Wednesday, May 30, A.D. 2012

The Asymmetry of America

Last month at Alternative Right, Colin Liddell addressed Americans’ particularly unpleasant and unresolvable ethnic situation while commenting on the National Review‘s scheisskanning John Derbyshire: “The Asymmetry of America: John Derbyshire and the unNational nonReview.” Liddell explains the ignoble lie that underlies American race relations:

In Switzerland, the German Swiss and French Swiss are different, but there is a rough equivalence that allows them to work together with mutual respect, deal with differences, and strike deals that are mutually acceptable. The same can be said for Castilians, Catalans, and Basques in Spain, and Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Gujaratis, and Bengalis in India. These groups are all different, but the differences are not so great or one-sided as to render them completely asymmetrical. This makes a dialogue possible. Where goodwill exists, the different groups can represent their racial and cultural interests, and address problems in a quid pro quo manner, without denying race as the American establishment does.

Between Blacks and Whites in the USA, this is simply impossible, because whenever racial issues are addressed the enormous racial asymmetry instantly becomes the main issue. But what does this racial asymmetry consist of? In concrete terms it refers to the entirely lopsided relationship between the two races and how they compare in a number of key indicators where Blacks are on the negative side: They are much poorer, more criminal, imprisoned in much greater numbers, less educated, depend much more on welfare and ‘affirmative’ action, have much less conventional family stability, and report much lower IQ rates than Whites. By all the standards that matter in a modern society, Blacks trail disastrously behind Whites. It is this asymmetry that makes an honest discussion about race an impossibility in modern America. It also makes a quid pro quo very difficult, because what this are Whites to get for what that?

Instead we get a dishonest discussion about race: Back in the 1950s and 60s, round about the time the National Review was getting on its feet, nice, kind White liberals popularized an explanation for all the above phenomena that tied them all together in a series of causes and effects in a manner that was not overly insulting and offensive to Black people. Basically it said that Blacks were suffering from slavery and racism and that once racism was removed they would soon catch up with Whites and be their equals. Without this lie, desegregation and civil rights could not have happened.

Interestingly, this face-saving explanation of racial asymmetry, which I will call the “Face-Saving Racial Myth,” has now become the dominant racial narrative across the entire mainsteam media and most of the political spectrum, not because it is true. Indeed, everybody secretly knows it is untrue in the same way that everybody secretly gives their kids exactly the same kind of advice that John Derbyshire wrote about in his article. No, this Fairy Godmother explanation of racial asymmetry is favoured simply for reasons of short-term political and economic expediency because America is a political entity and collection of economic entities that all run on short-term political and economic expediency.

The basic racial asymmetry between Blacks and Whites means that the “Face-Saving Racial Myth” must never be challenged, for when it is the already tattered national fabric starts to unravel. Wherever you have a marked racial asymmetry, honest discussion of it will do two things. First it will be immensely offensive to the disadvantaged race and those who claim to speak for them (another indice of racial asymmetry is that Blacks usually need Whites to do their arguing for them). It is unrealistic not to expect them to be angry. They will be well and truly pissed. This is not an argument to placate them, but a mere statement of fact.

The second thing that will happen is that White people, even those who have nothing but goodwill for Blacks, will notice that the longer they honestly and frankly discuss race the more they will end up sounding exactly like “White supremacists” and so-called hard-line “racists.” This is not because they have “inherent racism” as leftists like to imagine, it is simply because the facts of the debate will push them in that direction.

Derbyshire’s article is a perfect example of both of these effects. Far from being hateful or racist, the tone of the article was one of stoical regret that things had to be the way they are, but that, because of undeniable facts and dangers, certain precautions were advisable to safeguard one’s children. Writing with his usual honesty and thoroughness, it wasn’t long before he was unwittingly saying things that couldn’t help but be offensive to Blacks, while nevertheless being completely true.

The direction that the debate goes was revealed on the on-line comment boards at Taki’s and several other publications that got involved in the fight. Where these were’t censored, the debates all served to highlight the great racial asymmetry between Blacks and Whites. After Black crime rates were mentioned, the debate tended to move on to why Blacks commit so much more crime than Whites, leading to issues of poverty, low IQs, and the failure of Blacks to progress since “racism” ended. This then led to the corruption, chaos, and devastation seen in Black-run areas, with countless examples, usually mentioning Detroit and occasionally Haiti, as well as African countries. Even slavery is a can of worms for Blacks as most of the actual enslaving, like most Black crime, was Black-on-Black, with White and Jewish slave traders providing the unfortunates with an escape from probable certain death and possible cannibalism.

Against a plethora of brutal facts and hard experience all that the defenders / apologists of Black dysfunction have is the “Face-Saving Racial Myth,” creaking, leaking, ragged, and ridiculous from constant overuse since the early 1960s, and a flood of Nazi, klan, hillbilly, and duelling banjo jibes to cover up the vacuum where their arguments and evidence should be.

In short, the more that race is honestly discussed the more insulting it inevitably becomes for Blacks, and the more Whites will find themselves slipping unwittingly into “supremacist” language and attitudes, simply because of the underlying racial asymmetry. There is almost a surreal quality to any attempt to discuss such topics as the 20-point IQ gap, Black-on-White crime (with stats and examples), racial profiling, and the history of slavery in a calm, polite, and respectful way.

We have built our new national “harmony” on quite an unstable foundation. Jeremiah Wright railed against American racism by claiming that “We Americans believe in white supremacy and black inferiority, and believe it more than we believe in God.” Wright is largely right, though perhaps the degree of certainty is exaggerated. I really believe that this attitude is widespread among those on the Left and the Right, in all classes, and in all ethnic groups, though few “reputable” members of society admit their thoughtcrimes to anyone—or to themselves. For that honesty could be dangerous; people might get lowried! What a repulsive mess! I find it outrageous—the despicable lies and taboos that cloud thinking. When people cannot even face up to their own inner judgment, how can we expect any coherence to proceed? We are a nation of cowards—and idiots!

Posted by Joseph on Wednesday, May 30, Anno Domini 2012
Philosophy | Anthropology • Politics • (0) Comments