You Don't Have to Hate People of Color to Be a Racist

Why are some people worried about non-white immigrants infiltrating our country? It has long been known that education and economic prosperity reduce family size. We are even starting to see this in countries like India and China, which previously were devoid of a middle class. It should come as no surprise, then, that European white people are declining in numbers faster than their counterparts in economically depressed, mostly non-white countries.

Working alongside this statistical population fact, we have a situation in which many families require two incomes to maintain the family prosperity that we’ve come to expect. Some might couch this as the result of feminism. I would argue that feminism may have made it so that women can have more opportunities for a professional career, but it did nothing to influence the fact that many women now need to work. Generally, working women don't raise large families.

While these two conditions don’t specifically target white people, it so happens that the historical privilege that white people have enjoyed globally works against them when it comes to population size. Some estimates put the global white population at approximately 16%. In an increasingly mobile world, we can expect some dispersion of the other 84% of the population. 

It’s no wonder some people have adopted The Great Replacement Theory to explain what’s happening. They think there is some cabal of neo-liberals plotting and scheming to take away the historical power that white people have enjoyed. Even if such a cabal existed, they ought to be out playing golf or something because their services are not needed for dispersion to continue.

The United States is still the greatest country on Earth. There are three main pillars of power: economic, military, and infrastructure. Arguably, our infrastructure is aging and no longer the best in the world, but two out of three is still enough to keep us in the lead.

Some argue that America is no longer great, so we need to make it great again. The facts don’t support this. These same people want to cut off the flow of immigrants. Who knows better than those attempting to emigrate here that America is still the land of opportunity? Folks, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say we’re not great while millions fight to get here every year. 

Part of our greatness has always been the advantage of having hardworking immigrants who come here to build the life they see others here enjoying. Their creativity and willingness to take risks have brought us many, if not most, of our greatest achievements as a nation. 

Bigotry has only slowed this effect. Some white people argue that the slide from a majority will make this country worse. But if we suppress the greatness of non-white people in this country, how does that help us? It's not about the color of our skin, but the content of our character and the ideas we bring. How many ideas that make us stronger in different ways will never see the light of day because someone wasn’t given a fair chance to see their ideas blossom? We need to ensure everyone has a fair chance to contribute to our collective greatness.

Our focus on immigration should be on managing the flow of people to support our economic needs. This is not about exclusion, but about ensuring that we can provide opportunities for those who want to contribute to our society. There are many low-wage jobs in the agriculture and service industries that we simply don’t have enough people here to fill. On the other end of the economic spectrum, we have extraordinary, intelligent people worldwide who want to come here and bring their skills and expertise. Whatever color their skin, they make our country stronger for their presence. We should welcome them and make them feel like this is their home, too.

If that makes you uncomfortable, stop off at the next mirror. You are a racist!