The Role of Racism in The Election

linked to race.
Beginning with Reagan, racism's advances grew
circumspect, indirect, deflecting—racism was
tied to its benefits rather than to expressions of
hate. Improved employment, expanded output,
opportunity, educational options; smaller
public budgets, the ideal of self-reliance—
racism through its denial suddenly had
something to offer everyone, including its
victims who were increasingly the objects of
deacession/recycled waste. Denial gave racism
cover for its malevolent practices and its deadly
intent. Denial redirected racism as good works!
Because of its reliance on denial, racism is a
social poison that cannot be quantified. In fact
it uses numbers to deny its presence. Numbers
hide its persistent influence on decisions and
choice, conceal racism's role in power, its place
in popular thinking—shadow its harm to its
victims, its damage to the country.
“We're for jobs,” racist say, yet we witness the
dismantling the economic infrastructure in
minority communities, in which neighborhood
stores are paid to sell lottery tickets (states
reimburse a percentage of sales and winners)
and are distributors for beer.
“We are for education;” yet we see schools in low
income neighborhoods being closed, districts
redrawn to embrace self-defeating violence,
programs eliminated and neighborhood
identity destroyed.
“We are for lower taxes,” as safety net programs
like EBT are cut and income and housing
assistance is reduced and restricted.
We are for security for America's older
generations, as pension benefits and social
security (soon) are redistributed to wealthy
institutions—outsiders with no interest in
people or accountability, only balance sheets
and profits—and the privilege of race.
Those who stand against “government
overreach” stand against public policy that
supports and improves the plight of the poor.
They oppose those whose mobility and
advancement is boxed in by structural barriers
in housing, jobs, transportation, and cultural
practice. No matter their absence of personal
bias, their politics is deeply rooted in racism—
white privilege and advantage, white power and
control--as central to the American Dream.
Racism has always focused on economics; it is a
rigged system! It is a broad economic system
that uses law and culture to achieve its mission.
Presently it has expanded beyond its tradition
limits on black workers to limit white workers
through a familiar tactic—it uses blame to
encourage blindness. It discourage common
interests. Its cultural bias prevent workers from
recognizing a common opposition!
Despite billions in cash and profits and studies
that say wage increases will have little effect on
prices, corporate powers are united in their
effort to fix wages and reduce benefits for all
workers. They let racism do the work of
misdirecting the resistance.
Blame is another one of racism's core ideas, an
article of faith even for many without overt bias.
Blame coexists with the dialogue for equality.
Individually, many workers have no bias, but
they see inequality of opportunity. They see
claims of the past affecting the present. (To
them, reverse discrimination is reverse blame.)
2