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In America: Getting Beyond the Hate
If we had any question about the timeliness of the spring issue of YES!, "America: The Remix," those doubts were put aside by the race-baiting at recent tea party rallies. Less well known are the many ways the current recession is devastating the fragile fortunes of people of color.
America: The Remix shows the extraordinary possibilities that open up for us as a nation if we reject the hate-filled rhetoric and the exclusion of people of color, and instead embrace the strengths and potentials of our country's growing diversity.
First, the bad news. Before the Great Recession hit, the average family of color had a net worth of less than $30,000; the average white family's net worth was $170,000. With the economic downturn, things got worse for almost everyone, but especially for people of color. White unemployment rose to 9 percent, but unemployment among blacks is at a whopping 16 percent, and among Latinos it's nearly 13 percent. The economic crisis hits blacks and Latinos in other ways, too. They were far more likely to be saddled with high-rate, subprime loans than their white counterparts with similar qualifications, and they are more likely to be facing the loss of their main asset-their home.
In spite of all this, a real post-racial society is still possible. The U.S. Census Bureau says that by mid-century, people of color will be the majority in the United States, and the political clout of these communities is bound to grow. Stories in the spring issue of YES! Magazine show that the movements that joined hands to elect Obama continue to unite people across race lines for economic justice and livable communities. Events like the US Social Forum are bringing together thousands of racially-diverse leaders, many of whom rarely are featured in the media.
And the culture is shifting, too. Multiethnic music, art and culture are popular-especially among young people-and people of all ages are getting increasingly comfortable being part of mixed-race families and workplaces.
White people may feel we're giving up long-held privileges if we acknowledge our nation as a multiracial society, one in which all its inhabitants are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But an unequal society is profoundly unhealthy. According to researcher and author Richard Wilkinson, even those at the top of an unequal society have a lower life expectancy and lower quality of life compared to those living in more egalitarian circumstances. So, the privileged as well as the excluded stand to gain from a more just and inclusive society.
No matter what our race, we will all benefit from the historic journey to a fairer society. Our community life can be much richer and more authentic when every member can rely on being respected-regardless of language, religion, culture or ancestry.
If we learn to work together, we may find that the shouting and vitriol of talk shows make way for respect. As the tone of our national dialogue improves, we have a much better chance of coming together behind real answers to our national crises.
The election of Barack Obama built on centuries of struggle against injustice. It's a milestone in the healing of a nation torn apart by contradictions-the thirst for freedom and the desire for fresh opportunities, but also the massacres of native peoples and the enslavement of African families. The promise of a more perfect union can only be realized if we walk toward a future committed to liberty and justice-this time for all.
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14 Comments so far
Show AllUnless Obama becomes part of the solution rather than part of the problem (some examples: pandering to banksters, Obamacare, expanded Ir-Af-Pak occupation) the fortunes of all working class Americasn and especially blacks will continue to deteriorate.
"...the average family of color had a net worth of less than $30,000; the average white family's net worth was $170,000."
ROFL- the average "white" family has a net worth of 170K? No way unless you are saying the avg "white" family of an upper class community. Both figures quoted are WAY too high. Soon, 90% of all Murkans will have zero or negative net worths.
Using an Average to measure wealth is a gimmick and absolutely meaningless when measuring well being of a group of peoples.
If I am in a room with 10 people and each person has a net worth of 100k then we can say the people are relatively well off and an "average" of 100k means something.
Take a second room. There are ten people. 9 have a net worth of one dollar and the last has a net worth of 2000000 dollars. The AVERAGE net worth is 200k.
There is no way in heck 9 out of those 10 people are "twice as wealthy" as the people in room 1.
The resurgence of open racism is chilling. The mainstream media is stoking fear and perpetuating hatred and ignorance. I think it is easier to do this when those they are manipualting are broke and wanting to blame someone. It is history repeating and those doing the manipulating, like FOXnews, know it.
According to the US Census, Latino is not a race, so one who hates Latinos is not racist? Hispanics are singled out on the census but not to determine race? It is a little confusing and makes me wonder why the distinction. Are they just trying to get people to choose "white" to make the numbers less offensive to people who think we are being taken over? Putting the question of race on the census only divides us and takes us further from the diversity and unity.
What a load of mindless clap trap; the "christian white male" will never be allowed to live down the legacy of slavery in this country. They'll be literally taxed into exile; multiculturalism in the U.S. will amount to whatever the new majority, the Hispanics, decide it is; temporarily; then it'll be the Asians turn.
A year ago I included Ms. van Gelder in a rather lengthy list of "Progressives for Obama" writers who were victims of what I called subjunctivitis: the main symptom of which was their belief that something was true about Obama's presidency simply because they wished it to be so. Off today's post, I have to wonder whether Ms. van Gelder has fully recovered from this malaise. After accurately describing the growing racial inequality in this country she closes on a "hopeful" note that Barack Obama can move the country into a racial democracy, even though he has done nothing of note in the 15 months of his presidency to move in the direction of remedying that situation.
