This story was originally published by Daily Montanan: URL: https://dailymontanan.com This story has not been altered or edited. (C) Daily Montanan. Licensed for re-distribution through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. ------------ The problem and the solution to old, White men (as told by an aging White man) – Daily Montanan ['More From Author', 'March', 'Darrell Ehrlick'] Date: 2022-03-31 00:00:00 The problem with old White men is other old White men. (And please, don’t bother pointing out that I am feeding into the stereotype by beginning a column with “the problem with …” a classic way for an old White man to begin a conversation. Old, White men just hate to be reminded that we’re sounding anything less than brilliant.) I say all of this as a rapidly aging White man. And, in many ways, I – along with many other old White men – must be the ones to say it. If it comes from any other source, say a woman or a person of color, what I am about to say can be too easily discounted. Yet it’s incumbent upon me, an older, middle-class, straight, Montana-born male to say it: The problem with our state leadership is old White men. Men, plural – not singular. In other words, the “I” is not as dangerous as the “we.” But it is time for the old White men in Montana, who have enjoyed the privileges of living in such a homogeneous state, to speak up and say, “Enough.” Many have already expressed their disgust, and it’s time for more to actively speak up and speak out. The demographics in the United States continue to shift, away from the once dominant White, European, Christian culture to something much more diverse in all categories from race to religion to gender. Unfortunately for so many older White men, if we don’t understand something, then it is labeled a threat. But understanding isn’t – and shouldn’t be – the point. Quite frankly, I don’t understand what it means to be transgender. My gender identity and sexuality have been amazingly straight, both literally and figuratively. I don’t comprehend how it can feel differently, but I don’t have to know or even experience something to believe it or comprehend it. The specific mechanics of gravity escape me, but yet, I know, trust and believe in them. But as America changes demographically and even culturally, that poses a threat to those values that always seemed timeless. What was, at one time, a given is now thrown into question. Yet the challenge is that our leaders, at so many levels of government, are old White men who see the changes not as something that makes us more diverse, more culturally rich, but as a threat to an arbitrary idea. What we’re seeing in the race to pass a bunch of laws that would restrict voting rights, discriminate against transgender individuals, are the last stands of old White men clutching the reins of power with a white-knuckled grip. These all have the same thing in common – reverting back to a time that literally won’t exist again, all without acknowledging the casualties of the cultural war they’re fighting. The results of that war are a near-fatal blow to civility and a sort of forced amnesia by some politicians who want us to forget that we share so many things in common, whether that’s a love of this land, a good beer, or even the truth that our democracy and the bureaucracies that have been so maligned, do, in fact, serve us well and are comparatively corruption free. As these lawmakers continue to push a record number of laws from voting rights to banning books, many of their actions share a common theme: They would not apply to old White men, and many of the lawmakers who support such legislation can run back to their like-minded social circles, ignorant of how their laws affect those who would be governed by the new laws. No lawmaker is going to have to vote in a different manner. No lawmaker has to check out books from a school library. And no politician is getting booted from a sports team. For example, four abortion laws and one law regulating transgender Montanans will likely not have any impact on old White men. Those laws restrict none of their actions, nor threaten any of their plans. It’s easy to pass laws when they don’t affect you – and for the record, they don’t do much more for us than give our staff at the Daily Montanan something to write about. Moreover, many of those laws won’t affect the communities in which they live. For example, their tough stance on sanctuary cities is nothing more than political theater because there were no plans for such a city in Montana. And with so few transgender athletes, it was unlikely the issue would even be relevant in their lifetimes. That’s precisely why it’s so problematic for old White men: If you don’t feel the effects of your own laws, it gives the dangerous idea that these new regulations, policies and laws have a minimal or little effect. Yet telling a woman how to regulate her body, or refusing a refugee in search of asylum or sanctuary, can mean the difference between life and death, just not for already established White old men in the Legislature. Something keeps ringing in my head about treating others as you’d want to be treated, and it seems to me that not many of these same freedom-talkin’ politicians would like being told what to do with their bodies or on what sports they can or can’t play. It’s also why I can’t help but stand up and say to my fellow Y-chromosomed White brethren: Stop it. We have an uncomfortable obligation to use the accident of our birth to ensure the same opportunities, freedoms and equality for those who have been marginalized, and those who continue to be relegated because of the legislation that distinctly and deliberately pits us against them. If the problem truly is old White men, then, ironically, the solution will have to be other old White men. [END] [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2022/03/31/the-problem-and-the-solution-of-old-white-men-as-told-by-an-aging-white-man/ Content is licensed through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/