“Wallace, Nixon, and Reagan, among others, helped to create and legitimize a new form of prejudice. They did not promote biological racism: they were not white supremacists; they did not allege genetic impairments; they did not promise a return to segregation; they did not imply that blacks were second-class citizens or that they should be treated differently than anyone else. Their message was subtle, rather than blatant: it was that blacks should behave themselves. They should take quiet advantage of the ample opportunities now provided them. Government had been too generous, had given blacks too much, and blacks, for their part, had accepted these gifts all too readily. Discrimination was illegal, opportunities were plentiful. Blacks should work their way up without handouts or special favors in a society that was now color-blind.”
Donald Kinder and Lynn Sanders, Divided By Color
Thursday, December 11, 2008
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Later in their careers, Wallace, Nixon, and Reagan would go on to produce and star in the noted skin flick, ironically named "The Southern Strategy."
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