How The Scorn of White Male Privilege Is Elevating Trumpism
By: Ezinne Ukoha
Tags: Hollywood, White Privilege, Culture, Donald Trump, White Supremacy

Donald Trump may have lost the bid for a second term of chaos and mayhem, but when it comes to weaponizing his polarizing presence as the empowered terrorizer, who is determined to engage the dysfunctional traits of millions of cultists, who placed their bets on their defeated supreme leader — the disgraced exiting president is blissfully maximizing his currency of whiteness.

There’s no debating how Trump’s status as a white privileged male who bulldozed his way into the highest office of the land, despite zero experience in government, and the bigoted rally cry of #MAGA, has hugely paid off for his signature branding in more ways than one.

Black folks are taught quite early in life that being the best at what we do isn’t nearly enough to secure greatness. We have to be incomparably nimble in our pursuit of dreams that are out-of-reach, until the miracle that makes them come true.

Barack Obama was simply too good to be true, and even now, a few years after his eight-year run came to a bittersweet end, there are think pieces circulating with highlights about his uneven presidency, and why he may not have been as “perfect” as we needed to believe, back when “Yes We Can” was the viral slogan that restored our settings.

The harsh truth is that when it comes to the office of the presidency, it’s a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the downright ornery. Dominating the position of absolute power, and the awesome responsibilities that come with that revered station is the anointment that demands a level-headedness and sense of humility that has to be in-built.

Donald Trump is a leprous appendage of America’s long-held traditions and religious adherences to the deadliness of white supremacy and the white evangelism that exalts those criminal traits.

The rise of Trumpism was the seamless revolution on the heels of a two-term Black president, whose ascension was the red flag to the white establishment that needed to be taken seriously by any means necessary.

When Candidate Trump was ushered into reality by the traitorous GOP in defiance of the Obama years, and the audacity of Blackness in The White House of all places, it was easy to dismiss the flamboyancy of the traveling circus starring a rambling idiot, spewing out key phrases from the updated rulebook of the KKK.

But once the ordained Messiah of white evangelism emerged as the undefeated champion of white America with a new home address that signaled the reignited threats to vulnerable communities, that are not registered under the mantra of #MAGA, it was blatantly clear that the forecast would be nothing short of horrific.

The Trump years have been grueling grim at best, with side shows filled with maliciousness and the nonstop nefariousness that only a privileged white male in America can get away with in full view of a stunned world.

In the face of unquestionable defeat, Trump is even more motivated to wield his white power at the expense of a wearied nation, crumbling under the duress of a deadly virus that’s vengefully raging, and with the full enablement of his cowardly soldiers, who are willfully endorsing their supreme leader’s pitiful, delusions of grandeur.

But it wasn’t just the validation of racist Republicans that created the monster in our midst, we can also assign blame to the media-at-large, and the entertainment industry, that employs talents at late night shows and other outlets known for priceless satires, and the hearty laughs that can’t erase the current terror emanating from the lowest form of human, who is here to stay.

Hollywood is notably also divided when it comes to the activism of A-listers who are committed to utilizing their massive platforms to speak out and against the notorious antics of a white nationalist, who is hell bent on inciting violence against members of their tribe,

However, there are a crop of white celebrities who are stating their preferences of not being political, because of the privilege of being able to remain unaffected during seasons of national unrest with the migrant crisis and the never-ending systemic assault on Black bodies that reached new heights with the senseless murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Some, like Cheers alum Kirstie Alley who is vocally supportive of Trump’s disastrous presidency, and actors Vince Vaughn and Dennis Quaid to name a few, who are both unapologetic about their documented alliance with a so-called Commander-in-Chief who refers to war heroes as “losers and suckers,” are representations of how white privilege continues to fuel the uncontainable flames of Trumpism.

