When you mention the word “racism” to some people, they immediately sigh and roll their eyes. Unfortunately, a lot of these people get elected to public office.
“Why do you have to make everything about race?” they say, or, “America is not a racist country.”
They argue at you instead of showing you the courtesy of engaging in polite discourse. They use ridicule and mockery. Their voices get loud, they clench the muscles in their face, and they lurch at you in an attempt to intimidate. They threaten to hit you with their Bible.
I’ve come up with a label for this behavior: Klansplaining. As in, “Could you please stop Klansplaining at me so that we can have a polite, respectful conversation?”
“What?”
“Polite, respectful…”
“No, the other thing.”
“Klansplaining?”
“Yes.”
“It’s when you defend white supremacist talking points like they’re the most natural thing in the world. You need to stop doing it.”
Right wing indoctrination
I write on a lot of different platforms and I get a lot of weird comments. Sometimes these comments repeat. I don’t like that.
There are two reasons why comments might repeat:
1. The person is saying something that’s true
2. The person has been indoctrinated to believe a lie because they hear it all the time
This should be obvious but it bears repeating: just because a lot of people think something doesn’t mean it’s true.
Soundbites are propaganda, not truth
We know that politicians prepare for debates by memorizing 25 second soundbites that end in a few lines about how great America is. Chris Christie revealed this bit of information, and even though I don’t approve of anything Chris Christie represents, I believe he’s telling the truth here (mainly because it’s rather self-incriminating).
I see this a lot with right-wing activists. They deploy oft-repeated phrases when they get desperate because they’re confident you won’t have a response for them.
They’ll offer up little bits of nonsensical log-cabin folklore like this: “You can’t make a blanket longer by sewing on a piece that you cut from the other end…”
Then they’ll get themselves all worked up as if any rebuttal ‘disrespects America’ or something.
But I DO have a response for them. I say, “Quit Klansplaining.”
As of this writing, they don’t have a response for that. If this article is successful, conservative media will put their think tank to work on coming up with a prepared response. Then they’ll start repeating this response incessantly on the radio, and it will also be shared on memes. Finally, the official right wing response will start turning up in the comment sections of my articles.
I’ll get no credit for any of it.
“I bet you’re no fun at parties…”
One of the weird responses that I see too often for it to be a coincidence is some variation of the phrase, “I bet you’re no fun at parties.”
“Walter Rhein isn’t any fun at parties!”
Why is it that every discussion on social media feels like you’re having an argument at recess in third grade? Apparently, being “fun” at a party represents the pinnacle of human achievement in the USA.
“I bet you’re no fun at parties,” they say, followed by, “BURN!”
“If by ‘party’ you mean your Klan rally, then no, I wouldn’t be any fun at all. In fact, I’d probably be there to arrest you.”
“Sputter, sputter, Bible, traditional values, abortion bans, sputter, sputter, MAGA, election was stolen, defund Social Security, but her emails, wall, WHAT?”
“Sorry, none of that made any sense to me. Now, if you’re done Klansplaining, perhaps we can get back to having a productive discussion.”
“Who said anything about the Klan?”
“You did when you mentioned parties. That’s what you call them right? You can’t say ‘terrorist activity’ because if the FBI is recording your call they now have evidence against you. So, you use code words to avoid incriminating yourself. I’ve heard you even call white supremacist meetings ‘church.’ Don’t worry, I could see how you wouldn’t want to confirm this.”
“It’s not true.”
“Gotcha.”
Banning black history, burning books, censoring teachers
There’s a lot of terrifying stuff going on in the United States right now. White supremacists are ignorant, but we can’t afford to make the mistake of thinking that they aren’t cunning.
A rat, too, has never read a book, but they’re cunning enough to make you look foolish if you ever try to catch one. Heck, you won’t even see one. Like rats, white supremacists are hidden in plain sight.
I think white supremacists want us to underestimate them. In fact, their plan doesn’t work if we don’t.
One of the most infuriating things is that they’ve been so effective at making white supremacy the status quo in the United States that politicians can stand at a podium and Klansplain for hours without enduring any repercussions.
“Well, slaves also benefited from slavery.”
“Teaching black history divides our country and makes white kids feel bad about themselves.”
“CRT must be banned from schools!”
“Public schools subject our children to woke indoctrination!”
Then there’s the guy who has been using the term for “those who rig” over and over.
These are all examples of Klansplaining. They are intellectually dishonest statements that are delivered in a condescending, authoritarian tone.
“What you’re doing is an example of Klansplaining and you need to stop it.”
We’ve got to be better with our messaging
Martin Luther King Jr. told us to beware the passive moderate in his Letter From Birmingham Jail. I don’t think it’s an accident that in the few schools where teachers are still allowed to present a lesson on MLK, they discuss the I Have a Dream speech instead.
The Letter from Birmingham Jail is the one that provides clarity on the necessary mindset we must adopt in order to make progress. Part of the message is to not be afraid to embrace the tension of positive peace.
Make no mistake, when you accuse some self-righteous politician or political pundit of Klansplaining, there will be tension.
It’s the kind of tension that, I guess, is “no fun at parties.”
Yes, it’s an accusation that will take the wind out of the room.
It will also put the white supremacist apologists on the defensive for a change. Remember, if they’re not retreating, they’re encroaching and they’ve been encroaching for far too long.
If they aren’t feeling the tension it’s because they’re forcing the burden on us. We’ve got to stop allowing them to force us to clean up after their mess.
They’re the ones who brought the tension to the party, not me. I just called them out.
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