McNallen's Racism, Point Number Four

When our Adventure into Racism left off, we had not only destroyed the underlying premise of race in Point Number One, but the pseudoscientific premise of the argument was put out of it's pitiable misery with a coup de grace for Points Two and Three. All of that, a bag of crisps, and we're only halfway through the video!

In all honesty, I felt compelled to write all of this specifically to address the content in the last half of the video. The goundwork has been done, the appetizers consumed, and the main course lies before us. Let's dig in and finish this in style, because if you're to wade into the racist pigpen for a rhetorical slaughtering, might as well do it with a smile.

Going only a little mad. I'm fine, really...

Fair warning, kids: This will be the longest post yet, because we're going to rip the bandage off all at once and just get this finished.

(Cued to line up with the topics discussed in this post)

(06:23 - 06:30)
"Point Number Four: I Will Defend My Race."
Point Number Four is where we get to why the stated worldview is so problematic. Points one through three are reprehensible, but they're nothing new. Exclusionary tactics will always be abused by those in power to create cults of isolationism. There have always been and will always be those who label an "Other" who must not be allowed to be "Us", lest "We" are "lost" in some way.

Here McNallen couches his racism in the language of warfare. Specifically in "defense." With the rise of Dominionism and "Spiritual Warfare" motifs within deeply conservative Christianity in the last few decades, it's no surprise that the same style rhetoric would begin to seep insidiously into the wider racist lexicon. The argument that "whiteness" is under attack has been a handy talking point to tap into the fears of people for nearly a century, and tying spiritual pride and the illusion of a holy justification for racism is a very potent mixture. What we're seeing here is not Heathenism, folks. What we're seeing is tried-and-true toxic persecution complex, strait from the ugliest corners of monotheism and racism's past.

The illusion that his "race" is under attack is nothing more than the loss of privilege. It's a truly curious set of filters that allows racists to only notice privileges when they are ended, never before, and somehow they think they are all "rights" owed to them.

Yeah....about that.

(06:31 - 06:53)
"We white people face numerous threats to our future. Our numbers are shrinking in almost every location on Earth. Europe, our homeland, the place that gave us birth, will be majority non-White with a couple decades, unless, as I intend, we can change that situation."
According to the Pew Forum, Europe is the only region where population as a whole is "shrinking." That's not what he's talking about, however. What McNallen is attempting to explain (and doing a bad job of it) is that as a percentage of the whole, "white" will make up a smaller and smaller percentage of the population in the years to come. This is only logical, after all. "White" people have the privilege of health care and all it's attendant family planning opportunities for longer than any other group (minorities in America are particularly bad off in this regard). Couple that with the demographic shift from conservative (on average) to liberal or even non-Christian worldviews (which Europe has much more of than America) and you have a recipe for a slower population growth in traditional "white" population groups.

Add to that the bizarre and oddly flexible methodology for gathering the demographic data in the first place, and the statistics can be used for all kinds of frightening predictions. We established in the first entry that race is an utterly useless designation scientificially due to it's mutability. Even the Pew study linked above uses the following caveat:
"Whites, blacks, and Asians include only single-race non-Hispanics. Asians include Pacific Islanders. Hispanics are of any race."
Not only are their racial statistics relying on self-reported perceptions, anyone with any Hispanic past is lumped together in the "fastest growing racial group." If you put everyone that doesn't fit in a narrow category (self-defined "single race") into a catch-all, I wonder which segment will grow the fastest as a population becomes more diverse?

How Demographics Work:

But wait, there's hope! McNallen has a plan! Now there are a few ways to change demographics: Death, Birth, or Removal from consideration. Calling for the Death of a racial group doesn't have the same stigma it used to, but that seems a bit too far for supposition yet. Advocating for 'outbreeding them' is irresponsible without consideration for individual financial stability and quality of life, not that it seems to be stopping some of the racists from advocating it anyway. And removal? Well, that's quite popular these days, isn't it? Remember this "plan," though. It'll be on the quiz later.
(06:54 - 07:10)
"Our population in the United States is now shrinking. Not just as a percentage as a whole, but in absolute numbers. More white people are dying than are being born, and that's not okay."
It's readily available population studies, FFS. Not that hard to source.

Since he apparently can't be bothered to, here's a decent article on the topic. What McNallen is glossing over is what this data is actually saying.

Here's a hint, in handy chart form, from the Pew study:
Now, see how in the 60s and 70s "White" was so heavily loaded? What do you think is happening to those huge families that were made under the manufacturing and production boom? They're dying off because they're old. Why didn't numbers stay steady? Because Neoliberalism took over, smashed the Unions, and suddenly supporting two kids and spouse on a single income was nigh-on impossible, especially as the 2000s rolled around.

