Over the weekend, 2020 presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke told a crowd in Arkansas that America was founded on racism and that racism still exists today.
"In this country, though we'd like to think otherwise, was founded on racism, has persisted through racism, and is racist today. And if you don't want to accept that phrase, or that word, or that distinction, look at this: there's 10 times the wealth in white America today than there is black America," O'Rourke explained. "There's 2.3 million people behind bars tonight while we enjoy our freedom, disproportionality comprised of people of color, the largest prison population on the planet bar none."
"In a kindergarten classroom, a four or five-year-old child of color is five times as likely to be disciplined or suspended or expelled as a white child from the same teacher for the same infraction in the same country today," O'Rourke explained. "But this racism, though foundational, literally kidnapping people from West Africa, bringing them here to build the greatness of this country on their backs and then denying their ancestors the meaningful opportunity to enjoy in the wealth that they have created."
Beto's logic is so flawed that it's not even funny. It's rather sad and pathetic.
America wasn't founded on racism. America was founded on rugged individualism. America was founded on the rebellious idea that we're all created equal, that we all have the same opportunities but it's up to us to seek them. It's up to us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and work hard for what we have. America was founded on the notion that individual rights are important and need to be protected. America was founded by people who wanted to have greater control over their lives than the government.
What makes America great has nothing to do with our country's previous stance on slavery. America is great because of our rights and protections that are granted to us by God but are protected by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. There's no other country like the United States and that's why so many strive to be like us or to become one of us.
Did slavery exist when our country was founded? Absolutely. Was slavery a bad thing? Of course. But it's also important to look at the entire situation and not cherrypick what we examine. We need to look at what life was like at that time and how slavery was viewed. Circumstances changed over time and so did our attitudes. It's called evolution. And our nation has evolved.
What I want to know is how long do we need to rehash the slavery issue? At what point do we hold people accountable for their actions? How many years have to pass? 200? 500? 1,000? Personal responsibility is a thing. And it needs to be applied.
Our country was founded on racism—and is still racist today. In Arkansas, I said why I believe there’s no denying this reality; and why it’s on all of us to change it. pic.twitter.com/cHLKmCMGEB
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) August 18, 2019