1. Note: I’m not sure if this was meant to say “will not stop being racial capitalism,” but I will assume that it was, given that in the video Prof. Gilmore says “it will continue to be racial without… white people.” 

The connection between whiteness and racism is due to the fact that white people are the only group, in our society, that is not oppressed based on race. This has not always been true, for example, in the treatment of Italians in past centuries. However, they were oppressed because they were not considered white. White people are the oppressors, as long as they hold on to their racial privilege in society. 

2. According to Prof. Gilmore, the prison system creates criminals through a few ways. One is the increased lengthening of sentences. The other is the expansion of what actions count as crimes. Additionally, the stigmas and difficulties that ex-prisoners face upon “re-entry,” as they are often forever labeled as criminals. I agree with her to some extent. I also think that a way of keeping a steady stream of prisoners is by over-policing poor communities and not giving them sufficient aid, creating desperation, or education.

3. Liberation struggle is the process of gaining, or attempting to gain, liberation. Professor Gilmore says that the people of Amadore are gaining “consciousness through fomenting liberation struggle” in their “pop-up universities”. By learning about the history of liberation struggle, they are gaining consciousness. 

1.) In Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Walmart. To justify this, the majority stated that, because the amount of people represented by the class-action suit was so large, they could not all have commonality. They argued that the represented group in class action suits need a common problem and a common solution. Dukes represented women who were protesting Walmart’s culture of sexism, but not any discrimination written into their rules or stemming from one particular person. They also did not all have the same sexist type of problem (i.e. they weren’t all denied the same position in favor of a less experienced male candidate). The majority argued that, because they did not all have the same problem, there was no way that they could solve their issue with one sweeping solution.

1.) The dual court system in the US provides citizens with multiple courts to appeal verdicts given to them. To challenge the decisions of lower courts. While the process is tedious, going through the layers of state and then federal courts, people can bring their cases all the way from the bottom to the Supreme Court. Through the Supreme Court, a select few individuals can have long lasting impact on the writing and shaping of laws in the United States. An example is Brown v Board of Education. Brown started as a District Court case then moved up to the Supreme Court (giving it more of a country-wide stage), and has had a huge impact on the country’s laws on racial equality, as well as the way that its citizens view race and racial issues.

Additionally, the courts routinely deal with the people and their issues directly. Their job is, in theory, to protect the rights of all citizens.

2.) Federal judges are selected through a peculiar process that ignores the country’s proposed commitment to democracy. The sitting president selects a candidate, and then that candidate is voted on by Congress. If Congress confirms them, they have the position. In the case of the Supreme Court, they serve for life, unless they decide to retire.

This process, as stated, is anti-democratic. By not allowing the people to vote on the selection of federal judges, they are essentially being shut out of the process that shapes and creates U.S. Law. This, however, is in line with the thought processes in Federalist #10. Madison viewed the people, or the working class, as unable to make decisions on how to be governed, and thought that democracy was a dangerous evil. In his view, the rich, owning class knew best, because they are inherently smarter.

It is also a way to protect the interests of the owning class. The president, who is often rich, is backed by corporate donors and the rich. In order to keep this funding, presidents often act in the interests of these financial backers. Most politicians have corporate and millionaire/billionaire donors and act firstly in their interests, including those in Congress, who confirm the judges. The selection of judges is influenced by these factors.

1. The Establishment Clause is one of the freedoms dictated in the First Amendment. It guarantees the lack of an official government religion in the United States, as well as any government imposition of religion. The Lemon Test was established by the Supreme Court in 1971 to decide wether a law of government action promotes a particular religion or religious practice. If the law or action is determined to not fit the criteria laid out in the test’s three steps, it is struck down.

2. Burning the United States flag is protected by the constitution, as declared by the Supreme Court in 1989. Simply put, it is a form of symbolic speech and protest. A petition for the government to make right some internal corruption or injustice. If the person is burning the flag to incite violence against government officials, then they could be tried for incited violence. But the belief that somehow the desecration of any “venerated object” is itself unconstitutional. Peaceful protest is protected under the Constitution. Burning one’s own property peacefully and without risk to others should not be punished.

3. To “take the fifth” means to exercise one’s right against self-incrimination, which is granted in the Fifth Amendment (hence “fifth”). Every citizen, in court or in the face of law enforcement, is guaranteed to right to not give evidence that could lead to admission of guilt or responsibility for a crime.

1. Traditional war is waged on groups, countries, unions, and resources. The War on Terror is different. The definition of terror, of course, can change from person to person. Terror is a concept, rather than something tangible like the things listed above. The war on terror, as the author puts it, is a “war of the mind, so broadly defined that the enemy becomes anybody who makes us afraid.” It is a war dedicated to the preventing and eliminating terrorism, which takes place both on and off U.S. land. The government searching for any suspects, even among U.S. residents, to root out and prevent terrorism.

2. Roving Wiretaps, as outlined in the Patriot Act, violate the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment guarantees citizens the right against unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant. These warrants must describe the place being searched, or persons or things being seized. The Patriot Act’s Roving Wiretaps only require a specific description of the person being targeted, not the devices and how they are connected to that person.

3. Sneak and Peak Warrants, like Roving Wiretaps, violate the Fourth Amendment. As previously stated, the Fourth Amendment guarantees notification of a search and seizure. During normal searches or seizures, the suspect and a third party are there to ensure that law enforcement is acting appropriately and legally. The secret searches and seizures leave law enforcement on their own, getting rid of the checks and balances in place normally. While secret searches were allowed before, they were only used in extreme circumstances. The Patriot Act expanded its use to any crime, even minor ones. Additionally, law enforcement need only show that immediate notification will “jeopardize” their investigation, which is very flexible and easily manipulated.

1 ) Federations, confederations, and unitary governments all posit citizens in different roles. The unitary system sets the states as subordinates to the national government. In a confederation, the system that the United States adopted under the Articles of Confederation, uses the state as the primary source of government. The national government is subordinate to the state, and must go to each state of consent to act. A federation splits authority between the states and the national government. This authority, however, is derived and granted by the people. Therefore, the amount of power a government posses is dependent on how much the people give it. This system, in theory, positions citizens as the most important factor, and decider of its affairs.

2 ) The division of power, in the context of our lesson, refers to how power is delegated in any form of government. For example, in a federation, the state and national governments have authority over their land, the authority being given by the citizens. Each factor in this (the states, the national government, and even the people to some extent) has their own individual and distinct responsibilities in running or deciding how to run the country. Obviously, the national and state governments are the biggest players here.

3 ) The national government can employ many methods to influence state and local governments. One of the most common ways of achieving this influence is through federal grants. The grants are gifted to states and localities, and either have strict demands for how they should be spent or general guidelines/suggestions. This money is seen as an incentive to advance the Federal government’s interests. An example of this can be drawn from the period of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. NYC has been granted $180,438,727 (estimated as of February 2022) of federal money to
“support local efforts to increase vaccine uptake by expanding COVID-19 vaccine programs.” In this case, the Federal government has given the New York City a sum of money to advance one of it’s interests, expanding vaccination against COVID-19.

1.) “Factions,” as written about in Federalist #10, remind me of the working class. More specifically, they call to mind the owning class’ view of the working class, class consciousness, solidarity, and rebellion; something that must be contained and controlled, for the benefit of the owning class.

2-3.) According to Federalist #10, the source of wealth is a person’s mental faculties. The only people who can become wealthy are those who are intelligent enough to find ways to do so. Intelligence was viewed as genetic, and heavily determined by race and sex.

I profoundly disagree with this explanation of wealth and poverty. It is inherently classist, racist, and sexist. It has no basis in science whatsoever. Many people are born into wealth and are not intelligent. Additionally, many wealthy people are intelligent only in that they are good at finding ways to exploit people. There are many different types of intelligence, and such a broad explanation is false and harmful.

4.) Governments first objective, according to Federalist #10, is “the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property.” That is, the protection of the rich’s (who are of superior intelligence) abilities to get rich, stay rich, and grow wealth. Protected, of course, against the interests of the poor, working class, viewed as inherently less intelligent. While this did sort of shock me at first, as it sunk in I was less surprised.

Society does not acknowledge this as the purpose of our government. Politicians commonly sell themselves as allies of the people. However, outside of some progressives, many of the establishment democrats and republicans often try to convince the public that the ultra rich (and subsequently their interests) are allies of the people, and that the pursuit of wealth is most important over everything. Because of the donations of corporations and billionaires, ultimately our government does work to protect their interests and their ability to grow more wealthy.

5. ) Federalist #10’s aversion to democracy is no surprise given the beliefs laid out in the text. A democratic government gives everyone, the working class included, the right to vote. Because of Madison’s classist belief that the working class were inherently unintelligent, it makes sense that he would not want them to have the power that they would under a democracy. Madison believed that democracy could not control the “mischief” of a faction. A republic “refines” the views of the public through elected officials, who posses their idea of intelligence, and who “best discern their country’s true interests.” Through a republic, the wealthy (who are smarter) are still allowed to have a disproportionate control of the government.

1.) The Constitution was, predictably, written by the ruling class of 1700s America; the owning class. In that time and place, the owning class consisted exclusively of property owning white males, with some even being excluded for not owning enough property. The groups excluded were all the disenfranchised groups: poor white males, women, black people, the slaves and the indentured servants. The working class.

2.) The class structure in early America was exactly the same as it is today. An ultra rich owning (capitalist) class ran the government, which resulted in their interests being prioritized. This is directly comparable to the situation in America today, with many politicians being members of the owning class, with their campaigns funded by giant corporations and billionaires. Meanwhile, the working class hardly gets a real say in how the country is run. In early America, the disenfranchised literally had no say in the country’s operations. Today, while the working class has the right to vote, the lack of a true democracy and ability of the aforementioned corporations/billionaires to fund campaigns keeps their voices from truly being heard.

3.) The writers of the Constitution sided with Adam Smith’s belief that government’s purpose was to protect the rich, and their ability to grow wealth, from the poor and their interests. A true democracy, which gives voice to every citizen, is dangerous for the wealthy because it threaten their position and ability to grow their wealth, especially if the poor gain class consciousness and solidarity. In capitalism, wealth always comes through exploitation. If the wealthy are not allowed to exploit, whether directly their workers or by taking advantage of a system created by and for them, they will not remain wealthy.

The founding fathers also believed that anyone who was not wealthy was genetically inferior and less intelligent. Therefore, they believed that the poor should not be able to decide how the country is run. This belief is still held among many ultra rich people today, albeit often slightly modified and unspoken or unconscious.

1. This video introduces to us multiple key concepts, the first two being “means of production” and “labor.” The term “means of production” refers to any tools or services that must be used in order to make a product. In a capitalist society, the means of production are privately owned by capitalists and operated by workers employed by them. An example of the means of production are the cameras used to broadcast sporting events. The camera operators, are employed by the broadcasting companies to use the company cameras to film the event.

The term “labor” refers to the efforts of the worker to make a product, using the means of production. It is measured in time. An example of labor can be pulled from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Mr. Bucket, Charlie’s father, works in a factory screwing toothpaste caps onto their tubes. He is a factory laborer, using the conveyor belt and the toothpaste caps and tubes (means of production) to make a new product.

2 and 3. Value is the measure of, under normal circumstances, how much labor it takes to make a product. The only thing that can increase something’s value is labor, because labor transforms a material or materials into a new thing. The amount of labor put into something determines its value. Dominoes is less expensive than an independent artisan pizza restaurant because, generally, more effort was put in and better ingredients were used for the artisan pizza. The result is an objectively healthier and tastier pizza; a more valuable one. While price and value aren’t exactly the same, price is generally proportional to value.

4. Labor, as defined above, is different to labor power. Labor power is an individuals ability to perform labor. According to Marx, it is the most important commodity in the world. Labor power is rented out to capitalists in order to sustain one’s own life and the lives of the people dependent on them. Labor power, however, is only sustained by the essentials of life, i.e. food, clothes, transportation, hobbies, etc. These things are purchased by selling labor power.

5. Surplus value is the value of the labor power that a worker exercises after they have fulfilled their requirements for sustenance. The capitalist takes all of this value for themselves, and is the result of unpaid labor on the end of the worker. If the worker only labored to meet their sustenance needs, the capitalist wouldn’t receive any profit. Therefore, they must work more than the time required for them to survive, as mandated by the capitalist. All workers labor more than necessary for them to survive, whether at an office or retail job, in service of the capitalist.

This is important because it is the reason that Marx believed capitalism is inherently exploitative. Understanding the concept of surplus value exposes this exploitation, thus helping us understand class and class relationships/dynamics better.