The aptly titled “old white guy’s rant” (Editor’s Note: The writer submitted that headline) opinion piece really got me thinking. It really is a crying shame we can’t go back to the good old days when America was great and fair to the white guys.
How about that darn Civil Rights Act of 1964? Before the enactment of this act, we were still free! Free to discriminate against other races, ethnic groups, the entire female sex and all those non-Christian faiths. If you lived in the south, you could be absolutely sure no black people would be able to sit in a restaurant with you, sit next to you on a bus or next to your child in school thanks to the Jim Crow laws.
White guys still got respect back in the old days after World War II when the G. I. Bill provided for home and business loans and help with education. The middle class got a huge boost from that government largesse.
A bit of a shame that black soldiers such as the Tuskegee Airmen who fought valiantly in World War II were frequently unable to get loans due to discriminatory bank practices.
They struggled to get the same home loans, business loans and access to higher education, but were stymied by those same Jim Crow laws.
Of course, we are also thankful we were easily able to put so many potential terrorists in internment camps back in the good old days too. At least all the Japanese-American soldiers could rest assured their families were “safe” and not in German-style concentration camps. What a relief! Having all your property and freedom taken from you while your sons fought bravely on the American side was just a price for good citizens to pay.
And don’t get me started on the 15th amendment that gave African-American men the right to vote and the 19th amendment that did the same for all women. Wow! Did that get them started on making lots of demands for even more equality and access to the American dream. Sheesh! Now everyone seems to want a piece of the pie.
Yes—we used to be a great country. Simpler times—better times.
Cathy Goldberg is Seal Beach resident.
