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Promoted from the diaries by streiff. Promotion does not imply endorsement.
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Theatrical release poster, cropped
With the movie “Green Book” winning an Oscar, the recent release of the film “Captain Marvel,” and the fact that America apparently does not have enough to be angry about, another debate has erupted in the culture. According to some, these two movies, as well as many others, promote the “white savior” trope in which heroic white people come to the rescue of beleaguered people of color who are helpless to solve their problems on their own. Yes, it’s yet another way to race bait.
Many on the left have criticized these movies because they supposedly promote racist themes about the relationship between whites and minorities. So what exactly is the white savior? I’ll turn to everyone’s favorite progressive social justice warrior website, Everyday Feminism, for the answer. In this video, Celia Edell breaks it down nicely:
“A White Savior is a common trope used in books, films, and as a way of interpreting actual history. It’s also a perspective shared by many white people as we move through the world. In the simplest terms, it’s when a white character or person rescues people of color from their oppression. The White Savior is portrayed as the good one, the one that we’re meant to identify with as we watch or read these narratives.”
Edell argues that the white savior trope is harmful because it implies that minorities “always need saving, and that white people are the only ones competent enough to save them.” As a result, the white hero is tasked protecting these poor defenseless minorities from the “evil” whites who are hellbent on oppressing them. As a result, the person of color is entirely dependent on the white hero for their safety, security, and happiness.
Does any of this sound familiar?
It should, because Edell is more right than she might think. This is precisely what is happening in the world of politics today. The white leftist is the archetypical white savior whose calling is to rescue blacks and Hispanics from the bitter yoke of oppression at the hands of the evil whites, represented by conservatives. But it is a false reality as the white progressive savior belongs to the party that has caused the destruction of many communities which are predominantly populated by minorities.
Decades ago, civil rights leader Malcolm X gave a harsh, but apt description of white liberals, which he viewed as more dangerous than conservatives:
“The liberal is more deceitful than the conservative. The liberal is more hypocritical than the conservative. Both want power, but the white liberal is the one who has perfected the art of posing as the Negro’s friend and benefactor; and by winning the friendship, allegiance, and support of the Negro, the white liberal is able to use the Negro as a pawn or tool in this political ‘ football’ game that is constantly raging between the white liberals and white conservatives.”
Unfortunately, Malcolm X’s insight is still just as accurate today as it was back in the 1960s. The white progressive savior continues to pose as a friend of minorities, but in reality, they are using them as a useful political tool. It is why Joe Biden told a crowd of black Americans that Republicans wanted to “put y’all back in chains.” It’s why they argue that voter ID laws are racist because blacks can’t figure out how to obtain identification.
Moreover, by implementing programs that seem to be helpful, they are keeping many minorities dependent on the Democratic Party, which means they will continue to garner most of their votes. In this sense, the progressive left are the political pusher men and their policies are the opioids that provide short-term relief while quietly killing the communities in which they are implemented.
Programs like welfare are accomplishing one thing: Ensuring that impoverished minorities remain in communities mired with crime and poverty. If the progressives wish to be viewed as the people who are poor and helpless, then they need for people to be poor and helpless, right?
This isn’t to say that all white progressives are disingenuous; indeed, the majority of the rank and file leftists are acting out of good intentions. Most genuinely believe that they are helping blacks and Hispanics who are unable to help themselves. This is why they tend to push for lower standards for these individuals. It is what some have called the “soft bigotry of low expectations;” they do not view minorities as competent individuals who can achieve their own goals.
The white progressive savior is the personification of the most vicious type of racism; It is a prejudice that is even more insidious because it operates under the guise of benevolence. Most of these individuals are pushing policies that are killing blacks and Hispanics without even knowing it. The fact that they could be promptly called out and ostracized if they voiced any disagreement with the social justice mafia makes this philosophy even more ingrained in the collective psyche of the progressive left, and this is why the progressive left can never be a true friend to minorities.
[Editor’s note: No post on this subject would be complete without this video. I hope Jeff doesn’t mind–streiff.]
This article was originally published at The Culture Beat.
If you love or hate my take, then let me know on Twitter: @JeffOnTheRight
The post White Leftists And The White Progressive Savior Mentality appeared first on RedState.
