One nation under Elvis

Rebecca Solnit, one of America's most astute and beautiful writers, has a challenging and engaging piece in this month's Orion about racial and economic schisms in the environmental movement -- and the progressive movement more broadly. So on the one hand we have white people who hate black people. On the other hand we have white people who hate other white people on the grounds that they hate black people. But that latter hatred accuses many wrongfully, and it serves as a convenient coverup for the racism that is all around us. The reason why it matters is because middle-class people despising poor people becomes your basic class war, and the ongoing insults seem to have been at least part of what has weakened the environmental movement in particular and progressive politics in general. Instead of reaching out to "the old Progressives, Wobblies, and agrarian insurgents" of rural America -- who more often than not value conservation, economic justice, and a host of other progressive ideals -- we hide behind an oversimplified, and in some cases outdated, analysis of race and class. The solution, she says, is breaking out of our comfort zone and engaging people of all backgrounds in honest discussions about identity and power. We must also talk about class again, loudly and clearly, without backing down or forgetting about race. This is the back road down which lie stronger coalitions, genuine justice, a healthier environment, and maybe even a music that everyone can dance to. Solnit hits the nail on the head, and she echoes what I found most encouraging about Barack Obama's speech on race and religion Tuesday. Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding. Here's my take on the section at my new home, Progress Illinois.