We love to blame the victim

In the seventies, high unemployment among black youth was blamed on the young men that couldn’t get a job if their life depended on it. Prejudice from decades of learned hatred was never talked about in polite circles. Born white, in an upper middleclass family was a gift I appreciated while raising my family in the high inflation years when you had to look at all six prices stamped on the can until you found the highest one, to figure out what it costs. Affirmative action was the buzz word of politicians, you know, that’s where once the quota was filled; a black man need not apply.

The nineties could be called the golden days of bliss where millionaires became billionaires. The poor and disadvantaged were invisible and anyone who saved their money was considered a fool, with a stock market exploding into the stratosphere. It’s also the period when America blamed people of various countries for not overthrowing their anti-American governments. Sanctions were put into place that caused starvation to teach them a lesson.

Now our government blames Americans trying to find jobs that pay a living wage, racists if they don’t support allowing 100-200 million immigrants from rushing into the country and bidding down wages from $18-25/hr to $6-8/hr. Notice our multimillionaires in Washington hold themselves blameless on all counts while they pick apart the greatest nation in history in spite of our history of blaming the victim.