Whites think they're discriminated against

How Conservative Myths Stoke Racial Fear

In the twisted right-wing version of history, whites are bias victims. Meanwhile, the poor get stiffed.

By Jeffrey O.G. OgbarI am also struck by how much the right has relied on outright fabrication of the country's history by insisting that institutionalized racism hardly ever existed. The right generally insists that white racism has no real effect on people's lives in the U.S., while exploiting racial fears and pernicious racial stereotypes with coded and not-so-coded language. The only "discrimination" is that directed against whites, pundits often argue. In fact, white Americans in general believe that whites suffer more discrimination today than African Americans do, according to a study released this May.

Many whites believe that blacks are hired and promoted and get home loans easier than whites because of "racial preferences." Some even argue that the criminal justice system is soft on black people. One white nationalist website complains that because of the civil rights movement, "all [black criminals] have to worry about is a slap on the wrist from a judicial system that couldn't care less about White victims."

What is remarkable about these "facts" is how far they are from the truth. Studies find that with identical résumés, those with "white sounding" names have a 50 percent higher response rate from prospective employees than do those with "black sounding" names. Whites on average outearn Latinos and blacks, with or without controlling for education.

Since the Great Recession, average white net wealth has increased to 18 times that of Latinos and 20 times that of African Americans. The Latino unemployment rate is about 40 percent that of whites, while the African-American rate is 100 percent higher. Whites and blacks consume illegal drugs at similar rates, but whites are less likely than blacks to be stopped by the police, arrested or convicted--or to receive prison time once convicted--even for first-time offenders of the same crime.Comment:  For more on the Tea Party movement, see David Duke Speaks to Teabaggers and Teabaggers Seek White Christian Rule. For more on white fears in general, see Whites "Sick of the Race Card" and Whites Feel Like a Minority.

Below:  Something teabaggers don't mention when they talk about returning to the past. I wonder why not?