Monday, May 23, 2022

Opinion: How replacement conspiracy theory threatens capitalism (and your pension)

John A. Tures
Sat, May 21, 2022

Replacement theory has allegedly been used as a motive for killing Hispanics at a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Jewish worshippers at a Pittsburgh Synagogue, and African-American shoppers, store workers and a police officer at a Buffalo supermarket, along with many other similar acts of terrorism.

Critics have battled with supporters over how evil the theory is. What we’ve missed is exactly how replacement theory targets capitalism, our republic and even most whites in America as well as non-whites.

Replacement theorists contend that the percentage of non-whites is growing in America, and in Europe, and massive deportations of immigrants won’t change that. So? How is that so bad?

More: Michigan man is 4th conviction in white supremacist group


More: Opinion: How white panic over 'Great Replacement' begets violence

Replacement theorists then move into conjecture. The Jewish publication "The Forward" reported that Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson claimed, “This is a voting rights question.”

“I have less political power because they’re importing a brand-new electorate. Why should I sit back and take that? The power that I have as an American guaranteed at birth is one man, one vote and they’re diluting it. No, they are not allowed to do that. Why are we putting up with this?” Carlson said.


Tucker Carlson speaks during the first day of the AmericaFest hosted by Turning Point USA on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, in Phoenix.

Who is 'they'?

But unless Carlson’s family was on the Mayflower or in Independence Hall in Philadelphia in September of 1787, those who have come from other countries have been “diluting” the Carlson vote for decades.

These include Italian Americans, Irish Americans, German Americans, East Europeans who came to America... my ancestors. So unless you’re the “right sort” of white, you’re diluting Tucker’s vote. And our Constitution, which has been amended several times to “dilute” Tucker’s vote, must also be an enemy of Replacement Theory.

Maybe it is a racial question. A “brand-new electorate” could be a code word for “non-white.”

But this repulsive racist rant is actually countered by conservatives, who argue that Republicans are making in-roads with African-Americans and Hispanics.

One of my students, who is conservative, made the finals of a statewide conference with a paper demonstrating that non-whites moved closer to Trump between the 2016 and 2020 elections.

I’ve written about plenty of evidence showing that non-whites can be as socially conservative, if not more socially conservative, than the white population. Is having this country populated with more conservative Christians really so bad? Or is it really about the skin-color thing?
Replacement theory proponents miss the mark

At the infamous 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, marchers allegedly chanted “Jews will not replace us.” Why would Jewish people want to “dilute” their numbers in America? Replacement theory peddlers don’t say.

Replacement theorists aren’t done, though it’s ironic that the theory was imported from France. The alleged Buffalo killer allegedly posted a manifesto that claimed: “Millions of people pouring across our borders, legally. Invited by the state and corporate entities to replace the white people who have failed to reproduce, failed to create the cheap labor, failed to create new consumers and tax base that the corporations and states need to have to thrive.”

So now replacement theory opposes free markets and capitalism? Now I see why National Socialists like the theory so much.

CNN also notes that such immigration also creates enough of a base to fund pensions for the growing, older (ironically whiter) retirement population.

Who can I show the ads the Biden Administration has been running in Latin America, encouraging people not to migrate to the United States? Replacement theory has that wrong too.

Replacement theory flies in the face of capitalism and our Constitution and hurts non-white and even white Americans. This French theory is the only thing actually in need of replacement.


John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College.



John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Opinion: 'Great Replacement Theory' is an anti-capitalist scam

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