Writing in The American Mind, Thomas D. Klingenstein muses about racism in America today. It is the text of a speech he delivered at the Women's National Republican Club and parts of it are strong stuff indeed. Hat tip to RealClearPolicy for the link.
The following will be viewed by many as controversial, and by even more as things better left unsaid, even if true. Thank the First Amendment for his ability to say them anyway.
We know that patriotism, hard work, personal responsibility, secure borders, and moral virtue are not, as the woke Left contends, racist ideals. Rather, they are the means to a happy, free, and prosperous nation.
We know that, by and large, it is not racism but culture that causes outcome differences. But the woke make it very difficult for the rest of us to say it, because if it’s culture that explains outcome differences then the blame rests not on whites but on blacks.
Author Klingenstein is a principal in a New York investment firm, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Claremont Institute, and a playwright.
Later ... If you wonder about the above quote, check out Steven Hayward's charts here from Power Line, showing that black immigrants from the Caribbean and South America are no more likely to live below the poverty line than the U.S. average for all peoples. The difference ... culture.
