Four Horsemen of Capitalism: Racism, Plague, Poverty and … Democracy

American workers have been on the receiving end of an onslaught of astonishing proportions, all of it caused by the bourgeoisie which considers the rest of the population to be a free-fire zone.   In past months, the extra-juridical executions of black people by the police, the deaths of a quarter of a million people from Covid-19, the accelerated impoverishment brought about by the economic crisis and the refusal to send relief to the unemployed and hungry have intensified social distress.    Added to which the elections and events around them have seemingly bludgeoned the population into the most extraordinary mindsets.

Clearly, faced with this barrage, the workers have been on the defensive.   So, how do we assess their ability to fight back?   To do this we have to unravel several themes in the social situation;   in so doing we encounter its several unusual features.

Racism, Plague and Poverty

Throughout American history, racism has been an integral part of the social reality and as capitalism developed so this poison was used to divide the working class.   The US party system with its Republican and Democratic organisations have each had what we might label their progressive and reactionary wings.   But, especially since the Nixon era, their alignments have moved.    

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Streets and Workplaces, Race and Class (Part 2)

Like in their earlier text on the site Ill Will , “Theses on the George Floyd rebellion” , in their more recent essay “The Return of John Brown: White Race-Traitors in the 2020 Uprising “, Shemon and Arturo describe the social unrest of this year as a big step forward towards revolution. Less because of the mostly peaceful daytime mass protests than because of the nighttime violent insurgency. “Riots, looting, and arson have accomplished more in one summer than what activists have been able to accomplish in decades”, they write. And: “Experiencing this has been unlike anything we’ve experienced before. In the nerve-centers of the American empire, disparate fractions of the proletariat came together to attack the police and storm the commercial corridors of dozens of cities. In the “Theses,” we argued that the self-activity of the Black proletariat is the driving force of this revolutionary trajectory. In this essay, we explore the role of the white proletariat in this process.”

The authors are apologetic for even addressing this subject. They expect resistance from non-white proletarians “who cannot, on principle, stand any discussion of poor and working class whites”, who “think that it [the white proletariat] is eternally lost to racism”.  

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Why Trump Was, but is No Longer, Useful for the Capitalist Class at the Helm of State

This text is, in part, a reply to the previous one on this site.

During the last four years the crisis of capitalism has steadfastly worsened. The climate disturbances created by its growth addiction and environmental rape have intensified, the spurt of growth and booming stock markets could not hide the growing sickness of the economy, social inequality and class conflicts increased, as well as international frictions. A general sense of dread and insecurity spread around the globe. The pandemic brought the simmering tensions to the surface, exposed the weaknesses of the capitalist global social order.

This would have happened, regardless who the leaders are. This doesn’t mean that there are no choices for the bourgeoisie, only that their choices are bound by those conditions. They can do nothing to solve the crisis, so their choices are essentially limited to how to manage it, how to deal with the tensions it creates. On this, the ruling class is divided. Trump represents a management style that is increasingly popular in the capitalist class around the world. Giving the population enemies to blame and a “he talks like us” strongman to follow, is a proven method of dealing with rising frustration and anxiety.  

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Streets and Workplaces, Race and Class (Part 1)

In September we posted The Rise of Black Counter-Insurgency, a text by Shemon originally published on the website Ill Will. It made a sharp analysis of the “George Floyd rebellion” of past summer and of the efforts to contain it and make it harmless for capitalism. We introduced the text with some critical comments, to which Shemon reacted on the (non public) discussion list Meltdown. We repost his comments below, with his permissioni.

The IP intro raises a lot of good points and shortcomings of what I have been writing.

Some brief comments:

1. No doubt that the struggle has to spread to the workplaces. The question is why hasn’t it in the mass way that it has spread to the streets? The struggle cannot remain at the level of riot and fighting the police. I 100% agree. The question is why do people fight in the streets and not in the workplace? Even if we tell most people of striking at the workplace, they just shrug their shoulders and move on. It must reflect NOT a false consciousness, but their real materialist analysis of where they are strong and where they are weak. Perhaps that is too generous. I would be curious to hear from others what they think?  

