By Steven J. Grisafi, PhD.
I see two solutions to America’s current crisis. One is simple, the other is complex. Neither is wrong. Both would work. The simple solution is to provide all police with plastic ankle restraints. Police apply handcuffs as a restraint upon the wrists. Police can be provided with leg restraints to be applied to the ankles. There would also be an optional plastic cord to link the wrist restraint to the ankle restraint. Then the suspect could only sit immobilized upon the ground. Police would then wait for a police van to transport the suspect.
The complex solution is to divide the nation into three, perhaps four independent nations. One would be designated for European Americans, another would be designated for African Americans, a third would be designated for Asian Americans, and another optional fourth nation could be designated nondescript. The fourth option would be adopted if a threshold is crossed with a sufficient number of people subscribing to that option. Each and every American would have the ability to choose which nation he or she desires to join, regardless of that person’s actual ancestry. The wealth and geographic area of the United States would be divided proportionality to each independent nation according to population. The African American nation would be paid a reparations bonus as compensation for the history of slavery. The independent nations would only be bound to one another through international treaty. However, they may choose to form a loose confederation amongst themselves similar to that of the European Union.
The simple solution would probably not satisfy Black Americans. They assert that the problem is racism. They are also acutely unaware of how much that accusation infuriates non-Anglo-Saxon, non-Protestants such as me. It wasn’t long ago (my own lifetime) that German-Americans did not consider Italian-Americans to be “White.” It is futile for me to try to explain the perspective of an American of European ancestry regarding the death of George Floyd because there is no one standard perspective. But regardless of whatever I could say, it would only be met with the retort that I do not understand the plight of the Black Man in America. So we need to seek a more comprehensive solution to our crisis. The complex solution would cause not only European Americans, but also Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and all other Asian Americans to pay reparations to the Black Man. How willing do Black Americans think Asian Americans are to pay reparations to the Black Man after they themselves endured discrimination? Yet, despite that, the Blonde-haired, Blue-eyed, Anglo-Saxon Protestant, Elizabeth Warren believes that African Americans descended from American slaves deserve compensation. Obviously, Elizabeth Warren pays little attention to the European Union. She does not see how reluctant her people, the “Nordics,” the people of her ancestral lands, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, are to share debt with the Spanish and the Italians. The only way persons such as me, whose ancestors played no role whatsoever in American Slavery, would agree to pay reparations, is to divide the nation.
Interestingly enough, a recent article published on the website of Deutsche Welle implored us all to disregard the concept of race. Yet the distinction of race is vital to American politics and the effort of Black Americans to receive compensation. The article argued that there are only gradients in human characteristics and that there do not exist any sharp distinctions between what we now classify as races. While this is certainly true one forgets that this is the result of interactions amongst the various peoples due to international travel that did not exist when the concept of race was developed. There has always been extensive migration across the Eurasian continent, which is the cause of the very obvious gradient in human characteristics persisting today across Eurasia. I made a curious observation when reading the news reports regarding the controversy during John McCain’s campaign for the presidency. It was reported that John McCain’s ancestors were slave owners. Then came news reports that so too were Barack Obama’s ancestors on his mother’s side. Similarly, there were reports that Mitch McConnell also has ancestors who were slave owners. Some of those news reports cited census data taken of the American people during the lives of these persons’ ancestors. What I noticed was that in the citations recording the census counts of the slaves owned by these persons’ ancestors was that the slaves were all listed as Mulatto. (Mulatto is the Spanish word for a person of mixed Black and White ancestry. It was not, and was never meant to be, offensive and there is no reason to consider it offensive now.) This observation I considered important because it indicated to me what we probably all knew but never spoke. Undoubtedly, every Black female slave purchased was raped by her owner. I say every and I mean ALL!. What we do not seem to have recognized is that there are very few (if any!) Black Americans who are not of mixed ancestry. This point is made ever clearer when one sees pure Sub-Saharan Africans. Their skin is much darker such that one can understand why they would be called black. Contrast the two and you will see that Black Americans are distinct from current Sub-Saharan Africans because most (if not all!) Black Americans have European ancestors.
While reparations may be a thorny issue, I am certain it could be agreed upon if we were to divide the nation. I suppose that many Americans would argue that division of the nation is too high a price to pay to placate those who argue that racism is the cause of their plight and those who disagree with them. When I consider that the original vision for this country had not imagined an overwhelming and overbearing Federal government superimposed upon the governments of the States, I can only disagree and argue that division is worth the cost. Of that which we would lose, the stature of world dominance, I would argue we do not need. We would circumvent an eventual decay of American supremacy through the establishment of remnants certain to survive. The love and pride George Washington once had for Virginia we would each retain for our portion of America. It would not be as it is today where nobody is satisfied how America stands. Then, if our institutions should become that which are preferred throughout the world, all would know that the achievement is due solely to their merits and not because of the size of our military force, as it may appear to some today.
So I ask each and every American, each of us all of myriad ancestry: Why would you not agree to this division of the United States? Why would you, African American, not agree to this division? Why would you, Asian American, not agree to this division? Both of you fail to see the vivid distinctions amongst Americans of European ancestry. Both of you fail to recognize the cultural differences amongst Europeans that has been the cause of discrimination and hatred for centuries. You both look at us as “White” while failing to see that we are not alike. You fail to recognize that all Americans struggle and that your struggle is no greater than mine. So let us divorce! Let us go our separate ways. You keep telling us how talented you are and that a mind is such a terrible thing to waste! So here is your chance. Seize the opportunity to prove to the abhorrent White Man just how truly great and wonderful you really are! Create your own America. For my part, we would be glad to be rid of you. You give us “No Peace,” we give you your own country to do as you please. We are ready to go Mano a Mano with you. We will rise to the challenge!