[lbo-talk] corporate rationality

[c b]

Capitalism still _has_ extreme racist and nationalist  residential
segregation of the working class within the US (localities and
metropolitan areas) and globally. It also has racially and nationally
endogamous marriage and mating, i.e. there isn't much racial or
national inter-marriage or inter-mating,  as sociologists like shag
will verify. The workers of the world are not racially and nationally
united in these fundamental ways.  It seems likely that  disunities of
the working class in these ways are necessary conditions for
preventing the working class from overthrowing capitalism. In this
sense, capitalism "needs" racism (White Supremacy ) and nationalism.

Charles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At 02:52 PM 10/11/2009, Doug Henwood wrote:


>On Oct 11, 2009, at 2:44 PM, Carrol Cox wrote:
>
>>Focus on individuals fucks up political discussion, almost always.
>
>I gotta agree with you on this. Michaels' original point - that big
>capital has entirely assimilated the diversity agenda, a point to
>which the entire Obama phenomenon is related, and how a lot of the
>received wisdom about how capitalism "needs" racism is badly in need
>of updating - has been lost in all this effort to prove him an
>asshole, or to search his book for incriminating passages.
>
>Doug

did you actually have something to say about the substance of my argument?

capitalism doesn't need racism, but it does need _racialization_.
Michaels book is an absolutee impediment to that understanding. In
fact, it is hostile to it since he is utterly either indifferent to or
ignorant of _oppression_. to recuperating michaels' book by imputing
to it the sophistication of actually participating in some discussion
about whether or not capitalism needs racism cracks me up.

shag