The best way I can think of to explain the great replacement theory to other people to explain how insane and stupid it is, is to explain that people who push it essentially believe that:
1. In the 1920s, lots of people wanted to come to the US and did so, and that
2. This was a nefarious plot by 'elites' to replace 'real americans' with…
The best way I can think of to explain the great replacement theory to other people to explain how insane and stupid it is, is to explain that people who push it essentially believe that:
1. In the 1920s, lots of people wanted to come to the US and did so, and that
2. This was a nefarious plot by 'elites' to replace 'real americans' with irish, italians, and scandinavians.
And that these two things are the SAME thing. Now, most people understand that they are not the same thing, that one is a choice by lots of individuals, and one is a conspiracy theory that doesn't make any sense on its face.
And we can also directly explain why it's racist, because if it's NOT about race, then there's no reason that all these people couldn't just vote for the GOP. There's no logical reason that immigrants would vote for the Democrats by default. And we know this, because Dinesh D’Souza and Sohrab Ahmari are both major right wing figures who emigrated to the US!
Beyond that, in the case of the southern border, many of the people who are coming here are more religious and more conservative than native born Americans, meaning that if anything, 'importing' them would add more conservatives, not liberals. But because they're from 'those places' the right just assumes they must all be liberals. And that's without getting into the 'subservient' rhetoric.
I bring up the thing about the 1920s immigration wave because that was during a time when neither Italians or Irish were considered 'white.' That's why there are so many depictions from the time of Irish people essentially being apes, because Americans on the right hated them for being catholic, for drinking alcohol, and for being 'Gaelic' rather than 'Anglo.' The same is true for Italians.
But it was just as stupid then as it is now. They've changed who they're talking about, but they're making the same arguments. Arguments which make no logical sense if you remove the racist aspect from it. That's why the theory is racist, and why people who push it are racist. But the fact that it's non-sensical means that lots of people assume it's not because they themselves are not racist and are not attuned to looking at things from that angle, which means guys like Tucker can get away with pretending it's not racist.
After the Irish and the Italians there were the Poles, Ukrainians and various south Slavs, which again were treated as not quite white or as stupid (anyone remember all the "dumb polack" jokes that used to be around?
There has been a constant stream of "replacement" and it has always been a problem to those that got here earlier. And yet, we somehow have the richest and most powerful nation on the planet.
One might think that immigration and diversity were good things on that basis, but it couldn't be, could it?
Not really a reply, just a little rant on this fine Tuesday morning... if there were a great replacement, it would target stupid people instead of white. We are made better by new people and new experiences, not less. Life should always be about growing & changing & wisdom & better perspective, not returning to a previous time, to stay mired in previous mistakes and limited horizons. There are many ways to be a horrible parent; listening if your child questions identity or sexuality is not one of them. If you need religion to have ethics & morals, don't try to be a leader or an example to the public, you will fall short. It is completely unAmerican to discrimante against gay/trans, etc. By all means, socialize with people you choose, but keep bias out of government. Give experts the benefit of the doubt. Believe no political talk without thorough sources. School shootings cannot be prevented with school prayer. Society and civilization is inherently LIBERAL, fighting liberalism in general takes you backward. People who lie lack ethics and cannot be depended upon. There will be immigration, welfare, and other social programs; the task is to manage them efficiently & design them to create good citizens. Rich people & corporations should pay taxes based on a rate. If someone making $50k can afford to give up 20%, then the guy making a million should be able to even easier. Power hungry authoritarians should not be allowed to take what they want. Having a black person in your life does not prove that you are not a racist. Acknowledging that inequity exists structurally is not shoving political correctness down your throat. Abortion guidelines should be set by medical associations/authorities. A woman cannot be equal to a man unless she has the same ability to direct her own life. It takes only one accident, one failed prevention measure, or one crime to make a woman pregnant and permanently alter her life; men have no equivalent event. A raped woman who does not want a child should not have to carry it to term; effectively announcing her accident or carelessness or rape & decision to adopt out to EVERY person she sees. A person cannot want small government/more citizen freedom but also want to limit LGBTQ & women's rights; it just doesn't make any sense. I guess that's enough for today :(
And to me, it feels especially ironic that now it’s a cabal of Catholics on the Supreme Court poised to take away rights from half our population. Beyond irony, it’s hard to process this fluke of history.
Interesting you site the 1920s because that was also the apex of the "new" KKK in the Northern and Midwestern states. While the southern KKK was preoccupied with Blacks and Jews their Northern counterparts were focused on Catholics and immigrants.
In the 1920s eugenics (a pseudo-scientific theory that boils down to a form of replacement theory) was also considered textbook science and even taught in universities.
The 1920s was the fruition of the "red scare" emerging from WWI.
While the KKK itself imploded in the North through a series of scandals I am sure the ideological foundation was in place and operative long after its demise. All of these threads of "anxiety" have their counterpart in the current environment--- and just as in the 1920s there are media available for spreading these pernicious ideas.
The best way I can think of to explain the great replacement theory to other people to explain how insane and stupid it is, is to explain that people who push it essentially believe that:
1. In the 1920s, lots of people wanted to come to the US and did so, and that
2. This was a nefarious plot by 'elites' to replace 'real americans' with irish, italians, and scandinavians.
And that these two things are the SAME thing. Now, most people understand that they are not the same thing, that one is a choice by lots of individuals, and one is a conspiracy theory that doesn't make any sense on its face.
