[Marxism] America's deep seated racism

[Louis Proyect]

(Thought I'd share this with the list. I am on a small, non-automated 
mailing list of people who went to Bard College in the 1960s. One of 
them can best be described as a Joe Lieberman Democrat. The other day he 
began talking up Bill Cosby's complaints about how young Blacks are 
digging their own grave through hip-hop, teen pregnancy, etc. This was 
Richard Greener's response. Richard is the novelist whose “The Knowland 
Retribution: the Locator" I reviewed a while back. He was also the 
president of WAOK in Atlanta, a Black radio station, until he retired 
about 10 years ago--even though he is a NY Jew.)

It is a bit creepy for the successful sons of the white professional and 
management class to talk about the impoverished black underclass with 
both disrespect and a critical misunderstanding.

My 25 years in Black Radio gave me a unique opportunity to see the 
actual effects of America's deep rooted racism. Today, if you were to 
walk through any Macy's store (previously and for decades known as 
Rich's in Atlanta) you would see two distinct types of black women 
shoppers. Those black women above the age of 40 will be seen walking as 
close to the middle of the wide aisles as possible. You will spot few if 
any of them in among the clothes looking for something their size and to 
their liking. And, most important, you will never see them touch 
anything. Younger black women - only if they shop unaccompanied by a 
mother or grandmother - will shop like white women. They will pick 
through the stuff, pile an armful of items and seek the closest dressing 
room. Why don't the older black women shop this way?

Until the late 1970s and early 1980s, a black woman shopping in what was 
then called Rich's (Atlanta had only 2 chain department stores: Rich's 
and Sears) had to follow the rules for black customers. Like chess, it 
was "You touch it - You bought it." That's right, walk over to a row of 
blouses on hangers and if you so much as lay a finger on any of them, 
you had to buy them. Also a rule, "You can't try anything on." The 
dressing rooms were never White and Colored. They were only White. No 
Negro ever had a chance to try on anything, ever. And finally, "You buy 
it, NO  Returns!" Blacks simply could not return anything.

The lasting effect of this? If you look you'll see it everyday. Just 
watch those middle-aged and older women "walk and look" which was all 
they were allowed to do. Perhaps, RVM might question why they continue 
to shop this way when they no longer have to. Well, they do. The next 
time you see a car with black men in it, pulled over to the side of the 
road by a cop, watch for their hands. Every black mother has for many, 
many decades taught their sons to keep their hands in sight in the 
presence of any policeman, no matter the circumstances. If you look, 
you'll see it. A middle-aged, well dressed black man in a Lexus, pulled 
over for going through a stop sign or for speeding or any other normal 
traffic offense, will pull over to the side of the road, turn off his 
engine and sit there, eyes forward, with his hands high on the steering 
wheel waiting for the cop to appear. You wouldn't act that way would you?

I worked with college educated blacks at WAOK, men who told stories of 
how they had to navigate via "underground, hand drawn maps" so they 
could safely drive home from college for Thanksgiving or Christmas. 
Imagine the trip from Bishop College (a traditional black college 
outside Dallas, Texas) to Atlanta. You need to drive through Texas, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia - and without knowing where 
you could get gas, a drink of water or a meal and not put your safety or 
even your life in danger by stopping at the wrong gas station or wrong 
restaurant, how would you manage? Have any of us worried like that, ever?

Oppression dies a slow death and in its final moments, its swan song, it 
can still reach out with a venomous sting. You want a political 
solution? End oppression and give everyone the guarantees afforded to 
the likes of us. In my business days I knew many millionaires (when a 
million bucks was still considered a lot of money). The white guys were 
just like us. The blacks, however, were without exception - exceptional. 
There will always be those kind of unstoppable people who can and will 
overcome long odds. How about making the game even for the rest instead 
of just saying fuck you?