- Ruth Gilmore says that capitalism will stop being racial capitalism, when all the white people disappear from the story. What’s the connection between “whiteness” and racism, do you think?
I think that although Ruth Gilmore says that capitalism and racism are connected, and “whiteness” is acting as a tool to maintain racial hierarchies and economic inequality, whiteness here isn’t just about skin color—it’s about the power and privilege that give certain groups superiority over others. According to her even if white people “disappeared from the story”, capitalism would still be a racist system because it prospers on inequality and hierarchies. Being white or “whiteness”, in this sense, is just an excuse to wrongfully justify and normalize racism in the system.
- Gilmore makes the point that criminals are actually being created by the criminal justice and prison system (she says “the category of ‘criminal person’ can be perpetuated”). According to Gilmore, how does that happen, how does the prison system create new “criminals“? Do you agree with her view?
Gilmore explains that the prison system keeps itself going by always expanding what counts as a crime, giving longer sentences, and making it hard for people to rejoin society after prison. It also targets vulnerable groups, like those affected by poverty and racism, to keep the cycle of incarceration alive and profit from it. I agree with this claim because it shows how the system pushes for this agenda and it is not just an action of individuals.
- Describe how your understand what Prof. Gilmore – in the last part of her video – calls “liberation struggle”
The way I understand what Prof. Gilmore calls “liberation struggle” is liberation that starts in local communities, where people resist oppression and build systems based on care and togetherness. It’s about learning from history, organizing, and working together to challenge systems like racism and colonialism. Her example of Lisbon communities fighting to save their homes shows how liberation is about solidarity, debate, and rethinking how we live together with justice at the core of all things.
