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This is where I am coming from. There are many disadvantages to being black in a racist society. Generally speaking, white people are better educated and have greater access to technology. For these reasons alone, I don't find it surprising that white men are found in the tech industries, even Rackspace, in greater numbers than their part of the population would otherwise explain. But as something is taken away, something is also given. I have also found that the various experiences of racism, and especially the experiences of my generation and since in consciously fighting against it, coupled with an economy that relegates most black people to its bottom and offering less opportunity for salvation within the capitalist model, have fostered a consciousness that is more advanced politically, how shall I put, more "left", than among white people generally. This view can easily be supported by differences in voting patterns, attitudes toward imperialists wars, third world countries, etc. Another aspect of this is that white chauvinism tends to retard the thinking of white people to the extend that it affects them. For these reasons alone, I would expect to find black people in greater numbers than their part in the population in what we generally refer to as the Left, and also in a greater part of the leadership. But that is not the case. The question is why? I have my own opinions on this based on 48 years in the Left that had hardly begun before I found myself leading and overwhelmingly white SDS chapter at an overwhelmingly white university in St. Louis, MO. in 1968. But its not my opinion that is important. What is important is that nothing is really done about it. People don't even want to discuss it. Yassin started this conversation with a very current example of why the Left ego-centric approach to the suffering of the Syrian people repels Arabs and will for some time. It will also tend to repel black people more than white people because black people tend to identify with the victim and refugee more. The question is why does the Left repel black people generally? I think this is a critical question to resolve because I think it is the single most important problem holding back the revolutionary forces in what we like to call the belly of the beast. The problem as I see it is that this white-centric Left occupies the ground we should be fighting from and little will change in prospects for revolution in the US before this nut is cracked. I raise the issue for discussion and get back this: On 2/4/2015 12:26 AM, Charles Faulkner wrote: > clay, the left has done more in the fight against racism than > liberals, moderates or the right. That is a congratulatory, self-serving opinion that probably the majority of people wouldn't agree with if you consider MLK Jr. and most of those who rallied with him liberal or moderate. Why does this strike a cord with me? http://www.hipmama.com/features/black-invisibility-and-racism-punk-rock-tasha-fierce > I'd always get pissed off when, on IRC in a punk chat room, people > would just assume I was white. Even when I gave them my pics, they'd > think of every ethnicity but black to guess as my race. > > When I would tell them, "Well, I'm half black and half white," they'd > be shocked. > > "You're /black?/??" would invariably be the reply. "Wow, I've never > met a black punk." > > I suppose eventually I learned to take it in stride, but I also > started to think about the subtle racism contained in that reaction. > It's as if when I state my race as being black, automatically a taste > in music, a style of clothing, and a type of speech come with it. I'm > sure most of these punk rock revolutionary kids don't even notice that > they're prejudiced the way they are. I'm sure they believe they are > totally open-minded and that there is nary a racist thought in their > liberty-spiked head. I'm sorry to say that this is not the case. Emphasis on the last two sentences. And yes, I know you're better than the punk rockers. Is that your argument? Is that your claim to fame? _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
