Racism: Nigger to African-American - It's Still the White Man's Bigotry
African-Americans... As if a change of name
ends white supremacy and racial exploitation
There's one obvious explanation
for the persistence of racism
Whites benefit from the oppression of all Blacks,
and therefore enjoy a “white-skin privilege”
Slaveholders in this country
- who were also the political elite,
including many of the so-called “founding fathers”
- rationalized that Africans were savages,
had no culture and could benefit from slavery.
When slavery ended, racism did not end with it,
but became a tool by which the wealthy
could divide poor Blacks from poor whites
Racism, in the “golden age” of imperialism
at the end of the 19th century
and into the 20th century,
also was a justification for invading
other parts of the world in order to “civilize”
the “savages,” or to take up the “white man’s burden”
Patronising White Liberals Call Blacks African-Americans [Original]
As if a change of name ends white supremacy and exploitation of other races.
We examine one popular explanation for the persistence of racism--that all whites benefit from the oppression of all Blacks, and therefore enjoy a “white-skin privilege.”
The New York Times recently reported that in 2004, 72 percent of African American men in their 20s who had dropped out of high school were unemployed, compared to only 34 percent of white men and 19 percent of Latinos. Half of Black men in their 20s with high school diplomas were unemployed in 2004.
Decades after the civil rights movement, second-class citizenship, poverty and injustice are stark realities for millions of African Americans in this country.
After Hurricane Katrina, no one with any remote contact with reality could deny that both race and class are the axes upon which American society rotates.
The new movement for immigrant rights has helped to expose the racism that shapes the lives of millions of brown people in this country, as well.
From Arabs to Mexicans, racial minorities are blamed for everything from “potential” terrorist attacks to unemployment.
The question arises, though: Does the oppression of one group of workers lead to the enrichment or benefit of another?
On the surface, this may seem like common sense. A cursory look at any set of statistics shows that, on average, white people have more accumulated wealth, make more money, have more access to college, go to better schools and even have a longer lifespan.
What all of these things point to is that we live in a deeply racist society, in which some people clearly do benefit. The question is, which people.
The problem with framing this inequality in terms of “white-skin privilege” is twofold. If we only look at aggregate statistics telling us that “whites” are better off than “Blacks,” it doesn’t provide the whole picture. It doesn’t tell us which whites are better off than which Blacks.
If we only go by the numbers and not what lies beneath the numbers, then what do we say about the fact that Latino unemployment is lower than Black unemployment?
Are Latinos benefiting from Black oppression? What do we say about the fact that immigrants have a higher poverty rate than Black Americans? Are Blacks benefiting from the oppression of immigrants?
Second, the idea of “white privilege” never addresses the central question of why racism arose in the first place, and in whose interest.
Racism developed in the West during the Atlantic slave trade as a way to “explain” the enslavement of Africans.
Slaveholders in this country--who were also the political elite, including many of the so-called “founding fathers”--rationalized that Africans were savages, had no culture and could benefit from slavery.
When slavery ended, racism did not end with it, but became a tool by which the wealthy could divide poor Blacks from poor whites.
Racism, in the “golden age” of imperialism at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, also was a justification for invading other parts of the world in order to “civilize” the “savages,” or to take up the “white man’s burden.”
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THE NOTION of white-skin privilege obscures the fact that we live in a class society, in which a tiny minority of rich people rule and control all of the wealth and resources in society. Because they are few, they rely on scapegoats and division to maintain their rule.
This isn’t a conspiracy--instead, it happens in front of our faces every day. The politicians today blame immigrants for unemployment and low wages--not the fact that the minimum wage isn’t a living wage, or that corporations are allowed to abandon entire cities because it’s cheaper to move production to a nonunion state or a poorer country.
“White privilege” makes it seem that all whites are responsible for oppressing all Blacks. This outlook ignores the class divide.
The ruling class in this country is made up almost entirely of white men, but not exclusively.
