Thought-provoking NYT article about 2016 political turmoil reflecting White identity crisis in USA and Europe
Behind 2016’s Turmoil, a Crisis of White Identity, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/world/americas/brexit-donald-trump-whites.html, Nov. 1st 2016, by Amanda Taub.
The article notes the rise of the right-wing in 2016 in countries like USA, Britain, Norway, Hungary, Austria and Greece. It views "white anxiety" as a major factor fueling this rise. The whiteness is not limited to skin colour but includes tradition and religion. [Ravi: The article does not use the term Judeo-Christian but perhaps implies it in some way. Note that some of the candidates in the Republican primary contest for USA presidential nominee openly talked about promoting and supporting Judeo-Christian values in the USA. These candidates included Dr. Ben Carson, an African-American (not white skinned person).]
But the article notes that the Brexit result and the rise of the right-wing in the above mentioned countries have multiple contributory factors (other than just white anxiety).
It quotes Prof. Kaufmann from University of London, saying that questions like "Is it not ‘our’ nation anymore, ‘our’ meaning the ethnic majority?", are important for people now even if they are not explicitly articulated. Such questions go against multiculturalism which was in vogue in the past few decades in the Western world.
A Norwegian professor, Ivarsflaten, is quoted saying that the data indicates that identity politics is associated with this rise of the populists (far-right parties).
The article says that academics view identity as a combination of "achieved" identity (associated with personal effort (and achievements, I guess)) and "ascribed" identity (associated with innate characteristics). The decline of Western manufacturing and industry which impacted working-class towns very badly, has affected the achieved identity of white working-classes in the West.
A small extract from the article:
"Her subjects [Ravi: rural Louisiana communities studied by Arlie Russell Hochschild, which she wrote about in her Sept. 2016 book, “Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right”] felt like they were waiting in a long line to reach the top of a hill where the American dream was waiting for them. But the line’s uphill progress had slowed, even stopped. And immigrants, black people and other “outsiders” seemed to be cutting the line.
For many Western whites, opportunities for achieved identity — the top of the hill — seem unattainable. So their ascribed identity — their whiteness — feels more important than ever."
--- end small extract ---
The article refers to the mantra, "I want my country back", which it says is "voiced over and over" in Trump rallies and populist party events in Europe including pro-Brexit events. It says that this mantra relates to wanting back (majority ethnic) culture. [Ravi: I guess that means that when people say "I want my country back" in these political party events, what they mean is that they want their majority ethnic culture to become dominant again, and perhaps see people from that majority ethnic culture & group in positions of power in their countries. Note that Barrack Obama, president of USA, is not from the majority ethnic group (white) in the USA. And neither is Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, from the majority ethnic group (white) of United Kingdom.]
[I thank nytimes.com and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above short extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
The article notes the rise of the right-wing in 2016 in countries like USA, Britain, Norway, Hungary, Austria and Greece. It views "white anxiety" as a major factor fueling this rise. The whiteness is not limited to skin colour but includes tradition and religion. [Ravi: The article does not use the term Judeo-Christian but perhaps implies it in some way. Note that some of the candidates in the Republican primary contest for USA presidential nominee openly talked about promoting and supporting Judeo-Christian values in the USA. These candidates included Dr. Ben Carson, an African-American (not white skinned person).]
But the article notes that the Brexit result and the rise of the right-wing in the above mentioned countries have multiple contributory factors (other than just white anxiety).
It quotes Prof. Kaufmann from University of London, saying that questions like "Is it not ‘our’ nation anymore, ‘our’ meaning the ethnic majority?", are important for people now even if they are not explicitly articulated. Such questions go against multiculturalism which was in vogue in the past few decades in the Western world.
A Norwegian professor, Ivarsflaten, is quoted saying that the data indicates that identity politics is associated with this rise of the populists (far-right parties).
The article says that academics view identity as a combination of "achieved" identity (associated with personal effort (and achievements, I guess)) and "ascribed" identity (associated with innate characteristics). The decline of Western manufacturing and industry which impacted working-class towns very badly, has affected the achieved identity of white working-classes in the West.
A small extract from the article:
"Her subjects [Ravi: rural Louisiana communities studied by Arlie Russell Hochschild, which she wrote about in her Sept. 2016 book, “Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right”] felt like they were waiting in a long line to reach the top of a hill where the American dream was waiting for them. But the line’s uphill progress had slowed, even stopped. And immigrants, black people and other “outsiders” seemed to be cutting the line.
For many Western whites, opportunities for achieved identity — the top of the hill — seem unattainable. So their ascribed identity — their whiteness — feels more important than ever."
--- end small extract ---
The article refers to the mantra, "I want my country back", which it says is "voiced over and over" in Trump rallies and populist party events in Europe including pro-Brexit events. It says that this mantra relates to wanting back (majority ethnic) culture. [Ravi: I guess that means that when people say "I want my country back" in these political party events, what they mean is that they want their majority ethnic culture to become dominant again, and perhaps see people from that majority ethnic culture & group in positions of power in their countries. Note that Barrack Obama, president of USA, is not from the majority ethnic group (white) in the USA. And neither is Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, from the majority ethnic group (white) of United Kingdom.]
[I thank nytimes.com and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above short extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
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