Petulant, Pious & Prosperous

By Tami Warren

Oppressed and restricted, the struggle for Caucasian men to gain equal footing has been a long fought battle that continues today.  Overcome by the sheer pressure of daily assaults on their very humanity, white men manage to somehow carry on. Hardest hit, is the prosperous white man, whose affluence is often used against him, it is no wonder we see these white men forced to aggressively defend themselves. No one actually believes this delusional piece of satire, except for the petulant, pious, prosperous white man (and maybe a few others). Watching a 53-year-old man, scream, complain, cry, and lie while interviewing for a job was astonishing. Here’s the kicker – he got the job. As a Black woman, everything I do is under a microscope, my words are never believed, unless verified by a white witness.

There is no way a Black woman (or any woman) could have exhibited the behavior displayed by Brett (a.k.a. Bart Beermaster) in front of a Senate Committee and receive any outcome other than dismissal from consideration. Yet, the 53-year-old white guy got the job. Double standard. Brett and his clan opine that one’s actions in youth are simply not applicable for condemnation. Yet the same clan of Caucasians have incarcerated young Black boys and Black girls, often in adult facilities for actions of their respective youth. Double Standard. Brett’s clan also declares that he was simply defending his name, not throwing a temper tantrum while spouting conspiracy theories. Yet when Black people march, speak out, stand up, or voice outrage to actual injustice, we are referred to as an angry mob or violent. Double Standard.

The seemingly consequence free world Caucasians appear to occupy reminds me of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, characters from Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby, brought to screen in 1974. Nick Carraway, beautifully portrayed by Sam Waterston, says in the film, “They’re careless people Tom and Daisy Buchanan. They smash things up and then they retreat back into their money, leaving other people to clean up the mess.” It looks like the wealthy act in real life in the same manner. As we continue to see white wealthy men, without righteousness nor fact on their side, shield themselves with their wealth and the expectation that one of us will disinfect their dirty deeds.

White men covet power without culpability, yet they see the uprising of an educated population, with emotional intelligence, facts and the understanding that the master class of white men are abusing power. There is a glaring light upon the double standards in our society we have been conditioned to normalize and accept. We must reject the Pavlovian conditioning that what is said and done by white men is the same as being good and right. No matter how close together in time these two stimuli are presented together for society to consume, we must stop salivating at the sight of white.