Liking, even preferring, one’s own culture does not make one racist. Racism is: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. In that vein, a white supremacist is a person who believes that the White race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races. But, and this is mightily important, simply preferring one culture over another does not necessarily mean that one believes that culture is superior, it does not make one racist, and, if that culture is white, it does not mean that one is a white supremacist.
Let’s think about holidays. Various cultures celebrate holidays in various manners. In this country’s melting pot, the traditions of some cultures may have been assimilated into the cultures of others. Nonetheless, those of particular ethnic backgrounds will celebrate a particular holiday primarily with traditions that reflect the ethnicity of their ancestors. They prefer to celebrate that way for a variety of reasons, most of which do not reflect any sort of animosity toward the ways in which those with other ethnic backgrounds may celebrate. It simply represents their particular preference. Really, this is no different from someone preferring to live in the city or in a condo while someone else may prefer to live in a house or a tent or an RV. The preference does not automatically reflect prejudice against those who prefer to live differently.
Here is, then, another key word: Tolerance. This is a word that seems to have been forgotten by many today. It is the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with. Preferring one behavior, one course of action, or even one culture does not mean that one cannot be tolerant of those other behaviors, action, and yes, even cultures. But, tolerance does not require that one like or approve of those things with which one does not agree, nor does it require that one change one’s own preferences to agree with those that one is tolerating. And, sometimes, behaviors that are being tolerated cannot coexist; hence, in some instances, those preferring differing behaviors will self-segregate – into different communities, or even different countries.
So, when someone says related to both illegal and legal immigration that “in some parts of the country, it does seem like the America that we know and love doesn’t exist anymore,” or that “how radically in some ways the country has changed” (see comments of Laura Ingraham 8/8/18), she is not necessarily making racist statements. There are those who prefer the traditional Judeo-Christian western European culture of America. Immigration of different cultures bring changes, and in some areas those changes are indeed drastic. Some may not like those changes because they include the existence of beliefs or behaviors with which one does not agree. One might prefer to be surrounded by cultures that reflect their own ethnicity rather than that of other ethnicities. There is nothing racist about that. It becomes racist only if one seeks to discriminate against those other cultures based upon race.
One can be against immigration and not be a racist. Immigration is a complex issue that involves far more than the culture or color of those who seek to immigrate. There are economic issues; there are issues of safety; there are resource and environmental issues. There is the question of assimilation vs. coexistence. There is the issue of a country’s basic existence as a country, a place with cohesive shared values and goals.
The United States has always had, and still has a most generous immigration policy. But it is not wrong for one to expect those who seek to join this country to have some appreciation for its values and yes, its culture. One does not expect an immigrant to want to come to a country and then to change the essential characteristics of that country. America has always welcomed immigrants who appreciate the core values and characteristics of this country. But, an unspoken piece of that welcome is that those joining our society will be tolerant of its existing culture just as they can expect a tolerance by the citizens of their own cultural backgrounds. What I do not think they can expect is that the current citizenry necessarily embrace (as opposed to tolerate) their culture or give up their preferences for their own culture and traditions.
Today many Americans see an effort to completely remake their country, leaving no room for their own values. When David Brooks seems to disparage whites who think being white is “part of their identity” (See PBS Newshour 8/10/18) he is condemning them for something that he and other progressives uphold and encourage in other races and cultures. Imagine if we were to condemn Blacks for thinking that being Black is part of their identity – we would certainly call that racist. But apparently it is not OK to hold that same thought if one is White; rather, to do so labels one as white supremacists. It is that sort of hypocrisy that offends many.
There are, indeed, many Americans whose heritage and culture are what is often referred to as White. A pride in that heritage, a preference for the traditions of that culture does not make one racist or a white supremacist. A demand that those with other traditions, backgrounds, or cultures tolerate rather than seek to abolish that “white” heritage is not an unreasonable demand.
I realize there are those who will see the above as some sort of code advocacy for white supremacy. It is not. White supremacy is not a tradition or value of white European heritage. Yes, there are those whites who do hold racist or supremacist beliefs, just as there are those of every color and culture who hold such beliefs about their own race or culture. But, the vast majority of whites simply want to be able to retain their traditions; they are fully capable of doing so while being tolerant of other traditions. I am not sure that those progressives and others who love to condemn everything white are capable of doing the same.
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