The Pettiness of the Angry White Male

https://medium.com/@cmclymer/the-pettiness-of-the-angry-white-male-58bcc970021d#.b6byxvk6r

One of the more embarrassing statistics in American politics is that non-Hispanic white men make up an estimated 31 percent of the U.S. population but a whopping 64 percent of Congress. By contrast, people of color, in general, make up about 38 percent of Americans but only 20 percent of Congress. Women have it worse: just over 50 percent of the populace but 19.7 percent of the folks who decide our national laws.

There are similar statistics of power in law, media, sports, academia, and so on. By any standard, to be a white male in America is to have better odds of professional success and general happiness than members of every other demographic. Add to the mix heterosexuality and Christianity, and half the work is already done relative to peers who are women, people of color, LGBTQ, non-Christian, etc. God forgive you if you happen to be all of these.

Yet, the balance of power is shifting to something more equitable. Marginalized groups are taking bigger and bigger pieces of the pie (though still not big enough), and this is scaring the hell out of many white men.