Lessons from an Irishman

If there was ever any question that the culturally Marxist dogma educational and entertainment institutions have been peddling for almost 50 years would mature into material consequence, the last week following the tragic death of George Floyd has surely mobilized it. A spirit of revolution and black power has swept the nation – but nuance appears to be oddly absent. Visible almost everywhere on social media is the assumption that America has some work to do, that it harbors an original sin of slavery that has continued to this day – visible most nefariously in the policing. While I am entirely sympathetic, even enthusiastic at the fact America does, indeed, have work to do, I am unconvinced that burden falls on the back of the police. Statistically, no honest metric indicates there is an excessive, nor even close to excessive over-representation of black deaths at hands of police (visible here). If anything – statistics show that this rate of deaths at hands of police is far lower than the overall black crime rate (visible here).

This problem, instead, is one that falls almost entirely on the ruling class. America for far too long has neglected its majority black, low-income communities, both materially and politically. Rather than develop an industrial policy to protect, and encourage unskilled labor in at risk communities – or conversely, increase resources to education by both reforming the tax system of cities and supporting private/charter options – the political elite has resorted to an unambiguously snide omission of responsibility. But why did this phenomena occur, is it the result of institutional racism as many claim? Perhaps, but more likely it is a politically motivated negligence. Perpetuated by the Democratic party taking the black vote, which votes overwhelmingly for them, for granted – thus stripping them of political leverage. Compounding, the Republican party has not challenged this dynamic much either – as it has seemed ridiculous the black vote will ever vote even 15% for a Republican – much more likely would be for them to simply maximize their share of the white vote.

This has been the unfortunate situation that Black America has found itself in since at least the 1960s – a large block of the nation with little purchase over how they are governed. It is because of this disposition to avoid responsibility, that the social contract must be reintroduced to our inner cities and black community. One begins to wonder with the rise of national populism in the Republican party, if the same negligence towards Black America is as present, and if there may have been an infantile attempt at a new social contract already. The Trump Administration, with all its faults, has done a considerable deal to improve standards of living in low-income communities and pursue a larger black base through both criminal justice reform and deductions for inner-city investment in the latest tax law – which prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, resulted in the lowest unemployment for Black Americans ever. From only seeing these accomplishments it may be hard to understand why the black community still sees Trump in an increasingly negative perspective. Yet, the bombastic rhetoric the president has perpetuated his entire life has continuously shot him in the foot – as well as his incredibly delayed and bungled response as the peaceful protests evolved into what can only be ascribed as revolution. That is, ultimately, the situation America has found itself in – a revolution.

The true, righteous anger embedded in the protesting of suppressed opportunity and influence, has been rather quickly co-opted by radically leftist organizations such as Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA, to instead further antiquated conceptions that an unforgiving oppressor class, the police force, is specifically targeting and murdering young black men. As already explained, this is not a factual take based in evidence, but it is an incredibly useful emotional trick to convince a nation with historically endemic racial tension, that its own law enforcement are perpetrators of a legacy of lynching. These organizations, in conjunction with the media, have developed a factitious environment of what can only be characterized as what Roger Scruton described as, “enacting out a self-scripted drama, in which the central character was themselves” (visible here). But this drama has been incredibly successful at encapsulating the minds of many to add to it, the climax being the riots following the wrongful death of George Floyd, the climax being – a dilemma America must address or risk being thrown off the stage in shame.

But what can America do to avoid being thrown off the stage by its own people? Does it require a reactionary response, disregarding any concern for the inequities clearly visible in society in the name of order? Or rather, does this serve as solace for those with a Burkean sensibility – a conservative understanding that can, through nuance, explain where this revolution was right and where it was wrong. This is achievable by rejecting the false narrative that the only adequate solution is Marxist revolution, or eternal oppression. Or most importantly, denying the idea that efforts to restore order to those that pillage communities and raid homes is somehow an unjustifiable response. Both of these are misnomers, unaddressed, will surely lead to the collapse of America as a united nation quicker than any elite perceives possible. Burke describes this brilliantly in Reflections on the Revolution in France as, ““By gnawing through a dike, even a rat may drown a nation.”. By learning from the lessons of Burke – and making a fundamental effort to create an organized social contract, focused upon uplifting the black community, the American nation can persist past the carnage to a new day of more equitable distribution, independent of the nihilistic and anarchic Marxist parasites that exploit the communities most vulnerable.

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