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Posted Zero Hedge
America has a young white man problem, or at the very least, most popular media, corporate advertising and even political advertising seems to say so. Either they are completely absent from the majority of media imagery, or when they are present, they are depicted as incompetent buffoons and ineffectual effeminate weaklings.
This has been an inescapable reality of western pop culture for the past decade. One would think that a conservative candidate would be aware of the problem rather than adding to it, but then again, some of these politicians are painfully oblivious.
Keep in mind, it’s not any single instance of the “clownification” of young white men, it’s the endless insults that pile up over time until something snaps. Republican candidate for Governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, just added the straw that broke the camel’s back.
In a political campaign ad promoting her welfare-to-work requirements, she depicts a young chubby white man named “Brad” sitting in a dark room, playing video games and eating snacks as the prime example of an able-bodied person collecting welfare instead of getting a job.
Sanders narrates that taxpayers fund “guys like Brad.”
Needless to say, the commercial was not received well by most conservatives. Critics chimed in on Huckabee’s X post in an attempt to slap some sense into her. Others went scorched earth.
The reason this ad is a problem is not because white guys are particularly sensitive to ridicule (they’ve been putting up with it for many years now). Rather, it’s the fact that the ad is rooted in a clear statistical fallacy and also political cowardice. Ah, but defenders of Huckabee say that white people are the largest group of welfare recipients in the country, and this makes the ad “accurate.”
Here’s why this is incorrect, and yes, it’s another example of dumb people not understanding per capita.
White Americans are 60% of the total population and only 35% of all welfare recipients. Black Americans are 13% of the population and around 26% of all welfare recipients (this means black people as a group are far more likely to take welfare). Hispanics are around 20% of the population and around 30% of welfare recipients.
But what about young white men’s share of the welfare pie? That’s what’s so insulting. White men ages 18-25 account for only 2% to 4% of all welfare recipients in the US on average. In fact, young white men are the least likely to qualify for taxpayer subsidies. If they get hit with a life crisis, many have little to no help.
So, why did Huckabee decide to use a Gen Z white gamer guy as her political punching bag? Because for the past 10+ years this has been the politically safe move.
Depicting a fat black single mother with ten kids and eight baby-daddies going to the club on a Tuesday night with a $900 weave and $300 nails would be a more accurate example of welfare abuse, but it would immediately draw the wrath of the race hustlers. Bashing a white male with no kids grinding levels on his Playstation is the safer bet.
Why? Because as commenters have noted, white people don’t do identity politics. But if political ads like this are any indication, maybe it’s time to start?
If there is anything that progressive society fears more than anything else, it’s the idea of young white men going tribal. This concept has been conditioned out of western populations for decades as a horrendous thought crime. Every other group on the planet is encouraged to go tribal; young white men are admonished. It’s simply not allowed.
This doesn’t mean that white men should take on the cry-bully tactics of race hustlers and complain about every little insult or accusation. What it does mean is that, as a group, there is a greater demand for respect when respect is due. And, a healthy fear among other people who might seek to demonize and slander for their own gain.
As far as Sarah Huckabee Sanders is concerned, it’s likely that she didn’t have much input on the advertisement in question, but she probably saw it and approved it before it was aired. She also has a history of producing such ads “in house” with close associates instead of outsourcing to third party firms. If this is the case, then she is largely responsible.
Next time, maybe Huckabee will have the guts to depict the welfare situation in America as it really is instead of playing it safe.
