On August 14^th , the N.Y. Times reported on the clash between Adolph
Reed Jr. and the Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus in DSA
over an event scheduled back in May by the LES and Philadelphia
branches. The caucus advocates stepped up support for BLM protests while
Reed views them as tools of corporate America. Naturally, when the event
organizers scheduled a Zoom lecture for Reed, the caucus demanded a
debate, surely expecting to be ignored. When Reed grew wary over the
possibility that the upstarts might crash his talk, he canceled himself.
The Times article summarized the Reed position as shared by a class of
historians, political scientists and intellectuals who argue against
overstating race as a construct. Even if they accept the existence of
racism in the U.S., they reject the need for an anti-racist movement.
Instead, the goal is to create class unity around programs like Medicare
for All since poor whites would benefit as well. When you “fixate” on
race, you risk dividing a potentially powerful coalition and play into
conservatives’ hands.
Of course, this vulgar Marxism seems even more outlandish than ever in
the face of the massive resistance to the status quo now underway. After
the George Floyd murder, anti-racist protests became the largest in
American history. Without skipping a beat, the NBA has gone on strike to
protest the cops who left Jacob Blake permanently paralyzed. To
counterpose Medicare for All to these struggles is foolish, if not
outright reactionary.
full:
https://louisproyect.org/2020/08/28/class-reductionisms-blind-spot-environmental-racism/
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