The Black Experience

[neo_prodigy]

Found on Tumblr:
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“The black experience in America is the default analogy/metaphor/allegory for other people’s complaints. White feminists call themselves the Niggers of the World. White homosexuals think they are the New Black. White Liberals think corporations and banks treat them like slave owners treated their slaves. That

Comments

[underlankers]

You know, it's worth noting that the claim that corporations treat their employees like slaves was not new, and it has very disturbing overtones. The kind of brutes who founded the Confederacy originated in the USA the concept of Wage-Slavery. That whole comparison always makes me cringe because smart people who respect others and who have just a little education on the history of slavery here would wisely forebear from it.

That being said, I agree with the comments in the conversation in the OP and find that whole comparison both repellent and hypocritical in a lot of ways.

[kisekileia]

Neo, what do you think of statements that unpaid internships and compulsory "volunteering" (i.e. volunteering that is necessary to ever get paid work in your field) are basically slavery? I've made and heard such statements, but generally with the broad definition of slavery as "being forced to work without pay" in mind, rather than the brutal experiences of black slaves in the U.S. Would it be better to not use that analogy, or to use "indentured servitude" instead, since (AFAIK) the latter refers specifically to being forced to work for free in order to later be allowed to work for pay?

[virginia_fell]

I think one reason a lot of people want to say "X is the new racism" or "Y is the new black" is so that they can tell themselves racism is all over now while congratulating themselves on vocally caring about... well, anything else, but not racism because racism is over and now we need a "new" black since we're obviously all done now being shitty about "the old black."

I think. Just sorta feels to me like a lot of people want to be seen as caring a whole heck of a lot about anything but racism. It's neat to seem all passionate and involved and fired up with compassion and rhetoric... but not if it means caring about POC.

That's sort of what I hear when people say that. They've reached the end of their Give A Fuck about racism and so they want to replace it with a "new racism" that doesn't require them to give a shit about anyone but white people.