My friends feel it's their appointed duty
They keep trying to tell me all you want to do is use me.
-- Bill Whithers
Fisher presents the following syllogism:
So because you believe in that essentially color-blind meritocracy, you'll end up blaming yourself for any "lack of success". Besides that it's the manly, Clint Eastwoodesque thing to do. Yes?
No.
You are a victim of a system of racism.
You got let go from Solver because you are black.
Your consultant clients have less confidence in you because you are black.
You get paid late by your clients because you are black.
You got a harder time finding clients because you are black.
And black folks ain't making it easier for you either, because the system trains them to be unreliable, plus most of us have been trained to lie about how much money we have anyhow.
Once you acknowledge the existence of this system and, using cold, hard logic, study how it actually works, you can game the system to an extent, 'cause there are always cracks.
Let's take this reasoning to its logical conclusions.
If it were the case that I could neatly put the blame for all of my failure on being black, then the consequence for black responsibility would be total. Which is to say if white people cannot be trusted, then no responsible black person would ever work for whites. Furthermore, any black person who does is engaged in treachery against their self interest, for then only blacks could properly fulfill other blacks' ambitions.
The evidence for this would be that the most successful blacks would be employed by other blacks. They would be in possession of the answers and the resources and it would be an ethical and moral error for them to hold this to themselves. In other words, if the greatest threat to black success is whitefolks, then the only solution os blackfolks, and any black person with that success is obligated to his kin.
I don't believe this, but I think I understand the logic as presented by Fish. Fish paints the world, not just America, in terms of the operation of a Global System of White Supremacy. So there are certain things implied by the existence and operation of that system which obviously apply to me as a black man. I don't want to get into the existentials of ontology ie, how do I know that what I mean by 'black' is the same thing the Global System sees as 'black'. Let's just presume that Fish knows what he's talking about as far as identifying friend or foe. Friend = black. Foe = white, as commonly understood in America.
Now the question for someone like me would be, how and where can I get some of that black-sponsored success? Which is to say if the true meritocracy would be a black-sponsored regime of meritocracy then I'm objectively worth more there than I've been getting from the Global System. Fish takes a step to acknowledge my talents as he should ethically in keeping with his theory. Hey, this sounds good. Essentially let us also presume that his acknowledgment implies an offer or an invitation, either to join this meritocracy or for an actual j.o.b. I would thus present a more or less realistic negotiating start point.
I need a base of about 150k/year and total compensation package of around 200k to take an offer of employment seriously. That's a solid upper middle class figure which accords with my comfort level here in California. And I offer my services as a senior data architect, and hands-on consulting exec in the business intelligence area of the software industry with 18 years of experience all around the country and various spots on the globe. Reasonable trade. I could do this kind of gig without thinking for two years, basically anywhere, four years if there is upward mobility and business development upside w/ kickers. But it all comes down to dollars. In the American scheme of things, it's not rich. That's orthodontist money. That's first year NFL money. It's still below the top tax rate. There are millions of Americans who do this well, and probably a million different ways to make this kind of loot. So it is reasonable for me to believe that there are lots of ways to get paid like this.
The question now becomes, what is the difference between black-sponsored success and white-sponsored success - that is to say how will I know which is genuine? I mean is this black meritocracy going to pay me more money, or are there fringe benefits of the sort I have never gotten before? What are the signs I should consider to let me know that the white meritocracy is just a rat maze? Is this my phone call from Morpheus? Don't just offer me a red pill, show me the desert of the real. Help me understand why I'm just a copper top.
Assuming such bona fides are presented, that this black meritocracy exists, how has it been that I haven't seen it or noticed it before now? Am I just finally becoming worthy of consideration? Was there one magic phrase I hadn't said? Is there a test?
OK Enough.
Now. Here's what I do believe. I believe that 12% of Americans are racist and that when dealing with those people, the best thing to do is to game them whether they are black or white. That is to say while it is morally proper to confront their racism and disabuse them of their errors, such efforts are likely to be futile. So I should take Fish's offer and I should also take any white offer, because no matter what their reasons are for using me (employing me), I have to negotiate my best deal with either system. I have to decide if it's worth it to me. It's still my decision.
The decision I have actually made is that I have come to expect none, zero, zilch, cultural fringe benefits from work, and that I provide all of that myself from my family, friends and cultural consumption (books, music, food, blogging). See here for details. The import of this is that it doesn't matter what the fringe benefits are from the black-sponsored meritocracy, if they can't pay more money it doesn't help me for squat. I watched the movie Boomerang, and I thought that was very cool, but that was 17 years ago.
The pervasive racialist scenario means that racism is unavoidable because everybody believes that race is essentially real and unavoidable. Race never means nothing; it tweaks the grid of human existence. You are always tethered to it. It is therefore in my interest to get with the black gang. Hey. If I have no choice, then I am only hurting myself.
Where is the alternative?
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