Email from a white man married to a Chinese woman, with children

I moved out of the Rainier Valley in Seattle largely because of the racial tension there. The whites were trying to keep the Mexicans out, the Blacks were pissed about the Asian businesses, and various types of Chinese did not like other various types of Chinese. My Human Services training tells me that when you run into a group that is hard to get into, it is because the communication inside the group is not healthy. I ran into particular issues whenever I tried to socialize with any of my african american male neighbors on the bus, if they were older than me there was no problem, but if they were younger than me there was hell to pay.

Well, it turns out that around the time I moved out, there was a significant struggle going on for the hearts and minds of BET:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlKL_EpnSp8
and much more importantly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ4tTOeVp_g

It turns out this conversation is continued now in the Obama era, though you can see it is evolving:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRVqVwGWocM

21st Century Public Safety

In a previous blog entry, Towards less Hate: Rise of the Bourgeoise-Technologist, I show a typing of social/economic dependence. Please see that blog entry in order to understand what follows.

Racially and religiously homogenous groups have ancient means of self-governance. They fall into my Type 1 category. Policing is performed by the familial -mothers, fathers, friends. "It takes a village" sums it up.

Type 2 stage is less coherent and efficient for public safety if policing has moved to non-local and non-familial, while the local node is still as racist, religiously sectarian, or harbors a nationalist agenda serving their race or religion. The LA riots of the 1990's, riots in Muslim neighborhoods of France, and religious compound raids such as the Waco Texas Branch Davidians are examples. In all these cases the local racist or sectarian node does not tolerate non-familial ambivalent policing.

A Bourgeoisie-Technologist class, Type 3, are a return to coherence and efficiency in the realm of public-safety. With the ancient form of familial social governance diminished almost to zero, and opposition to racist or sectarian agendas due to these being an economic suppressant; the Type 3 Bourgeoisie-Technologist class stands to gain more public-safety in an age of ambivalent technological social control.

With every surveillance camera and RFID tag the Bourgeoisie-Technologist class can expect greater safety. Of course Type 1 and 2 societies will see the same technologies as threatening their racist or sectarian strongholds, and especially threatening their use of violence on outsiders. For the more fluid individuals without strong allegiance to race or sect, but serving themselves through violence or illegal economics, the surveillance is a straightforward threat.

The Bourgeoise-Technologist class can make increased public-safety more likely by practicing a non-solidarity with Type 1 and 2 classes. The check point, query from police officers, or survey by video camera is an entirely different experience for the legal and illegal. A safe environment for the Bourgeoisie-Technologist class is one with these policing methods 24/7.

A word should be said about wealth and inclusiveness. Our standard view of the 1950's as a bourgeoise paradise, and repressive for minorities; helps foster a negative connotation of the term bourgeoise. That "bourgeoise paradise" of the 1950's was Type 2-an antithesis of the Bourgeoise-Technologist class. The cost of equipment needed for entrance in the Bourgeoisie-Technologist class is well below $500, and there is no one at the entrance door checking for specific race or religion. As far as hurdles to enter an upper class go, the < $500 is a doable one. Then there is the issue of public safety. Historically the underclass have a life threatening hurdle before they can enter a higher class, and it is called "street violence". Peaceful members of the underclass could more likely muster the $500 for upward mobility if they could safely go about their business. Every surveillance camera helps the underclass have less harassment from their own.

The poor want public safety also, for immediate peace, and for an environment conducive to entrance in the Bourgeoisie-Technologist class.

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Supporting and related material:

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Coplink Artificial Intelligence

Towards less Hate: Rise of the Bourgeoise-Technologist

Type 1: Symbiotic dependence is entirely local. If there is a more global connection and trade, it is created by an elite class equipped with mobility and communications, involved with locals only to exploit natural commodities of labor, minerals, plant or animal extracts, or entertainment talent.

Type 2: People we are symbiotically dependent on are local, plus political leverage through homogeny by solidarity with racial or culturally similar groups. Coordination between local nodes is facilitated by one-to-many media. The media has certain command capabilities, and locals have leverage in the form of only watching affirmation of their cultural or racial biases. This social type is still strongly Type 1. Examples: 50's and 60's WASP-centric programming, Black Entertainment Television channel, TV evangelism.

Type 3: A growing class symbiotically dependent on a global economy. These are non-elite equipped with mobility and communications, untethered to local circumstances of others, and symbiotically dependent on people not in their racial, religious, or national profile. My term for this antithesis class to the Type 1 and 2 profiles: Bourgeoisie-Technologist. Bourgeoisie-Technologist Flag

Dialectics on Types 1, 2 and 3

A rise of a Bourgeoisie-Technologist class does not equate to anticipation of total peace, nor does it imply that the Internet will disable Type 1 and 2. The Internet will aid in perpetuating 1) the exploitation of locals by malicious elite. 2) Affirming old racial and cultural homogeny's and prejudices by giving "channels" for viewers to watch their beliefs affirmed. The Bourgeoisie-Technologist class owes its existence to mobile phones, computers, and satellite data transmission; but the Internet is a wider phenomenon. Perhaps this illuminates the stereotype of iPhone user as a diversity-friendly type, and large PC users as more Type 2-ish.