RE: [Marxism] Marxism and the Roots of Whiteness

["Calvin Broadbent" <calvinbroadbent@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree entirely that the quality of a person's argument has nothing
whatever to do with their ethnic or class origin. However, in making a
political argument one should be aware of one's ethnic or class origin
within a hierarchical ethnic or class system so that one's argument may be
free of the ethnic or class prejudice so often anterior to living under such
conditions. The term 'white skin privilege' is intended to reflect reality
and it is a useful (political) concept by which to analyse ostensibly
'radical' arguments that accomodate to ethnic privilege (either by omission
or by accusing those who raise the issue of 'sectarianism'). As the article
I posted suggests, even supposed 'Marxist' political parties in the US have,
historically, accomodated to and collaborated with white supremacy. If it
were not for the efforts of people raising the issue of such 'intellectually
lazy' (sic!) concepts as white skin privilege, Marxism may have even less of
an appeal to persons from oppressed groups in America than it does
currently.

As to your alleged accomodation to white skin privilege and Zionism because
of your refusal to raise the right of return for Palestinians as a slogan
'on the same plane' (what plane?) as 'Immediate Withdrawal from Iraq', I
very much doubt its veracity. Frankly, I am far from informed enough on
questions of strategy for the US anti-war movement to take sides. My posts
on white skin privilege today were not meant to be a defence of that line of
Carlos'.

Anyhow, I merely wish to point out that it is a major mistake to erase
concepts such as white skin privilege from Marxist debate, if such is your
intention.

LOUIS PROYECT WROTE:

> Calvin, let's not beat around the bush. Do you think that I am adapting to
> Zionism and white skin privilege because I think that it is a mistake to
> put the slogan of "Right of Return" on the same plane as "Immediate
> withdrawal from Iraq"? This is what Carlos charged me with and it is a
> disgusting slander. We are dealing with questions of strategy about how to
> build a mass movement in the USA against a high-stakes imperialist war. To
> interject such charges makes it impossible to discuss the differences in a
> logical and dispassionate manner. The worst thing about such charges is
> that they rob of us of our ability to hear all sides of a question since
> they *prejudice* comrades against one or another viewpoint.

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