America Is Flirting With Mob Rule…Again (w/ Wright Thompson) | The Bulwark Podcast
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The Emmett Till family privately contacts families of modern victims, sharing insights into the long-term future of such tragedies.
- ❖Mississippi's history of "hack politicians" saying "crazy shit" to win votes without understanding the forces they unleash led directly to events like Emmett Till's murder.
- ❖Governor Ross Barnett's decision to renege on a desegregation deal was influenced by crowd cheers at a football game, illustrating how easily politicians can be swayed by populist sentiment.
- ❖The historical narrative of Emmett Till's murder was intentionally erased and rewritten, with official records missing and textbooks presenting a distorted version.
- ❖Mississippi's 1837 default on international bonds, driven by "culture war reasons," left the state with no credit for rebuilding after the Civil War, impacting its infrastructure (like Jackson's water system) even today.
- ❖The "anti-government" sentiment in Mississippi is rooted in the knowledge that without federal support, the state, originally built on cotton, would not exist as it does.
- ❖Emmett Till was murdered for his "optimism and trying to test boundaries" in a region experiencing economic decline and increasing insularity.
- ❖The current backlash against "black history" is framed as a war on American history, rooted in cultural insecurity and a refusal to confront uncomfortable truths.
- ❖Silence in the face of injustice is complicity, a lesson learned by Wright Thompson's mother during the 1960s Civil Rights era.
- ❖Tariffs are causing an "existential threat" to American farmers, leading to unsold crops and long-term market damage, with many farmers regretting supporting policies that "own the libs."
- ❖Political violence, once unleashed, has a "very, very, very long tail" and cannot be easily controlled, even if society attempts to return to a "radical center."
- ❖The host expresses concern that a segment of the population "has a taste for this kind of thing and want to excuse it and want to see the people that they don't like suffer."
Insights
1The Interconnectedness of Historical Injustice and Economic Decline
Mississippi's historical economic woes, like defaulting on bonds in 1837, were driven by "culture war reasons" and left the state with no credit, directly impacting its ability to rebuild after the Civil War and even affecting modern infrastructure like Jackson's water system. This illustrates how past political decisions, often rooted in prejudice, have profound and lasting economic consequences.
Mississippi didn't pay its bills in 1837... the country of Monaco was still suing the state of Mississippi trying to get its money back from a century earlier. And so the degree to which Mississippians today are prisoners of political decisions and policy decisions that were made a hundred years before their parents were born. One of the reasons the water doesn't work in Jackson, Mississippi is that Mississippi didn't pay its bills in 1837.
2Intentional Erasure of History as a Sophisticated Operation
The historical record of Emmett Till's murder was not merely forgotten but actively and intentionally erased by powerful figures. Official documents were missing, library confessions were torn out, and textbooks presented a heavily sanitized, biased account.
The confession is torn out... The file was empty. There wasn't a single trial transcript in any official storage facility anywhere in the United States... The erasure of this started almost immediately. It was incredibly intentional. It was driven by the press offices of Jim East and John Stennis. I mean this was a unbelievably sophisticated operation. () And the current textbook description of Emmett Till: Emtt Till, a young black man from Chicago, allegedly made a pass at a white woman at a rural store. Two men kidnapped him, beat him, killed him, and threw his body in the Talahachche River... painted a poor picture of Mississippi and its white citizens.
3The Dangerous Echoes of Populist Rhetoric and Political Violence
The guest draws direct parallels between the political climate leading to Emmett Till's murder (fueled by "hack politicians saying crazy shit to get votes") and contemporary political violence and historical revisionism (e.g., January 6th). He warns that once unleashed, political violence has a "very long tail" and cannot be easily controlled.
Mississippi has such a history of hack politicians saying crazy [__] to get votes without really understanding the forces they're playing with. () Once unleashed political violence cannot be controlled and it has a a very very very very long tale. () They've made that change already at the Smithsonian in DC and he's putting it in the White House, you know, where they have little plaques that tell a different story. And like, you know, maybe he's doing it in a more hackneed way than the Lost Cause guys did, but it's the same deal.
Bottom Line
The guest's experience writing "The Barn" and his mother's stance against silence suggest an opportunity for individuals and organizations to actively counter historical revisionism by promoting accurate, uncomfortable histories. The "cultural insecurity" driving historical erasure indicates a market for honest narratives that foster understanding rather than shame.