It is difficult to conceive of how Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice or former Secretary of State Colin Powell are victimized by their lack of white privilege.
While those two are easy to pick out, in general, the Black political elite and Black executives--from Sen. Barack Obama to Kenneth Chenault, the CEO of American Express--are not suffering because of a lack of white privilege either.
In fact, they have a lot more say over the lives of ordinary white workers than those white workers will ever have over them.
Conversely, if “white privilege” exists, then there are millions of ordinary white workers who have yet to figure out exactly how to cash in.
The fact is that the majority of people without health care, the majority of the unemployed, the majority of the homeless and the majority of those who live in poverty are white. These numbers don’t reflect benefits or privilege. They reflect exploitation and oppression.
The disparity that does exists between white and non-white workers is the result of racism and discrimination--not white privilege--by employers, landlords, mortgage lenders, city governments and the federal government.
Racism harms all workers, including white workers, by driving down wages and living standards for the entire working class.
It is the ruling class that has always been the true beneficiary of racism. From the riches gained from slave labor, to divided workforces unable to unite for better wages and conditions, our rulers have clearly reaped all of the benefits and privileges.
The clearest way to illustrate this is to compare the incomes of Black and white workers in the North and South of the U.S.
As one author wrote:
“Despite the continued gross discrimination against Black skilled craftsmen in the North, the ‘privileged’ southern whites earned 4 percent less than they did.
"Southern white male operatives averaged...18 percent less than northern Black male operatives. And southern white service workers earned...14 percent less than northern Black male service workers.”
It was never ordained that just because one lives in the North, wages are supposed to be higher, or if one lives in the South, wages automatically have to be lower.
Southern workers--Black and white--make lower wages and generally have a lower standard of living because of the legacy of the most vicious racism, and the ability of the bosses to use racism, threats and intimidation to limit unionization.
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NONE OF this is to say that there aren’t white workers who buy into racist ideas. But the fact is that all workers--regardless of race--buy into some idea of racism.
For example, many workers, Black, white and Latino, have bought into the idea--to some degree--that Arabs and Muslims are more likely to be terrorists, and therefore should be treated differently.
Black and white workers accept some of the anti-immigrant hysteria against Latinos because of the anxiety about the economy and jobs.
But we have to distinguish between what individual workers may think, and real material benefits.
Workers buy into racism for two primary reasons--and not because we are all born with some predisposition to racism.
The first is that we live in a society in which racism is the norm. We are inundated with racist stereotypes about Blacks, immigrants, Arabs and Muslims every single day.
From the media perpetuating suspicion about Blacks;
To Hollywood’s portrayal of non-whites as drug dealers or terrorists, and not much in between;
To Democrats and Republicans using “wedge issues” like affirmative action to conjure resentment between non-white workers and white workers; the ruling class actively uses racism to divide the working class.
The great Black abolitionist, Frederick Douglass put it succinctly, “The hostility between the whites and the Blacks of the South is easily explained...
"[B]oth are plundered by the same plunderers...and [hostility] was incited on both sides by the poor whites and the Blacks by putting enmity between them. They divided both to conquer each.”
The other reason racism exists in the working class is that workers compete with each other for jobs, housing, education and everything else in this society.
As Karl Marx explained, “Competition separates individuals from one another, not only the bourgeois but still more the workers, in spite of the fact it brings them together. Hence, it is a long time before these individuals can unite...
"Hence every power standing over these isolated individuals...can only be overcome after long struggles.”
But struggle does change the ideas of the working class. The civil rights movement fundamentally changed the racist caricatures that white workers had of Black workers.
By the beginning of the 1970s, most white workers were in favor of affirmative action--only a few years after Blacks had gotten the right to vote.
The mass movement of Latino immigrants today is playing a crucial role in shifting racist ideas about immigrant workers.
The advances made in changing consciousness will not be permanent until we have a society based on justice and equality, not racism and scapegoating.
