With regrets to Digital Underground and its song with the same title, the song is the same all over the world. We’re watching Britain adjust in both horror and glee as they realize what they’ve done, and make no mistake. They did it because of racism.
Oh they called it other things. They called it “Nativism”, “British Exceptionalism”, “Britain First”, “Nationalism” and the overreach of government. They were particularly upset by the EU’s unwillingness to let Britain arbitrarily write different immigration rules to exclude primarily African and West Indian emigre’s. The only thing remaining to be said (which some did say) was Make Britain White Again to make one feel right at home.
It would be easy as Americans who generally show little concern for or knowledge of the rest of the world, to think of racism as local. Some have declared racism actually over, and are steadily rewriting history to suggest it had never really been. The reality is much harsher. Racism is now, as prevalent as ever before, just sneakier. Slavery begat the Slave Codes which begat Jim Crow which begat Voter Suppression which begat Citizens United. Every attempt along the way to improve things with a Civil Rights Act or Voting Rights Act or Affirmative Action Program was later weakened or undone by the Congress, lower courts and often the Supreme Court which lets primarily older white men interpret the law of the land.
In Britain, the Brexit vote to leave the EU was almost all about immigration without regard to what else they say. Britain went from 7% minority to 14% in what seemed to it’s citizens to be less than a heartbeat. White nationalist’s voices grew louder and louder. Especially as minorities were no longer content to stay in their designated locations in major cities. These voices are not limited to Britain and the United States but are growing everywhere that once considered themselves white countries like France, Germany, Canada, Russia,Australia and more. Racism was the basis for Colonization which countries like France effectively continue, deriving great revenue by collecting alleged debt from their former colonies. Make no mistake that the “Nationalism” growing in the white world really means something else.
America you’re not alone, just perhaps a bit more sophisticated about it.” When your conservative leaders cry out, “American Exceptionalism”it’s racist. When they chant, “Build a Wall”… racist. “Make America Great Again”, you know what they’re saying. So now America, you can watch what happens when a country bites off a nose to spite its face. In November will you do the same?
ENIGMA IN BLACK 
Good post.
The tendency to racism at times of stress is deplorable. It’s not unusual in the UK. We were attacking ‘foreigners’ in the Middle Ages; Jews, Flemings, Dutch and later Huguenots, Germans and so forth. Our Celtic folks Scots, Irish and Welsh (that would be me) have virulent nationalist sections who like to blame the all of the English through a selective view of History. And so English just don’t help matters by acting to parody-type.
And of course we have the respectable racism of those who feel they are politically astute, and witty and progressive by attacking all things American. Apparently according to their tropes you were all responsible for the presidential election result (yep. according to some of their more strident posts and professional ‘comics’ the whole voter US basis is over-weight, intellectually challenged, carries at least two guns, believes in the literal word of The Bible) and there are those who argue you responsible for all the ills of the world- war in the Ukraine- US fault-no kidding.
In these times though we do have a slender fail safe which is a meld of media, left-wing or liberal political groups, ‘conservative’ business groupings (every one is a customer) and religious (an harassed minority in its own right in secular UK) organisations who will raise up a fury. This does not of course stop the mean spirited and violent personal attacks, but it does keep the flame of Tolerance alive.
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