white, non-male is in the crosshairs because White Privilege Breeds White Nationalism!

It's akin to someone's most deeply entrenched personal issue becoming exposed. The defenses go up immediately. Fight or flight in full effect. Same goes for WASPy, white America. They are deeply afraid of exposing their sacred right (think Manifest Destiny) and having it trampled. Because you understand that to give ANYONE else rights (think #blacklivesmatter) is to somehow diminish THEIRS! Anything that threatens their centuries of control is to be pushed back, demonized and utterly defeated.

I don't feel guilty about it. I didn't make these rules and I certainly don't defend them. My white ancestors were not slave owners. They were immigrants from all parts of Europe, some who were literally despised when they got here (think Irish potato famine refugees). I've totally enjoyed and benefited from my white man card and all the privileges it served up to me. But I wasn't raised to despise anyone who didn't belong to the club (membership certainly has it's privileges). I was raised in a multi-racial, middle class, Midwestern city neighborhood. I walked to school and/or played with neighborhood kids that were African-American, Asian-American, European-American...notice these all have qualifiers. We are all immigrants from somewhere else...NON-natives. So PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU MY WHITE BROTHERS, get over yourselves!!!

Let's end white nationalism today and embrace all cultures, all Americans and even those trying to become Americans. Let us willingly lose our privileged status, the us and them labels and be more courageous. Get out of your foxholes, lay down your defenses and embrace diversity. It is about to be 2020 for God's sake! Let's let go of 1950's stereotypes (ding, ding, ding...it wasn't THAT GREAT back in the old days!) and fully embrace the moment we live in. It's not scary. It's exciting. Change is good. Lay down the crack pipe. Let love rule!