[lbo-talk] Allen, racism, fascism and beyond

[John Thornton]

Seth Ackerman wrote:
> Carrol Cox wrote:
>
>   
>>  
>>
>> This is, I think, a historicist fallacy (the assumption that an entity's
>>
>> genesis explains its nature). What needs explaining is _why_, at the end
>> of the twentieth century, these two primaries (indepentently of how they
>> got started) are looming larger and larger (as seen both through the
>> 'eyes' of the mass media _and_ through the resources candidates throw
>> into them.
>>
>> And the only _historical_ fact* (it would seem) in respect to them that
>> has explanatory power is their whiteness and 'rurality.'
>
>
> Once IA and NH ended up first, their whiteness and rurality inevitably 
> became the major trope - the Norman Rockwell "realness" of it all, etc. 
> But I would contend that if history had made California first, the trope 
> would be "California - land of the American future, home of the next big 
> thing, etc. etc."
>
> Seth

Your contention conveniently ignores the racist history of this country.
If by previous machinations New Mexico was first many years ago there is 
every reason to believe it would not remain first today so we would not 
have to find an explanation. Had NM been first many years ago that 
position would have changed to another state because NM wouldn't be 
reasoned to be American enough (read white) to hold onto that position. 
The initial reason may not have been racist but the endurance is easily 
explained by it.
White people love to find explanations for why their institutions aren't 
really as racist as they seem.
It's always just a happy coincidence when institutions favor whites and 
their opinions isn't it?

John Thornton