Race-First or Class-First?
According to Allen (2002), treating all sets of power relations (e.g. gender-based, class-based, race-based etc) as of equal weight, that is, priority, "masks the actual social consequences of not choosing the appropriate totality to assert a given set of group relations." (p.469) Crucially, Allen maintains that whiteness "is the one type of identity politics that white Marxists do not seem to want to deal with in any significant fashion ... [They] choose not to center race and opt instead to construct theories that explicitly or implicitly suggest that people of colour in the world are confused by race and blinded to class consciousness." (p.469) On the contrary, states Allen, while "the Marxist critique of neoliberalism offers powerful insights into the workings of transnational corporations ... it truncates the hopes of substantive radical alliances when it turns a blind eye to the whiteness of globalization." (p.469)
Allen claims that "the racialization of the world escaped Marx and Engels in The Communist Manifesto [emphasis added]" (p.477) and that "class-dominant analysis regularly fails to remedy the racial divide that has always plagued Marxism [emphasis added]." (p.473) However, from a counter-racist perspective, one might ask whether class-based analysis is really a failure. Is it not possible that the focus on class, as against race, was/is intentional and necessary for 'leftist' White Supremacists (Racists) to maintain White Supremacy (Racism)?
Anti-Racist Alliances and Counter-Racism
Throughout the article, Allen refers to the need for "alliances" and "associations" between "progressives", "white Marxists" and "people of colour". This sounds all well and good, but what about the need to abolish whiteness, that is, replace White Supremacy (Racism) with Justice? Is Allen remonstrating white Marxists for neglecting "race" and, thereby, losing out on the possibility of forging strategic alliances with non-whites in order to further the (neo-)Marxist project, or is he committed to a post-Marxist counter-racism?
In this connection, seminal counter-racist analyst, Neely Fuller Jr., author of The United Independent Code/System/Concept: a textbook/workbook for thought, speech, and/or action for victims of racism (white supremacy) (1984), offers the following insightful suggestions:
Avoid being about side-tracked into arguments about "capitalism", "communism", "fascism", "socialism", etc.
Develop the habit of not using these terms at all.
Focus your attention on Racism.
Talk about Racism in all of it's aspects, and all of it's effects.Reason(s)/Explanation(s):
Racism, as expressed in the form of White Supremacy is the strongest and most destructive socio-material force among the people of the known universe.
Racism, as expressed in the form of White Supremacy dominates all other "isms" . No social - material system now functioning among the people of the known universe is greater than the system of White Supremacy, and no "ism" has as great an effect on what people do, or don't do, in any one or more areas of activity.
Racism is the major functional enemy of the use of truth, to produce justice and correctness among the people of the known universe.
The words "capitalism", "communism", "socialism", etc ., are functionally meaningless in a universal socio-material system directly or indirectly dominated by Racism (White Supremacy).
First things should be considered first. Fundamentals should be treated as fundamentals.
Racism (White Supremacy) is the major functional enemy of universal peace, and/or the major functional enemy of the potential for universal peace.
It is Racism that should be the focal point of all counteraction against the major functional enemy of the potential for universal peace.
The basic element of Racism is the Racist.
The basic "organization" of Racists is the White Nation (Collective White Supremacists).
The White Nation is composed exclusively of people who are classified as "white" people. Many of those white people who are members of the White Nation (Master Racist Organization) pretend that they are, from time to time, worried about the status of this "ism", or that "ism". They are concerned about the status of one "ism" only: Racism (White Supremacy).
When in doubt, it is just and correct to watch them, study what they have done, study what they are doing, then, watch them some more.
As for "capitalism" and "communism", the Collective White Supremacists (Racists) is the true "capitalist" and the true "communist" organization of the known universe. Everything that they do, is done "in common", and for a "common" purpose: White Supremacy.
The Racists (White Supremacists) sometimes call themselves "capitalists", but the basic things they "capitalize" on are the "strengths" and "weaknesses" of non-white people for the basic so-called "benefit" of Racists.
It does not matter if a Racists (White Supremacists) calls him or her self a "capitalist" or a "communist". Racists, collectively and individually "capitalize" on one thing in "common" - White Supremacy.
"Communism", to the extent that it exists, exists only in the form of "Race-Communism". The Racists (White Supremacists) of the known universe are the only major identifiable "group" of the people who function "in common" with each other, on a massive scale, that is both prolonged and consistently all-engrossing.
By comparison, there exists no other form of "Communism" worthy of note, either in theory or in practice.
"Capitalism", to the extent that it exists, exists only in the form of "Race-Capitalism". The Racists (White Supremacists) of the known universe are the only major identifiable "group" of people who have proven their ability to "capitalize" on the strengths and weaknesses of their subjects on a massive scale that is both prolonged and consistently all-engrossing.
By comparison, there exists no other form of "Capitalism" worthy of note, either in theory or in practice.
"Socialism", to the extent that it exists, exists only in the form of "Race-Socialism". The Racists (White Supremacists) of the known universe are the only major identifiable "group" of people who "socialize" with each other, on a massive scale, that is both prolonged and consistently all-engrossing.
By comparison, there exists no other form of "socialism" worthy of note, either in theory or in practice. (pp.166-168)
