गंगा ने लोगों से कहा, मैं बड़ी ।
मेरे पानी से तुम्हारी जीवन चली ।
शंकर ने कहा मैं बड़ा, तू कैसे बड़ी ।
तू तो मेरी जटा में पली ।
कैलाश ने कहा मैं बड़ा, तू कैसे बड़ा ।
तू तो मेरी गोद में पला ।
हनुमान ने कहा मैं बड़ा, तू कैसे बड़ा ।
तू तो मेरी हाथ में धरा ।
राम ने कहा मैं बड़ा, तू कैसे बड़ा ।
तू तो मेरी चरणों में पला ।
संघ ने कहा मैं बड़ा, तू कैसे बड़ा ।
तू तो मेरी जेब में पड़ा, जेब में पड़ा ।
The history of Black America starts far back in early 17th century, when Atlantic slave trade supplied a huge amount of labor force in the form of slaves. By 1860, there were 3.5 million enslaved Africans in the United States. Even after the abolition of slavery, the state maintained the practice of racism and institutionalized it in the form of segregations laws like Jim Crow laws of 1876. Schools, hospitals, public places and public transportation started to witness separate seats, toilets, buildings and restaurants for whites and blacks. The Civil Rights movements, more specifically of 1960s, which involved tremendous energy of African Americans, working class, women and other oppressed groups, in many cases led by Black leadership successfully ended many segregation laws and racist policies. But the tool of racism employed by reactionary classes to divide the progressive forces still haunts the pluralistic society of the US. Even today we find ourselves struggling with school segregation, rampant racism against Katrina victims, events like Jena 6, massive poverty and unemployment among African American communities and disproportionate incarceration of African American and Hispanic youths. And when the income inequality, i.e. the gap between rich and poor, is historically on the highest level- the most affected groups are going to be minorities and women, as they find themselves at the lowest level of the social and economic mobility. Undoubtedly the problem of racism not only persists but has been aggravated in some cases discrediting those commentators who talk about the gradual end of racism.
Wright, Obama and populist talk
The problem is severe and the ruling class knows it very well. This was reflected in Rev. Jeremiah Wright Vs republicans and democrats recent episode. Wright, a believer of Afro-center theology, denounced aggressive US foreign policy, especially in relation to Middle East including Washington’s uncritical support to Israeli attack on Palestine. He went further to criticize the Iraq war and even concluded that 9/11 was a case of “America’s chickens coming home to roost.” Mixing the legend in his speech, he also claimed AIDS virus was developed by the US government to kill non-whites. This was an open critique of the US establishment involving rumors, reality and doses of religion. The corporate media went into frenzy and started demanding explanation by Obama, for whom Wright was his long-time minister and pastor of his home church in Chicago. Obama obeyed and tried to address a wide range of audiences with his equivocal explanation. Many in the left welcomed his speech without a thorough analysis when he stressed to widen the discussion away from Wright by addressing the broader question of racial antagonisms in the United States. Using sophisticated language he tried to avoid the class antagonisms and offered no concrete policy or framework to suit the interest of the working people. Under the pressure of the Democratic Party and corporate elites, he distanced himself from Wright’s views on US foreign policies. Appeasing Zionist lobby, to avoid their portrayal of himself as a Muslim, he termed Wright’s comments on the Middle East as ‘profoundly distorted’ and blamed the hateful ideologies of the Islamic fundamentalism as the primary cause of 9/11. But he also didn’t dare to lose his former support by saying that he could not disavow Wright and praised his personal and religious character. He also justified the white anger and resentment of affirmative actions by putting the blame on corporate greed and profit, pressing that corporations ship the employment to some other countries. Clearly his speech sounded a little left; in fact many in the right attacked him on the ground of left elements in his speech. On the other side the liberal left started calling him new Abraham Lincoln and so on, though it was clear example of populist speech devoid of any concrete policy and plans to hear the real problems which he talked about. A race truce was his panacea to fight the deeply rooted racism in the country. Neither in his domestic nor in his foreign policies had he suggested any real danger to the interests of the corporate elite. Nevertheless the whole episode showed one thing very clearly – race is still an explosive issue and its answer is very much rooted with the emancipation of the working class. The end of racism is only possible when the discussion also tries to get rid of the straitjacket of corporate profit, even corporate Obama put it in bold terms.
