3 ms·

It the same issue but with a slight of hand to shift blame. There is a sentiment that at a macro level the economic system is geared to advantage those at the

It the same issue but with a slight of hand to shift blame. There is a sentiment that at a macro level the economic system is geared to advantage those at the top. What I see mega corps are doing now is try to shift that frustration from a discussion of class to a discussion of race. Suddenly the white working class outside of major economic centers, the same ones who have seen their economic prospects erode over a generation due to deindustrialization can be painted as the villain and racists.

dragonwriter 5y ago
> It the same issue No, its not. The racial justics movement predates OWS, and was active when OWS was a thing. Its true that BLM was, triggered, or coincided with a reenergization of that movement, but it wasn’t grounded in OWS’s complaints. (There was a big-money sponsored grouo which coopted some OWS complaints but shifted the focus go better serve particular institutiobal interests; but it was the Tea Party Patriots, not BLM.) > What I see mega corps are doing now is try to shift that frustration from a discussion of class to a discussion of race. At the time BLM emerged, much less when theie efforts started bringing corporations around, its not like there was a widely salient class-based but race-free narrative that institutions paying lip service to BLM werr marginalizing. > Suddenly the white working class outside of major economic centers, the same ones who have seen their economic prospects erode over a generation due to deindustrialization can be painted as the villain and racists The BLM movement is about powerful institutions and the lack of unequal lack of accountability and concern they exhibit by race. As a class, the “white working class outsidd of major economic centers” is not a focus, positive or negative of BLM activism, and are only really relevant, in any negative sense, to the extent they actively or passively support or participate inbthe racist institutions and actions BLM addresses.
sangnoir 5y ago
> Suddenly the white working class outside of major economic centers, the same ones who have seen their economic prospects erode over a generation due to deindustrialization can be painted as the villain and racists. May you please expand on this, because I am not following how white working class outsiders are involved. To my knowledge, corps & MLB have commented on specific actions by organizations such as the police or legislatures.
- barbacoa 5y ago
  There have been countless corporations that are openly supporting BLM and pushing the "everything is about race" narrative because it is a distraction from the increasing wealth inequality that has led to rising economic popularism, which has in the past helped candidates like donald trump or bernie sanders who the powers-to-be want to keep out of office.
  - sangnoir 5y ago
    > There have been countless corporations that are openly supporting BLM and pushing the "everything is about race" I'm afraid that still doesn't answer my question. Corporations supporting BLM does not does not make "white working working class the villain and racists" unless you assume supporting black activists automatically pits you against white working class folk - and I disagree with this unstated assumption (if I'm parsing you correctly). I apologize if this is not the implied logic - and I ask that you break it down for me so I can understand, as briefly as you possibly can.
    - barbacoa 5y ago
      >supporting black activists automatically pits you against white working class folk That does seem to be the perception. One of the core ideas of BLM is that we live in a systematic racist society. If that is true who are the perpetrators?
      - sangnoir 5y ago
        > That does seem to be the perception. Thank you for making this explicit. Thus we come full circle to culture wars - that's the only reason for this perception, IMO. From where I stand, culture wars are all about short-circuiting critical thinking and logical analysis, aiming straight to the emotional core - that is how sound-bytes like "kneeling is disrespecting the military/veterans" comes from - there's no sound logic, but it gets people going (I'm sure you can come up with examples used by the left). > One of the core ideas of BLM is that we live in a systematic racist society. If that is true who are the perpetrators? The system? It's paradoxic how a group can feel "left behind" or feel like "the forgotten" and simultaneously identify as part the system.

dragonwriter 5y ago

> It the same issue No, its not. The racial justics movement predates OWS, and was active when OWS was a thing. Its true that BLM was, triggered, or coincided with a reenergization of that movement, but it wasn’t grounded in OWS’s complaints. (There was a big-money sponsored grouo which coopted some OWS complaints but shifted the focus go better serve particular institutiobal interests; but it was the Tea Party Patriots, not BLM.) > What I see mega corps are doing now is try to shift that frustration from a discussion of class to a discussion of race. At the time BLM emerged, much less when theie efforts started bringing corporations around, its not like there was a widely salient class-based but race-free narrative that institutions paying lip service to BLM werr marginalizing. > Suddenly the white working class outside of major economic centers, the same ones who have seen their economic prospects erode over a generation due to deindustrialization can be painted as the villain and racists The BLM movement is about powerful institutions and the lack of unequal lack of accountability and concern they exhibit by race. As a class, the “white working class outsidd of major economic centers” is not a focus, positive or negative of BLM activism, and are only really relevant, in any negative sense, to the extent they actively or passively support or participate inbthe racist institutions and actions BLM addresses.

sangnoir 5y ago

> Suddenly the white working class outside of major economic centers, the same ones who have seen their economic prospects erode over a generation due to deindustrialization can be painted as the villain and racists. May you please expand on this, because I am not following how white working class outsiders are involved. To my knowledge, corps & MLB have commented on specific actions by organizations such as the police or legislatures.

barbacoa 5y ago
There have been countless corporations that are openly supporting BLM and pushing the "everything is about race" narrative because it is a distraction from the increasing wealth inequality that has led to rising economic popularism, which has in the past helped candidates like donald trump or bernie sanders who the powers-to-be want to keep out of office.
- sangnoir 5y ago
  > There have been countless corporations that are openly supporting BLM and pushing the "everything is about race" I'm afraid that still doesn't answer my question. Corporations supporting BLM does not does not make "white working working class the villain and racists" unless you assume supporting black activists automatically pits you against white working class folk - and I disagree with this unstated assumption (if I'm parsing you correctly). I apologize if this is not the implied logic - and I ask that you break it down for me so I can understand, as briefly as you possibly can.
  - barbacoa 5y ago
    >supporting black activists automatically pits you against white working class folk That does seem to be the perception. One of the core ideas of BLM is that we live in a systematic racist society. If that is true who are the perpetrators?
    - sangnoir 5y ago
      > That does seem to be the perception. Thank you for making this explicit. Thus we come full circle to culture wars - that's the only reason for this perception, IMO. From where I stand, culture wars are all about short-circuiting critical thinking and logical analysis, aiming straight to the emotional core - that is how sound-bytes like "kneeling is disrespecting the military/veterans" comes from - there's no sound logic, but it gets people going (I'm sure you can come up with examples used by the left). > One of the core ideas of BLM is that we live in a systematic racist society. If that is true who are the perpetrators? The system? It's paradoxic how a group can feel "left behind" or feel like "the forgotten" and simultaneously identify as part the system.