Not everyone has heard of Scott Walker and his campaign scheme, so let’s break it down really quickly for you. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s 2012 recall election campaign was a dirty money funnel that had millions of dollars syphoned into a “dark money” group known as the Wisconsin Club for Growth. It was then found that Walker and his aides used Wisconsin Club for Growth to circumvent traditional campaign contribution limits and the state ban on political donations from corporations. It doesn’t sound anything out of the ordinary and is par for what you expect when it comes to money, corruption and the evil of politicians.
There is this new thing, however, where they are calling it “dark money.” And this, folks, is where we have a problem.
Oh, the days when we could see just one type of money, maybe referred to by the color green, and nothing more. Yes, sure, other parts of the world have very colorful bills and denominations, but the stereotypical thought is that money is green and it makes the world go round. Gold and silver may also be colors that are synonymous with money and wealth and are even held to high standards because of it. Gold, green and silver are all generally positively looked at in the color scheme. Green can be looked at favorably being the color of nature, plants and for those that care about the world around them. Silver and gold are often used to signify the greatness of something, being second and first best in anything, respectively. These are all positive traits associated with colors we all know and sometimes love.
Now, for the money that is certainly no different in color, but comes from tainted places, like the corrupt pockets of politicians that are illegally funded by high amounts of corporate donors, we call that “dark money.” I can’t be the only person to see how this is wrong. Too long have racial stigmas have been forced upon people of color, as racial barriers based on skin color have been placed time and time again on people who have done no wrong. Now money is getting this treatment as well? Obviously, the money has done no wrong, it’s the people controlling it that have been of nefarious intent.
Dark money does not exist. There is no difference in shade and half of the money transferred was done digitally. It’s been okay to hate on brown people so long that now we’re going attribute racial stereotypes to pieces of paper that don’t even have a real piece of gold or silver tied to any more? That’s just wrong and horrible.
We need to rise up against the oppressive forms of mainstream media that would coin such a phrase. Why can’t the politicians be called corrupt? Instead we say things like “mayor tied to dark money.” Why can’t it be “money tied to corrupt politicians?” The money has done no wrong and it certainly does not need to be racially profiled.
Let’s stop the hate towards money of color. This kind of thing has gone on too long and we’re shifting the blame away from the people who really deserve to be hated and reviled for their actions, like high-money, illegal corporate donors and those like Scott Walker that benefit from them.