I have to agree with Stan's comments about how The Guardian article
misses the mark almost completely. For two reasons.....
1) This gradualism of history beating the Old South is true enough, but
the New South has been smashing The North for 3 or 4 decades now.
The new industrial captains felt comfortable enough to even invalidate
the 'vote'. And since the 'oppostion' was held by politicos from
Arkansas and Tennessee, it was a bloodless action.
2) This equation of racists/ versus their opponents is a gross
simplification of what is going on. It is a comic book analysis,
like contrasting Jews vs Nazi Germans to explain fascism.
This *Old South* lense used to assess the rise of Baby Bush is also like
the US media's obsession on the historical roots of The Queen and the
House of Lords. The regional fault lines involve much more than just
the question of Race and Racism. Or the heavy roots of the past.
At the heart of the 2 camps is the steadily weakening of capital and
society based on traditional 'industry', vs. society and capitalism
built on the car, oil, fast food, shopping mall, war production, and
'health' industry. The 'car society' has created the New South maybe
much more than traditional Old South racism has. It is New York City
and Chicago 'decline' vs the upstarts Dallas and Indianapolis PLUS the
plethora of Charlottes and Tulsas in the opposing camp.
The racism and anti-democracy is not the olden style of vicious direct
racial antagonisms. It is based on the common realization that
'prosperity' in the US is based on the US Being Number One. That
number one being the continued standing astride the rest of the world,
with all its varieties of nations and races. Nothing personal, you
see?
The working class makes its living here from being truck drivers, prison
guards, soldiers, jail guards, fast food and Walmart clerks, and
'health' deliverance Nazis. And the US Sun Belt work force is a
'pragmatic' lot. Our 'prosperity' doesn't lie with a union card, but
a 'boom' economy at others expense. We'll turn away in silence as
'the fraud' takes place.
Don't look for us to react as Argentinians, French, or Pakisanis might
to 'disenfranchisement' (just to throw a few contrasts out). Part of
understanding Mexican politics is to understand that Northern Mexico has
been semi-invited to participate in a similar lifestyle..... hence a
Vicente Fox vs. Latin America ahead.
This Sunbelt USA is heavily militarized. It's like talking
'democracy' to the average soldier. You'll get your butt kicked.
Tony Abdo
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bob moun wrote......
<Contrary to the gradual progress the Guardian describes, MS and other
places are experiencing a deep and abrupt regression, sometimes called
white backlash, now emboldened by conservative courts. The white "middle
class" is up to their neck in it, too. Racial polarity is starker than
it has been in years, but the right wants us to shut up about it. By
naming it, they say we are creating it... stirring up the natives, you
see, who were happy just to stay in their places before we agitators
came along.>
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