To be a majority minority

Living in one of the largest cities in the US, I find myself more and more reticent to leave the house. Every time I venture out, I am reminded that this is no longer the nation that I knew as a child growing up in the '70s. I am usually the only white face -- or one of a very few -- anywhere I go. Even Ann Coulter has commented on this. And let's be clear: I am going to places that have been traditionally frequented by the "old" majority of Western European/British Isles-descended people. Not so anymore.

Most of America doesn't seem to view this as a problem. To them it's just business as usual, albeit business with an Asian, Hispanic or black person. The problem that I've been encountering lately is an increasing hostility towards me as a white woman. I'm extremely fair-skinned and soft-featured, and that translates to "push over" for most people.

Take today, for example. While driving to an appointment I encountered the usual unending road construction. When I approached said construction I was vaguely gestured to by a black police officer. Since I couldn't determine what he was trying to say since his hand was barely raised above hip level and I could hardly see it, I was going to slow down and go around. No big deal, I figured, since there was no on-coming traffic and the construction seemed to be very contained on the side of the road. This was apparently not the deference to authority that was expected. I think he tried to signal for me to pull over and stop, for what reason I couldn't discern, but his hand gestures were still vague. As I drove on my way, another Hispanic officer tried to get me stop and when I wouldn't, he kicked at my car and cursed me. I still don't know what they were trying to get me to do. There was no reason to stop. Funnily enough, neither police officer tried to stop any of the cars behind me, only me.

This may seem like a non-story but it happens with alarming regularity: people of minority ethnicity in positions of pseudo-power use that power to try to coerce whites to defer to them. I see this even when I go shopping for clothes. Clothing isn't designed for me. I wouldn't wear most of the loud patterns and strangely cut clothes that are manufactured today. It's getting hard to find eyeglasses too. Most are made for a face type that is nothing like mine but would be much better-suited for a face that has harsh angles and a larger nose. Even most skincare products are for skin that is much darker or oilier than mine.

The message I'm getting from this is pretty clear: this isn't your world anymore. When the world around you ceases to reflect your needs and interests, it's not your world anymore. America isn't becoming a third world nation. It already is.