>
> Isn't it in the objective + material self-interest of all
> workers--including white + male + American ones--to abolish racism, sexism,
> imperialism, etc.?
There are a number of Marxist and Marx inspired labor economists (e.g., Darity, Williams, Mason, Botwinick, Cotton, Shulman) who argue that white male workers do have an objective material self-interest in racism and patriarchy.
I recommend their work, but crudely put:
Capitalist competition creates the basis for intra-class competition that continuously divides and redivides the working class (that reproduces a divided working class). Capitalist competition reproduces a reserve army of labor, dividing the working class into employed and unemployed, into cyclically unemployed and permanently unemployed. Capitalist competition means persistent profit rate and wage differentials, dividing the employed into high wage and low wage jobs. Many finer distinctions can be made, of different job characteristics, different components of the reserve army, etc. But the basis for division is there. Workers seeking to protect their relative position in the working class--to remain employed instead of unemployed, to remain high waged instead of low waged, etc., have historically formed coalitions to exclude others (what Heather Buoshey from the New School has called "social structures of insulation"). In other words, division is not only the result of capitalist divide and conquer tactics, workers also participate in the processes that divide and reproduce division. Unions, apprenticeship programs, training programs, partial control over information, evaluation, hiring, etc., all become part of the historical and institutional story of how this has played out. And in the US (and many other countries) race, ethnicity and gender have mediated the competititon for employment and high wage jobs. As Rakesh has already recommended, Herbert Hill's work is a good place to start for the history with regard to African Americans. But also Foner's work and Robert Allen and Pamela Allen's _Reluctant Reformers_.
The Michael Reich story that white workers are "hurt" by racism has a very specific definition of "hurt," i.e. that they lose the relative income distribution game with capitalists. But in many other senses, white males clearly have an objective material interest in racism and sexism. As Rhonda Williams puts it, if there were an overnight reapportionment of wages and employment by race and gender, millions of white males would suddenly find themselves unemployed and earning lower wages.
This doesn't mean that capitalist divide and conquer tactics are unimportant. It is just not the whole story. And recognizing that there is an objective material self interest of white male workers in racism and patriarchy obviously has some mighty important implications for anyone interested in promoting working class solidarity, and in working to eliminate institutional racism and gender discrimination. It is not simply a matter of "false consciousness," white male workers have a reason to feel threatened by affirmative action.
This is rushed and crudely put-- I recommend that anyone interested look to the excellent work of the authors named above. Specific references available on request.
Mat Forstater