8% and The Lottery Syndrome

by Lulu Dilworth

In the 2000 election a mere eight percent of black voters chose George W. Bush. Not since the Republicans nominated Barry Goldwater in 1964 have African-Americans stayed away from the G.O.P. in such numbers.

Republicans express bafflement. How, they say, can they do this to us? We give "them" Clarence Thomas. We elevate Colin Powell to demi-god status as "war hero" and still "they" vote against us.

What the Republicans (and others) conveniently forget is that 350 years of legalized slavery teaches slaves many hard lessons, one of the most important being: Rich white man speak with forked tongue. 350 years of servitude does wonders for developing one's sensitivity to hypocrisy from the ruling class.

Many Republicans deeply believe their cant. When they speak of the value of hard work as the path to success, they are quite sincere. (No matter that among many of the richer Republicans you have to go back several generations to find anyone who actually worked.) But there are also a good many Republicans who have earned their money the hard way. These people often are truly baffled by any suggestion that others less fortunate might need a little extra attention and help from society. They had a hard time earning their money. Why should it be any easier for anyone else?

If you point out to these people that they almost all have really white skin, they are shocked because they believe in "true" equality and point to Clarence Thomas as proof that they will accept a person of any skin color into the ruling class if that person is willing to work hard. (Never mind that Mr. Thomas benefited directly and powerfully from various affirmative action programs in place during his student days).

For the political spinners in charge of Republican campaigns, "equality" means precisely the same as it means when applied to the structure of a lottery. If I buy one lottery ticket and you buy one lottery ticket, we both enjoy the benefits of true equality, free of any bias regarding race, creed, color, or even sexual orientation. We both have the same chance of winning.

Of course, if you happen to be a rich white Republican, you can improve your chances quite a bit by purchasing a whole lot of tickets. If I am a non-white-skinned person getting minimum wage, my chances are a lot less.

What we see at work here is a peculiar behavior pattern which we can call "The Lottery Syndrome." It is characterized by two bizarre mis-readings of self-interest:

1. We all have an equal shot at winning the Gazillion-dollar Jackpot. My ticket is as good as your ticket.

2. Until the day comes when I win the jackpot, I want the system which creates such huge jackpots to continue just as it is, so I'll continue to have my "equal," truly color-blind chance at winning.

The result is that, given a choice, the undereducated, under-employed will support an exploitative regime that offers the illusion of equal opportunity. Which is why poor and lower-middle-class whites vote Republican in such numbers.

A few examples:

1. In 1848 a few star-crossed mini-revolutions popped up in Europe. To the astonishment of the educated elite of that day, the mass of people, when given a chance to throw off the yoke of poverty and servitude, did not take it. The masses sided rather with the exploitative status quo. Marx and other political thinkers were acutely aware of this paradox, which had the unfortunate effect of sowing the potential for authoritarian abuse in all future well-intended revolutions (Later, smarter revolutionary leaders would in effect say, as they grabbed power with whatever degree of violence was necessary, "We're doing this for your own good; you may suffer for a while after we take power, but you will eventually thank us for it").

2. In the 2000 election, the Republicans ran on a reform of estate taxes, so that large inheritances would be taxed at a lower rate. Though affecting only a small number of people, much less than one percent of the population, this proposal was widely supported by voters, who seemed to be saying, "When the day finally comes that I join the ranks of the rich, I want to be sure I can pass my wealth on to my children." The lottery syndrome, by another name.

3. Then there's the movement away from the graduated income tax. How many Americans remember (or care) that only a few decades ago persons at the highest levels of income paid (you ready?) 84% of their income in taxes? So far have we drifted into greed and away from the ideals of an egalitarian society that even the present highest rate of 37%-- or is it already down to 34%? it's so hard to keep up with fast-moving greed-- will probably be lowered still more by the next Congress.

Such shenanigans offer the mass of people the illusion of equal opportunity. And they buy into the illusion, and vote Republican. At least they tend to if they are white (or first-generation Asian-American).

But what that 8% of blacks who goted Republican tells us is starkly simple: You can fool a lot of poor and middle-class white voters a lot of the time, but you can't fool very many black voters at all. Not even if you put a few Uncle Tom's and Aunt Tomasina's in very visible positions.

For all the incalculable damage that centuries of slavery did, it had one salutary effect. It created one large bloc of sophisticated voters with a very low tolerance for political bullshit. How much tolerance? This time around, it was only eight percent.

You tell me who's smarter: the 50% of white voters who fell for the compassionate king's new clothes, or the 92% of black voters who knew those white guys were standing up there stark naked?

END

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