Thread by @DrZackaryBerger

@OlufemiOTaiwo and @LesterSpence at @redemmas ask, "Why philosophy for radical change?" and discuss what Taiwo calls the constructive view: Our planetary structure was built by the slave trade. The scale of #reparations should match that

They compare the incremental vision of Conyers to the broader one of Detroit's Reparations Ray.

Taiwo admits he gets +confused w each passing year about class/race debate. He responds: as a historical matter of fact, the organizing forces (enslaving) of this planet did so in a racially stratified way. That's this world. Not everything is race or class, but it's one history.

They're now discussing this book,Worldmaking After Empire, by Adom Gettachew

Claim is not that Black people etc aren't getting their fair share of wages of domination, but that world should be structured differently with new economic order

@LesterSpence brings up Georgetown's attempt at reparations. How does Taiwo's proposal different? He says -- giving everyone self determination. Restructuring relationships of power. Not just cash transfers but who decides

The second difference, he says, is scale. Magnitude of remaking.

Now discussing representation and critique of reparation of Black Marxist Adolph Reed. Spence says that Reed brings up an elite capture argument. The elite would control the repair. Taiwo implies that's why he wrote the other book.

Taiwo says there are ways to decide at scale to allocate resources that don't privilege the elite, eg participatory budgeting.

Discusses the importance of institutions and norms, systems, how material circulation and distribution is designed.

Taiwo: deep connections bt reparations & climate justice. Has to do w staying power of what's constructed. Eg if food and energy systems are disrupted, "who here thinks," asks Taiwo, that the elites will try and make sure "that things are all right" for Black or indigenous ppl?

Is BLM an example of elite capture at work? Spence quoting Reed (or paraphrasing? Not sure)

Capitalism is privatizing rewards and socializing burdens, says Taiwo. Not surprising that absent revolutionary change that socially progressive orgs mustn't also occasionally work this way. "We need to build different stuff, not level different criticisms."

Eg, Taiwo cites the example of "labor aristocracy." Are union politics exempt from other politics? How are unions organized and is it working?

He talks about the weaknesses of standpoint epistemology, which he generally supports, but not when it is taken to imply deference to magical membership in groups.

He points to rank and file workers' structure as a way to restructure collectives. Debt collectives, tenants unions, etc.

Examples are literal physical structures, social media, etc

Questions!
1. Define elite. Taiwo: it's a comparison. He says he's a one percenter compared to Black ppl globally. But not to TT professors. Elite is a position not an identity. Many ppl are marginalized relative to peers but advantaged relative to ppl they are asked to represent

2. What about difficulties of coalitional politics?
Taiwo: individual experience shouldn't disqualify from politics. Not everyone is set up for coalition. That's a role of identity politics

3. I asked about health care and how to make a revolution while keeping technical benefits. 4. Someone else asked separately about class position as an identity.

Answer to 4.
Class, gender, race describes actual material interactions. All of them are real but none are realer than others, and class isn't either.

Question 5. About visibility in organizing. He compares Elite Capture to Ting Wen (sp)'s preceding idea of Value Capture+

In which complex states are reduced to single variables. Like Lyft drivers. (Or health care!) He says it's disproportionately ppl who know where their rent is coming from who care most about visibility

He answered my question, 3., with his thought about emphasizing a constructive view and not a destructive view of revolution. The greatest dangers aren't other people, but hurricanes, crop pests...

Taiwo acknowledges, in response to another Q, that there is a diverse history of Black and anti colonialist approaches to class struggle which prefigure the name Elite Capture.

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