Black America in Prison
The issue of incarceration is central to the Black oppression. Here Foucault analysis of the punishment and discipline helps us to understand the highest incarceration level in the US when comparing to other countries, 1 out of 37 adults i.e. more than 5.6 million are in prison or have served any time in prison.1 It has also grown fastest in the world since 19702, and the rate of incarceration has increased by more than 50% since 1991.3 Foucault’s thesis is the strong relationship of the prison system with the production, technology and discipline as per liked by the ruling classes. By creating discipline among the masses through coded laws and not easily understood police system, the ruling class tries to convert the masses into ‘docile bodies’ for the break-free operation of the economy, warfare and politics. Clearly none of the groups have understood it much better than Blacks, where they make more than 50% of the prisoners.2 In 7 states, Iowa, Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota, African Americans have been incarcerated at more than 10 times the rate of whites.3 12% of African American men ages 20-34, one of the highest youth incarceration rates, are in prison. African American females constitute 46% of the total female prison population. 4 This increase in incarceration rate has happened despite a fall in the crime rate3 and at the same time a decrease in the good paying jobs and elimination of millions of manufacturing jobs. This can only be explained by increasing income gap and the harsh policing by the state through tough policies and practices introducing measures like three strikes laws, mandatory sentencing and widespread abandonment of parole in the state and federal system. All these practices have been historically biased against the minorities and women and the result is one of the most disciplined states of the history. None of the two big parties right now are demanding the abolition of these practices. Clearly this prison-industrial complex will perpetuate itself until the whole system and control of production goes into the hands of people and away from the corporations. There also exists a growing demand to end this police brutality and harassment in recent period, and one recent example of this demand was Jena 6 which saw between 10000 and 20000 protesters marching on Jena on Sept 20, 2007. This movement for a time being drew good amount of protests throughout the country reviving the memories of Civil Rights movement. But due to the lack of leadership and without the growth in other movements, especially labor movements, one can hardly imagine it to capture the fervor of Civil Rights movements. Though the solution exactly lays here i.e. growth in Civil Right movements with the leadership of labor movements, especially the Black leadership, for we know that this prison-industrial complex can’t be overdone without problematizing the production system.
Sans Jobs, Sans Education, Sans Housing!
The huge unemployment and lack of education among African American communities are other areas which the ruling class is aware of and allures them more in the recruitment process. This adds another dimension of racism in this highly racist war. The unemployment rate for Black workers is 9% compared to national average rate of 5.1% in March 2008.5This unemployment problem aggravates more when the corporate elites use the anti-immigrants labor program like H2-B guest worker program, where they take the advantages of politically weak migrants by giving them jobs instead of somewhat politically strong but heavily unemployed local Black population. This is yet another example of weakening the Black radical movements and dividing the immigrant right movements on race issues, where on one hand the ruling class promises the African American and other poor communities to give jobs in war related fields but on the other hand fears to provide them employment in the local areas where manufacturing or construction is going on. This was manifested in the recent struggle of Indian workers, where they were involved in a strike against the inhuman working conditions of Signal facilities in Pascagoula, Miss., and Orange, Texas.6 Further the problem of unemployment maintaining the reserved army of labor also finds its base in the denial of access to higher education. Rising tuition fees and depleting grants and scholarships are forcing the poor students either to be in huge debt and be subservient to the system, killing their dream careers, fulfilling what the system wants or simply abandon the higher education, completely, in frustration. Obviously this policy is harming the poor African American youths the most. Getting education, even higher education, should be considered a right in any democratic society and its denial on the basis of income a crime. Do we believe that any present big party candidate can deliver it? The answer is NO.
Housing is also a big problem in the African American community. Overall around 3.5 million people face homelessness in a given year and in 2004 survey of 27 cities it has been found that homeless population has 49% African American as compared to 35% Caucasian.9 Further, with the killing of Black Radio News in places like Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago or Atlanta, the issues like gentrification caused by local tax policies, bond issues and federal Hope VI program in North American cities are not being pursued at all by the corporate media.
Katrina memories…..
