At the end of World War II, there was the obvious issue that if black citizens served honorably, they deserved to be treated as heroes when they returned home. A token effort was made by President Truman by nullifying the most egregious segregation rules in the army. But, on the other hand, the Cold War morphed as a major struggle. For those--and I put myself in the category--who saw no reason why people of color shouldn't have equal rights, a new issue faced us. "Commie" and "nigger lover" often sullied the atmosphere. There was a false logic which some could throw up to us that "real" Americans were true to our traditions and should not be fooling around with trying to change our ways. Another type of experience I had (Forthrightness used to get me in more trouble than it does now.) concerned a setting on the Connecticut shore in a summer home. Several of us were guests of a Wall Street broker who liked to entertain younger people. It was a welcome overture. Somehow I mentioned something about the couple who ran the place for him. They had been most attentive. I really cannot remember
how I expressed myself to them, but it apparently showed a familiarity which bothered the host. I was corrected by murmured words and body language which let me know I had crossed the line of social intercourse.
I would not feel so strongly about many Republicans I know as to say that they are haughty, class ridden, and shallow. However, in the political types, I would say there is that tendency and it is something we should not be surprised at. In CEO, authoritarian management style, people think in lines-of-command terms. As a group, in my view, a president fitting that mold would categorize whole classes of human beings on the corporate chart. And it goes further than just politicians. MSM seemed to have made it clear that "ghetto" or "inner city" or "single parent" tags equivalent to "blacks"--or name the out-group in a particular neighborhood.
But on the social side of these same types there is a need to portray a touch of humanness. Window dressing is the easy way to handle it. Shirley Chisholm was a great campaigner in my opinion, when she used "unbought and unbossed." I think she would have made a great Secretary of Education, Labor, or HHS, but that would never have happened.
Window dressing was the topic where I worked in the 60s. 95% of the employees were African-American. The joke going around was "take a honky to lunch." In Chicago in 1968 that relieved tension.
Last night I watched the PBS story of STAX. It was a wonderful trip back to music with the likes of Otis Redding. Music, they said, was a way to break down barriers between the races when Memphis was still under strict segregation. The musicians stayed in a small studio and changed musical trends, yet when Dr. King was killed on that balcony, they (black and white) were the ones who were there, black and white.
For all I can say about Republicans, I cannot say that Democrats come off too pure either. If you read Taylor Branch's trilogy of the King Years, you would remember that Nelson Rockefeller, who had ties to Spelman College in Atlanta, made overtures to Dr. King for political support. And to come back to the couple at the beach, the man who eventually made the big effort for civil rights legislation turned out to be one many accused of lacking couth. As I grew up I always heard about finding a president who understood the needs of the Common Man. Reagan almost pulled it off. Ike stood in for all of us during a tough time. In the last analysis, presidents and other political leaders need empathy. Studying the organization chart and the return on investment can leave little room for the Common Man, and maybe even a Common Woman if there be such a creature.