[C]onservatism isn’t really about the things it claims to be about. It isn’t really about free markets and moral values; it’s about authority — the authority of bosses over workers, of men over women, of whites over Those People.
One of the most entertaining, and ultimately satisfying, aspects of Election Night was listening to well-fed Conservative White males moaning about how “Traditional America” was no more. Yes, America was now being taken over by The Other, the Not White/Not Conservative/Not Male who clearly didn’t share the values of the “former” majority. This, of course, is clearly evidence that America is on the decline and the before long this country will resemble one big barrio, hostile to the interests of White Folks and determined to upend, socialize, and destroy the American Experiment.
There’s only one problem with this theory, however. As Jon Stewart argues convincingly, the American Experiment has always been about change. Not so very long ago, historically speaking, people with surnames like O’Reilly and Goldberg were considered “less than,” second-class citizens lacking the refined qualities and sensibilities of the ruling White Protestant class. Catholics were despised as papists whose loyalty was first and foremost to the Vatican before America. Jews were considered shylocks who profited by dishonest means and did business in a manner unbecoming of those gentleman who played by more “refined” rules.
The definition of “White” has expanded over the years and is primarily indicative of skin color alone instead of religion first, skin color second. History and demographics being what they are, no one group is destined to sit at the top of the socio-economic food chain permanently. Minority birth rates have far exceeded those of the White majority, and the continuing influx of non-Whites from around the world means that this is no longer your father’s America. Bill O’Reilly and others on Fox “News” Channel can bemoan their reality that traditional White America is gone, but the reality is that it never really existed. The racial and ethic composition of America has always been fluid and ever-changing. Thus has ir ever been, and thus it shall ever be.
There are two ways those currently in the White majority can deal with the continuing evolution of American culture. They can either whine and moan about their perceived loss of status and privilege, or they can accept that America is not static. It’s pretty simple, really- adapt or die. No one’s going to feel sorry for anyone else because they see their “rightful” position of privilege slipping away.
Welcome to the American Experiment.