I like the perspective you've taken in this entry. The divide and
conquer' perspective has been one of the ways I've seen this. You're
right, when we come to the actual numbers of those lacking, White's are in
the greatest numbers. Only when we look at the percentages of each group
do we start to get a more complete picture. Racism does hurt everyone,
nevertheless we have such things as steering' in housing that leads
Black folk into inferior neighborhoods, with higher prices for houses (that
aren't worth it) and higher insurance rates. The criminal justice system
will put Black men in jail for doing the same things White men do but go
home. The income gap between Whites and Blacks is increasing in favor of
Whites - with Black men's incomes declining in the past 3 decades (adjusted
for inflation). This was offset only by the gains of Black women.
You hit the nail on the head about the patronizing white liberal, but
blacks still keep voting for them, so they haven't a leg to stand on with
me. They continually elect people that keep them down by allowing them to
not work and improve their lot in life. Then their "leaders" indoctrinate
them into believing that the people who want to help them out of their
sorry lot in life, are racist, and/or white supremacists.
In other words, every spokesman for blacks need to quit whining, and call
it like it is: they are not smart enough to improve themselves as a group,
and it is their own race-hustling leaders that make sure of this. Without
percieved racsim everywhere, Sharpton, Farrakhan, and Jackson are simply
unemployable niggers. Blacks are also the most racist group of people out
there. Let YT walk down a black neighborhood street at dusk and see how
long it takes for them to be attacked. Stop your own racism while you whine
about others' racism!
Doodad, you are the pure essence of your moniker. To say Black people are
the most racists out there, when Whites had us in bondage for hundreds of
year, and upon the emancipation, Blacks had to endure more hatred in the
Jim Crow Laws, policies of segregation, lynchings, burnings, castrations
and economic deprivation at the hands of White folks up, and through, the
Civil Rights Bill of 1965, shows you to be as imbecilic as your name. If
you're a citizen, you don't know your history and you are totally
irresponsible. If you're White, you're an embarassment to your race due to
your lack of education. But you fit the ole expression, IT IS BETTER TO BE
THOUGHT A FOOL, THAN TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT.
doodad actually has a point. A black guy can walk down any street in a
white neighborhood without fearing for his safety. But if a white person
tries to walk down a lot of streets in New York, Boston, Akron, Cleveland,
and many others he has a MUCH higher chance of getting attacked and/or
victimized. Check the statistics.
Part of the problem for the Black man is the new "hip" culture. It's Cool
to be a thug. To be Ghetto. To be Representin' and other such idiocy.
The Rap and Hip Hop culture has not helped the Blacks. It's hurt them.
They are making more people Racist by the day because they are embodying
the very problems that are plaguing society. Drugs, gangs, theft,
womanizing, and other crimes.
Black people need to stop pulling the "racism" card or the "slave" card.
We have a BLACK president now. No black alive was a slave in America, back
in the day. We need to get over that. The African tribes attacked each
other and enslaved each other. They then traded the slaves they had from
the wars with each other to the Dutch for shiny beads and other such
things.
doodad actually has a point. A black guy can walk down any street in a
white neighborhood without fearing for his safety. But if a white person
tries to walk down a lot of streets in New York, Boston, Akron, Cleveland,
and many others he has a MUCH higher chance of getting attacked and/or
victimized. Check the statistics.
Part of the problem for the Black man is the new "hip" culture. It's Cool
to be a thug. To be Ghetto. To be Representin' and other such idiocy.
The Rap and Hip Hop culture has not helped the Blacks. It's hurt them.
They are making more people Racist by the day because they are embodying
the very problems that are plaguing society. Drugs, gangs, theft,
womanizing, and other crimes.
Black people need to stop pulling the "racism" card or the "slave" card.
We have a BLACK president now. No black alive was a slave in America, back
in the day. We need to get over that. The African tribes attacked each
other and enslaved each other. They then traded the slaves they had from
the wars with each other to the Dutch for shiny beads and other such
things.
