December 1, 2020--It's Simple

Last week I wrote that I plan to use whatever political energy remains in my tank to find reasons why so many voted for Trump, especially a majority of white women.

I heard from a few friends. All said it's because of racism. That Trump did a good job of scaring white people and inciting them to vote for his reelection because he would do a better job than Biden of protecting them and their property from marauding gangs of black people.

A very smart friend suggested I need to learn more about what it's like to be an African American in America and that the best way to do that is to read books and articles by African American novelists, poets, and essayists such as James Baldwin. 

This was a useful suggestion and I immediately ordered a half dozen books.

Another friend said--

"Steven it’s simple. White America fears non white Americans. Especially after Black Americans put Biden in office. It’s all racist. Period."

To this I wrote back--

"Thanks of your comment. If it's all about racism, how do you explain the fact that Obama twice received more than 50 percent of the popular vote? Racism is a powerful factor but far from the whole story." 

It's not that simple.

So let's see what else comes in the mail.

 

• •