Entries in Global Perspective (5)
Will Globalization Destroy Black America?
This is the title of an article by Phillip Jackson (thanks Native Son). Good question, and asked with the best intentions, but approached with too many wrong assumptions, IMO. I will address part of the article here and finish in a later post.
Firstly Mr. Jackson assumes that blacks are a monolith or at most bi-sected into a large majority of those doomed by globalization and a sliver of beneficiaries.
Secondly, Jackson assumes that everyone else is doing well by comparison. One of his opening statements says it all:
"While much of the world has adapted to the new-world economy and new-world standards of existence, most of Black America is still operating much the same way it did in the 1950s and 1960s."
Most of the world has "adapted" in a most curious way. Not everyone in China and India (and the dozens of other examples held up as symbols of globalization) are techno-saavy millionaires. Most of those people are locked in economic binds that relegate them to the status of neo-serfs. I would argue that only a few people are truly benefiting from globalization, and since black americans just happen to live in the world's superpower, they benefit from globalization alot more than the person on the street in Mumbai benefits. Try to tell someone from rural india or china about black american poverty, and they will laugh in your face.
So, "adapting to the new world economy" could mean resigning yourself to never leave the dorm-room living conditions of the factory of Corporation X - that is until the powers that be kick you out for a younger assembly line worker that can twist on bottlecaps faster. Is this what we want black people to emulate?
I guess Jackson is refering to the winners of the "new economy". There are however few winners. And being left out of the new economy is not a black-exclusive problem:
Black people who live in different parts of the country, saying to each other, “We are in trouble!” We know it and the rest of the world knows it! Black America, as we know it, is in danger of not surviving globalization.
Replace "black" with any racial/ethnic group that has been in America for more than a generation, and you would still be on the money. Ask these white corporate drones who are being laid off and having their job downsized and/or outsourced Foreigners from Mexico are benefiting. The Mexican-American population is a different story. Whites probably have it worst. They are in a worse position than blacks because they actually have a strong feeling of entitlement to the rewards of American empire: safe jobs, cheap or subsidized credit, etc.
Although education has become the new currency of exchange in the 21st century, the old American educational paradigm stopped working decades ago for Black Americans. Simply sending Black children to American schools without a clear purpose or goal has contributed to the demise of the Black community. Black America watched formerly third-world countries catapult over America to become educational super powers while America rested on its old, stale educational laurels and fell way behind much of the world in educational performance. And because Black America unthinkingly depended on the American education system to educate its children, we have fallen way behind.
What 3rd world countries are being referred to? Only the elites of these countries have catapulted, the majorities of these nations are mired in poverty and social/economic stagnation, relative to Americans, even Black Americans. And many black people have indeed taken advantage of educational opportunities, ask any HBCU graduate, or the people on the blog links on the leftside of this page. Black kids indeed have been sent to school with a clear purpose; many may not have been paying attention----like most americans. However, unlike the majority, a mediocre black kid will be eaten alive by the system.
The problem is that black people are not using their educations to create a block of wealth and affluence. Many educated black people are content to work for corporations, and not enough establish their own businesses. Of those with businesses, I don't see any concerted effort to get create a coalition with the economic influence to shake things up.
Shizi
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This is painful....
She didn't answer the question explicitly, but in a way she did help illustrate the problem.
If you don't like it here, LEAVE: Black American Emigration
A recent discussion on field negro's site about the drop in black military enrollment led to some back-and-forth about the US itself as the best place for black people in general. Here are some expanded thoughts on that issue.
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Content:
Black People of Talent
Feast or Famine
The Light on the Hill
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If you are a black person of talent, there is no need to consign yourself to living in the United States. Indeed, there are many places in the world where anti-black racism is much less egregious or impactful, than in America.
For me, my tolerance for American-style anti-black racism has hit a low point, and I am actively looking for places outside of the US to settle.
From the brief thread mentioned above, I observed that many folks believe that the US is the best place for a few reasons:
1) Feast or Famine: There is a belief that the only nations free of anti-black hostility or white supremacy are war-torn and destitute 3rd world countries.
2) The Light on the Hill: The US has freedoms and rights that can't be matched elsewhere.
