I am an Hispanic libertarian. By all leftist accounts (and the belief of many of my peers) I’m an oppressed minority. Here’s the thing: I refuse to be one. I don’t need your pity, nor your help; I don’t want your handouts or Affirmative Action.
My race does not define me, it does not have any bearing on my ability to accomplish tasks or attain success. I am a son, an uncle, a brother, a best friend and confidant; I have a greater attachment to these titles than that of “Hispanic.”
My successes and failures are dependent on me. I will succeed or fail on my own. It is not society’s job to prevent me from failing or give me a leg up because of my ethnicity, nor is it moral for government to take from wealthy individuals and redistribute it to others by threat of force. Things like Affirmative Action, illustrated by these race-based bake sales that give minorities discounts for the color of their skin, are not helping minorities out of their squalor. You want to help these “underprivileged” communities? Donate to charities, help young people become educated, start a business and/or give young people the opportunity to be self-sufficient. Also, this may seem a bit obvious, but…stop taxing them into the ground!
I was born and raised in a small town just outside of Los Angeles and I have seen how burdensome taxation has affected the poorer communities in California. Taxes on plastic water bottles, on paint, on lumber, on plastic bags, not to mention a 9.75% sales tax and some insane property taxes have negatively impacted those in poverty. There is a major disparity between those affected by these taxes: those at or near the poverty level are pushed down further, while those in Brentwood, Beverly Hills and the Hollywood Hills are mostly unaffected by these taxes. Hollywood liberals vote for increased taxation nearly every time it comes up on a ballot, not giving a second thought to the underprivileged communities they are trampling underfoot while claiming to champion them.
I will not claim that racism does not exist; it most definitely does. I have experienced it myself many times. But unlike the childish reactions of the Left when they experience any hint of racial insensitivity, every time I experienced racism, I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and moved on like an adult. The beliefs of others do not affect who I am as a person.
Discriminatory action against white people will not benefit those of us with darker skin. All it does is further divide our nation. How can things like Affirmative Action be interpreted as progress? Would you be okay with schools that gave whites a better opportunity to be admitted to their institution for nothing more than the color of their skin? No, you wouldn’t. You would scorn that institution for being blatantly racist. Affirmative Action should be viewed the same way.
If you want to help minorities that are oppressed and disadvantaged, you need to stop looking to government and begin to look within. Government has proven to be feckless, corrupt and inept. Decades after the War on Poverty was started, and trillions of dollars spent, we still suffer a similar poverty rate. Voting for lower taxes and giving to private charities will make a much larger impact on these communities than big government ever will.
I recently saw a video by a very famous YouTuber known as Hannah Hart, who displays her white guilt here. Her video made my stomach turn. There are actually people who think it’s their job to explain/apologize for the actions of other members of their race.
You are an individual; you are responsible for you and you alone. I am an individual; I am not responsible for the actions of those who look like me, neither are you.
I was not afforded the same opportunities as many of my friends (of every race). My family was not able to pay for schooling or afford rent or cars for me, unlike many of my peers… and that’s okay. I had to work hard to afford my own car and everything else I have. My success is dependent upon me, not on society, not on government, not on my family, and certainly not on white people.
I refuse this sash of victimhood, of dependency, of oppression that the Left wishes to put around my neck because of the color of my skin. I refuse to be told that I won’t make it to the level of my white peers because they had a head start. I refuse to be one of your “oppressed minorities” that you can talk down to as if I were a child that needed your help.
I refuse to fit your mold.
* Manuel Gutierrez – all his friends call him “Manny” – is an uncle, brother, son and best friend that became a libertarian about 3 years ago. He’s Hispanic and speaks English, Spanish and a tiny bit of French. He is a martial artist, photographer and works for Amazon.
Manuel Gutierrez
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dude :>
Beautifully stated. Every man and woman should always to live in a way that they need to make as few apologies for their personal choices as possible. When we need to and make an apology we need to work to try to make it right. Every one of us should never apologize for the choices of any other human being. the time in each lifetime is far too scarce to waste on that.
So long as state institutions continue racism, it will not end. Entitling someone to something because of race is literally the exact same thing as barring them from it, because of race. This is precisely what happens each and every election cycle with liberal politicians. They show up dividing everyone into the smallest groups they can, often pit them against each other in the hopes that the conversation remains on the division they force instead of how they’ve failed to do anything they’ve promised to do. Each election cycle they remain in power, and their failures continue. The fact is that their policies keep EVERYONE down as a whole, and the only ones who benefit are those who foot the bill for them to get back into office.
Regardless the letter that follows their name, the results are ALWAYS the same. The Ds use racism and social groups for their efforts, the Rs use people who are tired of the same old policies being pushed. In the end, they are one in the same. The constituents are let down, they blame the other side, but they BOTH do the same thing. Ds help THEIR BUDDIES while in office, and the Rs help theirs. Same cycle, same group of winners. We’ve broken the cycle this election however. Trump’s power came from the people, not the lobbyists or large donors. He bucked the entire system, and as a result is being attacked from all sides. Big business, big media, even the spooks are after him. Thankfully it doesn’t affect him and he keeps on trucking.
He is about to remove the leash of the gov from the people, and good things will follow.
This article really says what I have been feeling and saying for a long time. Very well said! I wish more of us who take notice and wake up.
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