Robert Jensen on White Supremacy, Patriarchy, and Capitalism

[katty]

more: http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=6822&print=1 (Text and LINK/radio)

Uprising Special: Robert Jensen on White Supremacy, Patriarchy, and Capitalism

Posted By admin On April 1, 2009 @ 9:20 am In Feature Stories | 1 Comment

Listen to the entire speech


The month of March marked an anniversary that barely went noticed. Forty years ago in March, an action on the campus of UC Berkeley called “Third World Strike,” led to the creation of ethnic studies programs to college campuses that many of us take for granted today. Four ethnic student groups and their allies led a campaign that lasted near two months to demand their university offer courses on race and racism, and non-white cultures. Today nearly all universities and colleges offer a plethora of ethnic studies classes; at UC Berkeley there are hundreds. While this event, and the past 40 years of ethnic studies education have done much to alleviate white supremacy in the US, problems are still systemic. While the US has a Black President for the first time, we hardly live in a post-racial world. According to our guest for the hour, University of Texas Journalism Professor and author Robert Jensen, the problems of racism, sexism, and classism remain dominant. Robert Jensen is the author of “Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity,” “The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege,” and “Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity.” He spoke recently in Southern California, at a talk organized by the USC School of Social Work.

Special thanks to Global Voices for Justice for recording this talk.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article printed from uprisingradio.org: http://uprisingradio.org/home

URL to article: http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=6822

[aquamarina]

1. Thanks for posting this link. I caught the end of this speech this

morning on KPFK and it was terrific.

[katty]

2. yes, i heard it this am as well-he's so clear

[Politicalboi]

3. The more things change

The more things stay the same.

http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=12xd2s

[Gator_Matt]

4. Middle class white males get screwed too

I have to provide a caveat to this.

I'm a middle class white male, but I never had a legacy fast-track into Harvard. I didn't grow up rich. I also don't support such a system. I had to work hard to achieve my success. If you study your ass off, regardless of race, you're going to do well in life. When I hear about this "white supremacy" it's important to keep in mind that it is only a select few who benefit. It's cronyism. I think Democrats have to be careful with these arguments, since they can alienate otherwise Democratic voters such as myself. (Full disclosure: I'm a registered Democrat and voted for Obama.)

[bemildred]

5. Everybody gets screwed.

Some more than others, of course. The true division has always been the rich and privileged against all the rest of us.

[Karenina]

6. You are embracing an American myth.

"If you study your ass off, regardless of race, you're going to do well in life.'