In this video --
Angela Davis: How Does Change Happen ?
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc6RHtEbiOA&feature=related>
At around 39:00, speaking about the deformation of affirmative action programs (originally proposed to address the needs of a class but turned into win/lose contests between individuals) Davis says that "social meanings are socially constructed [...] we cannot leave it up to the state to create those meanings."
An excellent presentation. Thanks for posting.
.d.