[Peace-discuss] Anti-racism

Sat Mar 7 11:15:15 CST 2009

I'm always suspicious of broad generalizations (here about liberals  
and class vs. diversity) and about either/or propositions, when in the  
latter case the alternatives posited can both hold—a neglected  
middle.  That is, it is not necessarily true that those "who carry on  
about racism and sexism" avoid talking about capitalism. There's a lot  
of obfuscation in characterizing the "liberals", except if one defines  
liberals as those with broad social, humanitarian tendencies but who  
are defenders of capitalism (in all its worst aspects?)—in which case  
we have a kind of tautology.  --mkb

On Mar 7, 2009, at 8:35 AM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:

> Thank you for the kind words, David.  I appreciate them particularly  
> because they come from as competent and insightful an activist as  
> yourself.  People should see your recent essay from "News from  
> Neptune/TV Edition," (soon to be) posted on the website <www.newsfromneptune.com 
> >.
>
> I think in fact the issue at stake in this discussion is the  
> tendency in American liberalism to substitute diversity for  
> (economic) equality as the goal of progressive politics.  The Obama  
> candidacy looks like the apotheosis of this trend.
>
> The argument is sharply set out by Walter Benn Michaels in "The  
> Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore  
> Inequality" (2006).  And it's been argued that the real story of Tom  
> Frank's "What's the Matter With Kansas?" (2004) is that the working  
> class abandoned the Democratic party when the Democrats abandoned  
> economic equality (insofar as they ever embraced it) in favor of  
> diversity.
>
> Benn Michaels summarized his argument in a recent issue of the  
> British journal "New Left Review":
>
> "...the answer to the question, ‘Why do American liberals carry on  
> about racism and sexism when they should be carrying on about  
> capitalism?’, is pretty obvious: they carry on about racism and  
> sexism in order to avoid doing so about capitalism. Either because  
> they genuinely do think that inequality is fine as long as it is not  
> a function of discrimination (in which case, they are neoliberals of  
> the right). Or because they think that fighting against racial and  
> sexual inequality is at least a step in the direction of real  
> equality (in which case, they are neoliberals of the left).  Given  
> these options, perhaps the neoliberals of the right are in a  
> stronger position -- the economic history of the last thirty years  
> suggests that diversified elites do even better than undiversified  
> ones. But of course, these are not the only possible choices."
>
> <http://www.newleftreview.org/?page=article&view=2731>
>
>
> unionyes wrote:
>> Ricky, et al,
>> Carl and his wife live a comfortable middle class life.
>> I don't think they should have to appologize for that,
>> They have had the blessings of the perfect triad ; hard work,  
>> intelligence,
>> and luck.
>> What makes them special, is that they could easily take the  
>> attitude that
>> anyone not like them are losers !
>> Carl's wife works MANY hours at the Catholic Worker  House helping  
>> and feeding the poor ( which could be any of us and many of us if  
>> economic conditions deteriorate badly enough ). Carl and his wife  
>> are NOT just about
>> advocating charity, but ENPOWERMENT as well !
>> I must say though, Carl is a " class traitor ", that is, a traitor  
>> to the
>> ruling class ! And I love him for it !
>> It is admirable that Carl is not ashamed of his Irish working class  
>> roots,
>> who ( the Irish ) were exploited and worked to death for little  
>> compensation,
>> like African Americans, Eastern Eurpopeans, and multitudes of  
>> others in the
>> plantation they call America.
>> If Carl was like many people in this society, he would cover-up his  
>> working
>> class heritage, but instead he acknowledges it and learns from it, to
>> critique the current remnants of the plantation mentality /  
>> imperialist
>> institutional structure in this society. Even if we may disagree at  
>> times
>> with some of his views, we should respect him for the time and  
>> effort he puts
>> into ;  articulating, analyzing, and advocating for a better  
>> country and a
>> better world, for ALL of us.
>> My hat is off to Carl and his wonderful wife for being who they are  
>> and doing
>> what so few are willing to do in contemporary America.... " walk it  
>> like they
>> talk it " !
>> They can't help the way they are, and I am honored to know them !
>> David Johnson
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at illinois.edu 
>> > To: "Ricky Baldwin" <baldwinricky at yahoo.com> Cc: "peace-discuss"
>> <peace-discuss at anti-war.net> Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 8:06 PM  
>> Subject:
>> Re: [Peace-discuss] Anti-racism
>>> Ricky Baldwin wrote:
>>>> Carl,
>>>> I've been to your house, seen your car in the lot. When it comes  
>>>> to the
>>>> reckoning you get diddly squat.
>
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