Perhaps because "hope" is rather in bad repute today, Ms. van Gelder seems to have added a Rodney King-like appeal of "can't we all just get along?" lament reflecting her indignation (not her hatred, let us hope) at the "hatred" embodied in the anti-Obama rhetoric of the tea-baggers and their Republican instigators. This seems another refuge in the storm of doubt for would-be supporters of Obama and his corporatist and militaristic agenda. Let us support the President, not necessarily because of any hope that he will "return" to a progressive agenda they imagined he has abandoned but because, as expressed in Dennis Kucinich's vapid "explanation" of his health care cave-in, the earnest and good young President is "struggling" and we all need to give him some love (support his agenda) lest his presidency go down in flames. Using the mantle of LOVE to urge us simply to "get along" is, I believe, a reflection of our typically American cowardice in not doing battle in any fight (foreign or domestic) that we cannot easily win. Let us not think, for example, of supporting a third party candidate or a "radical" like Kucinich because that candidate "can't win" so why even try? Might as well just embrace your enemy. (Well some of your enemies anyway; go ahead and hate to your heart's content "evil" ones like Palin, Cheney and Bush and reserve your love for the Democrat most of whose public actions---like Obama's speech in Kabul---are indistinguishable from those of one of the hated ones.)
Well stated!
PS: Without going into the dreary and irksome reasons for why this is so, CommonDreams seems to have a higher than usual incidence of commenters "disappearing" and returning with different nyms.
That said, certain "nym-shifters" have such well-established views and styles that one can recognize them immediately no matter what handle they're using.
If you hadn't just "outed" yourself as the inventor of "subjunctivitis", I wouldn't have known it was you. I "missed" you, or thought I did, and wondered where "you'd" gotten to. Glad you're ba... no wait, that doesn't make sense. Glad you never left?
But you are not fully stating the case, or at least not clearly. The point is, democrats, republicans AND teabaggers are opposed to true progressives, and thus, progressives should denounce all three.
Kitaj: I have no problem with your statement of the "point." I DO denounce "all three" of these entities, however much it might seem that my denunciations focus on the Democrats since they, after all, are among these three the one which claims to be the friend of "true progressives" when, in fact, their betrayal simply facilitates the enactment of a truly regressive political agenda.
What Planet is Ms van Gelder living on?!?
"...the average white family's net worth was $170,000."
WTF?
I agree with slimshady.
Once again, class inequality gets ignored, assuming that poor and working white folks deserve their poverty.
Poverty's only a problem if it's color-coded I guess. When it isn't, the problem doesn't exist.
Gelder's article only fuels that right-wing hatred, because she's essentially ignoring white poverty or dismissing it. So who do those people run to only to get screwed by?
A class conscience. Find it.
Here's another thing...
"In spite of all this, a real post-racial society is still possible. The U.S. Census Bureau says that by mid-century, people of color will be the majority in the United States, and the political clout of these communities is bound to grow."
So what will that mean necessarily? Should these right-wingers quiver and quake in their boots? Should they fear that? Will there be vengeance? Blood? Personally, I really don't know for sure what will happen, but if you don't defeat classism along with racism, you'll still have a very unequal society. You'll just see more non-whites in positions of power making the same corporatist decisions.
"The resurgence of open racism is chilling."
It is puckamok. Been dealing with that resurgence for 6 years now.
But what fuels it?
We focus on racial gaps because their juicier more emotional. Class gaps seem dry to people (economics) and makes upper-middle class folks uncomfortable. Race is easier because it turns inner city blacks and hispanics into angels and rural, working-class, suburban, and poor white folks into demons.
ringo3khan-I'm not being taxed anymore than I was. You must be wealthy.
A restitution has never been made. It's not fair to put that on the shoulders of the rank and file, but the US does owe a debt to African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and the 3rd world as well as all workers and poor.
Ok, I can't stomach Bob "I hate being white and with a penis" Jensen, but I skimmed his piece after ignoring it when I was on the YES! site before.
I deal with white racists daily and have been doing so for a long time. They really don't represent the majority of white folks anymore than black supremacists represent the black community.
This is just a rough sketch. Bear with me. It comes down to baiters and scaredycats.
The baiters love chaos and division. They think race hatred is natural and makes them feel strong. They like to instigate and are ultimately cowards and hate a white anti-racist yet have a grudging respect for a black supremacist because they hate the same groups and have similar goals. They're basically bullies and assholes and delight in unnerving people with their bigotry. Nothing burns them more than decency, cooperation, fairness, peace, bravery, and understanding.
The scaredycats think blacks and hispanics are inherently violent and instinctively hate them, so they stay the hell away from them. Their fear of a black/brown America has nothing to do with power or feeling "special." These people have little and don't generally like themselves that much. What they fear is marginalization and persecution in all its forms.
The baiter thinks a black man was born to eat his shit. The scaredycat thinks a black man was born to fuck him up.
Unfortunately there are enough blacks who cowtow to the baiters or enflame them and enough blacks who do think white people should get fucked up to give a semblence of credence to the canard.
That's one reason why I think class needs to be discussed more; it's a uniter.
The baiters hate class discussions because it neutralizes their venom.
That's not to say that racism is something to be ignored. It has to be addressed AND more importantly rectified. And there are ways to do that and no one's expense but that of the elites.
If people keep making working-class and poor whites out to have something substantial to lose when they really have a lot to gain by ending racism, you'll have a hard time engaging them. They'll either turn to the right-wing or tune out completely.
If you ignore racism, you ignore a lot of pain and disenfranchisement. If you ignore class, you do the same thing.
And people call *me* a Pollyanna! Maybe I should ask for a pair of rose-coloured glasses as powerful as Ms vanGelder’s!
Obama may be the first African-American prez, but, when all is said and done, he *is* a bourgeois politician, warmongering, misogynistic, homophobic and committed to carrying out the agenda allowed him by his upbringing and his class interests.
Mind you, the American right is also eating some powerful mushrooms — “Obama is a socialist.” Suuuuuuuure he is.