Couple that with the large spike recently in drug- and mental health-related deaths (caused by suffering inherent in late-stage capitalism, nothing to do with minorities) among middle aged "white" Americans, and of course deaths will outpace births.

Like so many racist arguments that we've seen so far, the nuances of fact and reality are glossed over in favor of a sound bite that will stoke the fires of fear. The issue is not "race." It's not the guy or girl who might have an accent or different skin tone competing with you for a job. The issue is the companies refuse to pay enough and leaves everyone hungry. Recognizing that would require a monumental shift in worldview that many conservatives are too uncomfortable contemplating.
The look of a conservative trying so hard to remember if "Red" is good or bad...
(07:11 - 07:42)
"We will be a minority in America around 2040, and the Census Bureau predicts we will be 30% to 15% of the US population by 2100. Fifteen percent? Fifteen percent of the US population? White people could become effectively extinct during the next century. Eradicated by a dropping population and intermarriage with other races."
I have no idea where this 2100 projection is coming from. The actual census bureau website only has one projection for 2100, and it uses 1990-2000 trends to make the projection. The projections created within the last decade all stop around 2050. What's even more annoying is the 2100 projection on the census website still estimates "white" at 70.7% of the US population. A terrible projection using ancient data that absolutely doesn't back up his claims. I don't even know why I continue to expect a level of even amateur rigor in fact checking, but even a miniscule expectation falls flat on it's face with this speech.

Zorg may be a monster, but at least he's still got professional pride.
(07:43 - 08:19)
"Like the Ainu or the various tribes in the depths of the South American jungles, a few pockets of whites might hold out for a few more generations, but ultimately in an ever-more crowded and interconnected world, our fate would be not just marginalization, but extinction. Our long journey of some 40,000 years, heroes and villains, successes and failures, pain and joy, would come to an end. And that is just. Not. Acceptable."
Wait just a fucking minute. He is really pointing out that the few pockets of small ethnic tribal groups that barely survived Western ('white") Capitalist ('culture') systemic destruction as the potential futures for "white people"? If this isn't a giant, neon sign confirming every speculative point about how what racists are really scared of is becoming the same level of targets they've made of minorities for centuries, I don't know what else it could be.

You know what pisses me off more than anything else about this hand-wringing? There is zero self-reflection here. There is no hint of self-awareness in these views. No cognizance that culturally and historically "white people" are not perfect. As if throughout time, what is now considered by most to be "white" has been in the right, and most everything we've done is worth preserving and honoring. Surprise, kids! It's not.

Our ancestors deserve honor for being part of the chain of wyrd that brought us into being today. They do not get a free pass for mistakes they made and harm they may have caused. Those who built the cultures that allowed and tolerated dehumanization on industrial scales, regardless of targets or level of harm, from death camps to slave labor to 16 hour days in factories, deserve a long, uncomfortably hard look. We owe it to ourselves and our own fates to not blindly repeat their mistakes in empty grabs for perceived past glories, but to learn from them and do better by ourselves, our children, and by those humans who travel forward with us in this overcrowded mass of wonderfully, terrifyingly mad collective we call Earth.

The Veil is shredded. Pagans are noticing. Wiccans are noticing. Heathens are noticing. Heck, I think even the Monotheists are starting to notice. If there's one thing that is constant across almost every single known faith that interacts with spirits and Gods, it's that respect for the Stranger one encounters is absolutely necessary. We are entering a time when once again, the Stranger on the park bench or knocking on your door really could be a Spirit or Deity in disguise.

Havamal 4:
Water is required by one come to dine:
a towel and friendly welcome;
a kind disposition, if it's to be had,
speech and silence in return.
(08:20 - 08:43)
"Are you a black person, hearing my words? How would you feel, if you knew there would be no more black people on Earth? Are you East Asian, say Chinese? How would you feel, if you knew there would be no more Chinese on this planet, ever? So much for diversity!"
I could have done almost this entire rebuttal in these memes.

"If you don't let us continue to be racist, you clearly don't like the racist categories we've put you in!" Do let's ignore any and all cultural context for anyone you've already excluded with your rhetoric. Black people in America have survived some of the most culturally destructive forces imaginable, and they have still held strong and come out the other side with a powerful voice all their own. They don't need your permission to imagine the reality they've lived with for centuries.

