If I’ve learned one thing, it’s always a good idea to call people out on their racism. You would think we would be far past it as a society. However, so many red states continue to use rhetoric that shows us racism is alive and well. But a liberal activist in Oklahoma is going much further than that by arguing that White people in red states are far more comfortable with racism, which she shared on CNN.
Jennifer Welch shared on CNN her experience with White people and racism in red states, which a clip of was shared by TikTok user Johnny.chowdhury1. Jennifer says she’s a White woman who has lived in a red state her “entire life.” She goes on to say, “When I’m around White people, they test the racist water,” while another CNN reporter nods in response. Jennifer then says, “Literally this August, a White person said the ‘n-word’ right in front of me.”
Racism in so many red states goes back all the way to Jim Crow laws. In our history, we had something known as Southern Strategy. This was a conservative strategy used back in the 1960s to try to appeal to White voters based on racism. By endorsing segregation and discrimination against Black people, they were able to garner votes from racists.
And it’s a strategy still used by Republicans to this day, like using immigrants as scapegoats. Republicans constantly push the narrative that immigrants take up valuable resources or take jobs. For example, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson stated “illegal aliens” try to use Medicaid, despite being barred from it (unless they fall under special circumstances, like seeking asylum).
“Mexican here. I attended a predominantly all white high school in Los Angeles with entitled white brats. Many of them are very racist and play it off like it’s something fun to joke about. They are raised that way,” shared one commenter.
“As a born and raised southerner, the south is irredeemable,” another stated. Racism just happens to appeal to so many of them because this is what they were raised on. So, naturally, they’re comfortable being open about it.
