[ttfkam]

Imagine you were a Black woman born in late 1865. You were among the first never to have known slavery. You witnessed the first Black folks elected to Congress and even considered it normal.

Then Reconstruction ends with a whimper. Burning crosses are showing up everywhere. Thousands flee north as a reign of terror grows. Your voting rights are curtailed then eliminated. When Black folks are elected, they are driven out of office by gunfire, and the federal government does nothing. You were never eligible for the same jobs as white folks, but now you can't even drink from the same fountains.

Would you say that woman lives in a democracy/democratic republic or a fascist hellscape?

Then some legislation is passed. The folks wrongly accused remain in jail, the dead remain dead, and the ones who killed them are never brought to justice. The change is considered an injustice by many, who leave their political party in droves and welcomed by the other party in a "Southern Strategy."

Things seems to quiet down a little though representation in media either wholely excludes her descendants or disproportionately shows them on shows like "Cops". The history of that legislation is watered down and most of the details of what happened before are not taught in schools. Some public schools even have teachers arguing the authoritarianism was justifiable. See: Lost Cause.

Then a man with her skin color is elected president. Those same people who claimed that the presidency must hold certain moral and capability requirements are confronted with a man with all required qualifications and then some.

After his largely scandal-free tenure, those same folks, many of whom were alive and among those forced by the National Guard to treat people with his skin color as a human being, gave up all pretense to morality and competence in the presidency to elect a man who had neither.

And then we he lost re-election, they attempted to storm the Capital and kill those that would replace him. This was not quiet either. Folks brought lumber and BUILT a gallows where they chanted for the Vice President to be hung for his lack of loyalty to the outgoing president.

Did I mention the man with a knee on his neck for the better part of ten minutes, whose murderers would have gotten away with it had it not been for uncut civilian video footage of the event from multiple angles?

Or the woman shot in her bed with no one held to account for her death?

Or the literally dozens of instances off the top of my head where a police officer kills or maims someone ON VIDEO with only a slap on the wrist if that?

How about elected officials publicly stating that homosexuality or being trans should be a capital crime?

Or legislation popping up around the country that bodily autonomy is a fundamental right in law unless you are female between approximately the ages of 12 and 50.

I'll restate: racism and sexism and homophobia are all examples of fascism that haven't hit wealthy white men yet.

And unfortunately poor white men and white women in general have failed to recognize the difference between power and proximity to power. To everyone's detriment.

[the_drunkard]

That's a lot of text, but I fail to see your point. Is there one?

In keeping with the spirit of the author; freedom is not a goal, but a direction. And broadly speaking, we're moving in the right direction.

Unfortunately, you sound like you've become somewhat of a zealot. A byproduct of being spoon fed rage via the nightly media /twitter cycle.

Statistically there's one specific group of peoples that drive a disproportionate amount of violent crime. Specifically murder, rape, robbery, and assault.

Raw data is here: https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-...

I think stepping back and realizing how far we've come, not only as a country but also globally is worth recognizing. Harboring venom from past wrongs won't do you any good; if anything it appears to be obfuscating the present.

[ttfkam]

We literally have folks in office that called a violent insurrection during a peaceful transition of power following a democratic election "just tourists".

And that's not counting the elected officials who actively abetted the insurrection.

And most members of their party are pissed at the few who are willing to call it what it was: a violent insurrection attempting to overthrow the democratically-elected government.

I think you overestimate "how far we've come."

[ttfkam]

For reference, I was born less than ten years after my parents' marriage was made legal across the US.

I am not yet 50 years old.

Ruby Bridges only recently became eligible for Social Security. Many of the people who fought to keep her out of the classroom are still alive today. They are elected officials. They taught in the schools. They raised their kids.

Now ask yourself if a law passed today would change your mind on an issue that's important to you.

[NikolaeVarius]

> I'll restate: racism and sexism and homophobia are all examples of fascism that haven't hit wealthy white men yet.

lolwut

You can't call something you think is bad, and just make the conclusion its the same thing as something else you think is bad. And just make it self evident.

[ttfkam]

I guess we've found the person who considers it debatable whether people of color or homosexuals should be treated as human beings.

Please note I never said that wealthy white men should be considered lesser. Simply that policies put in place by wealthy white men have clearly caused harm throughout US history.

People of color never signed off on redlining.

There has not been legislation giving non-white male folks more rights than anyone else, but there have been many many laws seeking to limit their rights relative to others.

Loss of privileges other do not have is not the same as oppression. (Though it often feels that way to the privileged.)