Diversity scares you because it means you have to listen for once. The cacophony of "whiteness" that has drowned American culture at the expense of some of it's best and brightest is slowly being dialed down. Our voice will not die out, but by the Gods it's time to shut up for a while.
(08:44 - 08:57)
"If you think this is a fantasy, that it can happen, my friend, you are in denial. And if you think this little speech is an attack on non-whites, you're wrong!"
Technically, he's correct. This "little speech" is not an attack on non-whites, it's just laying out all the reasons to attack non-whites. This "little speech" is an evil Ratatoskr, scurrying about the Nine Worlds, stirring the shitpot, and running along before the results of it's poisonous words manifest. If it truly isn't an attack on non-whites, who do "we" need to defend ourselves against?
(08:58 - 09:22)
"It's mostly our fault. We've allowed it to happen. Every race, tribe, and ethnic group is ultimately responsible for it's own existence. We've either bought the bullshit, or we are so brow-beaten that we don't have the courage to stand up for ourselves. We need to change our attitude. We need to say what I said just a minute ago: 'I will defend my race.'"
You are so fucking close to the actual answer.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The insidious nature of these little speeches is that he's either right or so close to right it's hard to see that final ten yards that don't get taken. If "our" in this case is "Western Civilization", he's absolutely right it's "our" fault. Except the rest of it is bullshit.

Western Culture/Civilization/Capitalism has run roughshod over every tribe and ethnic group it's encountered. It started centuries ago in Europe where it cannibalized everything it could before moving on to the Middle East, and Africa, and the Americas. The pursuit of power/wealth/fame by the already powerful/wealthy/famous has destroyed more cultures and tribes and ethnic heritage than anyone should want to contemplate.

So the solution, now that "whites" are the tribe feared to soon be in the crosshairs, is demand self-accountability? As if the tribes annihilated in the past somehow deserved their fate because they weren't as greedy, violent, or bloodthirsty as the "Explorers" who showed up on their shores uninvited?

You don't get to play victim blaming with entire civilizations, asshole. We're fed cleaned-up history like "Manifest Destiny" and "Columbus Day" like they don't represent terrible history and uncounted (because no one bothered keeping decent records) suffering. These false heroes and idols that have perpetuated cultural genocide the likes of which should make anyone afraid of being targeted in such a manner? That is the bullshit we need to reject.

Standing up for ourselves as a culture, as Pagans and Polytheists and Heathens and Wiccans in an increasingly hostile and security-focused Western Civilization is becoming more difficult, I admit. However, to demand a defense of uniqueness means standing shoulder-to-shoulder with others just as unique as we are. It requires recognizing the battles they have already fought, battles we have ignored, and the battles that we are still ignoring. It requires taking off the fucking blinders, eating some humble pie, and listening.

It is the hardest thing you will ever do, but you must do it.

We are not any more special than any other collective of people, but neither are we any less. We are all children of Gods and Goddesses. We are all Human. We are all Stardust.
(09:23 - 09:49)
"I will fight for my race. Primarily with words and ideas, but I will fight more literally if I have to. I'm no hero, I'm just a man. But if push comes to shove, I will give my life if need be that my race may live. I owe that to the Ancestors who gave me life, and the descendants who will only have life if we give them a chance to be born."
So who are you going to fight? This is a target-less call to battle. You're invoking ancestors and descendants, talking about "push comes to shove"... What's your trigger point? Are you going to sit there with a straight face and watch other cultures get beat down by the Authority of the State and Money, then cry self-defense when those cultures finally get tired of being punching bags?

I still don't see anything resembling a plan. Is your plan violence? That would be unwise. Is your plan just to die in a pyrrhic victory over the Other? Nothing would make racists happier than to have a real martyr on their hands. Heathenism doesn't need or want martyrs.
(09:50 - 10:35)
"And, know it or not: If you are a white man or a white woman, you have that same responsibility. It's time for us to 'Man up', or 'Woman up' as the case may be. People concerned about the fate of our race, many of who may or not be "Racist," sometimes cite the '14 Words' which are, quote: 'We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.' Let me say it again so you can hear each and every word: 'We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.'"
Let's get one thing absolutely clear here, and I'm going to put this as obviously as I can.

Stephen McNallen is unapologetically and clearly quoting an Honest-to-Gods TERRORIST.

The 14 words are not some cute little ditty dreamed up by some right-wing Infowars Alex Jones wannabe. They were coined and promoted by David Lane, a man who was sentenced to 190 years in federal prison for racketeering and being involved in the death of at least one person targeted by the racist and violent organization he helped found. Lane is responsible for a good chunk of the white nationalist and racist trends in worship of the Norse Pantheon in the American prison system. This is not "People concerned about the fate of our race." This isn't even spin, this is outright obfuscation.

For all of the whining and hand-wringing conservatives and those who identify with the Right do about how those who agree with Marxism are somehow complicit in the Russian and Chinese tyrannical misapplication of his theories, Marxists quote Marx. I don't see them quoting Mao. I don't see them quoting Stalin. Yet here we have someone who would have others lift him up as a religious authority quoting an unapologetic monster with a straight face.

