Racism is dead. And progressives have killed it. However, you will see no celebration for this monumental occasion. You will see no victory lap from progressives. This is soul-crushing news for progressives as they are forced to confront their existential crisis.
I have been meditating on the idea that racism is dead as a cultural phenomenon for some time. What caused me to put words to paper on the matter was the recent suggestion by progressives that tech mogul Elon Musk was a white supremacist because of his recent acquisition of the popular social media company Twitter. Progressive activist Shaun King claimed the purchase was “about white power.” He continues, “[Musk] was raised in Apartheid by a white nationalist,” suggesting that Musk consciously or unconsciously manifests white supremacy by promoting free speech and transparency on Twitter.
This idea that Musk is advancing white supremacy because he wants free speech to flourish is comical and deserves a laugh or two. King’s attitude towards Musk purchasing Twitter is precisely why racism as a cultural phenomenon is dead. And the claim that someone is racist in modernity is a joke to rational people.
There is no systematic racism and no white hooded creature in your closet. Progressives have removed the bed sheet floating in the air and found nothing (or potentially their own reflection) behind it. So, now they gesture at the wind.
Individuals like King mourn the death of racism. With it gone, they have no purpose. They have nothing that motivates them to get out of bed. However, one should not trouble progressives by reminding them of trivial issues like poverty, illiteracy, starving children, human trafficking, drug addiction, and crime which do not require their great and righteous mind. Can’t you see racism is dead, and they are in a state of despair! Their suggestion that Musk is a white supremacist is truly a cry for help.
Progressives walk the streets in the middle of the day with a lantern asking strangers if they know where racism is. But alas, they are too late. It is dead. It remains dead. “If only I was born in 1619!” the progressive cries to heaven.
In a move of pure desperation to find purpose, they create ghost stories like that of Musk secretly pushing a white nationalist agenda. What a fantastic narrative. Perfectly unfalsifiable.
On occasion, progressives come around with tweets claiming so-and-so is a white supremacist and such-and-such is systematic racism like Santa down a chimney bring gifts for all the indoctrinated boys and girls—but a bag of coal for the children that speak truth to ignorance. Progressives sit and watch society tear itself apart while enjoying their milk and cookies.
But this self-indulging high will not last for long. They will have to summon the spirit of the dead, again and again, ad infinitum. For what is increasingly becoming the average progressive, the alternative of not summoning the dead is one of unthinkable horror. Progressives dread the thought of having to face the reality of their mediocre existence. They dread having to tell the world they are not a victim. They dread seeing a person as an individual and not a member of some marginalized group. They dread the idea that the wealthiest African American in the world may care about free speech and equality. They dread the world where racism is dead.
So, let’s do away with the ghost stories and focus on other things for a while. Let the useless dead rest in peace. Let’s focus on those trivial things the average progressive is too high and mighty to concern themselves with today.
Joshua Peters is a philosopher and social critic from Raleigh, NC. His academic background is in western philosophy, STEM, and financial analysis. Joshua studied at North Carolina State University (BS) and UNC Charlotte (MS). He is a graduate of the E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders.