What’s the connection between “whiteness” and racism, do you think?
- The connection between whiteness and racism, I believe, is due to the ongoing racial practices that are created or held by a majority of white individuals. Capitalism, for example, which is built by white people, was built around the idea of inequality, and racism is a key way to maintain it. This is due to capitalism being built on racial hierarchies.
According to Gilmore, how does that happen, how does the prison system create new “criminals“? Do you agree with her view? - According to Gilmore, the prison system creates new prisoners by concentrating surpluses. She states the local elites use the state to maintain a continuous flow of individuals categorized as criminals. Either by creating more prisoners or deepening how long they are kept in prison. The prison system maintains a steady stream of individuals who are criminalized, which in the end impacts communities, creating more criminals. As an example of this, she states that in the early 1980s, California started to build prison after prison rather than build universities, factories, museums etc. I agree with her view on this, as the prison system, even in this current age, has yet to provide any proper rehabilitation of criminals. Prison systems in the U.S. continue to focus on keeping prisoners as criminals rather than rehabilitating them into citizens. There are places such as Sweden which see a decline in re-offenders due to their push for rehabilitation over punishments.
Describe how your understand what Prof. Gilmore – in the last part of her video – calls “liberation struggle”? - My understanding of what prof. Gilmore calls the “liberation struggle” an effort by groups in local communities to create justice and freedom for marginalized communities to end systemic oppression.
