Cutting Ties: The Decline of White Participation in Societal Institutions

by Mark Wauck

Today will be a mental health day, or at least a mental health morning.

There’s a good article out that’s been republished by Zerohedge. We’ve all by now heard that the US military is facing severe recruitment shortfalls. Many will also be aware that the shortfall in recruitments is largely accounted for by the precipitous drop in White men joining up. The article

White Americans Are Quiet-Quitting Our Leading Institutions

begins with what’s happening to the military, but then moves on to other societal institutions—and especially educational institutions.

Now, I’m not sure “quiet quitting” is the correct term:

“Quiet quitters continue to fulfill their primary responsibilities, but they’re less willing to engage in activities known as citizenship behaviors: no more staying late, showing up early, or attending non-mandatory meetings.” (Harvard Business Review)

“Opting out” may come closer to the reality of what’s happening. It’s not that people—and especially White men—are joining or participating in societal institutions but do only the minimum, it’s that they’re opting out entirely from institutions that they perceive as hostile. No doubt, there is also quiet quitting going on, but opting out is a reality as well.

So, for example:

This phenomenon is a consequence of the trends I write about in my forthcoming book, The Unprotected Class, about the rise of anti-white racism in American culture and how both formal and informal anti-white discrimination have become a factor in almost every area of American public life.

Little surprise then, that more and more young whites, especially young white men, are looking at the overall environment and saying, “Thanks, but no thanks,” to our leading institutions. Last week, the armed forces announced that the number of white recruits had fallen precipitously over the last five years.

According to a report at Military.com, most of the Army’s much-discussed incoming recruiting shortfall is due largely to this dramatic decline. While a bit more than 44,000 white Americans signed up to join the army in 2018, that number cratered to just over 25,000 by 2023—a stunning drop in a short period of time when black and Hispanic recruiting was largely flat. As a result, white recruits went from 56.4% of soldiers in 2018 to 44% in 2023.

But it’s worse than that:

A collapse in any demographic’s willingness to serve in the military would be a concern, but a collapse in (disproportionately conservative) whites in the military is more likely to precipitate a readiness crisis. White soldiers are far more likely than non-whites to be the “tip of the spear,” taking on the most dangerous and important combat tasks. In Iraq and Afghanistan, approximately 80% of special forces were white. Despite heavy diversity recruitment efforts in recent years, 84% of Navy SEALs are white. These special forces teams are filled with objective qualifications, performance, and candidate interest. It may be politically incorrect to say, but as a matter of math, in the current environment, a military that is less white is also a military that’s almost certainly less capable.

Even before the current recruiting collapse, we were already seeing the results of diversity uber alles in military performance. A recent article in Palladium Magazine described this growing competence crisis, and how it affects not just the military but all American institutions. …

Is it a good idea to be getting into more and more wars, at this time? Probably not.

So, from there the author moves on to education, but alludes also to the corporate world and, by implication, the 800 lb. gorilla, government. Follow the link, but here’s the question that we need to be thinking about:

Can America’s institutions run as well in the 21st century if white Americans are quiet quitting them in despair?

Those men are being replaced by, well, just anybody who’s willing to trek up to the southern border. Who will do the work of America? Oh, but wait—now that we’ve deindustrialized, what actually is the work of America? Is the ruling class thinking about that? Almost certainly not. They’re knuckleheads who are simply out for their short term interest. Advanced degrees are credentials, allright, but do not guarantee contact with basic reality:

Them vs. U.S.

The Two Americas and How the Nation’s Elite Is Out of Touch with Average Americans

Here are some of the key jaw-dropping revelations from the survey:

• Financial Well-being: Nearly three-quarters of the elites surveyed, believe they are better off now financially than they were when Joe Biden entered the White House. Less than 20% of ordinary Americans feel the same way.
• Individual Freedom: Elites are three times more likely than all Americans to say there is too much individual freedom in the country. Astonishingly, almost half of the elites and almost six-of-ten ivy leaguers say there is too much freedom.
• Climate Change: An astonishing 72% of the Elites – including 81% of the Elites who graduated from the top universities – favor banning gas cars. And majorities of elites would ban gas stoves, non-essential air travel, SUVs, and private air conditioning. That means no air travel with the kids to Disney World.
• Education: Most elites think that teachers unions and school administrators should control the agenda of schools. Most mainstream Americans think that parents should make these decisions.

Oh, and about three-quarters of these cultural elites are Biden supporters. Surprised?

LINK