Does hyper capitalism fosters racism?

GUEST: Jordan Taylor, recent graduate of SUNY New Paltz and member of Hudson Valley Black Lives Matter, talks about the beginnings of his activism, and the prospects for racial justice in the coming year.tivism, and the prospects for racial justice in the coming year.

Jordan came to the studio to do the interview, a nice treat for us since we do mostly phone interviews. But Jordan lives here in the Hudson Valley and could meet us in person.

The interview itself did not cover many of the African Americans who have been killed by police or prison guard violence. We did discuss Samuel Harrell since his murder took place locally and is still being investigated. 

We talked more about how racism persists in our society. Politicians in the past have used it to whip up the electorate and win elections. As long as political leaders in the past have approved the ethnic cleansing of Blacks, why then the towns and villages along the Hudson River could follow this example. Most smaller towns in the valley are without African Americans, a process we have talked about before on Activist Radio. Most were sundown towns at some point in their history.

Is it the hyper capitalism of our country that fosters racism? Did unrestrained capitalism perpetuate slavery? Or the genocide of so many native American peoples? Can a country that has never come to terms with its own crimes actually change its attitudes and its policies? 

I picked the above picture since it shows some communication between the races. Black and white, we have to talk through our common history in order to banish racial fear and hate. As a white, I believe that white, privileged people have the most to learn. Blacks have known about the effects of a hyper racist society for hundreds of years.


The kleptocracy that our country has become

GUEST: Chuck Collins, senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies and co-founder of Wealth for Common Good, talks about his latest book: Born on Third Base: a One Percenter Makes the Case For Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good.

This interview is very relevant to the Trump presidency that we now face. Hillary is funded by the 1%, and is an ideologue when it comes to expanding the empire's reach. Trump is part of the same 1% class, only he is a blatant racist and with far right, authoritarian friends. Either way, the very richest of America win, and the rest of the world loses.

Chuck Collins' book helps us understand the world view of the very rich, and explores the type of alliances that can be made with them. He also takes a good look at privilege in America, and how the middle class always forgets the help they have been given.

Understanding oppression and our part in accepting economic injustice is a first step to throwing off the vicious kleptocracy that our country has become. 

A non-thinking working class based on skin color

GUEST: George Joseph, an editorial fellow at CityLab who covers schools, policing, and surveillance, talks about the 9 billionaires trying to destroy New York’s Public Schools.

What really bothered me about George Joseph's view of the billionaires trying to destroy public education, is their sense of white privilege. The picture of a group of  rich, white people at the Harvard Club in NYC discussing what would be best for Black children is straight out of Jonathan Swift. No Black parents or students need have an opinion. 

There is something vile about what the very rich will do, all the while congratulating themselves for their generous gifts to the non-profit corporations set up that do their will. They act like mini gods, oblivious to the suffering around them, as they make their modest proposals. 
A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick
Training Black youth to memorize the right and wrong answer to standardized tests will someday be seen as the ultimate in racism, the creating of a non-thinking working class based on skin color.