Valley News Forum for Feb. 27, 2023: Great Replacement Theory not so great

Published: 02-27-2023 5:43 PM

Great Replacement Theory not so great

Our Statue of Liberty as the “Mother of Exiles,” and the Great Replacement Theory represent stark contrasts to America’s view of outsiders. In her sonnet, “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus penned the iconic lines: “Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” On the other hand, a fear of outsiders is prevalent in the Great Replacement Theory believing a plot to “replace” the political power and culture of white people living in Western countries.

In the U.S., those who embrace this theory accuse the left of deliberately importing immigrants to replace white people and white culture. Newt Gingrich, former House speaker, and Elise Stefanik, New York Republican congresswoman, have declared that leftists are attempting to “drown out” typical Americans. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., both decry the migrant “invasion” of the country. Fox host Tucker Carlson exclaims that the Democratic party is attempting to “replace the current electorate” with “third-world voters.” Replacement theory is featured in the violence perpetrated by extremists’ attacks on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018; Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in 2019; and Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017.

The Great Replacement is part of mainstream consciousness. A May 2022 Associated Press poll found that 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. “believes an effort is underway to replace U.S.-born Americans with immigrants for electoral gains.” If true, we have reason to worry.

To counter these fears of replacement, we need to question the underlying assumptions:

■White Americans will soon become a minority population. Not so: Non-Hispanic white Americans would still make up a plurality of the population.

■Immigrants will solely support the Democratic party. But Tucker Carlson concedes that many non-white, immigrant voters are Republican.

■Losing a numerical majority means losing power. Not so: despite the changing demographics in the U.S., those in positions of power have not fully shifted to match.

Throughout our history, we’ve had trouble living up to the Statue of Liberty’s “beacon of hope.” Our failure continues with “The Great Replacement.” We can do better.

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Greta Thunberg thinks she’s so smart

“I don’t know.” “I’m not sure.” “I may be wrong.” If ever these or similar unholy notions should cross the minds — such as they are — of Greta Thunberg (“How should leaders combat climate change?” Feb. 15) or her fellow paragons of humility and moral superiority, I suspect that their wildly misapprehensive, hubristic and authoritarian little heads would explode. Fingers crossed.

A debate on the nature and seriousness of climate change between Thunberg and, say, Bjorn Lomborg, Steve Koonin, Konstantin Kisin, or any other objective, well-informed and intelligent opponent would prove extremely telling, and so, of course, will never happen.

Anthony Stimson

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Who are the real deceivers on abortion?

In the aftermath of the June 24, 2022, Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court, I admit to mixed emotions. While their decision to return jurisdiction to the states was fundamentally sound in terms of both morality and jurisprudence, the result has saddened me because it exposed a nerve in America. That has resulted in many knee-jerk reactions by state and federal legislators and voters to enshrine Roe v. Wade and give it perpetual influence in our society. The most recent action by the Vermont Legislature to try to regulate pro-life “crisis pregnancy centers” out of existence has the fingerprints of Planned Parenthood all over it because they can’t tolerate honest competition.

An allegation has been made that the seven crisis pregnancy centers in Vermont engage in “deceptive practices” to try to “trick” women into not having abortions, which sucks money out of Planned Parenthood’s bottom line. In fact, what they provide is ultrasounds, which Planned Parenthood will only do for women who are committed to abortion, and practical assistance to help mothers who choose to keep their babies or offer them for adoption, without receiving any public funds. Services are provided to pregnant women irrespective of whether they choose to abort their babies. Non-judgmental post-abortion emotional or spiritual support (which Planned Parenthood doesn’t offer) is an important part of that.

Planned Parenthood, on the other hand, is shot through with deception. David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress was charged with multiple felonies for making undercover videos that exposed their practices (which included selling fetal tissue) when Vice President Kamala Harris was California’s Attorney General. Lila Rose went undercover and got Planned Parenthood staff to admit to deceptive practices. And Abby Johnson, whose tenure at Planned Parenthood was portrayed in the movie Unplanned, exposed their deceptions for all the world to see. So I say that if the Vermont Legislature really wants to eliminate deception, they need look no further.

William A. Wittik

Hartford

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