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    Re: Racism And The Fight Over Venezuela Archived Message

    Posted by margo on February 11, 2019, 3:57 pm, in reply to "Re: Racism And The Fight Over Venezuela"

    Thanks, B. I think you describe that well.
    Imperialism/colonial-type capitalism is dependent on internalised racism as a way to rationalise profiteering over 'lesser others who don't really deserve respect or dignity'... and also to divide and rule. Racism drives a wedge between workers who otherwise have everything in common, just as sexism drives a wedge between women who are often each others' worst enemies.

    I fully agree with your phrase "for simple psychological reasons". There's a need to separate out psychological and structural issues, as they are interwoven.

    Innate human psychology is at the root of many of the -isms (racism, classism, sexism) which describe sets of prejudicial attitudes arising out of anxiety, fear, identity disorders, etc. "Others" are de-humanised... and you explain that very well:
    "It's hard not to despise the person whose neck you have your boot on and consider them a lesser human being than yourself ...racism is a natural outcome of that process".

    Psychologically, people (of all races) can have issues with physical difference - ranging from personal body dysmorphia and hatred of one's own body through to fear/hatred of other bodies (racism/sexism), with different skin tone/hair (racism), body expression and ways of talking, dressing, accents (classism). At root, these prejudicial attitudes are borne out of early childhood or teenage developmental adjustment disorders pertaining to inner anxiety, narcissism, etc ...as well as from wider socio-economic conditioning within family and milieu.

    Racism, sexism and classism are signifiers of underlying psychological issues.

    Imperial/colonialism/economic predation - whilst infused with and utilising racist and sexist psychopathologies insofar as they are useful - is not a psychological issue, but rather a structural issue... to do with resources and profits.

    I agree, all is not black-and-white, though at times it seems so. In Venezuela, the pale and darker skin signifiers of historical class domination are there ... as they are in South Africa.

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