The “American Whitelash” and economic fear
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The 2024 presidential campaign is already well underway, but today we’re going to take a step back and examine the connection between Barack Obama’s presidency and the rise of white racial violence. It’s what Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery calls the “American Whitelash” (also the title of his new book), which to some extent is rooted in economic fear.
“It’s this idea that we’re here now, and as more people come in, it will increase competition for resources, jobs, for access to education … that is the root of a lot of the tension and anxiety and a lot of xenophobia and a lot of nativism,” Lowery said.
On the show today: How the election of former President Obama spurred a white racist backlash, why economic fear is entangled with xenophobia and the media’s role in all of it. Plus, is the media ready to cover the 2024 elections? (Spoiler: It’s not).
Later, we’ll explain how Russia’s decision to pull back from a wartime agreement on grain exports will hurt countries that suffer from food insecurity. And, why the Joe Biden administration’s plan to restrict investment in Chinese tech could get a bit messy.
Then, a listener tells us how their home state is dealing with flighty insurers. And, economist Peter Atwater shares that he was wrong about what it really means to have confidence.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- “The ‘American Whitelash’ Is Far From Over” from Politico
- “Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement Has Dropped Considerably From Its Peak in 2020” from Pew Research Center
- “Trump’s history of inciting violence in words and tweets: A timeline from 2015 through the Capitol attack” from Vox
- “Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia’s war matters to the world” from AP News
- “US Plans Narrow China Tech Investment Limits, Likely by 2024” from Bloomberg
We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.
