What is a “thought experiment”?
As the name suggests, it’s an “experiment” (usually conceived by scientists) that involves a hypothetical situation, conducted in one’s imagination rather than in the actual physical world.
Although that sounds dicey, there have been many thought experiments that have led to advances in scientific understanding. Albert Einstein made use of many thought experiments in developing his theories of relativity. Perhaps the most famous thought experiment is “Schrödinger’s Cat”, conceived by physicist Edwin Schrödinger to examine the nature of the relationship between the realm of quantum physics and “ordinary” reality. (Scientifically-curious readers may be interested in a recent experiment exploring this further.)
My thought experiment is simpler. It doesn’t require understanding of quantum physics or the collapse of the quantum wavefunction. It requires only self-honesty and a moderate level of knowledge about our current politics.
Imagine that we had a way to eliminate all racism, and all the impacts of racism, current, historical, and future, against all minorities, including Black Americans. Assume we can do this at zero cost.
All minorities would have, on average, the same educational levels and economic/social opportunities as whites. All social pathologies suffered by Black Americans as a result of 400 years of slavery and Jim Crow would be gone. A great historical wrong would finally be righted. We would finally have true Black-White racial equality and justice.
All it takes is a “yes” vote by one-half of the Republicans in Congress: 133 of the combined 214 House Republicans and 50 Senate Republicans.
Do 133 Congressional Republicans vote “yes”?
What do you think?
***
Consider what the thought processes of the 264 Republicans might be.
Does it help our electoral base? Not at all. Our predominantly white base would suffer from the increased competition for jobs and opportunities for advancement. They’d be less well-off than before.
Does it help our own chances of being re-elected? Not at all. The Republican base’s response to any Republican voting to make minority and Black Americans truly equal economic and social competitors to White Americans would be this: You sold us out! The next primary election, most all the yes-voting Republicans would lose.
Does it help our party long-term? Not at all. What place does today’s Republican party have in a country at racial peace? The party would have to fall back to its staid old anti-tax, anti-regulation, pro-security, William F. Buckley self of 50 years ago. No room for nuts in that party! Plus making a core constituency of the Democratic party more economically powerful is harmful by itself.
Does it help our country? Ha! Trick question. Do you think more than a handful of the 264 would even consider this as a factor?
My view: Only a few of Congressional Republicans would vote “yes”. It’s simply not in their interests, or the interests of their base.
Which leads to just one conclusion.
Republicans have become the party of unreconstructed White America. Racial animosity, especially against Black Americans, is a driving force in today’s Republican party.
The thought experiment doesn’t lie.
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