In the last few weeks we have seen a spate of mass shootings caused by white men. While bad-faith actors in the media have pointed out a small minority of these shooters were not white, these shootings are ultimately the result of an ideology of white supremacy that promotes violence, hyper-sexualizes women, and encourages gun culture.
While some might claim that racism or prejudice are the biggest problems in our society, it is worth looking at the actual perpetrators of racism and prejudice. Empty platitudes like “Judge people on the content of their character, not their color” actively cause harm when we fail to recognize that it is one group throughout history that is responsible for virtually all the violence, racism, and pollution in our modern world. That group is white men.
It is white men who commit the vast majority of all mass shootings. It is white men who colonized the world, inflicting untold suffering on native populations. It is white men are responsible for racist “redlining” policies in cities that trapped BIPOC in poverty. It is white men who were responsible for electing Donald Trump and instilling fascism at the highest levels of government.
It is Democratic Socialism that offers an alternative. Unlike capitalism, which emphasizes profit above all, Democratic Socialism emphasizes wellbeing, equity, peace, and prosperity. Democratic Socialist legislation like the Green New Deal, if implemented, would work to radically eliminate inequality, provide universal healthcare, and reverse the effects of climate change.
White people invented capitalism. BIPOC lead the Democratic Socialism movement; an authentic Democratic Socialist movement has no room for white leaders. You cannot rely on the oppressors to eliminate oppression. White people’s biggest contribution to the world has been genocide, colonization, and patriarchy. BIPOC, whose cultures emphasize egalitarianism and respect for nature, must be at the forefront of our movement.
While I personally will not call for violence against white men, as a white woman, I am not in a position to judge how oppressed and enslaved peoples react to their oppressors. I believe that white men should instead practice self-erasure, which means ceding property and generational wealth to Black and Brown people, as well as abstaining from having children. (Some white men think they should have children with BIPOC, but this can actually cause harm—white fathers are not equipped to raise BIPOC children or guide them through the adversity they will face in life).
I don’t mean to sound hyperbolic, but in our phase of late capitalism, the world risks complete destruction in as soon as 15 years. The climate crisis will create over 2 billion refugees and coastal states like Florida will disappear forever. It is imperative that whites and white-adjacent people—such as East Asians, Ashkenazic Jews, and light-skinned Hispanics—work to practice self-erasure and vote for Democratic Socialist politicians, while being careful not to take up space in the movement.
Only when white people have ceased to become a “race” will we be able to achieve Democratic Socialism.
