The Zimmerman acquittal brings into sharp focus three observations about the nature of racism, propaganda and power in the US.
One:
The notion of "colorblindness" on the part of Euro-Americans is part of a White Supremacist dodge; a way of sidestepping the issue of racial justice and equality. The loud denial of racism by many Euro-Americans also has the desired effect of shutting down African-American discussions about race.
In the book, Mobilizing Resentment by Jean Hardisty, president emeritus of Political Research Associates, Hardisty describes how in the 1980's,
"All sectors of the right assert that racism is a thing of the past…[and that]…discrimination [has] been corrected." Hardisty elaborates on this mutation of racism: "Its trademarks are the abandonment of a commitment to equality and a redefinition of the principle of fairness. The new racism declares group identities to be irrelevant. From the right's perspective, the logic is simple: There is no more racial discrimination; therefore race is not a characteristic that should be acknowledged in hiring or promotion; therefore people should be judged on the basis of "merit" alone." Hardisty concludes, "This right-wing argument masterfully captures the themes and language of the civil rights movement and twists them to defeat the movement's goals."
Recent examples of this form of racism can be found in the profanity-laced responses to an article entitled, "Letter to George Zimmerman…", posted on the website, Cafemom. Considering their vitriolic responses, it is not hard to understand the mindset of the jurors in the Zimmerman trial.
Two:
Euro-Americans have been heavily propagandized for the past thirty-five years to focus their anger on AA's for problems created by the wealthiest members of their own community. Yet, AA's did not:
shut down factories and move jobs overseas.
foreclose on millions of American homeowners.
create and profit from a tremendously expensive and ineffectual health care system.
make financing a college education a gateway into lifelong debt peonage.
wreck the economies of Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, forcing millions of humans northward in search of work.
replace family wage union (primarily Euro-American) workers with poorly paid, non-union immigrant workers.
Stand Your Ground vigilante laws were formulated by the business community as a means of creating Euro-American Brownshirts. Such laws keep Euro-Americans deceived, distracted and most importantly, diverted from focussing their attention on more authentic adversaries such as the One Percent. After all, if they are railing against African Americans (AA's) they are less likely to target their very own One Percent.
In a Truthout op-ed written by E. Douglas Kihn entitled, Why Aren't Americans Fighting Back?, Kihn describes the purpose of such a tactic:
"In the beginning stages of the Big Fightback, we will likely witness the rise of mass fascist organizations, composed mainly of ruined middle class elements and the chronically unemployable, and funded and supported primarily by those same armaments capitalists. Ranks of Brownshirts will be loosed onto city streets in a desperate attempt to head off the revolutionary upsurge. There can be no illusions here. This will be a fight for the very existence of humanity.
Many of these terrorist measures were used unsuccessfully to stop the Roman plebeians and Polish Solidarity. What neutralized them in each case was a self-aware, organized working class, conscious of its mission, its abilities, and its enemy."
Three:
Many Americans are unaware of the connection between the business community and the police. They have no idea how the business community directs police actions toward AA's as well as other Americans considered 'troublesome' by the One Percent. The term"business community"includes mega corporations, large, medium and small businesses, and all sectors, such as the media.
Yasha Levine, in his article, about police repression in Los Angeles distills three key elements in the relationship between the business community and the police:
"…looking at the history of police surveillance and infiltration activities, a couple of constants can be seen in LAPD’s surveillance patterns. 1) Cops overwhelmingly targeted leftist groups and activists, which by their very nature posed a threat to business interests by demanding greater democratic control over political and economic life. This included minority and immigrant groups, union members, antiwar protesters and civil rights activists. 2) Police also heavily targeted organizations that advocate for police and criminal justice reform. And that makes perfect sense: Local business interests and a repressive police force depend on one another for survival. And both are threatened by great democratic control. 3) Rightwing and pro-business groups were rarely targeted for surveillance, and more often approved of repressive police tactics."
The acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer has been a massive slap in the face of African America. Only time will tell if we are fully awake and aware of what we will face in our quest to create consequences for the murder of future Trayvons.
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