In the spirit of sunlight being the best disinfectant, I want you to watch a clip of Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) teaching elder Greg Thompson. This is the man who I noted has defended Marxism. I am being accused of attacking him merely for showing you this clip and letting him speak in his own words.
I listened to Greg Thompson and not one thing that he said made any sense. The clip you played on your broadcast, was nonsensical. I kept waiting for the point.
How can you write a piece criticizing someone for his statements when you clearly misquote him? You claim Jones said that the US is “the longest-standing white supremacist social order in history,” when he clearly said “one of the longest-standing.”
Lots of good points here. I've been talking to people who believe in systematic racism, and can give you a summary of what they think (as opposed to people whose salaries are based on the prose they churn out. Hello, people-on-Twitter.)
Some of the "systematic" part has to do with laws they perceive as unfair. None of these folks are lawyers, and neither am I, but the law (they argue) has been written by people with money and privilege, and those people were white. Many of these laws were written, I think, in the past, so take that into account.
I think they'd happily turn their attention to systematic racism in the UK, but first things first. And America has been a leader, and you know what happens to leaders when there's something to criticize.
I'd add the labor movement to your list of progress against racism. Systemic racism theory would argue that labor mostly benefited white people, but it taught everyone that they could fight for change. The "underclass" however you define it, had power of its own.
On the 1619 project, which I haven't read, it sounds like it started as a thought experiment. If they had kept that at the top, then wouldn't all the discussion go away, or at least settle into a debate over her history and what unfolded from it? But maybe it wouldn't get as many clicks.
Back to systematic racism. After all the listening, it sounds like people -- average white people -- see it as an economic problem. Make everything more equal financially and racism is solved. (Yes, of course there are people of color who are wealthy, but they're seen as outliers. Now whether that's fair is a whole nother issue). But that goes back to the idea that here it's the rich who have the power. Make everyone rich(er) and we'll all be equal!
I think my own thought experiment will be to get some numbers on white lower-class and poor people and talk to them, see what they're dealing with.
People of color I've talked to say that they just want to not worry about cops. And get better healthcare. Older ones say that while white people may still be racist in their heads, what actually comes out of their mouths is more polite. And they're grateful for the labor and civil rights movements that let them get good municipal jobs that have made a huge difference in their lives.
One more question to ask is if America is systemically racist, How come there are famous and wealthy free people of color living in our country? If America were systemically racist wouldn't all those people be poor and uneducated?
In the Soviet Union, it is the future that is fixed and the past that is always changing. Or so goes a not meant to be funny joke. Socialists and progressives always tend to use broad generic terms like capitalist-pig, white-nationalist and Nazi to apply a broad brush of condemnation to anybody who disagrees with their political views. In contrast, honest people judge individual actions rather than condemning large groups of people without good evidence. Good article Erick.
Thanks Erick
An excellent chessmanship of ideas. Cogently expresses!
I listened to Greg Thompson and not one thing that he said made any sense. The clip you played on your broadcast, was nonsensical. I kept waiting for the point.
How can you write a piece criticizing someone for his statements when you clearly misquote him? You claim Jones said that the US is “the longest-standing white supremacist social order in history,” when he clearly said “one of the longest-standing.”
Lots of good points here. I've been talking to people who believe in systematic racism, and can give you a summary of what they think (as opposed to people whose salaries are based on the prose they churn out. Hello, people-on-Twitter.)
Some of the "systematic" part has to do with laws they perceive as unfair. None of these folks are lawyers, and neither am I, but the law (they argue) has been written by people with money and privilege, and those people were white. Many of these laws were written, I think, in the past, so take that into account.
I think they'd happily turn their attention to systematic racism in the UK, but first things first. And America has been a leader, and you know what happens to leaders when there's something to criticize.
I'd add the labor movement to your list of progress against racism. Systemic racism theory would argue that labor mostly benefited white people, but it taught everyone that they could fight for change. The "underclass" however you define it, had power of its own.
On the 1619 project, which I haven't read, it sounds like it started as a thought experiment. If they had kept that at the top, then wouldn't all the discussion go away, or at least settle into a debate over her history and what unfolded from it? But maybe it wouldn't get as many clicks.
Back to systematic racism. After all the listening, it sounds like people -- average white people -- see it as an economic problem. Make everything more equal financially and racism is solved. (Yes, of course there are people of color who are wealthy, but they're seen as outliers. Now whether that's fair is a whole nother issue). But that goes back to the idea that here it's the rich who have the power. Make everyone rich(er) and we'll all be equal!
I think my own thought experiment will be to get some numbers on white lower-class and poor people and talk to them, see what they're dealing with.
People of color I've talked to say that they just want to not worry about cops. And get better healthcare. Older ones say that while white people may still be racist in their heads, what actually comes out of their mouths is more polite. And they're grateful for the labor and civil rights movements that let them get good municipal jobs that have made a huge difference in their lives.
And if America is truly "systemically racist", how were were able to elect a black President? And why didn't Obama/Biden do anything to end it?
I am glad you are setting forth the truth.
One more question to ask is if America is systemically racist, How come there are famous and wealthy free people of color living in our country? If America were systemically racist wouldn't all those people be poor and uneducated?
In the Soviet Union, it is the future that is fixed and the past that is always changing. Or so goes a not meant to be funny joke. Socialists and progressives always tend to use broad generic terms like capitalist-pig, white-nationalist and Nazi to apply a broad brush of condemnation to anybody who disagrees with their political views. In contrast, honest people judge individual actions rather than condemning large groups of people without good evidence. Good article Erick.