All ill say is have no trust in white ppl pushing polices that don’t openly benefit themselves and themselves only. If you disagree I have 250 years of american history that backs me up. Universal Healthcare, universal childcare, and minimum wage increase will never happen because a LARGE portion of the American population rather live in poverty than give ANYTHING to someone who’s different then them.
If you want class solidarity you’d be better to convince white ppl that helping ppl different from themselves benefits society.
I’ll just end it on this quote,
“If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” - Lyndon B. Johnson
frustrated@lemmy.world 1 week ago
It is definitely hard to thread the needle of being aware of american history and also having enough optimism left over to be motivated to affect change, I will grant you that. Your pessimism is well warranted.
Respectfully, I will point out that your view is, in a way, kind of paradoxical. You are right to say that white people in this country cannot be trusted to improve the lives of non-whites however, this phenomenon is not unique to the white community - it is mostly just amplified by their disproportionate power in society. That in mind, consider what this implies in relief: the myriad constituencies of the oppressed minorities in this countries will be able to, in a coordinated way, set aside their own priorities to mutually advance the causes of other non-hegemonic groups in a way that is separable from the economic conversation while overcoming white hegemony WITHOUT white participation.
Looking at the way the latino community voted in 2024, and black men’s feelings about gay and trans people, and the complete implosion of solidarity among women as a voting block…this doesnt seem like a winning strategy, nor is it clear that this coalition can ever surmount the white hegemony. The only group that ever seems to participate in politics in this way reliably are black women, and god bless them for it.
On the other hand, rewind the clock to 2016 and 2020 and you see that movements around economic issues like universal healthcare have a ton of steam given the support for Sanders and AOC, among others. I want to be clear, fuck the dems, but these are illustrative examples.
All I am saying is that the most annoying white people you know have been saying for years that they are deeply reactionary to racially specific policies while also communicating clearly that they are also fucking morons. TRICK THEM. Advance policies that are nominally race/gender/sex/etc. neutral but would disproportionately work to fix racial/gendered/sexual/etc. disparities…like universal healthcare, like rent controls, like public works projects (trains, housing, etc.). You are bound to get a few of them onboard and motivate fewer of them to oppose you. The combined effect might be enough. God knows the current strategy is doing the opposite of working.
Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Black men voted 90% for Harris and 87% for Biden in 2020 so miss me with that black men are unreliable voters bull. And that implosion of solidarity was primarily from white women and I can say hearing from women of color, there has NEVER been any solidarity between women. White women like to push that narrative but you never see them pushing to solve problems that are specific to women of color.
You’ll have to be a magician to trick them because like I said, any program that will help someone other than themselves is a no go for white America. This country primarily operates on a “fuck you, got mine” thinking. ANYTHING that may benefit a minority in anyway is a bad thing. Look at Reagan and his welfare queen bullshit or Republican opinions of Obamacare. Would you any faith in a group that voted over 50% for an orange retard TWICE?!
frustrated@lemmy.world 1 week ago
I hear you, and I can take your criticism that my statement about black male voters was miscalibrated. I looked it up and they were like 76% in favor of Harris, which is leagues better than white men or women. So, point taken.
I still think that the economic essentialist approach has a better shot at moving the needle, but maybe this is just where we disagree.