And we can also directly explain why it's racist, because if it's NOT about race, then there's no reason that all these people couldn't just vote for the GOP. There's no logical reason that immigrants would vote for the Democrats by default. And we know this, because Dinesh D’Souza and Sohrab Ahmari are both major right wing figures who emigrated to the US!
Beyond that, in the case of the southern border, many of the people who are coming here are more religious and more conservative than native born Americans, meaning that if anything, 'importing' them would add more conservatives, not liberals. But because they're from 'those places' the right just assumes they must all be liberals. And that's without getting into the 'subservient' rhetoric.
I bring up the thing about the 1920s immigration wave because that was during a time when neither Italians or Irish were considered 'white.' That's why there are so many depictions from the time of Irish people essentially being apes, because Americans on the right hated them for being catholic, for drinking alcohol, and for being 'Gaelic' rather than 'Anglo.' The same is true for Italians.
But it was just as stupid then as it is now. They've changed who they're talking about, but they're making the same arguments. Arguments which make no logical sense if you remove the racist aspect from it. That's why the theory is racist, and why people who push it are racist. But the fact that it's non-sensical means that lots of people assume it's not because they themselves are not racist and are not attuned to looking at things from that angle, which means guys like Tucker can get away with pretending it's not racist.
Fun fact: Columbus Day was declared by Benjamin Harrison in response to a massacre of 11 Italians in 1892. It was the original wokeism.
And now, people get upset about celebrating it because of kind of the opposite reason LOL.
After the Irish and the Italians there were the Poles, Ukrainians and various south Slavs, which again were treated as not quite white or as stupid (anyone remember all the "dumb polack" jokes that used to be around?
There has been a constant stream of "replacement" and it has always been a problem to those that got here earlier. And yet, we somehow have the richest and most powerful nation on the planet.
One might think that immigration and diversity were good things on that basis, but it couldn't be, could it?
LOL! Talk to Native Americans about the great replacement. White folks have been doing it for 500 years... they know how it's done!
Human history is a history of replacement. Of population movements, changes of who the elites/leaders are.
For some reason 9actually, a lot of reasons) people don't seem to stay in one place--else we would all still be in Africa.
Not really a reply, just a little rant on this fine Tuesday morning... if there were a great replacement, it would target stupid people instead of white. We are made better by new people and new experiences, not less. Life should always be about growing & changing & wisdom & better perspective, not returning to a previous time, to stay mired in previous mistakes and limited horizons. There are many ways to be a horrible parent; listening if your child questions identity or sexuality is not one of them. If you need religion to have ethics & morals, don't try to be a leader or an example to the public, you will fall short. It is completely unAmerican to discrimante against gay/trans, etc. By all means, socialize with people you choose, but keep bias out of government. Give experts the benefit of the doubt. Believe no political talk without thorough sources. School shootings cannot be prevented with school prayer. Society and civilization is inherently LIBERAL, fighting liberalism in general takes you backward. People who lie lack ethics and cannot be depended upon. There will be immigration, welfare, and other social programs; the task is to manage them efficiently & design them to create good citizens. Rich people & corporations should pay taxes based on a rate. If someone making $50k can afford to give up 20%, then the guy making a million should be able to even easier. Power hungry authoritarians should not be allowed to take what they want. Having a black person in your life does not prove that you are not a racist. Acknowledging that inequity exists structurally is not shoving political correctness down your throat. Abortion guidelines should be set by medical associations/authorities. A woman cannot be equal to a man unless she has the same ability to direct her own life. It takes only one accident, one failed prevention measure, or one crime to make a woman pregnant and permanently alter her life; men have no equivalent event. A raped woman who does not want a child should not have to carry it to term; effectively announcing her accident or carelessness or rape & decision to adopt out to EVERY person she sees. A person cannot want small government/more citizen freedom but also want to limit LGBTQ & women's rights; it just doesn't make any sense. I guess that's enough for today :(
And to me, it feels especially ironic that now it’s a cabal of Catholics on the Supreme Court poised to take away rights from half our population. Beyond irony, it’s hard to process this fluke of history.
Good old anti-Catholicism rears its ugly head. If you think this isn't bigotry, substitute "Jews" for "Catholics."
I judge them not for their identity as Catholics. I judge them for how they want to force their religion on others. That’s un-American.
Interesting you site the 1920s because that was also the apex of the "new" KKK in the Northern and Midwestern states. While the southern KKK was preoccupied with Blacks and Jews their Northern counterparts were focused on Catholics and immigrants.
In the 1920s eugenics (a pseudo-scientific theory that boils down to a form of replacement theory) was also considered textbook science and even taught in universities.
The 1920s was the fruition of the "red scare" emerging from WWI.
While the KKK itself imploded in the North through a series of scandals I am sure the ideological foundation was in place and operative long after its demise. All of these threads of "anxiety" have their counterpart in the current environment--- and just as in the 1920s there are media available for spreading these pernicious ideas.
True. Immigration control in this country used to be a LOT more openly racist instead of being dog-whistled.
The Johnson-Reid Act (Japanese exclusion). the Chinese exclusion Act.
No Anglo-Saxon exclusion act though.