This issue has bothered me for decades. America has all sorts of problems that need to be addressed. Racism and sexism are at the top of the litany of social issues that have been ignored since European whites came to North America.

Slavery started in Jamestown.

Racism and sexism are essentially the same problem. In both negativisms, one is born into a group. You are born white and male, or you are born into another racial group and a female. One’s birth determines one’s place in our American mindset socially, religiously, and psychologically.

One’s value as a person is controlled by the happenstance of where a sperm cell is at conception. One’s place in our society isn’t based upon what a person does in life. Our value as a person is predetermined at the moment of conception. If that doesn’t seem to you as an absurd basis for evaluating a person, you are both a racist and sexist.

I began college at the same time whites joined blacks in the modern civil rights movement. However, Rosa Parks started the civil rights movement in the mid-50s. Interestingly, a century before, Elizabeth Jennings went through a similar situation. A white cop threw Jennings off a trolley in New York City, which occurred before the Civil War. The Civil War was an attempt to address slavery, discrimination, and racism.

However, our unresolved issue of racism is front and center in America today, especially within the Republican party…the party of Lincoln. The poster child for voter suppression of people of color is Gov. Abbott of Texas. The Texas legislature passed one of the most restrictive voting rights bills in the country. It doesn’t allow 24-hour or drive-through voting. The bill prohibits mailing absentee ballots applications and has additional identification requirements on mail-in ballots. Additionally, only certain groups can use mail-in ballots like people who are out of town, disabled, or over 65.

This new voter suppression law was passed by primarily white males. There are 83 Republican house members; all are white except for two Asians, one black, and one Hispanic. On the Senate side, 100% are white males.

It looks like all white males at the signing. Hmmm.

This is where the issue of racism overlaps with sexism. In Texas, an anti-abortion law that took effect on September 1st bans abortions after 6-weeks of pregnancy. Additionally, ordinary citizens sue abortion providers and anyone that provides help to a woman getting an abortion. It includes a driver that assists the woman to get to a clinic. There are also bounty hunters, who can be rewarded with $10,000 or more for disclosing information about a woman getting an abortion and those that “aid or abet” her.

This was the signing ceremony of that legislation. Obviously, all the 36 female Republicans of both houses were present. Abbott took this opportunity for a photo opt of the Republican women of the 181 members of the Texas legislature. As for ethnic diversity, the Texas house has two Asians, one black, and one Hispanic, who are females. The rest are white.

Signing of the Heartbeat Bill

While I am a white male, it is obvious that both bills are racist and sexist. It is also clear that those who voted for either bill are also racist and sexist. This mindset of Abbott and the Republicans in Texas is based upon the notion of white supremacy. White supremacy isn’t limited to Texas; it is endemic throughout America. White males want to control the country.

That raises the question, why? Why are there people who want to maintain dominance over others? And the reason is….

White racists and sexists feel inferior to other ethnic groups and females. They fear that those others will best them in life. They feel inadequate in the workforce, athletics, marriage, and life in general. If racists and sexists can control other racial and ethnic groups and women, they will feel macho. America is no longer all white immigrants from Europe. Even when America was white European immigrants, whites, who were here first, didn’t like the newer white Europeans from other countries. Actually, they didn’t like groups from their own country.

Therefore, white supremacy inherently won’t work. Even though white supremacy won’t be achieved in the long run, they are killing people who aren’t white.

As for sexism, white supremacists see women as objects or possessions. Regardless of either racism or sexism, we need to address this dual negativism…now.

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