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Generic Confusion

When you leave, my blog just fades to grey
Nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma nu ma iei


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Saturday, December 28, 2019

Something like white supremacy

A crude post from an Internet figure, edited for grammar, spelling, and language:

2019. I was supposed to be on a starship by now, conversing with intelligent robots, deciding to what sort of body I'd like to upload my immortal consciousness. Instead we're all still on this rock, wondering how to placate the white working class. I will never forgive the troglodytes who stole the future I EARNED to prolong their worthless existence.

I'd oppose this statement if made by an astrophysicist or a researcher in AI, but at least they'd be in a position to make it. But this statement here was made by an amateur film reviewer. [Amateur as in not employed in the role; to the extent he makes money from his passion, it's due to YouTube, a platform he had no role in building.]

This is a lot like the position held by white supremacists. And here's how.

This person is urban, liberal, and college-educated. In the absence of any notable contribution to the advancement of the world, he identifies with other urban, liberal, college-educated people who have made these contributions. And because he has these traits, he should be on top, and the fact that he hasn't succeeded means the other must be responsible for his failures. The other, in this case, is the working class, and his attitude towards them is dark indeed ("worthless existence").

Now think about how white supremacists are generally unsuccessful and blame their failures on the presence of minorities, with the same feeling that the world would automatically be a better place without minorities.

Both views require an incredible amount of cognitive dissonance, both to excuse their own failures and write off the success of the "other" group.

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