Racism itself is promoted and maintained by the ruling class because white supremacy serves to undermine class consciousness. The same playbook is uses for other forms of marginalization, but race is the most strongly maintained in the United States due to chattel slavery and the ruling class’ investment in it.
What this means is that while class is the major material dividing line that societal forces follow, racism is also a potent force. Just because it gets the oxygen it needs to survive from the continued class war does not mean that racism itself does not exist and make the lives of black people, brown people, etc harder. And white people do have it easier just because they’re white. So if you say otherwise, those who know better will not listen to you.
So, instead of going the route that dismisses the impact of racism, instead acknowledge that class and race oppressions are intertwined and that the former drives the latter, so we need to end capitalism in order to undo marginalization. And to do so in solidarity means you also need to take an anti-racist line and stand in solidarity with marginalized people.
Racism itself is promoted and maintained by the ruling class because white supremacy serves to undermine class consciousness. The same playbook is uses for other forms of marginalization, but race is the most strongly maintained in the United States due to chattel slavery and the ruling class’ investment in it.
What this means is that while class is the major material dividing line that societal forces follow, racism is also a potent force. Just because it gets the oxygen it needs to survive from the continued class war does not mean that racism itself does not exist and make the lives of black people, brown people, etc harder. And white people do have it easier just because they’re white. So if you say otherwise, those who know better will not listen to you.
So, instead of going the route that dismisses the impact of racism, instead acknowledge that class and race oppressions are intertwined and that the former drives the latter, so we need to end capitalism in order to undo marginalization. And to do so in solidarity means you also need to take an anti-racist line and stand in solidarity with marginalized people.