"They are protesting for four hundred years of brutal repression," Chomsky points out about the current situation in the United States.
The United States is on fire. A curfew has been imposed in several cities, while the disorders in the streets of both black and white protesters show no signs of diminishing and the army is ready to intervene.
Meanwhile, the words and actions of the US government, especially Trump (his latest "law and order" comments, which evoke a dramatic television series), show little interest in reconciliation with communities that are already exasperated by the coronavirus crisis. , unemployment and social inequalities.
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To understand the historical and social roots of the riots, we posed a few questions [asked by journalist Silvia Nicolini] to Professor Noam Chomsky, one of the world's most renowned experts in American politics and society.
The protests that have followed the death of George Floyd have turned into riots and have spread from Minneapolis to various other cities in the United States. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has urged the military police to prepare. Professor Chomsky, what is going on in the United States? Is there something deeper behind the protests against racism and abuse of power by white police officers?
"I can't breathe." Floyd's Petition for Clemency to his ExecutionerWhat goes deeper is four hundred years of brutal repression: first, the fiercest slave system in human history, which provided much of the foundation for US economic growth and prosperity. (and from England); then, ten years of freedom in which blacks were able to join society and did so with remarkable success; later, a North-South pact that effectively gave the former slave states the authority to act as they pleased. What they did was criminalize the lives of blacks, creating "slavery by another name", the title of one of the most important books on the subject.
This practically lasted until World War II, a time when labor was needed. Then came a period of relative freedom, hampered by racist laws so extreme that they were rejected by the Nazis, and by federal laws requiring segregation in government-funded housing that was built after the war. And of course blacks (and women) were excluded from the free higher education that veterans were granted. Then came another wave of criminalization of black life.
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You can imagine the rest. Racism persists, even if it is less rampant than before. And when it manifests itself, as in the case of the Floyd murder, an explosion naturally occurs, to which in this case a good part of the white population is added, a reflection of progress among some parts of the population in overcoming this awful curse.
Do you think that the pandemic has played a role in the protests that have erupted in recent days? Have you brought the country's inequalities and deep social justice problems to the fore? Or was it just something that had been cooking for a while?
The pandemic has highlighted some of these problems. Thus, for example, blacks die three times more than whites from Covid-19. Trump, whose pettiness has no limits, has taken advantage of the pandemic to cut regulations that limit air pollution, which has devastating effects in the current respiratory pandemic. The economic press estimates that tens of thousands of people may die as a result, with a high concentration of black people who can only live in the most polluted areas. How this will influence public opinion depends on the extent to which it is obscured by racist disquisitions.
Are there circumstances like these in which the violence of an exasperated population can be justified?
It can be understood, of course. The annals reveal that it is not sensible. Systematically lead to more people supporting stronger repression.
Donald Trump reacted to the protests with a tweet that was later deleted, but not before adding more fuel to the fire: "When the looting begins, the shootings begin." Can you explain why, beyond incitement to violence against protesters, this phrase has had such a powerful impact on American society? And furthermore, do you think that the “original sin that still stains our country today” (as Joe Biden said) is exacerbated today by the presence of Trump? Does his fierce rhetoric also help him to rise again in the polls, which show Biden in the lead today?
Trump quoted a Florida mayor from fifty years ago about how he would react to protests against racism. The meaning was clear, although after an enormously negative reaction, Trump lied about it and declared that those who would shoot would be the looters. Trump has gone out of his usual way to extend the "bargain" by appealing to white supremacist elements. It is difficult to foresee the popular repercussion.
What do you think of the reaction of the liberals? Is there any teaching of what is happening these days for them and for Biden?
Should. If this is going to be the case, we'll see.
Professor, one last question. You have cited the "criminalization of black life", which you have often referred to in your books. Can you briefly explain how it has worked and continues to work in American society and its economy?
I can't take the phrase for myself, which is commonly used in studies of American society. In the old slave states of the 19th century it was a deliberate policy. If there was a black man on a street, they could arrest him for loitering, they could impose a fine he couldn't pay and send him to jail ... in which he could be offered to companies as a perfect worker: disciplined, without protests, cheap . That was a first-rate contribution to the manufacturing revolution of the time, as well as to the agri-food industry.
The second wave of criminalization took off with Ronald Reagan. In 1980, when he took office, the prison population figures were within European scales. Since then they have exploded far exceeding those of Europe. Imprisoned people are black population in a disproportionate way. That is due in part to the drug war, and in part can be traced to the highest number of crimes among blacks. This last fact is something that is sometimes adduced in racist disquisitions, eliminating the question of why there are more crimes among blacks. It is typical of oppressed communities. The case of blacks is by far the most serious.
Source: Global Manifest, June 2, 2020
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