Josh Schriver, a Republican from Michigan, recently shared an image on social media that has sparked controversy, with many viewing it as containing racist undertones. The image, which propagates the “great replacement theory,” resulted in Schriver being stripped of a crucial committee position, along with the associated resources and staff.
Schriver posted the controversial content on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, on February 6th. The post depicts a simplistic world map, with depictions representing white individuals and people of color. In this portrayal, Caucasians are depicted as the minority, suggesting that other racial groups make up the majority of the population in North America, Europe, and Australia.
The depiction shows the remaining continents as populated solely by individuals of color and features accompanying text stating, “The great replacement!” Schriver also added an emoji of a downward trend graph alongside the image.
Democratic House Speaker Joe Tate, equally offended by the post, took action by sanctioning the Michigan representative, stripping him of his leadership role in the House Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Committee. Additionally, Schriver forfeited an annual budget of $132,000, which will now be allocated to his replacement.
The concept of the “great replacement” stems from a conspiracy theory initiated by Austrian neo-Nazi Gerd Honsik, who distorted the ideas of Richard Nikolaus Graf von Coudenhove-Kalergi, a philosopher of mixed-race Austrian descent.
The philosopher advocated for racial integration as crucial for Europe’s advancement, yet Honsik twisted his concepts, falsely asserting that Europe would be inundated by Jews who would perpetrate a kind of “genocide” against white individuals through widespread immigration and interracial unions. Honsik, who passed away in 2018, was also known for denying the Holocaust.
Schriver’s detractors include Michigan Republican Representative Donni Steele and Senator John Damoose. Steele emphasized the obligation for him and his colleagues to maintain a higher standard in their roles, underscoring the importance of speaking out against hate when it emerges.
Damoose expressed profound dismay upon reading Schriver’s statement, highlighting that the nation should have progressed beyond such divisive rhetoric and emphasizing that such views do not align with present conservative principles.
