2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Kos: A Black Man's take on NN/BLM dustup: "Black Folks No on Bernie? Really?" [View all]daybranch
(1,309 posts)We white people are still being exploited by the rich class in America to do horrible things to Black people. The rich exploit our fears and insecurities, turning those who could be seen as different into scapegoats to hide the cause of poverty. We must learn what we have done, and why. At this time the classes can unite to throw off the oppression by the rich. Our own weaknesses allow racism.
The great black historian W.E.B. Du Bois (Black Reconstruction) told us whites in the South after the civil war were becoming slaves themselves. Per Howard Zinn (A Peoples History of the United States), this enslavement was done to serve Northern industrialists and former slave owners who retained the wealth and political power in the South. Weapons used against the people were exploitation of racism and elitism (read Confederate romanticism) to soothe the poor egos of the whites and blind them to the causes of their dire economic circumstances. Both poor We white people must learn what we have done and why or we will be manipulated again to harm Black and other disproportionately poor people.While many of us can be glad our ancestors fought against slavery, there was from the North an organized attack on Blacks, so shameless in its claims and so racist as to justify reduction of the value of Black lives in America. Du Bois refuted these attacks with systematic research leading to his vastly important history book, "Black Reconstruction". We often hear today how women must do so much more to receive acclaim that men get much more easily. Du Bois scholarly works stands on a plateau of professionalism that our most used history books never even attempt and yet outside the black community he is little known.
Many white people, myself included regret white supremacy we engendered by our speech, by names we have used to describe black people, jokes we have made etc.. I am sorry and recognizing that this has happened and continues to happen today requires that we Whites as humans with some semblance of humanity recognize our guilt and work to make things right. But to do this we must like brilliant and brave Du Bois see why such racist division works and who it serves. By accepting our guilt, and our frailty
we White people can join with our black brothers and sisters to throw off the chains of economic oppression that relies on racism for economic gain of our rich. Racism works for the rich. Lenin said religion is the opiate of the people. For many white people, racism is their opiate, blinding them from the economic injustices they face in order to elect politicians who would do the bidding of the rich. Lets recognize that influence of the rich over our government which is abetted by politicians to feed racism division to pit us against members of our own economic class is a weapon we refute. Lets unite and win this fight. Lets please not support another servant of the very rich. Go Bernie!!!