Storming The U.S. Capitol Notes

Storming of the U.S. Capitol and White Power

On Wednesday, supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol after weeks of his refusal to accept the election outcome.
The attack occurred while Congress was certifying the election results, confirming Joe Biden’s victory.
The events are seen as a threat to democracy and the rule of law, resulting from disinformation and political polarization.
The article emphasizes that the events are deeply rooted in race, racism, and white Americans' commitment to white dominance.

The predominantly white composition of the crowd and the presence of white supremacist symbols, such as the Confederate flag, were not accidental.
The events are considered a violent manifestation of a belief system that white Americans should have an unlimited hold on power.
This belief is threatened by an increasingly diverse citizenry.

Scholars focus on concerns about group status to understand white Americans’ attitudes toward other social groups.
Herbert Blumer's 1958 essay, “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position,” identifies key feelings in race prejudice:
- A feeling of superiority.
- A feeling that the subordinate race is intrinsically different and alien.
- A proprietary claim to certain areas of privilege and advantage.
- Fear and suspicion that the subordinate race harbors designs on the prerogatives of the dominant race.
Research indicates that reminding white Americans of changing racial demographics leads to negative racial attitudes.
These reminders also cause politically unaffiliated white Americans to align more strongly with the Republican Party and political conservatism.

Ashley Jardina's book, “White Identity Politics,” argues that the increased salience of whiteness corresponds with demographic changes in the U.S.
This has created a fear among some white Americans that their hold on power is becoming precarious.
The rise of Barack Obama to the White House is highlighted as a sharp example of this perceived threat.

Larry Bartels's research indicates that Republicans' opposition to democracy is linked to ethnic antagonism.
A key survey item correlating with antidemocratic sentiments is the belief that “discrimination against whites is as big a problem today as discrimination against blacks and other minorities.”
Other related sentiments include:
- Feeling like a stranger in one's own country due to societal changes.
- Believing that immigrants receive more than their fair share of government resources.
- Thinking that people on welfare have it better than those who work.
- Asserting that speaking English is essential for being a true American.
- Believing that African-Americans use racism as an excuse.
White Republicans who oppose democracy do so partly because they believe it benefits nonwhite Americans over their own racial group.

The presence of American flags, Trump flags, and Confederate symbols at the Capitol reflects a notion of America as a white entity.
Symbols of white racial violence, such as the noose, were intentionally displayed.
The actions of those who stormed the Capitol are characterized not as political protest but as a dangerous mob driven by the fear of losing their status to a multiracial coalition.
Ta-Nehisi Coates called Donald Trump the first white president, highlighting that Trump's ideology is rooted in white supremacy.
The events in Washington, D.C., represent a defense of white supremacy, not just of Donald Trump.