White Privilege

Pity the older conservative white heterosexual male in America who must face an existential identity crisis so shortly before His demise. Why couldn't 400 years of white male privilege have persisted just a few more years?

His demographic cohort is suffering increasing rates of stress-related illnesses and depression. Suicide rates among middle-aged men 45 to 64 increased by 43% over the last 15 years. Tragically, as Panderbear notes is ever the case with oppressors, His self-worth is founded on privilege. Having His privileged status eroded away is tantamount to His world turning upside down. Less deserving women and minorities demand parity in wages and promotions, not to mention all the advantages LGBT's enjoy. His conservative "Christianity" is fighting a rear-guard action to maintain its privileged status among US religions and to protect its fundamental "religious freedom" to discriminate against Muslims, minorities, and LGBT's. And the President doesn't look like Him anymore! Most devastating of all, by mid-century His race will be just another minority. The world He knows faces extinction. Little wonder His demographic is acting-out and checking-out in record numbers.

Perversely, political correctness would deny Him the satisfaction of pointing out why this loss of privilege is so unfair. After all, He earned it by arduously imposing four centuries of slavery, disenfranchisement, segregation, and institutionalized discrimination in housing, schooling, and employment. Why do minorities and women have to make so much trouble? Why can't they be satisfied with what He generously allotted them? After all everyone knows white males are smarter and work harder than minorities and women are unreliable because they are too emotional and get pregnant.

Thank God the "modern" Republican Party and its leading candidates for the presidential nomination, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, now openly embrace an agenda of white male, heterosexual, conservative "Christian" privilege, even garnering the support of white supremicists. Can the GOP give His world of white privilege one last respite? For how long? A generation? Long enough for Him to die with dignity? Possibly. As a student of changing demographics Panderbear knows that the end is inevitable even if the timing is uncertain. Say goodbye to perhaps the last generation of privileged white males. It's been a long, successful run, but all good things must end.