>>Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
>>I think white workers benefit from racism _neither in the short nor
>>in the long run_, for they don't become less exploited by capital by
>>practicing racism.
>How many workers *feel* this systemic exploitation? They may have a
>gripe about the boss, or wish they could pay the kid's orthodontist
>bills more easily, but you're assuming a sophisticated political
>economy analysis that right now only left-wing intellectuals can
>articulate. But even among those who might feel it, without a
>possible utopia to imagine as an alternative, most probably view it
>as a fact of nature.
Which of course emphasizes the importance of the utopian imagination, which is often sneered at on this list (though not by you).
Doug, can we take it that you are now arguing the possibility of subjective and pyschological benefits from racism? That you do not believe a strong argument can be made that white workers, and male workers have more dollars in their pockets than they would if racism and sexism were significantly reduced? Relative advantage is a problem worth talking about, but is a vastly different one than an absolute gain.