The White Establishment

[commando]

Sometimes, you just have to wonder how the human race has survived this long!

 

we propagate faster than we can kill ourselves?

[knapplc]

 

Creating a culture of victimhood is a great way to establish control over a populace. Convince them they're being oppressed, tell them you've got the solution, and they'll let you get away with murder.

 

The trick is that the targets have to be discerning enough to grasp what's happening and resist.

 

Which side are you talking about here? Perhaps both?

 

 

I'm not talking about "sides," I'm talking about people. It's interesting that you took that as directed at a specific "side," though.

[ZRod]

 

Sometimes, you just have to wonder how the human race has survived this long!

 

we propagate faster than we can kill ourselves?

And we killed the Neanderthals off.

[Landlord]

 

 

Creating a culture of victimhood is a great way to establish control over a populace. Convince them they're being oppressed, tell them you've got the solution, and they'll let you get away with murder.

 

The trick is that the targets have to be discerning enough to grasp what's happening and resist.

 

Which side are you talking about here? Perhaps both?

 

 

I'm not talking about "sides," I'm talking about people. It's interesting that you took that as directed at a specific "side," though.

 

 

 

It's not that interesting. It's in a thread critical of the Republican party.

[Enhance]

 

 

 

 

I haven't listened to that show in a very very long time. Probably 7-8 years.

 

As a middle aged white male, this attitude that is expressed in that picture totally baffles me. I honestly don't understand it. I honestly would like to have someone explain to me how that in any way expresses what a conservative should believe.

I don't really understand it, either. I would've liked to have heard all of O'Reilly's segment there to get a better grasp of what he was saying.

 

The white male, as a whole, is the single most privileged group of people in the entire country and that probably will never change, at least in my lifetime. But, I guess there are some out there who might argue the "White Establishment" is what keeps this country functioning. It's a load of rubbish but there you have it. We've seen people on this very board argue that the white man is an underprivileged group facing discrimination, which might be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

 

If broadening our societal scopes to allow more ethnicities and races the opportunity to flourish and grow this country is discriminatory against the white man... then diversifying your retirement portfolio is discriminatory against your 401K.

 

But, I don't get where the "white" comes from when discussing this.

 

Sure, there are some establishments that were started by nothing but white people because they were started back when black people had not access to anything. But, that isn't the case now (legally). It just doesn't even cross my mind when I'm doing something that...."Well.....this is within a white establishment and I'm damn glad there aren't any black people".

 

What is a "white establishment" that these people think should be preserved for the betterment of the country?

Well, the "white establishment" basically references how white people are the dominant group of citizens in this country holding power/influence in government and business.

 

So, and I may be off base here, but the theory is that this establishment needs to be sustained and preserved in order to the keep the country afloat, moving in a positive direction financially/morally, etc.

 

That is absolutely so foreign to my way of thinking that you might as well be speaking a different language.

 

What is amazing to me is, I would expect this from some uneducated person who hasn't traveled outside their small little town. But, to see someone like O'Reilly foster this......baffles me.

Intelligence doesn't always correlate to ethics or morals. Some of the most intelligent people in the world are responsible for the worst atrocities in human history.

 

O'Reilly also gets paid to be a conservative talking head. But, I agree with your overall point - it is shocking, disappointing and disheartening to see influential people foster these kinds of thoughts.

[knapplc]

O'Reilly wouldn't be talking about the White Establishment over and over if it didn't sell to his audience.

[TGHusker]

Like BRB, I really don't understand were O'Reilly is coming from - I don't/can't relate to it. Regardless, the culture is changing - in a short time the 'white' portion of our country will be a minority and the majority will be a mix of 'minorities'. Get over it. That doesn't make it bad. We'll soon have an Hispanic president (Rubio 2020! or someone else during the next 10 years). Us white guys have got to get use to it being different and help the good in the different to rise to the top.

[BigRedBuster]

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't listened to that show in a very very long time. Probably 7-8 years.

 

As a middle aged white male, this attitude that is expressed in that picture totally baffles me. I honestly don't understand it. I honestly would like to have someone explain to me how that in any way expresses what a conservative should believe.

I don't really understand it, either. I would've liked to have heard all of O'Reilly's segment there to get a better grasp of what he was saying.

 

The white male, as a whole, is the single most privileged group of people in the entire country and that probably will never change, at least in my lifetime. But, I guess there are some out there who might argue the "White Establishment" is what keeps this country functioning. It's a load of rubbish but there you have it. We've seen people on this very board argue that the white man is an underprivileged group facing discrimination, which might be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

 

If broadening our societal scopes to allow more ethnicities and races the opportunity to flourish and grow this country is discriminatory against the white man... then diversifying your retirement portfolio is discriminatory against your 401K.

 

But, I don't get where the "white" comes from when discussing this.

 

Sure, there are some establishments that were started by nothing but white people because they were started back when black people had not access to anything. But, that isn't the case now (legally). It just doesn't even cross my mind when I'm doing something that...."Well.....this is within a white establishment and I'm damn glad there aren't any black people".

 

What is a "white establishment" that these people think should be preserved for the betterment of the country?

Well, the "white establishment" basically references how white people are the dominant group of citizens in this country holding power/influence in government and business.

 

So, and I may be off base here, but the theory is that this establishment needs to be sustained and preserved in order to the keep the country afloat, moving in a positive direction financially/morally, etc.

