Working-class History 101

Written on February 3rd, 2016 in politics Comments Off

Published on Dissident Voice, by Ruth Hurley, Feb 1, 2015.

A people’s history of the U.S. working class starts with the conflict between resistance and repression.

As income inequality widens in the U.S., the narrative that we need to “take back” our country, or return to an America where hardworking people are rewarded for playing by the rules, is everywhere. But is this really the history of the U.S.—or a fairy tale that obscures the U.S.’s path to industrial dominance? … //

… Jim Crow retrenchment was just one aspect of racialized policy devised for ruling over the ever-growing, ever more diverse U.S. population. The expansionary war against Mexico added a new population of Native residents, who, as Justin Akers Chacón explains, were “legislatively constructed as a foreign people” on their own historic land.

Similarly, immigration policy was cast in racial terms for the first time to restrict Chinese immigration, which was instrumental in the creation of the infrastructure that would allow capitalism to explode across the continent … //

… The documentary’s content is superior to some of its technical aspects, but this doesn’t substantially detract from the viewing experience. Minor issues like an overly long introduction featuring the West Virginia Coal Mine Wars lacks the context and insight of the main feature.

The film is full of powerful images, both stock footage and re-enactments. It features an excellent collection of experts, including Socialist Worker contributors Brian Jones, Sharon Smith and Justin Akers Chacón. All are eloquent and engaging, and add to the overall understanding of the chaos, violence and fluidity of the period.

Highly recommended, Plutocracy contributes a much-needed dose of dynamism to our understanding of how U.S. capitalism evolved, and how racial identities were legally constructed in the interest of that system … //

… (full text).

(Ruth Hurley is a labor activist from New York who writes for Socialist Worker.co.uk …).

Links:

Suisse: Un futur sans zombies? dans Le Courrier.ch, par Nicolas Tavaglione, le 2 févr 2016;

Latest Corruption Index Does not Reveal Britain’s Real Place in Global Crime Wave, on Dissident Voice, by Graham Vanbergen, Feb 1, 2016;

Scottland: Benefits system should ensure work always pays, think tank says, on The Extra, Feb 1, 2016;

Éducation, pourquoi il faut revaloriser les salaires, dans Epoch Times.fr, par Sarita Modmesaib, le 1er febr 2016;

Une partie du Mur des lamentations à Jérusalem sera mixte, dans Sputnik News, le 1 févr 2016: Les femmes seront désormais autorisées à prier au pied du Mur des lamentations aux côtés des hommes;

America’s Agitator: Donald Trump Is the World’s Most Dangerous Man, on Spiegel Online International, by Markus Feldenkirchen, Veit Medick and Holger Stark, Feb 1, 2016 (Photo Gallery): Donald Trump is the leader of a new, hate-filled authoritarian movement. Nothing would be more harmful to the idea of the West and world peace than if he were to be elected president. George W. Bush’s America would seem like a place of logic and reason in comparison;

1MinutePourSavoir, 17: L’imposture politique, 1.07 min, mise en ligne par Demo B, le 31 janv 2016;

160130 Démo B – Présentation citoyenne d’un mouvement Apoliticien, 3.50 min, mise en ligne par Démo B, le 30 janv 2016;

La crise est un piège politique – Etienne Chouard, 25.54 min, mise en ligne par Francais avec Pierre, le 1 oct 2015;

Des univers de controles aux zones communes, 86.08 min, mise en ligne par 4emesinge, le 17 juin 2015 … les sociétés humaines sont complexes ! Pour les comprendre ou du moins en percevoir leurs complexités, un point de vue global est nécessaire, voir indispensable. L’intrication des domaines entre eux, les intérêts divergents ou complémentaires, la multitude d’organisations et d’acteurs, rend la compréhension de notre société encore plus ardu. Cependant, il nous est possible d’éclaircir cela à l’aide d’outils pédagogiques nous permettant de nous donner une vision d’ensemble plus clair et affiné …;

… and this:

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