You are so right. And at the same time when I read this sentence I worry. I worry that white people in the USA are so identified with whiteness that for us to let it go would be like losing a key part of how we grew up identifying. That won't happen without a fight.

It is sort of like the gun debate - maybe. Many people agree that we should not have military-style assault weapons available for civilians. We don't have tanks and RPGS. But now that we have AR15s people identify with their rifles. We shouldn't have whiteness - it is a made-up category for the sole purpose of justifying racist policies. But now that we do have it, it feels like it is real.

It is sort of like taking a dangerous item away from a baby. You need to give them something else to hold onto. You need a something shiny or fluffy to wave in front of them. Maybe that is what the orange one is doing. MAGA and patriotism is shiny. There are Latinos and Black people who are able to support MAGA - not many and mostly men - but some. People of conscience need something shiny that can help people let go of whiteness. For a while I thought Bernie might be that. He has a vision of solidarity.

I'm not sure what it could be. Maybe ethnicity - but that is equally problematic. Ideally it would be something like how everyone in Wisconsin can love the Green Bay Packers regardless of race or ethnicity. That is why it is unfortunate that the Right has appropriated the flag and patriotism.