The conviction of Floyd by a cop has led to cheer all over the world. Many had seen it as the symbolic trial of the White establishment that reigns in the West which is essentially a racist regime. In the name of free world and democracy, it has legitimized every social and economic crime whether slavery or colonialism. As time goes on, its double standards are being exposed every day. The crisis is internal and the chaos is within. It’s not an attack on the West from the outside but like an autoimmune disease, the body attacks itself. It’s the most fatal ailment of them all.
The killing by the cop led to the Black Lives Matter ( BLM) movement and after a long while the West had to recognize that a significant part of the US population who identify themselves as Americans only didn’t think they were part of the country. They were residents rather than citizens. And that has made all the difference.
It’s not that the institutional and individual oppressors are taking it lying down and the MAGA riots on Capitol Hill show the fundamental strength of the group who stand against equal treatment for all. However, it became a conflict between the state institutions and individual and collective resentment. It threatened the institutions which have allowed oppression and privilege to survive so the riots were quelled but the problem has remained.
The matter is not just between the Blacks vs White but the nature of the state which has promoted exclusion so long as a form of governance management. The violent behavior of both Blacks and Whites towards Asians is another example. As the Blacks are mainstreamed the resentment against Asians are growing and their success and visibility is acting as triggers to escalating violence in the US.
The crisis is however rooted in the general problem of US society in ensuring its global superiority which is at bay. And the root of that security is economics. In the last ten years, the US economy has faced challenges like never faced before. The cold war mentality was an easier task to comprehend, a simplistic “good and evil” binary model. But the main US strength in those days was that no one bought Soviet goods but in this case, China is threatening to out sell the US in most sectors. It’s losing the competition race which is what matters most.
As the battle grows and there is more of a chance of the US losing the economic war than China, the problems within the US will also escalate. As resources become limited, the choices will be harder to make and distribution of state goods and employment will become more difficult as supply declines. The overlooked historical injustices will rise to the top and that will make the battle in the global economic sector even more difficult.
As history is showing it’s not easy to be strong if one is weak inside. While welcoming the verdict we should be reminded that it’s also an indication that the US state is weakening too.
