Reflections on White Supremacy and NYPD Culture
We see in our movement two positions that foister itself on Maoists and revolutionaries. The position of Dogmatism and the position of Nationalism. This is what essentially characterizes the position of ourselves in the question of White Supremacy. Economics vs. Culture in our field. One states that the question is a matter of the historical development of Capitalism itself, that racism and White supremacy is the tool of the Bourgeois class in dividing the worker. While the other states this is a matter of cultural dominance over the black nation, that white supremacy is rooted in white people being naturally departed from black communities. These propositions seem equally right, and indeed both convincing when studying the development of "White Supremacy," but both in the end fail for categorically wrong methodologies in the persuit to overcome the problem. We see some Socialists today become apologists for "White Supremacy" by blaming Capitalism for the historical development of this racist system. In fact, they say, in Socialism this will not be the case. While others are one sided in their approach of analyzing the consciousness of masses of people toward White Supremacy, and controversially I'll say to understand White Supremacy one has to understand the psychology of the black oppressed masses and the white masses, specifically the white workers, in their diposition toward race.
First in the question of historical development of racism from Capitalism itself, one has to state that this has to be false in a sense that the oppression of races and ethnicities pre-dates the development of Capital as king in our world. Perhaps there has been intesification of this oppression, but it seems with anything other in Capitalism, that intesification might have been natural. Blaming solely the root of White Supremacy on Capitalism seems to be a mistake of the dogmatists who hold on dearly to the idea of economy determining all social relations (beyond class relations of course) in the world. In fact the truth is here that these dogmatists are also uninspiringly holding to the same positions in questions of Patriarchy and Heterosexism. Eliminating White Supremacy is not just a matter of getting all races to realize their positions as workers, because even in this act, people consciouslly hold prejudices based on their limited experiences and rumors.
The Cultural Nationalists have indeed a more inspiring understanding, and do hit something new when they bring up the question of culture and its role. But they as well miss crucial points. Fighting white supremacy is not going to be won by merely empowering the oppressed races, this still does not solve the basis for White Supremacy. While empowering people may help in building consciousness of the oppressed, and it certainly does, White Supremacist culture will live on regardless to this. The culture around this racist divergence in society is actively played to by the Market itself. In this sense, Capitalism intensifies division, it rep-produces through the market the consciousness and consumption for hate itself. It plays on the stereotypes and rumored roles of races. In this sense, the hate which had existed in a community, can be played upon by the market, and the consciousness is created to actively create new social relations in a society based upon racial oppression. Capitalism differs in this way with previous social-economic model, Markets create consciousness, and they can create racist ideology. In previous Feudal-Agricultural societies, this effort to create racial oppression was largely either contingent to State policy or it was contained to the remnants of tribal difference.
Workers are not divided in the workplace by the Bourgeois, as some economists try to push this line of thought, they are divided by the Market society before. A Boss preys on this in the work place, but this racial division existed in our communities long before. The Market commodifies and sells such ideology whether it comes in the form of horrible comedians like Carlos Mencia or through reality tv that gives spins toward racial stereotypes, this is accepted in sum by masses of people as true. Should we be suprised at the recent killings of Sean Bell or others in New York City by happy trigger cops (whether the cop is black, hispanic, or white)? The culture of NYPD (And believe you and me, that culture does indeed exist) is the rudimentary culture of White Supremacy America. It is the culture of various white workers and is even pervaded into the culture of other peoples beyond whites. Empowerment can't solve everything because of this reason. White Supremacy is so deeply pervaded through America, that even the most liberal of people are apart of it. Can we truly overcome White supremacy when whites leave on record droves to the suburbs when blacks move in, or when they behave as thuggish vigilantes in Queens?
White Supremacy and its aftermath seems a question that will plague us for a long time, since it is wrapped up with the entire market culture and is imbedded through society. We maybe reaching communism and still figuring this one out, but we should not dispair at this thought that it is imbedded. In fact this means that we as communists must get our hands dirty and struggle with people to consciously see something different. This struggle will be a long process and reoccuring with every new generation, but it is our task as communists to do so if we are to eliminate NYPD culture from our ranks and from the masses.
Post a Comment