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November 23, 2016 Page 7 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. O PINION Building a New Populism in the Era of Trump We’re stuck in this together c huck c ollins Imagine you’re standing in line for the American Dream. You work hard, sometimes in dan- gerous jobs. You lead a moral life. But the line is stalling, even mov- ing backwards. Yet you see new- comers up front — some of them immigrants and people of color. Maybe you’ve worked all your life alongside African Americans and Latinos — more than most northern liberals have — but when you complain about people cutting you, those liberals call you racist. Worse still, they seem to look down on you because of your Christianity, or your South- ern culture. by That’s the worldview sketched out by sociologist Arlie Hoch- schild, a liberal professor who spent five years interviewing Louisiana Tea Party activ- ists. She made friends with them and stayed in touch as they got involved in the Trump campaign, an expe- rience detailed in her new book Strangers in Their Own Land. When Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters “deplor- ables,” Hochschild’s Tea Party friends heard a put-down they suspect liberal elites say about them behind closed doors all the time. Trump, on the other hand, never dismissed them as racists or rednecks. Instead, he blamed their problems on the line cutters. Unfortunately, neither Clinton nor Trump got at the real reasons the line isn’t moving. The fact is, over the last three decades, both Republicans and Democrats have helped shift America’s wealth to a small seg- ment of rich people and global corporations. They’ve each sup- ported a corporate “free trade” agenda and failed to do anything more than tinker with tax rules that accelerate inequality. The resulting economic inse- curity has given rise to both pro- gressive and regressive forms of populism. On the one hand, the Ber- nie Sanders campaign focused on how the rigged rules of the economy benefit billionaires and transnational corporations. On the other, Trump deflected blame away from the real holders of power and onto less powerful groups. In the general election, when Hillary Clinton became pegged as the status quo candidate, it shouldn’t have surprised anyone that Trump’s regressive populism won out. But Trump’s plans to deport immigrants while cutting rich people’s taxes will almost cer- tainly fail to address the underly- ing concerns of the non-wealthy voters who elected him. That leaves room for a more progres- sive populism to get the stalled- out line moving again. That means building coalitions between urban and rural workers to raise wages and expand op- portunities at the state and local levels. At the federal level, cam- paigns to tax the wealthy, create jobs by building new infrastruc- ture, and provide debt-free ed- ucation could win allies among Trump supporters. Meanwhile, progressive popu- lists should engage with Trump’s white supporters to explain that millions of black, Latino, and Native workers are stuck in line for many of the same reasons they are. Together they’ve all been held back by the 1 percent, though racism has made things far harder for people of color. Fighting racism is essential. But liberals shouldn’t assume that Trump supporters are too racist, too dumb, or too manipulated by the Koch brothers to vote in their real economic interests. Instead, like Hochschild did in Louisiana, they should take the time to understand the deep- er economic and cultural reasons people might distrust the Demo- cratic Party establishment and the broader liberal agenda. Because we’re only going to get the line moving again when we realize we’re stuck in it to- gether. Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Poli- cy Studies and a co-editor of In- equality.org, where parts of this essay previously appeared. He’s the author of the recent book Born on Third Base. Distributed by OtherWords.org. Reacting to the Stereotype, Not the individual ‘Before I was ever blue, I was black’ on our pigmentation, our style and our decoration. The truth in America, while we are advancing in certain parts of our society, there are areas where we by b obby f. k iMbrough J r . For the last 55 years of my life, are at a standstill. If law enforce- before I was ever blue, I was black. ment would be honest, they would admit there are still some cities that Undeniably black. fall under the good ol’ boy culture. I spent 30 years in As one presidential candidate called law enforcement, but before I was ever recognized as a senior spe- cial agent with the U.S. Department Justice, people saw a black man. Whether I speak to you from a perspective of a seasoned law en- forcement expert or an extremely proud black man born and raised in the 60s, I must give you what is true. The truth is there are times it, “locker room talk.” This kind of when the police deal with the ste- conversation goes far beyond gen- reotype instead of the individu- der and shows up in encounters peo- als. There are indeed times when ple of color have with law enforce- those on the inside of the system ment professionals. There is a distinct culture in law must ask themselves, Are we do- ing what is right or what is white? enforcement. And there is undeni- Conversely, there are times when ably a racist culture within a cul- the black man lives up to the ste- ture. Many people know it exists but have no clue to the depths of its reotype in grand fashion. In our society we function on impact. There is underground rac- the rules of law. Within those rules ism and unbridled hatred. Some do of law there is a moral justice that not realize how expansive it is until circles the universe which exists they become a victim of it. As a black man and a law en- or gets ignored. African Ameri- can males become the victim of forcement expert, I understand our the stereotypes of a white culture. cultural roots. I recognize the need Whether our adornment is given at for law enforcement to understand birth or dispensed over the count- the black community, along with er, we are often stereotyped based the Hispanic, Muslim and other eth- nic communities. If you look across is the only way to disarm and alter tired senior special agent with the America to those who protect and the system. U.S. Department of Justice. He is serve, many are doing good, but Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr. is a re- the author of “Surviving the Stop.” those who don’t skew the results. In order for us to change the current atmosphere between law enforcement and communities of color, we have to begin an ongo- ing dialogue that equips every- one with the knowledge to make Boss Hogg Christmas Tree Lot There is a distinct culture in law enforcement. And there is undeniably a racist culture within a culture. Many people know it exists but have no clue to the depths of its impact. sound decisions and take appro- priate actions. It is essential that police of- ficers get consistent training to manage their emotions when they come face to face with the stereo- types embedded in their minds. It is imperative that we teach chil- dren at the youngest ages in our school systems how to interact with law enforcement officers. It is the things we do not know that harm us and jeopardize our lives. We must educate ourselves in how law enforcement works and the fact that the system has issues. We must realize that sometimes the system reacts to the stereotype and not the individual. Moving forward, armed with knowledge, Any Doug Fir 5-7 ft. $25.00 Any Grand Fir 5-7 ft. $25.00 Any Nobel Fir 5-7 ft. $45.00 New location at MLK and Bryant
