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Re: Racism and ancient history
Dr. Doug (vivacuba@ix.netcom.com(Dr.)
20 Jan 1997 02:53:48 GMT
In <5btjib$73h@mtinsc01-mgt.ops.worldnet.att.net>
rs222@worldnet.att.net (Robert Snower) writes:
[deleted for brevity]
>>I have recently backed off from equating all racism in the history of
>>the world with only capitalism, but I do believe very strongly that
1)
>>racism, (as well as sexism,) has always played an essentially
economic
>>role in every instance in which it is found, ie. benefits the ruling
>>class economically, and is as such an institution, and 2) is
absolutely
>>essential in capitalist economies, for the purpose of keeping the
>>producers of wealth disunited and weakened. Therefore all liberal
>>attempts to eliminate racism in our modern society are doomed to
>>failure. In fact, racism is gaining among some sectors, not going
>>away.
>
>When you say "the producers of wealth" you are talking only about the
>workers. But in fact the bosses and entrpreneurs are quite the equal
>of the "labor" in the production of wealth.
>
>Racism does not help the capitalist, nor does it help capitalist
>economies. It is very detrimental to both. You have a simplistic
>notion in your head that low wages helps capitalism. They don't,
>because lower wages mean lower purchasing power, means poor business.
>The capitalist wants *cost-efficient* labor: the most skill at the
>lowest price. Racism destroys the ability of the employer to find the
>best people at the lowest cost because it conceals individual merit
>behind the screens of color and sex.
>
>Best wishes. rs
>
Capitalists are gamblers, gambling with resources that actually belong
to all of us, in my opinion. Yet they own the media, politicians,
school boards, etc. and present themselves as heros. They are really
just parasites. Workers produce all wealth. But they don't keep the
value of that wealth. Value is skimmed off the top by the gamblers.
Its true, racism and sexism mean often that the best remain unemployed.
And that's one of the many contradictions within capitalism that is
going to bring it down. But balanced with the need to keep wages low
and working conditions lousy, it pales in comparison. WAGES MUST BE
KEPT LOW IN ORDER TO COMPETE. Bosses will do most anything to destroy
or prevent unions if they can, for example. This is historical fact.
If you can't understand this simple fact, then you don't want to, and
thats ok. After all, this is soc.history, not soc.politics.
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