The case of Katrina might have been forgotten by the bourgeoisie, but its after-effect is still in the process of becoming painful memory to the African American community of New Orleans. New Orleans before Katrina was the soul of Blues and Jazz culture, supported by a mix of African and Native American architectures and cuisines, which developed in their own American ways. Where the real plural America exists, New Orleans has been an example to show to the world. But first in 1990s by attacks on labor movement, public housing and increasing police repression, and then in after Katrina period under the guise of reconstruction the corporate America is changing New Orleans to a city of casinos, entertainment hubs and base of corporations. Many displaced African Americans have not yet been settled into this multi-cultural city despite billions of dollars given to the corporations by the state for its reconstruction. Here also Black America needs independent movements demanding not only re-settlement but a workable plan for employment, education and healthcare.
Talking race Creates division?
It is also understandable from the point of conservatives who denounce the need of racial integration, diversity and the affirmative actions. Recent rulings in Seattle/California against racial integration in public school districts and the attack on affirmative actions in Florida by replacing racial quota with class ranks under the cloak of liberty and freedom should be seen as few examples. When the society is already divided with the race-power dynamics, it would be unjust not to talk about the social integration in racial terms. The role of affirmative action has always been to remove social disabilities, to facilitate and promote equal participation and to protect the racially oppressed groups. In a class society, this responsibility falls upon the state to ensure the smooth integration of socially disadvantaged groups. Nonetheless these actions have to be supported by other social and economic access to power and knowledge; which in turn demands independent political organization of the African American youth together with the progressive forces of multi-race America.
Black Leadership and the Church
After the leaders like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X- both became much closer to left and socialism in the last phase of their political life- there exist a vacuum in the radical Black leadership. A part of the reason is state violence which killed, intimidated or imprisoned a lot of Black leadership; another part is the growth of Black middle class which started to believe in the reformist policies. This middle class right now somewhat enjoys the leadership position in the African American community, carries out the tasks of corporate agenda, goes hand-in-hand with the big companies, and falsely portrays as capable of maintaining pro-Black thoughts in their armory. Some sing completely in the tune of Republicans and some like Al Sharpton, founder of National Action network, work in the line of left-populist leaders and can’t be relied upon as they show the tendency to swing in either side of the political spectrum. The charges of corruption and corporate favor have also been tendencies among these leaders.
Coming to the Churches, their role in organizing the Black community is very important, though the very nature of religious institutions provides opportunity to lead the Black movement in all sorts of directions. Right now a new generation of Black leaders is coming through corporate funding and media fanfare, who is getting rich by the rise in ‘faith based’ federal subsidies and thus further pushing the Black leadership towards right. Conservative clergies like T.D. Jakes had been given a post Katrina funding worth $20 million to distribute through their faith-based centers by the president Bush. Where as a large section of African American community still finds itself in rich union tradition, labor movement, and believes in single healthcare system and good housing for all, there this current preacher leadership, without caring the belief system of its base, evokes homophobia in Memphis to elect their chosen candidate. Cynthia McKinney’s old seat Georgia is likely to be contested by a Black county executive Vernon Jones, supported by real estate interests on the line of religious issues, who claimed that he should be voted because the incumbent Black congressman Hank Johnson is a Buddhist!8 This faith based subsidy has brought the Black preachers close to conservative republicans and has strangled the proud liberal voices of the church. A rise in vote percentage to Republicans, 8% of the Black votes in 2000 and 12% in 2004 presidential election, shows how much work has been done in bringing Blacks under conservative clout.
Independent Movement led by Blacks
Clearly these church based leaderships or any other leadership claiming their source from the history of Civil Right movements but deeply involved with populism and corporate interests could not provide the radical African American community what it wants. Democratic Party has never been in a position to provide the radical leadership to the African American community. To settle all the issues we need an independent working class movement free from two-party system. Figures like Cynthia McKinney have already broken from the Democrats and aligned her with the labor and other social movements. Nader campaign would provide another opportunity to bring the progressive forces altogether. Therefore Struggle against RNC convention in Minneapolis demands our full attention to expedite the process of the radicalization going on among the youths of the US, in this period of never-ending-racism, war, job losses, poor housing and poor healthcare system. The liberation of Blacks is not too much separate from the liberation of the working class.
