Post AlhHUYStWoND9EMISW by polotek@social.polotek.net
(DIR) More posts by polotek@social.polotek.net
(DIR) Post #AlhHUOK1ExKdgo84Ei by polotek@social.polotek.net
2024-08-30T20:56:00Z
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What's wild is once you actually start paying attention, you find out what we mean by "systemic". There's a story like this in every major city. Once somebody figured out this particular strategy of getting infrastructure built in a way that white constituents would accept, it spread all over.We talk about how white supremacy requires a visible and identifiable underclass. Part of it is so that there is always a designated sacrifice so you can get what you want.https://urbanists.social/@getalifemike/113052876190442664
(DIR) Post #AlhHUQQ7RFOqCIzy1Q by polotek@social.polotek.net
2024-08-30T20:58:29Z
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People like to think about racism as if it's full of malicious intent. But often it's much more banal. Most of the time it's nothing more than "if somebody has to get hurt, let it be them. Because who's gonna complain about that am I right?"
(DIR) Post #AlhHUSgqzzyTEmqMNs by polotek@social.polotek.net
2024-08-30T21:12:25Z
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Even if you start to get this part, there's yet another societal hurdle ahead of it. Many Americans don't realize how many things they take for granted start to break down if America stops sacrificing people in order to make it happen.Part of the reason places like SF are deadlocked on building housing is that they can't figure out who they can sacrifice. SF already fucked up and drove out most of the Black population. So that's not an option.
(DIR) Post #AlhHUUz0TTgQLfLsxM by polotek@social.polotek.net
2024-08-30T21:15:41Z
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The way you got police put into our schools is that they signaled to everybody that they were really there for the Black people. Because somebody needs the prison pipeline to stay full. Some of the goods and services that you want can only have that low price because some percentage of people are working for slave wages. Not to mention a new prison will bring "good jobs" to your area.
(DIR) Post #AlhHUWj7zUAbkzwEU4 by polotek@social.polotek.net
2024-08-30T21:28:51Z
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A lot of the things that Americans are complaining about today are because we are slowly making it harder for America to sacrifice people.@mekkaokereke talks a lot about how football is changing because we decided maybe it's not okay to watch Black men destroy their bodies for our entertainment.College basketball is changing because we decided maybe it's not okay that Black men hold up this billion dollar industry while being legally barred from making any money from it.
(DIR) Post #AlhHUYStWoND9EMISW by polotek@social.polotek.net
2024-08-30T21:36:22Z
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I remember being so upset talking to people about prop 22 a few years ago. This was the vote in California to decide if gig workers like Uber and doordash have to be treated like employees instead of "independent contractors". I thought this should've been an easy decision. You wanna make these big tech companies pay right?Nah. All they had to do was tell you that your rides were gonna get more expensive. And it actually became something we have had to fight tooth and nail for.
(DIR) Post #AlhHUaOiLKDZ8qPzDk by polotek@social.polotek.net
2024-08-30T21:57:00Z
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What I'm saying is that a lot of American Exceptionalism™ is based on sacrificing people. It is a very long tradition. And up until very recently, Black people were the default sacrifice. That was our explicit role in White American society. As soon as you understand that, a lot of American history starts to make way more sense.And today starts to make more sense too. This is an America we're it's not so easy to designate groups for sacrifice. And we are finding it harder to get things done.