I
feel that the statement: “Because white people will someday be the minority in
the United States, we can expect white privileges to decline, increased gun
control laws, and powerful groups like the NRA to lose their influence in the
political theatre” is very true. As of
right now white people are the majority in the United States. However, studies
show that in the next few decades that is supposed to change. The minorities
will soon become the majority, and we may live to see it. Numbers for groups
like African Americans, Hispanics, and American Muslims are on the rise. With
whites becoming the minority we can also expect their privileges to diminish as
well. As far as gun control laws, they are inevitable. Minorities are the
biggest supporters of increased gun control laws, so it’s only common sense to
assume with their growing populations that stricter gun laws will be set in
place. In fact, some minority groups feel that gun control is more important
than gun rights. It is safe to assume that the NRA will go down with white privileges.
The most common supporters of the NRA are white, older, males. The younger generation
of white males is already leaning toward gun control. So when white people
become the minority and the majority of their supporters pass away from old
age, the NRA will have very few supporters and drastically lose their influence
in the political world.
What exactly is white privilege, and
what does it mean? White privileges are considered a set of advantages that benefit
only white people. They are given to people simply for being born white, they
do not have to be earned. Having white privileges means: that when you are
stopped by a police officer, you can have assurance that it isn’t just because
of your race, it means that you can move into a new neighborhood with peace of
mind that your neighbors will treat you neutral or warmly, it means that when
you apply to college, for a bank loan, a new job, or a new apartment you know
if you get turned down it wasn’t because of the color of your skin. You can
walk around in public alone without the fear of being followed or harassed. As
a white person all of these things seem so normal to me and I would never
consider worrying about them, and that is the problem. Most people with white
privileges don’t even realize they have them. They take advantage of them every
day not realizing they are causing a disadvantage to other racial groups.
Who are mass shooters likely to be
and why? Mass shooters are most often white males. If 97 percent if school shooters
are male and 79 percent white, then why do black men make up the majority of
our prison population? The white men who commit these shooting are not often
who you would think. They are not the less educated, out casted, poor or unfortunate
men of society who feel they have been cheated or mistreated. They are more often
than not, privileged beyond being white. The problem starts at the very
beginning. White males are raised to believe that they are powerful and
entitled. They believe they should be welcomed wherever they go because
everywhere belongs to them. They believe that their pride triumphs all and
should never be caught acting like “sissys.” Men of wealthy families have the
strongest sense of being pompous. They believe
that they were born with the world in their hands. They think that their voices
should triumph all others and be heard by people of most importance. It is their
arrogance that is essentially their source of anger. They feel that their problems
are the worlds’ problems. That is why when they feel hurt they want to inflict
it upon everyone else. When they feel disrespected or that their importance is
being ignored they get angry and react with rage and violence. When angry middle-class whites gather together
in political groups such as the NRA they claim their purpose is to “take back
our country.” What they actually mean by that is they want to take back their
privileges that they feel are bestowed upon them just for being born in this
country because they can sense they’re slowly losing them.
What is the NRA all about? Well, the
NRA stands for the National Rifle Association, and by definition the NRA is an American
social welfare program that promotes gun rights. It argues against all forms of
gun control and believes that more guns make the country safer. Their beliefs
and purpose rely solely on the 2nd Amendment. The NRA spends about $250 million per year,
about $3 million of which goes to influence lawmakers on gun policy. The NRA openly
grades members of Congress on a scale from A to F based on where they stand on gun
rights. Those ratings can have a significant impact on poll numbers and occasionally
even cost pro-gun control candidates their seats. Their membership ranges from
3-5 million people. Over the course of its existence the NRA has had some prestigious
members giving it excellent publicity and political influence. Some of the
members include: President George HW Bush, Charlton Heston, Ted Nugent, Sarah
Palin, Chuck Norris, Miranda Lambert, Whoopi Goldberg, and Michael Moore. Famous
members such as these people are essential to the existence and spread of popularity
of the NRA.
The death of the NRA and the rise of minorities go hand in hand, in
the hand of politicians that is. Politician’s methods evolve around pleasing the
people. The more people they please, the more votes they get. With minorities
on the rise and their support for increased gun control, politicians have no
choice but to conform if they want to win. I do not believe the NRA will go
down without a fight of course, but ultimately the cards are not in their favor
for much longer. The NRA will go down with white privileges.
