WE - white men !

Looking to the present and future as a 75 year old, cis, het, white man, I see a lot, some of which I want to share here.  On the whole – It “ain’t pretty”.  

1.)    Donald Trump – age 80

2.)    Chuck Schumer– 6 months older than me

3.)    Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts a few years younger than me

4.)    Republican – Senate and House Leadership (4 individuals) – between age 54 and 65.

Looking to the present and future as a 75 year old, cis, het, white man, I see a lot, some of which I want to share here.  On the whole – It “ain’t pretty”.  

1.)    Donald Trump – age 80

2.)    Chuck Schumer– 6 months older than me

3.)    Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts a few years younger than me

4.)    Republican – Senate and House Leadership (4 individuals) – between age 54 and 65.

All of these leaders are (presumably cis/het) white men.  Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority leader is a 56 year old Black Man.  

Where are the Women?   Where are Latina/Latinos?

I rely upon Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org) – for my day-to-day core news coverage.    Most friends and allies have never heard of it!

The Democratic Party seems resistant to the “successes” it has.   They (Mamdani for example) threaten the established order.   This is good!

We men fear women a lot more than they fear us – beyond some individual relationships we have.

We white people fear Black People far more than they fear us.

We seem to falsely believe that “they” will seek revenge – retaliating for the harm we’ve caused!   This is rarely true!

Where does the “fear of the other” come from?   It comes with hatred and disconnection.

“Go back to where you came from” – is spat out at immigrants.

We – white people – invaded Native Lands in North America.

Should I return to Germany because my father was born in Berlin?

Should, I return to Russia-Poland – because my mother’s parents emigrated from there.

Our worlds are changing – as we upper-middle class white men become increasingly irrelevant in an increasingly diverse world around.

The People of The United States often refuse to learn “our history”!   We brought enslaved people to “do the work”.  It is no coincidence that Mississippi was the wealthiest state in the U.S. when the Civil War began.   The enslaved – “cost little”.   Wars – build up the wealth of a lot of already wealthy people.   Our wars – cost us a lot – with relatively little gain!

How many of these people do you know of and learn from?

Angela Davis

Rashid Khalidi

Rashida Tlaib

August Wilson

Jacob Lawrence

Noura Erakat

James Baldwin

bell hooks

Paul Kivel

George Hrbek

Hajo Meyer

Howard Zinn

Anne Braden

Note:  CNN and MS Now – rarely if ever will interview them, if alive, or share their work – if             they are no longer with us!

Several days ago I had an interesting conversation in my Chicago neighborhood with an 84 year old gay white man and his 66 year old partner.   They described themselves as “independents” who supported Donald Trump.   Underneath it all was their intense dislike of Joe Biden.

While we agreed on some things, I can’t imagine being allies or friends with them!

Meanwhile – I find meaning in my work as a clinic escort at an abortion clinic.   My mutual aid work Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings – helps my heart and soul.   Israel’s first Nobel Laureate was my great-uncle, yet I STRONGLY oppose the genocide enabled by The leadership of the U.S – and enforced by the Israeli-Jewish establishment and leadership!   Reckon With                 (https://www.reckonwith.org/) – Karen and Laurel – my fellow triad members – are wonderful allies I love dearly, though I may never meet either of them in person!   White Men for Racial Justice (https://www.wmrj.org/) is the only national white men’s group that gives me hope.  From our website:

As unprecedented multiracial uprisings for racial justice erupted across the U.S., a few of us were in conversation with Black women who asked, "Where are the White men?"

We cause an unbelievably high amount of the harm worldwide and at home, where we live, work, and “do our thing”.   Hopefully – we will reach far more of the Young Men – who are eagerly recruited by “the right”.

It is time that we begin to listen, really listen deeply, and start learning and using our learning to help build a better world!