An economics, investment, trading and policy blog with a focus on Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). We seek the truth, avoid the mainstream and are virulently anti-neoliberalism.
There should be only one criterion for appointing anyone to a job: ability to do the job. If people of a particualar race think there is a bias against them in a country where they are in a minority, they're free to move to a country where they're in a majority.
Of course in some cases the latter countries are "shit holes" to use Donald Trump's phraseology. But if those countries really are shit holes, that rather indicates that the above mentioned race is not up to much, doesn't it?
This is the case for maintaining colonialism, of which race is an aspect.
A good example is China rising. The intent of the US was to make China a colonial, vassal state, whose elite was in the pocker of the American elite through "liberalization." When that didn't happen as planned, the US is now trying to force China into the box.
If people don't have a chance, they aren't even going to get a start. China is a separate case owing to its size and civilization history. Other smaller countries don't have the advantage, especially when the indigenous population is high (think Latin America and Africa).
The fundamental premise for economic liberalism to work is social and economic liberalism in which all have an equal opportuninity. That doesn't exist under bourgeoise liberalism owing to class structure and class power that reproduces itself as a result of the design of the system. As a result capitalism will fail as a socio-economic system based on state capture by the elite. This is accelerating as capitalims becomes increasingly globalized and totalitarian.
Just as one sees domestic unreast ("riots") and international pushback by the "rabble" ("terrorism"), this is leading to war with peer powers.
We need to address racism and colonialism together, since they are joined at the hip. The problem is "exceptionalism," which in the extreme is fascism. The US is spinning in that direction, and the UK is following the leader like a good poodle.
S400, Well if whites did all move en masse to somewhere else, the US would then become a basket case country (if the record of blacks and Muslims when it comes to running countries is anything to go by). Blacks and Muslims that remained in the US, and indeed blacks in Africa and Muslims in Muslim countries would then try every trick in the book to move to wherever whites had moved to.
Tom, Intelligent people define their terms. What do you mean by "racism"? My Oxford dictionary defines it as basically the idea that some races are better than others. Well perhaps they are: there are psychologists who claim, rightly or wrongly, that some races have higher IQs than others. Ergo there is not necessarily anthing wrong with racism as per dictionary definition.
"Racism" is a difficult term to define simply because it is not a simply explained phenomenon and a definition has to be broad enough to capture nuance. This is what sociologists do and there is some disagreement over the nuance.
But the basic idea that "some are better than others" underlie a lot of so-called conservative thinking. Some this is gender-fixated, some ethnic-fixated, some is class-fixated, etc. Even with some "races," the more white one is, the higher regard and stature.
But generally speaking, there was a widespread bias among those of European descent that some genetic strains were better than others, and it wasn't necessarly based on skin color but rather ethicity. For example, northern Europeans considered themselves the standard and measured accordingly.
IN addition, there was a great deal of emphasis on "racial" purity when nations where largely genetic based on "blood relations" in the strucutre of family, clan, tribe and nation.
Although much of that is anachronistic is some parts of the world, it remains strong in many places and there are pockets of it everywhere.
This is the basis of much exceptionalism as a cognitive-affective bias.
Another sort of racism grew out of this that may be termed "institutional racism." Red lining in finance and real estate is an example so egregious as to be illegal in the US, but it is still practiced. Anti-discirmination laws are also addressed to this, not limited to "racism" but including it.
Then there is systemic racism, which is the embeddedness of individual, social, institutional and other aspects of "racism" that permeates a society and effects everyone in the society in one way or another.
Geopolitically, it turns out that the major modern empires have been dominated by Europeans or those of European descent. Their colonies were non-European in descent. This too resulted in attitudes and behaviors that contribute to systemic racism.
One interesting thing about this is that many people say that they haven't a racist bone in their body, unaware of how they are affected psychologically and behavioral. I have even heard this from people I know to be pretty overt racists, but they are apparently unaware of it.
As far as the dictionary definition goes, racism, and it could be added discrimination, is based on the view that some are better than other. This is contrary to the teaching of most wisdom traditions, including Christianity. This traditional view was naturalized in the view of liberalism that all people are created equal. This is the basis of the extension of the natural rights doctrine that was theologically based previously.
To sum that up, all people are considered unique as indivduals but the same as "persons," harking back to the doctrine that all souls are creaed equal, e.g., as childern of the same Father (God) and the same father (Adam).
For example, all persons have equal rights before the law under liberalism, regardless of individual differences. In practice, that doesn't hold for various reasons, including endemic racism. Of course, gender inequality and discrimination can also be traced by to tradition, since most of the cultural and civilizational religions made females subject to males. We are still working on that one.
Jim Crow laws, apartheid are institutional racism. Lynchings are an extrajudicial, cultural form of white supremacy. The civil rights movement got rid of these practices. What is left is personal prejudice, driven into hiding by the change in law and culture.
