Are the Democrats Divisive?
By: Lucy Garcia
Tags: Divisiveness, Racial Wealth Gap, Democratic Party

Are the Democrats Divisive?

Which ones? The part of the very rich who are the backers of the Democrats? Or the progressive, antiracist forces? Because I would say, the former, yes--these are people who are promising “programs" to “help” Black, indigenous and people of color, BIPOC, for short. (Please excuse me: the teacher’s habit of defining terms is hard to break.), programs that incite jealousy in white people. That’s on purpose. It’s part of their strategy. These high class manipulators don’t want us to unite for better wages and benefits! Ironically, masterfully, their programs draw unearned jealousy, because every program helping poor people and BIPOC, is an entangling mess of red tape, cruel and distrustful requirements, and catch 22’s, designed to “keep the cheaters out.” Meanwhile, cheaters working at scales a million times greater are easily ignored, excused, and even promoted. By the same rich Democrats. They are the same Democrats. And then the Republicans grumble or trumpet about these grudging programs as a waste of good taxpayer money.

But, if you are saying the progressive people and the movements of Black people are divisive, I really want to point out something simple. You don’t want to be called a racist, right? That means we agree on something: racism is bad. We both don’t want a society DIVIDED along racial lines.

So let’s relax and realize the SYSTEM of division was not invented by you. In that basic sense you are not to blame. You are trying your best to be fair-minded.

But our system (schools, media, laws, businesses) will always hide the trillions of dollars of benefits that they get from keeping us DIVIDED. They will obscure their machinations.

Example (calculation below): If every Black family in this country had the same median wealth as white families do, that would be 2.3 trillion* dollars more money circulating among working familes. That’s money that is now being utilized by the rich manipulators, just for them and their kids. That’s money that, if released from the hands of these rich people, would buoy up all working families, white people or BIPOC. Talk about a rising tide to lift all boats. A $2 T stimulus, directed to ELIMINATE DIVISION in wealth along racial lines among working families.

Now stop. Did your mind almost slip sideways mumbling cynically that the money would buy a flood of drugs and finance a flood of BIPOC’s babies. I propose that that kind of thinking about people of color is not just demeaning but simply untrue. Does the one black family you know work hard? They’re not the exception. Most BIPOC work hard, just like most white people. And what’s more that disrespect you almost fell into has been carefully implanted in all American minds, yours, mine, white people and BIPOC (yep, self hate).

For 400 years. That’s a long time to perfect forms of social manipulation. A racist SYSTEM of manipulation. System. Let me illustrate. Ever done something wrong in school? I’m a teacher, I’ve practiced my tiny forms of social manipulation in the classroom, supported by school administrators, supported by district policy, etc. The same carefully crafted assumptions about people of color exist at all levels of our system up through national and international bodies. It’s an old, intricate, and murderous system. And it’s still working.

You are not to blame. Until you let your actions and words align with the system. Then without thinking, you’re making yourself into a promoter of the same DIVISIVE system.

The easiest way to align with the racist system is to ignore racist thinking, racist actions, and racist results around you, and to fool yourself into believing all you can influence is your own thoughts--I’m not racist! And that it’s not your job to fix other people. Don’t rock the boat. White silence. Which easily slips into white complaints about BIPOC who are rocking the boat--so “divisively.” All they are doing is pointing out a trillion dollar robbery in progress!

So how are we going to pry that 2 trillion dollars out of the hands of the manipulator class? Remember, that’s money that will help us all. We need unity.

How are we going to get what we, white working families, want: reliable, affordable, uncomplicated healthcare; good schools with inexpensive sports, music, drama and science programs; an economy that allows energetic people to create something for their families and communities (Ex: enough money to repair and redo homes and yards, enough money to lend your kid a down payment with a reasonable chance of being repaid in time for retirement, enough money to start up a business, the list goes on.) How about green energy and transportation and restorative farming, so our kids can breathe easier and see Earth heal? We need unity, if we are going to make any of this happen in our lifetimes.

And to get unity, we need to appreciate the people who are raising the alarm and exposing the manipulator class. They are EXPOSING DIVISION AND DIVISIVENESS. This is such a precious time! Millions of people seeing through lies! People standing up!

If we all support them we will all benefit.

*It’s a simplistic, but fact-based calculation. There are 14.7 million Black families in the US. Their median wealth is just about 1/10 of the median wealth of white families: $17,150 compared to $171, 000 for whites. (How this has happened is gradually entering the public conversation. For example, here’s a useful, if incomplete, article.)

Back to the calculation. 14.7 M Black families in the US times the wealth gap of $153,850 = 2,261,595,000,000. Again, that’s $171,000 that the median Black family would have without systemic racism minus the $17,150 the median Black family does have, times the number of Black families in the nation equals almost 2 trillion 300 million dollars.

You don’t have this money. The rich do.