For quite some time I have been following the debate or rather the deluge of charges hurled in all directions against “white supremacy.” Since my college anthropology book says that it is impossible to give an unequivocal definition of the word “race”, I have been puzzled about the meaning of “white” in the phrase “white supremacy.” In desperation I recently checked the article “Race” in the latest Encyclopedia Britannica, but to no avail. Apparently, the term “race” in reference to human beings didn’t emerge until the 17th Century, and not even scientists, in spite of their best efforts, have been able to define it. So if we don’t know what a race is, it’s very difficult to know what “white supremacy” could mean. But then I read an article in the NYT that seemed to identify “white supremacy” with “Western Civilization”. What a stroke of genius! We don’t have to know what a race is; we can simply substitute “Western Civilization” for “white supremacy” and carry on with our discussion.
Since I understand a bit about Western Civilization, I thought that I might be able to assist those enthusiastic souls who want to eliminate white supremacy, i.e. Western Civilization. At the outset one must admit that it is a novel idea: “eliminating Western Civilization”, but we Americans are always fascinated by novel ideas. Admittedly, it might disturb some conservative minds that Thomas Jefferson never came up with the idea of destroying Western Civilization, and it is doubtful that clever Ben Franklin would have been in favor of it either. But living in the 21st Century, we certainly understand things better than they did. So let’s see how we can proceed.
I have heard some suggestions about removing the bothersome restrictions of the US Constitution which is obviously a product of Western Civilization or “white supremacy”. Some progressives have opted for the evolutionary approach to the Constitution. They claim that the Constitution is not a fixed document, but rather something analogous to a bonsai plant that grows from day to day. So if we give the Constitution the proper nutrients (even a little manure) and bend its little branches in the desired direction, there is really no need to destroy it. The Constitution will grow according to our wishes. Other progressives take a more direct approach and suggest ignoring the Constitution altogether. Given these alternatives, I personally favor the latter. It’s more direct and more honest.
Still there is a lot more to be done if we really want to eradicate the last vestiges of Western Civilization, and my suggestion is that we start with the elimination of the unpleasant products of the Western world. To begin, we will have to give up the telephone (Bell), the radio (Marconi), electric lights (Edison), and automobiles (Ford). Also pasteurized milk (Pasteur) is off-limits as well as Jack Daniel’s (first distilled by–well, Jack Daniel). When it comes to political and legal ideas such as human rights (John Locke, Thomas Jefferson), the matter becomes a little more difficult. We might muster sufficient courage to give up Jack Daniel’s, but nobody really wants to give up human rights! Nevertheless we must be diligent in our efforts to correct the ills of Western Civilization. So let’s do away with the whole thing, starting with the birth of democracy in ancient Athens, through the development of Roman law, and coming down to the many achievements of modern science. There’s just one small question that still bothers me. Does anybody have a plan for building a new civilization after we have destroyed this one? If someone does, he or she will have to start with the creation of a new language since the English language is also a product of Western Civilization.
In my somewhat satirical manner, I am suggesting that it’s time to end white supremacy, i.e. it’s time to end white supremacy talk. The terms “white supremacy” and “racism” are vacuous, and therefore their frequent usage by politicians and pundits can only serve the purpose of manipulating public opinion. These terms have no clear meaning and do not convey any real information. Instead they manipulate emotions like commercial advertisements. “White supremacy” as a charge against a political opponent has no more meaning that “clinically tested” on a tube of toothpaste. If particular groups have grievances against the heritage of Western Civilization, they should state their case clearly so that we can debate the matter openly. My suspicion is this: Nobody, not even the most vocal opponents of so-called “white supremacy” really want to eliminate Western Civilization. The consequences would be catastrophic.
Villager Jack E. Brush is a frequent contributor to Villlages-News.com.