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Trump: American Disruptor in a Global Kakistocracy

Trump, Xi, Putin, Kim, Johnson, Assad, Erdogan, Netanyahu, bin Salman, Duterte, Bolsonaro, Maduro, Lukashenko, …. this is only the start of the list of today’s global kakistocracy: the government of the worst, the most unscrupulous national leaders. Their military, economic and political interactions drive the direction of today’s global capitalism. The most pivotal at present is Trump.

The US President’s behaviour can be stupefying; but we must not be mesmerised by his repugnant personality and miss what is going on in the American bourgeoisie as a whole. Despite a minority popular vote, he entered the White House through the electoral college vote. His campaign had rubbished the Democratic Party in its entirety and the Republican Party elite, and to this he added an exhibition of an astonishing level of narcissism, buffoonery and indifference to the usual norms of behaviour of his class, Trump has been able to thwart the customary functioning of the institutions of state, political parties and the media – and maintain to a considerable degree the affection of his core electoral constituency.

Domestically, his first three years built on his predecessor’s economic policies, the bringing home of a considerable amount of American investment capital through which he hoped for significant job creation.  

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RESURGIMIENTO

Los acontecimientos de los últimos meses han sido impresionantes. La pandemia mundial de coronavirus ha infectado, en el momento de redactar este artículo, a 16 millones de personas en todo el mundo con más de 630.000 muertes como concecuencia de esto. Muchos gobiernos tomaron medidas de cuarentena que han tenido impacto directo y adverso en la economía mundial y, específicamente, el nivel de vida de la clase trabajadora se ha visto muy afectado, entre otras cosas por aumentos masivos del desempleo, el peor de los cuales está por venir. Y luego, el grotesco y descarado asesinato de George Floyd en Minnesota enardeció a todo el país y provocó extraordinarios enfrentamientos entre manifestantes y fuerzas represivas locales, estatales y federales. Aunque estos últimos eventos son importantes dentro del contexto estadounidense, las protestas han surgido en todo el mundo y, a diferencia de muchos otros asesinatos policiales a lo largo de los años, no sólo llevaron a acciones de solidaridad sino también en contra de los vínculos explícitos con el trato dispensado a distintos grupos étnicos por colonialistas y explotadores locales, pasados ​​y presentes

Estas protestas recientes no han surgido de la nada. Una serie de erupciones sociales han estado ocurriendo durante más de diez años y han surgido del desarrollo específico del mundo capitalista durante las últimas décadas, en las que el ataque de la clase dominante contra la clase trabajadora se ha intensificado a través de una mayor explotación y ha sido acompañado por la ofensiva más extendida contra la humanidad en todos sus aspectos.  

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The Rise of Black Counter-Insurgency (with an Introduction by IP)

We publish below an article by Shemon that originally appeared on the website Ill Will. It is an astute analysis of the recuperation of what it calls “the George Floyd rebellion”, which merits reflection and debate.

The movement ignited by the murder of George Floyd is not quite over, but a relative calm has returned. However, in this period, many struggles do not lead to either defeat or victory, but don’t go away entirely. The flames die down, but the embers keep smoldering. And the fuel for the fire keeps building.

At this moment, a lot of attention and energy is being sucked away by the US elections, which offer us the choice between Trump’s naked iron fist and Biden’s iron fist in a velvet glove. The first uses the movement to evoke a specter of chaos and ruin, even provoking battles to underscore its point as in Portland, and being helped by police departments of some large cities which seem to have decided to let more criminal activity (especially gang killings) occur. The second sucks up to the movement and makes promises which he neither can nor wants to keep.

Of course, the election spectacle is not the only reason why the movement lost strength.  

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Resurgence

Events over the past months have been breathtaking.   The global Coronavirus pandemic has, at the time of writing, infected 16 million people worldwide with over 630,000 associated deaths.   Many governments took lockdown measures which have had direct, adverse impacts on the world economy and, specifically the standard of living of the working class has been hit hard, not least through massive hikes in unemployment, the worst of which lie ahead.   And then, the grotesque and brazen murder of George Floyd in Minnesota inflamed the entire country and led to extraordinary confrontations between protesters and town, state and federal repressive forces.   Important though these latter events are within the American context, the protests have reverberated across the world and, unlike many other police murders over the years,  led not only to solidarity actions but also to explicit tie-ins to the treatment doled out to other racial groups by colonialists and home-grown exploiters, past and present.

