‘Replacement theory’ is destructive, but nothing new

The language of “replacement theory” is often leveled in verbal attacks against Latinos, immigrants like my father who came to this country as a child from Mexico City.

Calling it a “theory” makes it sound harmless, academic. But as more Americans are learning, when acted upon, it’s dangerous and volatile.

It’s an irrational thread in our wonderful, increasingly diverse nation. Those who adhere to nativism and xenophobia see the change differently, as the Buffalo mass shooter just horrifyingly showed.

During my entire working career I’ve reported on many iterations of replacement theory. There have been taunts to U.s.-born Mexican-americans (myself included) and others to

“go back where you came from,” nationwide campaigns for “English Only” laws accompanied by any number of factually incorrect rants about “amnesty.”

More recently, it’s become almost fashionable for flaying political campaigns to spin falsehoods about immigrants turning elections by illegally casting votes or the southern border being “swarmed” by black-haired undesirables who look suspiciously like my father.

And yet, the killings at a supermarket in Buffalo, once again, show that it is Black people who often become the targets, even when immigrants are the focus of the hysteria.

Ten people were shot and killed, three wounded by a gunman who specifically wanted to target Black people, singling out victims by the melanin in their skin.

Sit with that for a bit.

The gunman is believed to be the author of copious writings about replacement theory, which is deeply twisted around a hatred of immigrants and people of color. But ten Black people were just murdered . ...

Admitting the reason — that Black people bear the weight of race heavier than any other identifiable group in this country — is a step America needs to take. It’s a step Latinos need to take.

A disregard for Black life is the bedrock upon which so many other irrational fears have sprung.

Note this please: It is more comforting for many to dismiss the Buffalo killings as the doings of one evil, demented person. Legally, yes, that is true.

Payton S. Gendron now faces first degree murder charges as the lone gunman and so far, no one else has been implicated.

But there is so much more here.

By now, far wider recognition is coming to the once fringe idea of “replacement theory.” Gendron, 18, is also believed to be behind prolific writings espousing his belief in it . ...

A French writer named Renaud Camus is generally credited (although it hardly seems like an achievement) with cooking up the term replacement theory amid all the hand wringing about the growing Islamic and African immigrant population in Europe . ...

This moment calls for engagement. It’s feasible to have honest, deep and factual conversations about migration, voting rights, assimilation and more, without wallowing in supremacy.

It’s a mistake to simply walk away, to refuse to admit to how the genesis of the gunman’s thoughts are reinforced and sprinkled throughout society, throughout our history.

And that this, like so much else that extremists believe, is irrevocably linked to anti-black sentiment. Here is where the responsibility sits, waiting for the nation to address. We need to see the connections and engage, not just dismiss them out of discomfort.

It starts with fear of immigrants and consequently, rapidly changing demographics. We should also begin with all due reverence to Black America.