Race is Central to Both Revolution and Reaction in Latin American — Glen Ford

The world birthed in the near extinction of one-fifth of humanity still exists, in the social relations bequeathed to the Americas by conquistadors and enslavers.

“In Latin America, U.S. influence means White Power.”

The events in Bolivia lay bare the central role that racial subjugation has always played in the “New World,” a hemisphere whose “discovery” by Europeans resulted — within the span of only 50 years — in the death by genocide and pandemic of fully a fifth of the Earth’s human population. The Conquistadors frenzied “primitive accumulation” of precious metals, mined by enslaved Natives who died quicker than they could be replenished, created a demand for the capture and importation of millions of Africans with immunities to both European and tropical disease. For centuries, until deep into the 1700s, the vast majority of the Western Hemisphere’s population was Indigenous and Black, with African slaves comprising the great bulk of newcomers to the New World. Thus was laid the material basis for the rise of Europe, the beginnings of capitalism and the global supremacy of whiteness.

This is particularly important given the demographics. Non-white are increasing their population while whites are decreasing theirs. In addition, mixed-race mating is also increasing the non-white population. Whites are already resisting their inevitable replacement given the trend.

For example, in the US, more non-white babies are now being born per year than white (2011 census). In addition, more whites are dying than being born in a third of US states.

Just as the Global North and West is resisting the rise of the Global South and East; so too, the white population of the West finds itself declining domestically and is resisting dominance by the rising non-white population that will shortly be in the majority.

Race is an even more influential force than nationalism. This has roots in evolutionary theory, owing to kinship. While kinship is very less significant as a cultural force than it has been until recently, it is still a major factor. Traditional values center about the family, for instance.

While mentioning race has not been politically correct, that is about to change as the complexion of the world changes. Along with this, is the rising power of women and the rise of feminism, which is a liberal phenomenon that traditionalists abhor.

Internationalist 360º
Race is Central to Both Revolution and Reaction in Latin American

Glen Ford