7 comments:
There should be only one criterion for appointing anyone to a job: ability to do the job. If people of a particualar race think there is a bias against them in a country where they are in a minority, they're free to move to a country where they're in a majority.
Of course in some cases the latter countries are "shit holes" to use Donald Trump's phraseology. But if those countries really are shit holes, that rather indicates that the above mentioned race is not up to much, doesn't it?
Why can’t you move instead? You’re free to move to another country if you can’t handle the demands of other people.
@ Ralph
This is the case for maintaining colonialism, of which race is an aspect.
A good example is China rising. The intent of the US was to make China a colonial, vassal state, whose elite was in the pocker of the American elite through "liberalization." When that didn't happen as planned, the US is now trying to force China into the box.
If people don't have a chance, they aren't even going to get a start. China is a separate case owing to its size and civilization history. Other smaller countries don't have the advantage, especially when the indigenous population is high (think Latin America and Africa).
The fundamental premise for economic liberalism to work is social and economic liberalism in which all have an equal opportuninity. That doesn't exist under bourgeoise liberalism owing to class structure and class power that reproduces itself as a result of the design of the system. As a result capitalism will fail as a socio-economic system based on state capture by the elite. This is accelerating as capitalims becomes increasingly globalized and totalitarian.
Just as one sees domestic unreast ("riots") and international pushback by the "rabble" ("terrorism"), this is leading to war with peer powers.
We need to address racism and colonialism together, since they are joined at the hip. The problem is "exceptionalism," which in the extreme is fascism. The US is spinning in that direction, and the UK is following the leader like a good poodle.
S400, Well if whites did all move en masse to somewhere else, the US would then become a basket case country (if the record of blacks and Muslims when it comes to running countries is anything to go by). Blacks and Muslims that remained in the US, and indeed blacks in Africa and Muslims in Muslim countries would then try every trick in the book to move to wherever whites had moved to.
Rinse and repeat.
Tom, Intelligent people define their terms. What do you mean by "racism"? My Oxford dictionary defines it as basically the idea that some races are better than others. Well perhaps they are: there are psychologists who claim, rightly or wrongly, that some races have higher IQs than others. Ergo there is not necessarily anthing wrong with racism as per dictionary definition.
@ Ralph
"Racism" is a difficult term to define simply because it is not a simply explained phenomenon and a definition has to be broad enough to capture nuance. This is what sociologists do and there is some disagreement over the nuance.
But the basic idea that "some are better than others" underlie a lot of so-called conservative thinking. Some this is gender-fixated, some ethnic-fixated, some is class-fixated, etc. Even with some "races," the more white one is, the higher regard and stature.
But generally speaking, there was a widespread bias among those of European descent that some genetic strains were better than others, and it wasn't necessarly based on skin color but rather ethicity. For example, northern Europeans considered themselves the standard and measured accordingly.
IN addition, there was a great deal of emphasis on "racial" purity when nations where largely genetic based on "blood relations" in the strucutre of family, clan, tribe and nation.
Although much of that is anachronistic is some parts of the world, it remains strong in many places and there are pockets of it everywhere.
This is the basis of much exceptionalism as a cognitive-affective bias.
Another sort of racism grew out of this that may be termed "institutional racism." Red lining in finance and real estate is an example so egregious as to be illegal in the US, but it is still practiced. Anti-discirmination laws are also addressed to this, not limited to "racism" but including it.
Then there is systemic racism, which is the embeddedness of individual, social, institutional and other aspects of "racism" that permeates a society and effects everyone in the society in one way or another.
Geopolitically, it turns out that the major modern empires have been dominated by Europeans or those of European descent. Their colonies were non-European in descent. This too resulted in attitudes and behaviors that contribute to systemic racism.
One interesting thing about this is that many people say that they haven't a racist bone in their body, unaware of how they are affected psychologically and behavioral. I have even heard this from people I know to be pretty overt racists, but they are apparently unaware of it.
As far as the dictionary definition goes, racism, and it could be added discrimination, is based on the view that some are better than other. This is contrary to the teaching of most wisdom traditions, including Christianity. This traditional view was naturalized in the view of liberalism that all people are created equal. This is the basis of the extension of the natural rights doctrine that was theologically based previously.
To sum that up, all people are considered unique as indivduals but the same as "persons," harking back to the doctrine that all souls are creaed equal, e.g., as childern of the same Father (God) and the same father (Adam).
For example, all persons have equal rights before the law under liberalism, regardless of individual differences. In practice, that doesn't hold for various reasons, including endemic racism. Of course, gender inequality and discrimination can also be traced by to tradition, since most of the cultural and civilizational religions made females subject to males. We are still working on that one.
Jim Crow laws, apartheid are institutional racism. Lynchings are an extrajudicial, cultural form of white supremacy. The civil rights movement got rid of these practices. What is left is personal prejudice, driven into hiding by the change in law and culture.
By that definition, America is no longer racist.
Post a Comment