3) The Roaches Behind the Wall: There was also an attitude that if one or two cases of racism against blacks or any other group was documented in a particular country, it hinted at a racist society on the level of the US.
I'll talk about 1 and 2 for now, and deal with 3 in another post.
Feast or Famine
One group of people believe that the only viable choice to the United States for a black person are places like Somalia, Sierra Leone, and Albana. Countries that are either war torn, or destitue.
The choice between the US and the worst 3rd world countries is a false choice.
So, given that, where can one find opportunities in the world?
The most obvious place to start is Africa. Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa come to mind as countries that are ripe with opportunities. While Americans and Europeans are rushing to Asia, the Asians (Indians and Chinese) are rushing to Africa. Why aren't more African Americans doing the same? And though such places have norms which place tribe and ethnicity over race, the question is can a black american be treated with more dignity than the US?
Asia is a place that I have traveled extensively, and the treatment I receive in places like Singapore, Hong Kong, and even mainland China, far excels the US. Again, yes, there is racism there, but the inherent respect given and lack of anti-black hostility make even working trips there like a vacation.
As far as Europe goes, we know there is racism in parts, but the above question still applies: is this racism worse than the American version? This is the region I know the least about. But Mahndisa, just because the originator from Nazism is from Vienna, what does that have to do with the state of that city today? What about anti-black occurrences today? If we use your standard, note that some of the worst anti-black bigots have been born in the US of A, so what does that say about our choice to live here?
Latin America is another viable alternative. Yes, yes, I am familiar with the racial dynamics down there in many countries, but we have to take the long-view. Consider one of the so-called BRIC countries, Brazil. Most of the people in that country look like me, and are making gains every year in that nation. As that nation rises to be an economic and regional power, and blacks gain more and more power, this may be a place to establish roots or allies, in my book.
On Canada, yes, there are cases of racism, but I have seen no proof that Toronto and Vancouver surpass or equal your average american city in terms of racism.
The Light on The Hill
Another assertion is that only in the US, under our constitution, will one find the highest freedoms, and protections of liberty and rights.
I wish. Frankly, it's getting harder and harder to distiguish our system of rules from that of Mainland China.
First of all, Americans over the last few years have seen the erosions of all of our civil liberties. Due to the Military Commisions Act, the government can lock up anyone, including US citizens, indefinitely and practically without cause. If the president or the relevant agencies think that you are an "unlawful enemy combatant", you too can get a one-way ticket to the nearest secret prison, without a lawyer.
Our privacy has been compromised, both by technology, and by unscrupulous leaders. Under the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Act
, the electronic communications and phone calls of American citizens can be spied upon without warrants or oversight. And even these rights have been admittedly abused.
For blacks, these should be more of a concern to us than anyone. Because these unjust laws and directives will eventually be target us, if history is any indication. To the racist electorate, an anti-muslim/anti-arab mob can easily be turned into an anti-black mob. Especially light of the fact that a significant number of american muslims are black. And the government has indeed started using this strategy. Remember the Miami Plot? No evidence of Al-Qaeda links, and no credible threat to the US. Yet, the FBI and newspapers called these black guys, "The New Face of Terrorism."
So, for all Americans, this is a dangerous time. For black people in particular, we have had freedom for the shortest time and run the highest risk of losing our freedom.
Kowloon Walled City
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Three Fingers and "Pressuring China"
An old saying where I come from is "when you point a finger at someone, there are 3 fingers pointed back at you". The Darfur situation is an example of this. There are many in the US calling on China to exert pressure on the government of Sudan to quell the genocide that is occuring in that country.
Why should China should listen to us, when we are morally at parity, at best?
From a recent article I read that in the Darfur conflict, 200k have died, and millions have been displaced. OK, but in Iraq, at least that many have died, and millions have also been displaced. On top of that, China is merely supporting the government of Sudan by buying their oil. By contrast the US has directly played a role in Iraq.
Actually, we are not at parity. We are on lower ground, morally. No matter what label you put on it, our body count of innocents in much higher. Yet, we are busy pointing fingers.
In the interests of actually improving the situation in Darfur, we should carefully consider how to best influence both China and Darfur. When one country actively involved in immoral antics on the world stage berates another country for similar things, is it a surprise that country B would take it as an insult and become obstinate?