One part of growing up as white evangelical woman I don’t quite think gets enough air time is being raised to be arrogant. It fits weirdly with a lot of gender issues in the church, which might not be why we talk about it. On one hand, girls and women are raised with a sense
@LauraRbnsn The same type of training has been used for racism. Poor white people are made to feel extremely inferior to wealthy white people, but are also taught they’re far better than people of color and esp. Black folks. So often, poor whites are the biggest cheerleaders for racism.
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn It often goes the other way too. Like there's a dichotomy. A lot of poor white folk live in diverse neighborhoods so they also learn solidarity. I'm not denying there's extremely racist poor white folk. I'm just saying it can go either way.
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn Absolutely true. White classism holds the door closed on poor whites, but our consolation prize is that we're supposed to be the gatekeepers. You may be poor white trash not deemed fit for white collar life, but at least you're better than *them.*
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn This conditioning started shortly after Trans-Atlantic slavery began. Poor indentured white servants began to conspire w/ black slaves & plan uprisings, so the ruling class had to find a way to ensure they viewed themselves as superior to them🙄
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn Came here to share this sentiment but also point out that this is also happening for the religious right, regardless of gender. The “arrogance”/superiority/entitlement is as much a function of white supremacy indoctrination as it is patriarchal indoctrination.
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn It’s this exactly. Remember what LBJ said “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn Yep. It was by design. Goes all the way back to before the American revolution. It was used to protect slavery. American racism was invented by capitalists.
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn See also Mexican Americans that aren’t even one generation removed from an immigrant being anti immigration and pro Trump/border wall
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn “The wages of whiteness” as DuBois phrased it. It’s more important to cash that check than align with your Black and brown neighbors/workers etc. to fight the real enemy.
@rgarton79 @LauraRbnsn As long as we’re being intersectional, let me put black men on blast. A lot of us (rightfully) feel mistreated and discriminated against, which we (wrongfully) interpret as a lack of moral worth. Who do we turn on? LGBTQ folks, sometimes immigrants, and especially black women.