The angry white voter: Who is he?

Commentators have regularly railed against white males who are mad at their economic situation.  They have called these "angry white voters" conservatives refusing to give up their power structure.  These "white privileged" males are described as the impediment to a better and more equitable society by those on the political left.

But do these commentators know whom they are decrying?

Clearance Page of the Chicago Tribune feels that these are the middle-class white male voters not participating in the growth of the American economy.   He feels that these are the persons demonstrating the uglier side of this nation.  Yet Jerry Gehl claims to be an angry white voter who prefers more liberal politics.  To Gerri Willis of Fox Business Network, these persons are the middle class who have seen their incomes fall since 2006.  These people are struggling to pay for their children's college education, pay for automobiles, their mortgages, health care, and food despite accelerating inflation. 

Dick Meyer notes that the angry white voter might become a serious social issue as the heroin problem infects the greater white rural community.  The level of poverty and death rates has increased alarmingly in this community.  So they might be the growing underclass and less educated group losing ground to the college-educated elite who have ruled this country for generations.  A schism is evident to those with eyes wide open.

Max Brantley notes that the angry white male voter has supported Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in the primaries.  Some see these people as susceptible to the call for isolation from terrorists, illegal immigrants from Latin America, and refugees from the Middle East.  These commentators argue that Trump plays to these worst fears.

The "Black Lives Matter" groups have chosen to accentuate the disparities between the white majority and the young black males in America.  They note that the police are more likely to stop black males, but this misses the higher percentage of crime in these neighborhoods.  Clearly, there is an angry black male population, which the press treats more evenly.

Perhaps the most intriguing concept surrounding these angry white males is their connection to our nation's origins.  The rebels of the colonial period were angry white males, who opposed the tyranny of the British monarchy and Parliament. 

The American Revolution was begun in an era when women had few power outlets as they do today.  Since few black males were in positions of power due to slavery, they had little to say about the rebellion that gave rise to the United States.  Many blacks did fight on the patriot side; likewise, some fought for the British.  Although about one third of the populace actively supported the war, they represented a minority.  So the heritage of the angry white male is that they gave rise to our nation; this is the freedom and liberty that many of today's angry white males seek to maintain.

The left uses this phrase as a form of derision.  Actually, it is a claim of the honor and independence that America represents.

If you experience technical problems, please write to helpdesk@americanthinker.com