The Angry White Man by Bruce Tarleton
While perusing through a newsfeed the other day, I came across an article about the latest comments of Mr. Bill Clinton. In the article it was reported that Bill blamed his wife's loss to Trump's ability to attract Angry White Men. And I had to laugh. Allow me to explain.
The Angry White Man label has been around for a few years. But 8 years ago it didn't have the negative stigmatism that has been attached to it of late. In fact, I proudly wore the term myself for quite a while.
It was in 2008 that I read the term in an article in the Aspen Times. And it resonated with me. So much so that I used it as my screen name on that other News blog site. Those of you who know me from the NV days will remember that I was AngryWhiteMan63, or AWM for short.
The article was prophetic. It made sense then, and it makes sense now. The problem then was it was ahead of it's time. The article talked about Hillary and the 2008 election. Unfortunately, Hillary didn't receive the nomination then.
But she was the nominee this election cycle. And the article still resonates with truth. Written by Gary Hubbell, here it is in part:
Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians.
There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.
His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone ” just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard.
The victimhood syndrome buzzwords ” “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” ” don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding.
He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives.
The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn’t bother him.
The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina ” he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter.
His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.
He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch.
Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.”
He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.
He’s not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English.
Most important, the Angry White Man is pissed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement.
He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.
There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush.
He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum.
It's almost as if he wrote it for this election. One thing that strikes me is the fact that nothing has changed in the last 8 years, making this article just as current as it was when he wrote it in February of 2008.
So I have to wonder, did Bill read this article in 2008? Because I'm pretty sure he's not too far from the truth in blaming this demographic for his wife's failed bid.
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Red Box Rules: Only one. This article is not about race, or racism, or racists. DO NOT BRING THAT INTO THE DISCUSSION! PERIOD!
Bruce,
Matt is very much an alpha male, so when I read this I cracked up:
he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.
That would never be the description he would use about me or our marriage. It is a partnership. We are both rational beings. He is not intimidated that I am more educated, nor do I talk down to him, since he steadfast and strong. Maybe the angry white male is stuck in his father's decade, and hence why he is angry.
Many times I've told my wife she makes decisions based on her heart, where I would make decisions based on logic. And she agrees with that. I don't feel he's too far off in his statement. I feel he's stating that women tend to show more emotion than men.
I think both sexs have an emotional component to them. When they get emotional might be different. But when it comes to the big decisions, I never go with my heart, but with logic. So does Matt. He would be the first to say that about me, too.
Some day, I'll tell you the story of our 2 new puppies. It was truly a decision of the heart on my wife's part.
How do you figure? He used the term "angry white men", which is the very topic being discussed.
"white men" is a racial term, obviously.
Race meaning white vs black. Which is the only paradigm you understand John.
The article is about men vs women.
Which is appropo since the losing candidate ran on that platform.
The "I am Woman" campaign fell flat on it's face, since she lost the married woman vote by 20 points. (and yes I predicted it before it happened, there are a few on the site that know that, ask around)
So I guess the woman came to their senses and didn't vote their emotional ties to womanhood this time around.
But typically, Angry White Man is a racial dog whistle for you John, and as usual you come running, predictably.
It's the only context you recognize.
Don't you think black men, and brown men and red men and yellow men also embody the traits that are listed in the OP?
"He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny"
Only white men do these or similar things?
This article is simply a way for white men to pat themselves on the back. And yes, that is racial.
Like I said, the only context you recognize, thanks for the demonstration.
Can we get back on topic now?
stop wasting my time with your drivel, please
His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.
Perhaps you missed that part in the article John. When Gary Hubbell wrote this in 2008, the racial tensions were no where near the level they are now. And the catalyst for that is because of people like you, who want to use "race" to segue into racism. And I'm not going to have it in this article.
Gary Hubbell was not talking about the White Race. He was talking about the American. So far this article has generated some good discussion, and one butthurt: YOU. If you can't discuss the issues of the angry American without concentrating on the White race, go play in your own article.
He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader.
Wow... come on now. Let's get real. No matter how you feel about Hillary's politics, that comment is totally over the top. If a liberal said that about Trump, you would mock them.
It’s not that she is a woman.It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.
And Trump pandered to the Angry White person. And it is really quite simple why. This is the first time that they see the demographics of America changing and they find that scary. I while I do agree that PC has gone over the top to a certain degree, but I still feel that the average American wants the same thing.; food on the table and a fair working wage, and civility.
Wow... come on now. Let's get real. No matter how you feel about Hillary's politics, that comment is totally over the top. If a liberal said that about Trump, you would mock them.
Are you kidding? Liberals said shit like that, AND WORSE during the entire election cycle! And they still say it. Rapist, Racist, Misogynist, Liar and more. Hell, even on NT certain members have used those terms to describe him.
but I still feel that the average American wants the same thing.; food on the table and a fair working wage, and civility.
And I think he lays that out pretty well in his article.
