Connecting the message of economic populism to social justice concerns (UPDATED 4/10/16)

[Rebkeh]

Last edited Sun Apr 10, 2016, 11:05 AM - Edit history (3)

From Venn to Circle: Economic Populism and Social Justice for POC


(cross-posted from http://www.democraticunderground.com/1280132543)

Let me break it down for you:

The first priority of business is to make a profit.

The first priority of government is supposed to be to serve its people.

When big business “merges” with government, its priorities take over. People no longer matter, then democracy starts to become more perception than reality.

We know this. But, hang on…

PEOPLE ARE NOT COMMODITIES! Black people know this better than anyone, seeing that this is how most of us ended up here on the continent in the first place.

The wealthy class needs “others” to be a peasant class because that’s how we were taught. “I get mine, you get none” or the softer version, “I get more, you get less.”

But how have the people up top kept this trick going for so long?

Easy. They break our legs and then call us lame, and people believe them. They blame the poor for being poor, like they had nothing to do with it. Please. They use bigotry, in all its forms, to keep people down.

But now? Their wealth has expanded so much, there aren’t enough poor black folks to support it. Not enough poor white folks either, they need MORE. They need new “others,” so what did they do?

They broke up the unions.

Now blue collar middle class folks are part of the peasant class. They are getting a little taste of what poor blacks been feeling for generations and they don't like it. Nobody likes it.

See, structural racism secures this model that keeps people commodified, income inequality is a result of that model. Now that the pool of the people getting screwed has grown, we need to come together.

The working poor getting fucked and the poc that have always been getting fucked should be natural allies. They should have been allies a long time ago but now… we REALLY got to do this. Our government has been taken over by our “friends” in big business. Nobody is safe anymore, not even the semi-rich. They will be next if we don't put a stop to it. Everyone has a dog in this fight.

Bottom line:

The commodification of people – when business merges with government and profit comes before people – is a terrible model for everyone.

Long held patterns of exploitation of poc (from slavery to now) for profit is still exploitation.

Newer patterns of exploitation of middle class whites for profit is still exploitation.

It’s the exact same model.

Edited to add:
4/10/16

For a better and more comprehensive breakdown and solutions going forward:
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/19038/unions-labor-black-lives-matter-anti-racist-racial-justice

[Jitter65]

1. Except that blue collar middle-class align themselves with the white wealthy class. nt

[Rebkeh]

2. The republicans do, yes

They vote against their own economic interests for that very reason, kind of a stockholm situation there. Ironically. (don't read into it).

I don't see that alignment you mentioned as much with white democrats. Some, sure, but not most.

Edited to add: This is why we need to come together. There is no other way. What other options are there?

[thereismore]

3. The trade agreements are just a logical continuation if this! nt