The Enduring Solidarity of Whiteness

[L. Coyote]

The Enduring Solidarity of Whiteness
Black poverty is fundamentally distinct from white poverty—and so cannot be addressed without grappling with racism.
Ta-Nehisi Coates Feb 8, 2016

... Cedric Johnson in a piece entitled, “An Open Letter To Ta-Nehisi Coates And The Liberals Who Love Him.” Johnson’s essay offers those of us interested in the problem of white supremacy and the question of economic class the chance to tease out how, and where, these two problems intersect. In Johnson’s rendition, racism, in and of itself, holds limited explanatory power when looking at the socio-economic problems which beset African Americans. “We continue to reach for old modes of analysis in the face of a changed world,” writes Johnson. “One where blackness is still derogated but anti-black racism is not the principal determinant of material conditions and economic mobility for many African Americans.”

Johnson goes on to classify racism among other varieties of -isms whose primary purpose is “to advance exploitation on terms that are most favorable to investor class interests.” From this perspective, the absence of specific anti-racist solutions from Bernie Sanders, as well as his rejection of reparations, make sense. By Johnson’s lights, racism is a secondary concern, and to the extent that it is a concern at all, it is weapon deployed to advance the interest of a plutocratic minority. ....

[brush]

1. What's your take on it?

"By Johnson’s lights, racism is a secondary concern, and to the extent that it is a concern at all, it is weapon deployed to advance the interest of a plutocratic minority."

IMO, if you're a victim of racism it's a primary, not secondary concern, and to hint that it may not be a concern at all . . . well, that's a good example of of how to lick plutocratic minority boots.

[L. Coyote]

2. As an anthropologist, I know races don't even exist. It is racist to think they do.

I've done the math, we are all closely related, like it or not: The One Trillion Principle

We certainly need a solution to disparity transcending the trickle down to people of color that greater prosperity brings. A living wage for 40 hour work ethic directly resolves the poverty problem for those with employment and is a society-wide economic stimulus to increase employment everywhere. That's the best start I can think of, impact everywhere every paycheck. Anyone thinking reparations should think clean air and water, better education, affordable home ownership, non-exploitative housing, community gardens, parks and playgrounds, tuition-free higher public education, in other words, think of everyone as one community all building a better future together. Thinking has to change, the simple math helps see now we are all one family.

[brush]

5. I agree that "races" don't exist, (perhaps adaptation to climate . . .

Last edited Mon Feb 15, 2016, 07:06 PM - Edit history (9)

account for what many think are racial characteristics), and that it is racist to think so, but we can't deny that "racism" exists and that this country was founded on it and white supremacy, which stole hundreds of years of labor/money from enslaved black people and denied them and their descendants a legacy of inheritance/family wealth which endures to this day.

We see all the time in media stories on race the charts and graphs that illustrate the huge disparity in family wealth of white v black families. That's a direct result of the centuries of stolen labor so even if there is suddenly a society-wide economic stimulus that benefits everyone, that still leaves black families centuries behind in wealth accumulation that maintains the wealth gap that continues hurting black families, black kids and black communities.

What about that, isn't that now somehow owed, not in checks cut to individuals but maybe compensation in the form of college education, small business grants, job training, community facilities . . . something to acknowledge that centuries of great harm was done that still manifests itself in dysfunction seen in some segments, not all, of the black community today (who benefits can be decided by research, something similar to the Dawes Rolls used to determine Native American heritage in granting land plots, or the way Japanese Americans were compensated for WWll internment).

IMO we can't just say "no harm done for stealing your ancestors' hundreds of years of labor, lets just start now with equal opportunity" and all will be well.

That just doesn't compute IMO. Just think of the principle of compounding. If it were declared that the bill was due now for centuries of stolen dawn-to-dusk labor of hundreds of thousands of enslaved people, even this country couldn't pay. so the US would be getting off easy with just providing free college education, small business grants, job training, and modern community facilities.

Fair is fair. Listen up, America, karmically nature has a way of righting wrongs.

I hope it's different this time than usual. What I mean by that is whenever the subject of reparations is raised, it's followed by dead silence.

[Hortensis]

3. People admitted to the hospital have different problems

that require specialized treatment in addition to the standard supportive care all get, but they don't need their own hospitals.

A sizable increase in the minimum wage would be color-blind --- for the large majority who have low-level but stable full-time jobs. A sizable increase in middle wage levels would do wonders for restoring security to many who have lost it, including to the middle class as a whole. The ones who won't benefit from those broad repairs need special, additional solutions. Harder ones in some cases, but we've actually had a lot more success before than is admitted and do have many experiences to build on.

[lindysalsagal]

4. Education stats: same numbers, because it's about poverty, not teachers.

We can't close the achievement gaps for blacks and Hispanics from the board of ed: Teachers can only do their part, not the parenting.

Poor children have bigger problems than trig, chemistry, and ancient history. Solve their immediate problems and then we'll have half a chance at selling them higher ed content.

[alarimer]

6. It is not a level playing field.

The causes of economic inequality go way, way back. When you start a 10 mile race three miles behind the leaders, you likely never will catch up, if that makes any sense.

And there were and maybe still are institutions that practiced racism as a form of policy. Banks, for instance, red-lining certain neighborhoods in which they would not lend people money to buy homes. The school-to-prison pipeline is well-documented. Incarcerating mass numbers of people will certain affect the economic well-being of entire communities.