There's a societal need for unvarnished historical accounts, particularly in regions where narratives have been suppressed.
Develop educational materials, documentaries, or local initiatives that confront difficult histories, leveraging personal stories and local context to make them relatable and impactful.
The discussion on tariffs highlights how political decisions, even those framed as "owning the libs," can have immediate and devastating "existential" consequences for commodity-dependent sectors like farming, creating long-term market damage that is difficult to reverse.
Businesses and regions heavily reliant on commodity exports are highly exposed to geopolitical trade policies, regardless of domestic political alignment.
Diversify regional economies away from over-reliance on single commodities or develop robust risk mitigation strategies against trade policy shifts. Lobbying efforts should focus on long-term market stability rather than short-term political wins.
Key Concepts
The Long Tail of Political Violence
Once political violence is unleashed, its consequences and effects can persist for generations, making it incredibly difficult to control or reverse.
Historical Erasure as a Political Tool
Deliberately removing or distorting historical records and narratives serves to absolve present generations of responsibility and maintain a preferred, often inaccurate, self-image.
Populist Feedback Loop
Politicians, driven by self-interest, can be swayed by crowd sentiment and populist rhetoric, leading to decisions that have severe, unintended consequences.
The 'Brave vs. Coward' Dichotomy
In moments of moral crisis, people often fall into categories of those who bravely confront injustice and those who are cowardly silent, rather than simple 'good' or 'bad.'
Lessons
- Actively seek out and confront uncomfortable historical truths, especially those that have been suppressed or rewritten, to gain a deeper understanding of present-day issues.
- Challenge political rhetoric that incites division or violence, recognizing its potential to unleash uncontrollable, long-lasting societal harm.
- Speak out against injustice and historical revisionism, understanding that silence can be interpreted as complicity or approval.
- Support educational initiatives that teach comprehensive and accurate history, including difficult chapters, to prevent future generations from repeating past mistakes.
- For those in commodity-dependent industries, critically evaluate political promises regarding trade and tariffs, and advocate for policies that ensure long-term market stability rather than short-term political gains.
Notable Moments
The reading of the current Mississippi high school textbook's sanitized and biased description of Emmett Till's murder, framing the governor as a "moderating force" and Till as a "young black man" who "allegedly made a pass."
This concrete example demonstrates how official educational systems can perpetuate misinformation and cultural insecurity, preventing generations from understanding their own history.
The story of Willie Reid (Emit Till's witness) returning to the barn where Till was murdered, only to find all traces of his childhood community erased except for the barn itself.
It vividly illustrates the physical and emotional erasure of history and community, leaving a single, stark monument to a traumatic event.
Quotes
"I just hate bullies. I just I grew up around this stuff in Mississippi."
"Mississippi has never really been governed for the benefit of Mississippians."
"Cotton was oil until 1933 when Dupont invented nylon and Mississippi was Saudi Arabia."
"The most irrationally arrogant people in the world are the people in charge of the bottom wrong on a commodity chain because they think they have power but they have none."
"Emit Till was murdered for his optimism and for trying to test boundaries in a place that felt more and more closed in on itself."
"I don't understand the reticence of saying this is what happened here. It is just a weird line to draw in the sand. It's not like I'm not being persecuted. My life is in no way negatively affected by standing up and saying this is the truth of what happened here. A child was tortured to death. Why can't we all confront it?"
"I was silent the last time this happened, and I didn't really understand what was going on, and I just told myself that if if it if it ever happened again, I was not going to be silent, cuz silence is complicity. Silence is approval."
"If you want to know whether you're a monster, ask yourself the question, am I comfortable with that story being told in my children's classroom? And if the answer is no, then you need to go to church, man."
"Once unleashed political violence cannot be controlled and it has a a very very very very long tale."
"A core American tenant is we don't like bullies. Even if we're in this weird thing right now, we don't like cowards. We don't like people who attack women and children. And like these guys are unAmerican."
"Anybody who deals with commodity markets knows that tariffs are terrible on commodity markets. So, like any farmer who didn't know this was coming, frankly, should just have to give me their farm."
Q&A
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