Rich, White Males---Class, Race, Gender

Rich, White Males---Class, Race, Gender

Oppressors can use/misuse either class, race or gender in order to discriminate against either a person or a group.  Or an oppressive system can use all three at the same time; example, poor black women.

41 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were slaveholders.
Half of the writers of the Constitution owned slaves.  12 U.S. presidents owned slaves.  During his lifetime, Jefferson owned 600 slaves.

Our founding fathers were a group of rich, white males; women, the poor, Native Americans and African Americans could not vote.  There was no equality from the very beginning of this country; no government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

"All men are created equal" apparently did not mean all persons had to be treated equal.  From the beginning, a group of mostly deists created the American trinity of individualism, materialism and ethnocentrism/racism which dominated society.  The Christian Trinity was holed up inside the church and even there the American trinity found its way inside.

Rich, white males created and maintained systems of oppression which discriminated against women, the poor, all non-whites and many non-rich whites.

Once systems of oppression are established---slaves and women couldn't vote, tax loopholes for the rich and corporations, subsidies for already rich oil companies---they become a normal part of the functioning political and economic systems.

Oppressors sometimes actively oppress and exploit; but many just let the system operate according to  unjust but established law.  Today many oppressors sin by omission---neglect justice and the love of God.  Either by commission or omission, the poor, women, ethnics are exploited.

Today, the white poor and working class are being exploited by class, not race; they are hurting and feel neglected, ignored.  So when a demagogue pays them respect, attention, gives them empty promises, they respond positively, hoping for the best but not realizing they will be even worse off should they vote for the demagogue.

Ezekiel 16:

"The sin of your sister Sodom was this:  She lived in the lap of luxury---proud, gluttonous, and lazy. They ignore the oppressed and the poor. . . .  I did away with them."