 

That is absolutely so foreign to my way of thinking that you might as well be speaking a different language.

 

What is amazing to me is, I would expect this from some uneducated person who hasn't traveled outside their small little town. But, to see someone like O'Reilly foster this......baffles me.

Intelligence doesn't always correlate to ethics or morals. Some of the most intelligent people in the world are responsible for the worst atrocities in human history.

 

O'Reilly also gets paid to be a conservative talking head. But, I agree with your overall point - it is shocking, disappointing and disheartening to see influential people foster these kinds of thoughts.

 

But, that's my point.

 

What part of being a "conservative talking head" points him in the direction that (from what I can see in this picture) talks about how important it is that white people remain the most powerful race in the country?

 

Yes, I understand there is a large part of this that "plays to his audience". But, this is also something that he could have completely avoided and not brought up on his show and nobody would have said a word. But, he chose to bring it up.

 

Maybe it would help if I actually listened to the segment. I can't imagine it helping anything. But, I do know that sometimes a snap shot like this taken out of context can be totally different that what was actually discussed.

[knapplc]

I can't believe you have no idea why O'Reilly feels emboldened to say this, BRB. This is a path we've been going down in this country throughout the Obama presidency. We've had numerous discussions, which you've taken part in, about race relations.

 

How can you discuss race relations for the past year and have no clue why this is coming up? You may not agree with it, but you can't not know where this is coming from.

[BigRedBuster]

I fully understand the race relations issue.

 

And, I am fully aware this is an underlying attitude with many in our country.

 

My point is, I'm absolutely baffled that someone like O'Reilly would openly and point blank say it on a show like his.

 

Maybe I'm more utterly disgusted and disappointed.

 

This attitude should not be anywhere around a conservative thought process as a part of an agenda.

[Enhance]

This attitude should not be anywhere around a conservative thought process as a part of an agenda.

Agreed. I think there are a couple of prevailing perceptions surrounding the Republican party right now, whether they're fair or not, and some of them have been the perception for a long time:

 

- religious (specifically Christianity)

- anti-immigration

- anti-media

- white establishment

 

There are probably others and I'm not saying all Republicans rally around these causes, but I certainly believe this is how a lot of people view them right now.

[BigRedBuster]

Pretty much a bunch of things that don't fit together logically.

[Danny Bateman]

I've read a couple articles post-election that I think rightfully point out that the current GOP coalition that got behind Trump is such an incongruent, cobbled-together mess that they risk infighting over priorities blunting their momentum when they actually try to get things done. I think that's legitimate. I'm not saying that this voter base didn't line up behind their candidate-- the GOP always does-- but they are a motley crew ideologically and that's going to make it difficult to please all of them.

 

For instance, the religious right runs the risk of being disappointed unless they're fully satisfied with a strongly conservative Supreme Court choice. I can't see Trump going out of his way to push religious legislation at the federal level. It was kryptonite for popularity for people like Pence and McCrory in NC when they tried pushing it.

 

Long term, the risk is whether the dissonance between say, the Freedom Caucus, the more moderate establishment Republicans, and his actual voter base threatens to tear the coalition apart at the seams.

 

As for O'Reilly, he's a Fox News puppet that says controversial crap like this at least a few times a year to put himself in the news. He's monetizing his opinion like everyone else at Fox News. Controversy is profitable. Best to just ignore him.

[84HuskerLaw]

Bill O'Reilly, that sage pundit of all things conservative, once again opined on the downtrodden nature of the White Establishment. He did this during the 2008 or 2012 presidential election, and he's trotted out this heartwarming phrase once again.

 

 

What is the "White Establishment?" How does the "White Establishment" differ from the rest of America? Is it more or less American than non-White Americans?

 

What power does the "White Establishment" have? Where did it get this power? What right does it have to retain this power? How will it benefit America if it does retain this power?

O'Reilly is NOT a conservative. He is all over the spectrum in political and social terms and might best be described as an 'independent' although he can't truly be categorized in any way within the typical American political descriptors of radical left, left, moderate, independent, conservative and reactionary right. He is quite unpredictable on most any given issue of the day as that is his 'stock in trade' or modus operandi and apparently for some is an attraction that will induce them to tune in to his shows.

 

I am very conservative as most on this board who bother to read my long commentaries would surely know. He is NOT conservative on very many issues.

 

Not sure what he might be suggesting as to the phrase "white establishment'. That's a new one - in the past few days apparently - as I am very attentive and studied in the realm of American politics in general and most certainly with the issues of significance today.

 

Fox News used to be relatively conservative as compared to nearly all the other news networks with any meaningful audience. Not so much any more as it is apparent their marketing efforts are now targeting a wider audience as the liberal leaning networks seem to be fading and losing market share. Networks like MSNBC and CNBC have practically no viewership anymore and even CNN has faded over the past decade. Viewers are tired of the repetitive and blatantly biased coverage and are finding better, more informative sources for the national and international stories today. Sadly, it seems that liberals are seeking out 'news' sources that will simply reinforce their predetermined biases and ratify opinions already held, no matter what the 'facts' may be. I think it is quite telling that the liberal broadcasters have basically taking a siesta since the election as they can't find anything to put out that fits their agendas so they simply have clammed up.

[Landlord]

Jesus Christ.