this remains as true today as when James Baldwin said it

James Baldwin on black cops

another great insight by Baldwin: "When I began to hate myself, or, at least, profoundly to doubt my worth (...) I began to understand the Black cop. The Black cop, for his White co-workers, was just another nigger. He couldn't strike them, but he could take it out on us."

the two posted excerpts are from one of the best materialist analyses I have ever read of racism in the US, and how it is intertwined with everything from the police to the workplace to the broader social, cultural and economic context. Highly recommend it

Baldwin's analysis applies to every type of gusano, someone who betrays their community out of self-hatred, resentment and narcissism and of course to gain and profit from it, which Malcolm X also brilliantly described and analyzed:

James Baldwin: "When any white man in the world says 'Give me liberty or give me a death,' the entire white world applauds. When a Black man says exactly the same thing, he is judged a criminal and treated like one."

Baldwin asks how much time do you want for your "progress"

an important note regarding the earlier clip where Baldwin mentions Israel: He actually denounced its fascist apartheid nature fiercely and brilliantly as ever, and proudly embraced the label of anti-Zionist

As powerful as the message is—imagine, fathom, in your wildest dreams, a dialogue like this occurring today on a talk show on network TV. With Phyllis Newman sitting there.

This really makes me long for a time when we weren’t so openly and rabidly anti intellectual. Imagine if we all aspired to be this evolved instead of ridiculing people who are or who are at least trying. He is truly an inspirational role model

@MollyJongFast The clip of Black men lined up in their underwear did not happen in the South. It happened in Philadelphia and was ordered by Frank Rizzo, the Police Commissioner and later Mayor.

@MollyJongFast My heart breaks every time I see this clip. We only kid ourselves if we think any real change occurred after the Integration Act passed. I am deeply ashamed of the role we all play in the deeply-rooted system that supports the bias and racism in our country.