Black oppression and the myth of white supremacy (A view from the left)

Comment published on New York Times blog, in response to opinion essay by Charles Blow, “Call a Thing a Thing,” July 8, 2020:

It would be nice, and so much simpler, if we could believe that America has no racial problems apart from white racism. But one reason that most Black Americans have gained little in the more than 50 years since King's assassination is that too many of them are captive of the view that they are oppressed only because white people don't like them. It's simple-minded.

Black or 'reverse' racism is a problem; I have encountered its hatred and violence many times. I cringe when I hear black leaders talk about how 'white people' are the cause of their problems. The trouble is not so much that that isn't true--though it only partly is--as that almost nothing that can be done on this basis really much helps.

But neither is the main problem that blacks suffer from familial and social dysfunctions. The truth is it is hard to be oppressed. It's hard to find a politics that can change things. But it's easy to point fingers and blame the 'privileged'.

It is also entirely possible to have a destructive, fascist identity politics based on hatred. The legacy of fascist movements in Germany and elsewhere shows that when the 'oppressed' call the 'privileged' their 'oppressors', this hate rarely leads to greater justice or happiness. Pogroms target violinists more than CEOs.

The institution of policing is rooted in capitalism, as are our housing and education policies. Promoting envy and hatred only prevent us changing society's institutions.