References:
Source for this picture: Reference 2
Tip has been a part of general etiquette in the US and owing to the Americanization of the world market it is taking the shape of global etiquette at least in the urban centers of the world. Today 15-20% tip is quite normal to the gross receipt subtracted by the taxes involved. The tip which the employees get from the customers comes under the category of taxable income on the behalf of the employees. Here, IRS enforces the workers to report their total earned tips, if it is in excess of 20$ per month, to the employer, by using the threat mechanism of penalties and additional taxes in case they are found of under-reporting and by the promise tool of meager benefits like increased worker's compensation benefits, increased unemployment compensation benefits, increased social security and Medicare benefits, increased employee pension or 401(k) benefit, and increased chances of financial approval. Their tips are the subject of inspection by the tax officers on any day. Further, there is 8% rule followed by IRS where the employer will calculate the 8% of gross sale of the company (all sales involving tips) and compare it to the reported tips. In case the employer finds the reported tip less than the 8% of the gross sale, the employer will allocate this difference to the employees abided by the law to bear this difference. In a way, IRS implicitly assumes 8% tip for the employees; it doesn't matter whether customers pay the employees this 8% implicit tip, minimum the employees will be taxed on this 8% supposed tip income of the whole sale besides the usual taxes on their formal earnings.1
Big Employers' Silver-spoon
There is no doubt that the biggest beneficiaries from this tip etiquette are the big employers and the system of capitalism. The workers have to work hard in order to please their customers and the employers where the earned tip becomes the parameter of their services, their ability and skills. In this whole mechanism the valorization process of the labor gets increased. The system thus finds proper space to depress the wages of the workers; the bigger the tips opportunities are, or in other words the big the employer is, the more the wages are depressed. This burden of tax on tip income isn't borne by the employers; so where they should have been paying the just wages of the workers without involving the tip mechanism and so would have been taxed by the public institutions, they get away with the taxes putting the whole burden of transaction on customers and workers. Employees are viewed as a petty contractor in the eyes of the employers; contractors who will try to fetch maximum out of the pocket of the customers, helping the employers to shift the responsibility of the wage contract on to the employees themselves and customers.
Big customer social status
The tip mechanism also helps the rich customers to build their power and status through this kind of vulgar display when they enjoy giving more and more tips. The bourgeoisie ideal, the fashion and sometimes even the nature of the customer is judged by the amount of tip which he/she pays. This coupled with the growing inequality among the customers become a heavy burden on the poor and modest customers, customers of color, customers of minority and customers of non-male genders. A feeling of embarrassment could be seen among these powerless customers when they don't meet the etiquette requirement and thus further acquiesce to the power of rich ones by accepting the rules of the game designed by the richest ones e.g. competing in the labor and other markets to become market defined successful persons.
Customer and workers' options
By all the arguments it'd be clear that tips play a reactionary role in building the society. However, until unless the safety mechanism of the workers is grounded in a proper way, until their jobs and other social securities aren't met, it would be cruel from the side of modest customers not to tip them, given the fact that 8% rule still hangs over the employees. But accepting the status quo would be disservice to the human nature and society as a whole. To correct the inverse logic of this practice, the society has to get away with this market mechanism per se to replace it with other socio-economic practices. Labor can't be sold furthermore as a commodity and trying to establish a tip disguised humane form in this inhuman market structure is indeed contradictory. It demands a movement which can correct the bad practices of the capitalistic market system. The shape of the movement must strike at the fundamental cause, the hitherto exploitative economic systems which have allowed these contradictory practices. But it can't start itself by being anti-tip; it has to start by involving in the race, gender, class, anti-corporate and pro-nature movements undermining the capitalist system upon day-to-day basis. The onus is upon the employees, small employers and modest/poor customers to engage in humane form of production and distribution. The onus is upon them to understand the little fact that the rigid money relations in the exchange process have to be loosened so much that people could feel the underlying humanity and get empowered by each other's achievements and potentials. Otherwise the culture dominated by the ruling classes will be absorbing the morality and energy of the ruled ones. A tip-less society with enough securities for every one is much better than a hierarchal one allowing the securities to be achieved and morality to be strengthened by performing the Orwellian irony of tip. Nonetheless any attempt to cut the share of the workers, however being fulfilled in ironical ways, will only build the miseries around the world.
References:
1. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1872.pdf