Hey Vegita, what does your scouter say about this level of hypocrisy?
(10:36 - 11:01)
"The Mainstream Media, the Left Establishment, and all the usual suspects have declared that this statement is 'Racist.' It is not racist, it is not white supremacist, it it not bigoted, it is in no way expressing hostility toward any racial group."
Though Lane denies being inspired by the following passage, the 14 words are close enough to this quote to concern anyone with sense:
What we must fight for is to safeguard the existence and reproduction of our race and our people, the sustenance of our children and the purity of our blood, the freedom and independence of the fatherland, so that our people may mature for the fulfillment of the mission allotted it by the creator of the universe. Every thought and every idea, every doctrine and all knowledge, must serve this purpose. And everything must be examined from this point of view and used or rejected according to its utility. (Mein Kampf (Vol 1, Ch 8))
This is not rocket surgery, people. Lane (and by extension McNallen) is quoting text modified and cribbed from a racist, totalitarian mass murderer, and trying to sugar-coat it so you'll swallow it easier.

Let's set that aside and consider the utter lack of wisdom in using this quote in some hypothetical foolish attempt of nonviolent connotation. I can give you three reasons from within the last decade that annihilate any attempt to "take back" or use nonviolently the 14 words:
  1. Dylann Roof had a journal full of swastikas and 14/88, a common abbreviation for the 14 words.
  2. Curtis Allgier, a white supremacist who made national news when he killed an officer in 2007, has 14/88 tattooed on his face, along with a swastika.
  3. Two men in Tennessee were arrested in 2008 while planning to kill 88 people, specifically beheading 14 black people, including then-President Obama.
There is no way to make those words not inherently hostile, and I'll say it as many times as I need to: Stephen McNallen is not a fool. He knows what he's saying, and he's saying it over and over again.
(11:02 - 11:19)
"If Al Sharpton had written exactly the same sentence, substituting the word black for white. If he had said: 'We must secure the existence of our people and a future for black children.' No one would think anything of it. He would be praised, and someday a monument would be erected on the Capital Mall in Washington with that quote on it."
If Al Sharpton had written that sentence, it wouldn't have been embraced by violent racists all over the world and used as an excuse for violence and intimidation. Also, Rev Sharpton knows better than to paraphrase Hitler, so...
I wasn't kidding.
(11:20 - 11:52)
"Years ago, I rephrased the 14 words into a more compact, 8 words. "The existence of my people is not negotiable." To cast either the 14 words or the 8 words as a racist statement is absurd, but the system will nevertheless try do so...because we're white. It's the usual double standard, once again."
So years ago, you recognized the terrible nature of the 14 words and decided to brand your own version so it wouldn't be so obviously racist. That was wise. That you've now abandoned the idea is telling. I mean, bully for you for feeling comfortable enough to come goose-stepping out of the racist closet. That you want to whine like a mule about how your racist tripe gets less "applause" and more "boo"s than your crypto-racist tripe, well... Cry me a river.

You're not a victim, and the system is not against you. People are. Thinking, logical people who are sick and tired of every acknowledgement of our racist system getting overshadowed by the Old Guard like you who want to maintain the status quo so badly you're tapping into terrorist rhetoric and toeing right up to the line of advocating outright violence. And for what? All so you can sit back on your throne and wave your pseudo-scientific wand, declaring who gets the 'honor' of being 'your people.'

I am descended from Germans, from Swiss, from Norwegians, and from Swedes.
I call on the same Gods and Goddesses you claim to.
I am not, nor will I ever be, 'your people.'
And I am not alone.
(11:53 - 12:26)
"To summarize my four points:
Number One: Race is Real.
Number Two: Race is Important.
Number Three: I love my Race.
And Number Four: I Will Defend My Race. And I will do so with joy in my heart. We must do right, and fear no one."
To summarize:
Number One: Race is a construct of an oppressive and capitalist system, and has no basis in actual scientific categorization or study.
Number Two: Due to the fact that it's a fictional construct, race is only important inasmuch as it's existence is used to justify inhumane treatment of minorities to maintain a status quo that benefits a select few winners of the genetic lottery.
Number Three: An exclusionary and inclusive tactic, to draw in the vulnerable while banishing the undesirables, and corrupting genuine Pagan and Heathen practices for your own gain.
Number Four: This is not a Holy War. You are not a martyr, and you will not be one. Your false and divisive words will be countered, lest your stain mark all who honor the Gods of the North. You are not the victim, you are the oppressor.

Pop quiz: Was there an actual plan offered in this video? Or the one that followed?
There was not.


Video Comments time!


This one really doesn't any explanation. Still..."normies."

This series has been one of the most stressful things I've ever had to write, and that includes engineering analysis papers. I joke about relishing these arguments, but they are tiring and depressing things to carry in the back of your mind for the weeks it has taken to craft these arguments. I don't regret it, since I willingly took on this task. Given the feedback so far, I feel I have done well enough that I would do it again if given the choice. For now, I'm going to return to what I want to talk about.
I'll be watching, though.

(Part One Here)
(Part Two Here)


Comments

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