Brown Is The New White
And You Still Can’t Believe It
I’m currently reading Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority by Steve Phillips.
What is the book about?
Phillips talks about the movements and events that had to happen for Barack Obama to be elected president. It takes a pretty laid back approach to the cultural changes that are happening in the US and other places around the world.
The book explains that by 2044, half of the United States will be people of color. In other words, at that point, white people will become the minority. And even more interesting is that right now, white progressives and people of color account for 51% of the population. Democratic nominees for president though have pretty much ignored this as they continue to target mainly white voters. Phillips mentions instances when political figures have deliberately changed their messaging to appeal to more conservative white voters and as a result lose touch with voters of color.
It’s an interesting read. I’m just getting started, but so far it’s solid stuff.
Why does it matter?
It’s interesting that people are either in denial or simply ignoring the changes happening right in front of their eyes. This book explains just one example of systems that are in place but are out-dated or not working for the majority people.