Neoliberalism to Trumpism: The Re-Normalization of White Supremacy as State Ideology | Black Agenda Report
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The crisis of late-stage capitalism has stripped away the liberal disguise and revealed white supremacy as the official ideology of the U.S. state.

To understand the current historical moment, it is not enough to catalog the reactionary policies of the Trump administration. One must understand the deeper ideological logic that makes those policies appear both rational and necessary to the ruling class. In the United States, the resurgence of open appeals to “Western civilization,” the demonization of immigrants, the criminalization of anti-colonial resistance, the assault on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and the expansion of the national security state are not isolated political developments. On the contrary, they represent a conscious reassertion of a normalized racialized colonial worldview that historically has always rationalized Western colonial/capitalist conquest and dominance.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    8 days ago

    Nothing he’s saying is wrong…

    But:

    Therefore – and this is the monumental error so many on the Eurocentric left make – white supremacy should not be understood simply as prejudice, individual bias, or as a product of the superstructure manipulated by capital to divide the proletariat, but as a way of organizing power that establishes a hierarchy of human value. Throughout the history of Western expansion, that hierarchy has distinguished between those understood as the legitimate subjects of history and those who exist merely as objects to be governed, disciplined, exploited, or eliminated. The vocabulary changes across historical periods. “Civilizing mission” gives way to “development.” “Manifest destiny” becomes “democracy promotion.” “The defense of Christendom” becomes “the defense of Western civilization.” Yet the underlying political logic remains remarkably consistent.

    If he thinks that’s not common knowledge, than he’s not informed enough for us to be listening to his opinions.

    LBJ called it out 40+ years ago, and he wasn’t the first either:

    I’ll tell you what’s at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.

    That wasn’t his strategy, that was him describing what Republicans of his time was doing. And he made the comment while touring poverty striken areas in the South.

    He’s saying the only reason those white people were ok living in poverty, was that they believed they weren’t on the bottom of the totem pole.

    I’m not saying everyone needs to know about that, just that the people talking about politics should.

    Hell, as normal research for an article that should have been discovered.

    I’m not sure if it was AI that wrote it or if the author just ran it thru an AI to use as big of words as possible at every opportunity

    • yesman@lemmy.world
      4·
      8 days ago

      If you really think that the minutia of white-supremacy is common knowledge, you’re in a bubble. Sealed off from mainstream (white) culture.

      Everyone knows that it was taboo (and after Nat Turner illegal) to educate enslaved people. What isn’t such common knowledge is the current project of white-supremacists is ‘White Innocence’ if your being polite, or ‘White Ignorance’ if your not.

      They labor day and night to keep white people incurious and out of touch. Entire news organizations, newspapers, influencers, even radio broadcasters make it their business to lull white people into believing that anti-colonial struggle is irrational and savage; that racism is an artifact of a bygone era; and that state violence is necessary and good.

      The ironic part is that for POC, all this is obvious basic knowledge. But in the white world, it’s esoteric and mysterious.

      This is the main reason I hate white supremacy. Not because I’m a good person or an ally to the oppressed. I’ve always known white supremacy was bad for those people. I didn’t get aggravated until I realized they were keeping me ignorant and out of touch.

    • WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today
      2·
      8 days ago

      Not everybody is good at extrapolating a specific instance such as LBJ was referring to into a wider, more generally applicable pattern, or reframing it onto other similar, but not closely identical patterns. I’m sure the author was well aware, but was writing in a more general sense for a wider audience to apply to specific situations they’re facing.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
        11·
        8 days ago

        Not everybody

        Welp, good thing I literally said that already…

        I’m not saying everyone needs to know about that, just that the people talking about politics should

        Like, literally right there…

        . I’m sure the author was well aware

        No, you feel like the author was aware.

        Which is the an entire nother thing that’s fucking up our discourse, and I’d say it’s even worse because no one is going to be able to logic you out of it.

        There’s no point in trying, because you have a tribalistic outlook, if someone appears to agree with you, you don’t want them to be criticized.

        But when the problems are so obvious, even idiots will say the right things, that doesn’t mean we should listen to them, because they’re gonna fuck up both the details and the way to fix shit.