Are you kidding? Liberals said shit like that, AND WORSE during the entire election cycle! And they still say it. Rapist, Racist, Misogynist, Liar and more. Hell, even on NT certain members have used those terms to describe him.
That is true. But this is a discussion between you and I.
Wow... come on now. Let's get real. No matter how you feel about Hillary's politics, that comment is totally over the top. If a liberal said that about Trump, you would mock them.
Not me. I would agree with them. I would prefer someone who sounded more like Obama, calm and cool, but had good intentions.
No, every other comment is referencing gender, not race.
Your the only one pushing race on this article.
you are either unbelievable dense or unbelievably disingenuous
What are his thoughts on his wife's inability to attract the votes of angry white women?
I mean that has really got to bite even worse than not getting the manly vote.
Get the fuck out of my article John.
Have you every heard of an "Angry Chinese Man" or any of the others? We didn't choose to be the scapegoat of the media's attention. I met a angry old black man during the time they were rioting in Charlotte. He was mad because of the idiocy of all the people burning other people's property, disrupting interstate traffic. Yes, there are angry people of every race and many of them are angry at their own race when they use race over American Citizen.
I just hope we can cool the angry people who didn't get their way and hope Trump keeps his cool. That may be asking too much, but I really have "HOPE" now, hope everything goes good for all of us.
Unfortunately as I aged I lost some of my ability to get angry. Anger was replaced with sadness. I need to work on cultivating positive anger. I suspect it as been repressed and can lead to health problems. Anger is an emotion that is natural and I feel like something is missing. I was born into an environment where angry black man were burning, looting and driving the whites out of what would become their city. We are all affected by our environments and maybe that defused some of my anger. For the last several years I've struggled to get my anger back. I feel like I lost it after reading some of the Dalai Lamas work where he claimed anger was a negative emotion that is harmful to yourself both physically and mentally. Then I read some psychological articles saying anger is healthy and repressing it is harmful. I really don't know if it's good or bad.
I don't know, but I feel a whole lot better when I'm not angry.
Me too except when I experience sadness which I believe increased with my decrease in anger. I've had my testosterone level checked and that was normal. I'm not sure if it's chemical or resulted from mental conditioning.
I was born into an environment where angry black man were burning, looting and driving the whites out of what would become their city.
That would be bringing race into the discussion, Dean.
Please delete the word black that should fix it. Thanks.
I appreciate you sardonic reply, Dean, but I too lived in one of those type of neighborhoods and here are some things you didn't mention. 1. Many blacks didn't like having their homes ruined by a few and 2. Many whites were being down right bigoted towards them as a group. Just FYI.
Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.”
Oh for cripe sakes. I almost peed myself when I read this horse shit.
Here's what I think. I actually agree that the article has some very valid points. The changes in our society are happening too fast for some people. For instance, let's take..........I don't know.........white men. In many instances they are no longer the bread winner in the family and their wives are more educated then they are. On top of becoming inferior on the home front, they also have to compete with those "other" people in the work place. Gone are the days in which they are given carte blanche respect because they are men and they are white. Nowadays they have to earn that respect. Oh.....the horror!
Yeah, we got it, you're angry and this time your anger has won. Enjoy the next 4 - 8 years because whilst you sit around scratching your crotches, belching, farting and shooting off your guns and neglecting your wives the "other" people are multiplying.
and neglecting your wives
I don't think you're qualified to make that kind of judgment about me sister. That's requires huge assumptions on your part. Should I assume from that comment that you are experiencing neglect within your own household?
Well Bruce....I didn't say you were neglecting your wife. I was speaking in general terms. As far as me personally, I've learned not to share anything otherwise it's twisted. So, with that in mind, if I offended you regarding your relationship with your wife then I sincerely apologize. You are absolutely correct I should not make assumptions.
Good comment PJ.
Off topic. Moderators, please delete his comments. They are in violation of my RBR.
Also per this section of the CoC:
If a member is violating the CoC with intent of disrupting or being arbitrarily argumentative, the author must warn the member civilly, that they are violating the CoC and to stop or leave the article. The author can contact administration to remove all comments pertaining to an argument. Intentional disruption of an article is defined as " A continuous exchange of posts between two or more members, which goes off topic and/or are personal attacks resulting in the disruption of the article". Any/all off topic remarks or CoC violations can be removed by moderators.
I ask that his comments be removed, and he be instructed to stay out of the article. He is being disruptive and arbitrarily argumentative. He has been told to leave the article due to his conduct.
No one talks about the Red Man's Burden. Yet we have the most to complain about. We too have seen our nation change. In fact, we lost our nation. We have honor, and was given none. We treat our woman with respect and as equals. We tried to work within a system that was not of our making, and believed that if we had honor, the people we dealt with would have honor and hold to agreements, but that was not the case. We are forgotten in discussions about America. We are America's invisible people and this spans across America. So when we see some notice about our burden, we might care about yours.