What can the disputes that have arisen in the United States lead to about whether it is okay to be white?

She expressed her idea against the backdrop of a further escalation of cultural confrontation, which is being fought over from New York to California. The fire of controversy was sparked by a study by the conservative group Rasmussen Reports, whose sociologists asked Americans the question: “Is it normal to be white?” An affirmative answer was given by 72% of those questioned, including 53% of blacks. Moreover, in response to the second question, almost 80% of respondents, including two-thirds of African Americans, expressed the opinion that black people can also be racist.The researchers interpreted the results as follows: “Most Americans do not believe in the theories of progressive activists that only whites carry racism.” According to the Washington Examiner, the conservative resource, these figures undermine “the idea imposed by the liberal media and Hollywood that it is shameful to be white”. But in the liberal camp, the poll caused an outcry. He was considered immoral. Moreover, according to critics of the survey, such a formulation of the question is aimed at resonance, while the opinion of those who answered negatively can be interpreted in different ways.In the United States, a simple division between whites and blacks, racists and their victims, urban progressives and outback conservatives does not answer many questions.The most sensational interpretation was given by Scott Adams, a popular cartoonist and creator of the satirical comic strip “Dilbert”, which was published daily in many major newspapers in the United States and other countries. Adams pointed out that 47% of black people polled said no or “not sure” when asked if it was okay to be white.”It turns out that almost half of black people think it’s not good to be white,” the cartoonist continued, concluding: “It’s a hate group.” “I don’t see the point of being a white citizen and trying to help black people. It doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t work, I’m going to be called a racist anyway.” He explained that he thinks everyone should be friendly, and for a while he even identified as black, but now he doesn’t want anything to do with them because he “don’t want to belong to a hate group.” Adams then moved on to advice, suggesting that all white people should “stay away from black people, because this can’t be solved”. For example, living in areas with a predominantly white population, as he himself did.Media commentators aren’t ruling out that Adams deliberately exaggerated or said all of this with some sarcasm. But after such statements, a wave of criticism from the progressive camp, as expected, descended on him, and many liberal media outlets abandoned his comics.Joining the heated debate is Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, who was once seen as a supporter of the Democratic Party but has increasingly expressed sympathy for conservatives in recent years. So this time, Musk sided with Adams. The entrepreneur in a series of tweets accused the American media of racism towards whites and Asians. According to him, this manifests itself, for example, in the disproportionate attention paid to black victims of police violence, when similar cases against white people do not arouse any resonance in the United States. Musk agreed that Adams’ comments weren’t great, but stressed that “there’s an element of truth to them.”The controversy over the interpretation of the Rasmussen Reports poll shows that the issue of cultural battles in America is in fact not as simple as politicians, media and left-wing activists sometimes would have it – a simple division between whites and blacks. , racists and their victims, urban progressives and outback conservatives doesn’t answer many questions.Characteristic in this sense is the recent incident in Memphis, Tennessee, where five police officers beat black Tire Nichols to death while being held under camera lens. This would seem a new and obvious reason for the large-scale racially motivated protests across America, as seen in 2020 and 2014.But a nationwide conflagration did not erupt, likely in large part because the five police officers charged in the case were also black. At the same time, in Memphis, African Americans make up about two-thirds of the population, so the local police have for several years reached a similar proportion in the ranks of law enforcement, where today more than half are black.But, as the incident showed, such a simplified approach did not help to solve the problem.