RACISM

The Great Replacement Theory is a Threat Against Single One of Us

We can no longer call this ideology extreme. It's all around us

Photo by Pedro Vit on Unsplash

Half of all Americans and 7 out of 10 Republicans believe in The Great Replacement Theory. So, we should be cautious about dismissing this theory as "fringe" or "extreme." The racist ideology which allegedly inspired Gendron Payton to shoot and kill 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket is not a bug in America's mainframe— it's a feature. It's time for Americans to accept that you can't count on every racist to wear a Klan robe, rock a swastika tattoo, or fly a Confederate flag from the back of their pick-up truck.

Intelligence agencies warned that the "biggest domestic terror threat comes from white supremacists." But unfortunately, while Black Americans have raised the red flag for generations, our society has become virtually obsessed with visuals. People want to see the pain and hatred up close and personal, and when they don't, they'll pretend it's not there. And those of us who see white supremacist domestic terrorism as a threat have a responsibility to break the rose-colored glasses, so many Americans carry on standby, starting with the highest office in the land.

In the aftermath of the Buffalo Massacre, Biden urged fellow Americans to reject "the poison of White Supremacy," speaking about this ideology's clear and present danger. However, Biden showed great hesitance in discussing the prevalence of racism in America in the past. For instance, while hate crimes against Black people and police brutality were on the rise, President Biden said, "I don't think the American people are racist." Polling suggesting half of Americans believe in The Great Replacement Theory shows Biden's rosy picture is nothing more than wishful thinking.

White Americans who feed into The Great Replacement Theory believe and, in some cases, spread racist lies about Black Americans, Latinos, and Muslim immigrants. Denying that America is racist is not much different from Trump's "fine people on both sides" comment. Instead of saying that White supremacists are fine people, Biden fed into the notion that racism is an anomaly. Whether intentional or not, politicians who speak about racism often obscure the reach of…