I agreed w/everything CC said up to the following.
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3) An essential part of capital's rule without overt represision is the
weakening of labor's willingness and ability to fight through racism,
and racism cannot continue without a good deal of overt state
violence. . . .
[mbs] I would say rule w/out repression is made possible by the working class unwillingness to challenge authority in matters of their own basic interest. Race is not the paramount thing now, not because people aren't racist, but because it is simply not central to many issues. The unwillingness is premised on a feeling of intellectual inferiority, relative to the "experts" in charge, low morale, & tolerable economic circumstances, among other things. If we knew 'exactly' what we would have some way to deal with it. I think Lawrence Goodwyn is very good -- and deep -- on this issue in Democratic Promise.
Capital punishment couldn't be less relevant in this regard.
If race is so god-all important, why don't we observe minority populations dumping their own centrist political leaders (i.e., mayors of D.C., Cleveland, etc.) Why do more blacks favor capital punishment than whites, incl young blacks?
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That is, it requires state violence as part of the "smoke"
of the ideological principle "where there's smoke there's fire." This
is also, as Wojtek and Max have never been able to understand,
the principle behind the use of capital punishment -- and why
labor will never recover its former strength (electorally or otherwise)
unless it makes opposition to the death penalty central to its
struggles.
Carrol
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Really, what-all makes you so sure of this? It is mystifying. I don't hear this from black activists. I don't interpret Charles as saying this. Why you, oh Poobah?
mbs