And then you add the all-American, superstar, and Hollywood hunk of the 90s and early ’00s, Matthew McConaughey. He’s been quite visible lately in an effort to promote his newly published memoir “Greenlights” which prompted his appearance on Russell Brand’s podcast “Under the Skin” where he proceeded to share his controversial insights on the pulsating political landscape.

According to the Texas- bred, Oscar-winner, the liberal Hollywood elites, who aren’t modest about their disdain for Donald Trump and his thuggish administration, that orchestrated the expansive divisiveness that might be irreparable, are shamelessly demonstrating their “condescending” and “patronizing” nature towards far-right ideologies — parading as conservatism.

He goes on to point out the elitism that dictates how Hollywood liberals methodically look down on “ordinary working people,” the same ones that Hillary Clinton called “deplorables” while she was campaigning for the role of her lifetime that was shockingly awarded to her less worthier competitor.

Brand began the debate by providing the summation that attempts to validate the valiance of vilified subscribers to hate-filled narratives, that ultimately dictates the endorsement of problematic candidates, who are celebrated for being leaders of movements geared towards the pseudo-populist propaganda.

“[There is] a kind of offhandedness, like, ‘Oh, they’re dumb, they’re voting for Brexit, they’re voting for Trump.’ I don’t like it, and I don’t like to hear it,”

McConaughey’s response echoes Brand’s talking points about how the “50 percent” are unfairly dismissed and ceremoniously shamed, for daring to exercise the right to vote for the candidate of their choice.

“There are a lot [of people] on that illiberal left that absolutely condescend, patronize, and are arrogant towards the other 50 percent.”

The actor goes on to point out how those same Hollywood “elites” were in denial back in 2016, when Trump inexplicably won the election, and why it’s “hypocritical” for liberals to expect Trump’s fiercely loyal base to not aggressively support their supreme leader’s ludicrous and destructive mission, to soil our democracy, by wasting time and resources on delegitimizing Biden’s incoming presidency.

Both Russell Brand and Matthew McConaughey are white privileged males, who are beneficiaries of systems both at home and abroad that cater exclusively to the principles of white supremacy, with the mandate of oppressive tactics exacted on Black counterparts, who aren’t able to enjoy those same freedoms that ensure protections for white people, who are law-breakers.

McConaughey’s pathetic and unfortunate argument on behalf of Trump voters, who have apparently suffered the worst outcome for patriotically standing by the white supremacist, who activated the birther conspiracy, and continues to endanger our national security, not to mention the astounding spike in hate crimes that began with his presidency, is solid proof of how white privilege is elevating Trumpism.

As an esteemed white actor in Hollywood, with the accolades and accomplishments to boot, it’s not hard to fathom how McConaughey would be somewhat disconnected from the precariousness of enduring the dire consequences, stemming from the gross negligence of an incompetent buffoon, who would rather spend the last days of his torturous presidency ranting about election results, while COVID rages on.

But McConaughey’s flippancy towards the biggest culprit of Trump’s tragically heinous legacy, which has to be how the Liar-in-Chief normalized the cavalier approach to Making America White Again, with the nonstop hateful rhetoric that got him elected, is a revealing stain on the Hollywood star’s reputation.

Trump’s rowdy base of deplorables are proud racists, which explains why they gravitate towards their supreme leader’s offensiveness towards those they deem as inferior, and very deserving of their demonization at the hands of a self-professed white nationalist.

It’s absolutely warranted to unequivocally condemn the large section of this country, who consider a future felon and proud bigot, who doesn’t give a damn about the survivability of his own supporters in this harrowing age of COVID — a qualified contender for the role of a world leader.

White privilege means never having to be sorry for the true victims of a shambled administration, that was erected to escalate the demolishment of communities that are presently sinking at warped speed, thanks to the legislations that have been revised accordingly.

As long as we have McConaughey & Co., trumpeting the precious rights of radicalized white supremacists, who take to the streets with weaponry, without police interference, Trumpism will unceasingly thrive with privileged venom.