I would hope Allen is a young White dude, merely because his ignorance of
American History is embarassing. He even mixes up Black anger with racism.
Allen, racism is having the power to keep someone from getting an
education, a job, housing, loans for a business, home or otherwise - NOT
BEING ALLOWED TO DO THE SAME THINGS WHITE FOLKS TAKE FOR GRANTED IN DOING.
Main Entry: rac·ism
Pronunciation: \ˈrā-ˌsi-zəm also -ˌshi-\
Function: noun
Date: 1933
Allen, your focus is on White folks so you're blind to Blacks being
attacked. I live in New York, and the attack can come in two ways: young
White hoodlums and the police. New York has stopped and frisked 750,000
people just this year alone, and the majority of the stops are Blacks and
Hispanics - only 9% of the stops are White folks. Out of all the stops,
only 7% are arrested for mainly marijuana possession. This is an attack on
Black & Hispanic men without reason. This upcoming election for Mayor will
reflect some of this. So Allen YOUR statistics wouldn't hold up in a court
of law - no less here at Blog-City.
Ed, when you deleted Allen Hill's double comment (before my last
statement), you also took out the information I responded to regarding his
comment. If you're missing that part and need it to repost I can send it
to you because I have the email of the comments. But you're shaping these
comments in a way that appears disingenuous. Was this done purposely? :)
My apologies, Ed! I noticed the double comment is higher in the list.
Once again, my mistake! :)
This is more than a little ridiculous. First off, I DO think black people
deserve to be treated equally. I also do NOT think that people are being
prejudiced against as much as think they are. I have not seen much of it
at all. I also don't think there is some big Government conspiracy about
preventing black people for having equal rights. I think that is
ridiculous. If you notice, I said I would have taken a bullet for Martin
Luther King Jr. I'm plenty ticked and offended by your ranting, and
especially of your twisting of my words.
I never said that all black people are rappers. That would be pretty
ridiculous. I guess I need to clarify some of my earlier points.
You do seem to be a very very angry person Capt'n. Maybe that's because
something has happened to you in your own life or to people you know that
was messed up because of race; but I would hope you could understand that
other people aren't going to see your view point all of the time. That
doesn't make them stupid; It just means they have different life
experiences. I think what it comes down to is that no one is trying to gang
up on you and tell you that you don't have any right to comment on this
page or that you're views don't represent SOMEONE'S viewpoint other than
your own. But I lived in the deep South of Georgia hon; I grew up there as
a kid. A dirt-floor poor white kid with a working class family and a bunch
of brothers and sisters. I was told as a little girl that black was just a
color, people's personalities and hearts is what made them, not their skin.
I still believe that today and so do all of my brothers and my sister.
Still, my dad, was bullied by the guys at his work place making trailers
where he drove a tractor because he was white and not mexican, latino, or
black. One guy even pulled a switch-blade on my dad and my dad has never
acted or talked racist in his life. He's NEVER even privately referred to a
black person as a "nigger". They gave him a lot of trouble; Maybe because a
lot of whites down South ARE racist and they may have thought he would be
the same way. But in the same breathe Capt'n a lot of young black guys,
teenagers, steal and hang with people who deal drugs. Doesn't mean they all
do it; But when the Majority of a group does something it, it reflects
badly on those individuals' group. I could walk through a black
neighborhood as a little girl; I had friends there, I even would buy dill
pickles from my best friends grandmother who had a miniature grocery store
out of her trailer. But only because people knew I was my father's little
girl. He because close good friends with some of those men who initially
didn't like him. Some of my friends weren't allowed to walk through though.
Their father's or some brother-in-law or relative didn't get along with
somebody and one girl's big brother even walked through to come get her out
one day because she wasn't supposed to be there and he was scared for her.
