WHITE HEAT

WHITE HEAT

“White light, White light goin’ messin’ up my mind
White light, and don’t you know its gonna make me go blind
White heat, aww white heat it tickle me down to my toes
White light, Ooo have mercy white light have it goodness knows”

–Velvet Underground

Things are heating up all over America.  School boards are experiencing the white heat of parents upset about masking and critical race theory.  There have been shouting matches, and in some cases outright violence.  School board members are resigning, teachers and administrators are quitting.  Who needs it?

While the pundits are focused on the circus in D.C., at the local and grassroots level there is the beginning of a sea change that will impact our politics forever.  What impact?  Well, for starters let’s look at the controversy over school curriculums.  When she was younger my daughter’s favorite expression was: “Don’t tell me”.  Irate parents and citizens stirred up by FOX news mindset is Don’t Tell Me that systemic racism is inherent in our country.  Never mind that CRT is not taught in K-12 settings, and only exists on college campuses.  People are reacting to what they perceive to be a socialist takeover of the hearts and minds of our kids.  They are reacting with White Heat.

Another impact:  voter suppression laws enacted by state legislators pandering to the Big Lie that our election system is rigged in part by allowing people who shouldn’t qualify to vote, to actually vote.  Many have already passed, and apparently the only solution is federal legislation that assures the right to vote.  But it is stuck in the D.C. circus.  Whew.

As I write this Democrats in D.C. are trying to reach a compromise to enable President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda to pass.  It has been significantly watered down to accommodate a couple of senators who don’t want to over-tax billionaires.  How the agenda gets paid for remains to be seen.  

In the meantime, at the local grassroots level and anger is building up in some quarters.  A White Heat that promises to infect our society for some time to come.  Lord have mercy!