Dear Steve King: Here are some things not invented by white people

US Republican Steve King is proud of his “sub-group’s” contributions to civilization.

On a televised panel on MSNBC, the Iowa congressman appeared with Esquire writer Charlie Pierce. After Pierce said that attendees at the Republican national convention were “loud, unhappy, dissatisfied white people,” King launched into an awkward, racist rant.

“This whole white people business does get a little tired, Charlie. I’d ask you to go back through history and figure out where are these contributions that have been made by these other categories of people that you’re talking about. Where did any other sub-group of people contribute more to civilization?” he said.

“Than white people?” MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes asked.

“Than western civilization itself that’s rooted in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the United States of America, and any place where the footprint of Christianity settled the world,” he replied.

King could use a history lesson. Perhaps he could start with researching the origins of the following:

• numerals
• mathematics
• religion
• Christianity
• irrigation
• novels
• paper
• ink
• dance
• music
• gunpowder
• guns
• bombs
• time bombs
• the seismograph
• the compass
• just-in-time manufacturing
• CD players
• MP3 players
• Pokemon
• calculators
• karaoke
• lithium ion batteries
• yoga
• martial arts
• silk
• umbrellas
• tea
• noodles
• instant noodles
• shampoo
• punk futurism
• futures markets

King has never been known for embracing diversity. In 2008 he told AP that US president Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, would cause terrorists to “dance in the streets” should he win the election. King also reportedly keeps a tiny Confederate flag tucked inside a coffee mug on his desk.

In his defense of white people’s contributions to civilization, King is only carrying out one of their most longstanding ones—discounting the contributions of everyone else.

http://qz.com/735731/dear-steve-king-here-are-some-things-not-invented-by-white-people-in-the-us-or-europe/