All he did was start to walk through Happy-ville. They beat him. He didn't
get to say anything. They beat him until blood poured from his mouth. I was
fine. She was fine. He'd never done anything to a black person but his
uncle had some dispute with a black man and his price for trying to "Save"
his little sister was a beating. No matter where you go there are going to
be different opinions and different viewpoints of who is racist against
who. But I can tell you from personal experience that it goes both ways in
the South. You have bad blood on BOTH sides. This being said, I admit, when
it's dark and I'm walking alone down the street and I see a black guy
dressed like a thug with baggy pants and looking the way they do, I get
nervous. You see a nicely dressed black guy; the most I think is that he
looks good.
MOST ALL black men look nice when they're dressed comfortably and they're
relaxed and happy with themselves. But when I see someone dressed like a
thug, like a drug dealer or a rapper I start to question whether or not
they'll get the chance to know me before they'll assume I'm a bad person. I
look WHITE. I'm NATIVE AMERICAN & Czechoslovakian. But because I LOOK
white. I get treated as if I AM white. And being White is sometimes all it
takes in the wrong part of town to get beat. In my opinion, my friends
brother shouldn't have been punished for the crimes of his uncle. But he
was. I see that as racism. What if he was black? What would you see it as?
Katie, I believe you confuse passion for anger. Now, within my passion
there might be a little annoyance due to the disrespect from some Whites,
but if I was angry I couldn't write with clarity. My statements have been
clear and informational. What I've been doing is debating, Katie, which
means people discuss issues coming from different perspectives.
Allen, the ridiculousness of the issue is that you appear to think racism
is a small problem. Hundreds of years of Slavery, another 150 years of
segregation and Jim Crow Laws, to today, with on-going racist behavior.
You don't think Blacks have a reason for the anger they show towards people
they feel have oppressed them? What planet are you on? President Obama is
President and they try to keep him from doing what other White Presidents
have done, and some have been outright disrespectful to him.
The Origins of the African Slave Trade
Back to History | by Piero Scaruffi
Capt. said, "Your ancestors have sown some damnable seeds for centuries,
now some of their offspring are paying the cost."
I hope you learned something in your research Allen. Remember, for a long
time Black American History wasn't part of American History. Most Black
folk have known this for a while. Mainly White folk have been ignorant to
it.
Allen, if nothing else, you're a poor reader. Give me a sentence of mine
that claims all White are racists! Here we are talking like we never spoke
before. When you became an American (or your family) you picked up the
benefits of being an American as well as the debt. What makes it worse is
that if your family had nothing to do with Slavery, your attitude has been
just as racist as those who have participated. I stated about one third of
White America is still racists. This may be a difficult discussion because
you continue to mis-read things I've said, adding your own prejudice to the
discussion that's incorrect.
Wow!!! Capt., your reading and comprehension skills are sub-par at best.
I never said that it was OK that black people where enslaved. I never said
that discriminating was OK.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you think I did mean that.
Especially since you also said, "Your ancestors have sown some damnable
seeds for centuries, now some of their offspring are paying the cost." My
ancestors huh?
And you also said, "you picked up the benefits of being an American as well
as the debt."
I guess the same goes for you, Capt., since Black people OWNED black
SLAVES! "Your" people are just as guilty as "my" people. The difference
is that YOUR people sold THEIR OWN PEOPLE into slavery. My family never
owned slaves. It probably won't even matter to you if I could prove to you
that my ancestors actually helped free slaves. I'd still be a "racist
white man who oppresses black people" in your book. I've had black
friends, black family members, and I even had a black girl friend when I
was younger. But I must still be a racist for two reasons.
1. I'm white.
2. I don't think that the entire American Society is "holding the black man
down."
Allen, listening to you I'm supposed to think you care about Black folk.
You're a confused individual that will continue to show disrespect to Black
folk thinking it's proper. I will let my earlier statements stand. White
folks who read and comprehend well will understand what I'm saying. How do
I know? Because of the number I communicate with on my blog and can talk
about this subject intelligently. Your ranting is confused and your
relationship with Blacks must be very tenuous.