A Dreadful Deceit

A selection from a review of the A Dreadful Deceit--The Myth of Race From the Colonial Era to Obama's America is worth repeating:
"To explain how racial conflict has masked power struggles for control over others' labor, Jones surveys compelled work in its many varieties, from slave labor under the lash on tobacco plantations in Maryland to mandatory overtime in unsafe and sweltering auto plants in Detroit.  Racial ideologies, she argues are like mob violence, disenfranchisement and discriminatory laws--merely tactics used to secure material advantages in social contexts perceived as zero-sum"
         review by Tommie Shelby in the New York Times Book Review, Feb. 16, 2014

Tomato Picker Justice

Migrant tomato pickers last week asked Burger King to pay one cent more per pound for their tomatoes in order to improve the lot of the workers. Burger King said it could not be sure the extra money would get to the workers. One suspects that if they wanted to, smart Burger King’s execs could figure out a way. I was surprised in reading comments on this story in the Naples News how many people begrudged paying the pickers more. They often said that the workers were mostly illegals and if they don’t like their pay, they can go home. So much for justice!
The workers rallied at the offices of Goldman Sachs in Miami. Goldman is a major shareholder of BK. The workers noted the irony of their pay compared to the millions about to be distributed as bonuses to Goldman’s managers. Did the clever work of any of these ever put food on our tables?