These recent protests have not come from nowhere.   A series of social eruptions has been going on for more than a decade now and have emerged from the specific developments of the capitalist world over the past decades in which the onslaught of the ruling class against the working class has heightened through increased exploitation and accompanied by the most widespread attack on humanity and all aspects of its humanness.    

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POR QUE NO PODEMOS RESPIRAR

No hace falta volver a describir esas terribles imágenes. Todos las vieron. Al instante se convirtieron en un poderoso símbolo que resonó en todo el mundo: Parecían decir “Vamos a mantener nuestra rodilla sobre tu cuello hasta que te mueras”. Pronto se notó que muchos sentían la presión de la rodilla en sus cuellos: la presión de la falta de respeto y la discriminación; la presión de ser despojado de un futuro; la presión de la brutal represión y el control. Por segunda vez, el grito desesperado de un hombre asesinado por la policía por haber transgredido las reglas del comercio, fue asumido por miles: “¡No puedo respirar!”

Pero ahora el clamor es mucho más intenso, está resonando en setecientas ciudades estadounidenses y en todo el mundo. Su simbolismo también resuena poderosamente. “No podemos respirar” es una consigna particularmente apta para hoy en día.

No podemos respirar porque tú avivas el odio y la violencia, el racismo, el nacionalismo y la xenofobia para dividirnos y que tú puedas gobernar;

No podemos respirar porque nos quitas nuestros medios para poder tener una vida digna y nuestras esperanzas para el futuro mientras enriqueces (más y más) a los ricos;

No podemos respirar porque envenenas nuestro medio ambiente, mientras destruyes la vida en la Tierra en pos de tus ganancias;

No podemos respirar porque facilitas las pandemias, y luego nos encierras y envías, a hombres y mujeres con los salarios más bajos, la mayoría de las veces hombres y mujeres negros o de piel oscura, a trabajar en condiciones peligrosas;

No podemos respirar porque, mientras exaltas la libertad, tu Estado es un pulpo que extiende sus tentáculos a todos los aspectos de la vida; nos espías, tu policía es un ejército, entrenado para hostigar, cazar, matar y, sobre todo, para intimidarnos, para mantenernos subyugados.  

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POURQUOI NOUS NE POUVONS PAS RESPIRER

Pas besoin de revenir sur ces horribles images. Tout le monde les a vues. Elles sont devenues instantanément un symbole puissant qui a résonné dans le monde entier: “Nous garderons notre genou sur votre cou jusqu’à votre mort”, semblaient-elles dire. Il est vite apparu que beaucoup ressentaient cette pression du genou sur leur cou. La pression de l’irrespect et de la discrimination, la pression de se faire voler un avenir. La pression de la brutalité de la répression et du contrôle. Pour la deuxième fois, le cri désespéré d’un homme assassiné par la police pour avoir enfreint les règles du commerce a été repris par des milliers de voix: “Je ne peux pas respirer!!!” Mais maintenant, le cri est beaucoup plus intense, il retentit dans sept cents villes aux USA et dans le monde entier. Son symbolisme aussi résonne puissamment. “Nous ne pouvons pas respirer” est un slogan particulièrement approprié pour aujourd’hui.

Nous ne pouvons pas respirer parce que vous attisez la haine et la violence, le racisme, le nationalisme et la xénophobie pour nous diviser afin que vous puissiez régner ;

Nous ne pouvons pas respirer parce que vous nous enlevez nos moyens de vivre décemment et tout espoir pour l’avenir, tandis que vous enrichissez toujours plus les riches ;

Nous ne pouvons pas respirer parce que vous empoisonnez notre environnement, vous détruisez la vie sur terre pour vos profits ;

Nous ne pouvons pas respirer parce que vous facilitez les pandémies, puis vous nous enfermez et vous envoyez les moins payés d’entre nous, le plus souvent des hommes et des femmes noirs ou latinos, travailler dans des conditions dangereuses ;

Nous ne pouvons pas respirer parce que, tout en exaltant la liberté, votre État est une pieuvre qui étend ses multiples tentacules sur tous les aspects de nos vies ; vous nous espionnez, vos policiers sont de véritables armées, entraînées à harceler, à chasser, à tuer et surtout à nous intimider, à nous amoindrir ;

Nous ne pouvons pas respirer parce que si vous prétendez être dévoués à la justice, vous transpirez l’injustice par tous vos pores.  

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