May 15, 2017
Source: Bigstock
And now for the Mother of All Whiteness measures”the obsession with law and order, a well-known code word for white racism. These are the ostensibly race-neutral measures whites use to facilitate the over-incarceration of members of Seattle’s communities of color. Nearly all can be ended, and the really good news is that ending this oppression can generate revenue for programs to promote social justice.
For example, a tax will be levied on private security cameras (“electronic racial profiling”), private rent-a-cops, and all similar so-called “crime fighting” methods that stigmatize and stereotype shoppers of color. The predictable upshot will, thankfully, be less crime, and this will translate into budgetary savings redirected toward additional outreach for disadvantaged minorities. All and all, far cheaper than a criminal justice system dealing with repeat offenders who are, obviously, not deterred by security TV cameras or mall cops.
Happily, almost guaranteed, Seattle’s upscale white population will shrink and communities of color will flourish. Moreover, with an improved racial climate, additional people of color will undoubtedly flock to Seattle. This transformation will be particularly prominent in Seattle’s public schools, where the exodus of whites will open up classes for the gifted to once-excluded blacks and Hispanics. The demographic shift will also attract more culturally competent black and Hispanic teachers who reject the negative stereotypes of students of color, so academic performances will soar while school curriculums will now be more ethnically and racially inclusive.
To sum up, Mayor Ed Murray has it right but stops well short of an encompassing solution. The beverage tax is just the first step. Defeating white privilege is just a matter of taxing it out of existence, a win-win approach since everybody in Seattle will benefit.
