Structural Classism and Structural Racism

Firstly, it is incumbent for us to define class, race and then structural classism and structural racism. Class can be defined as shared characteristics of groups of people in relation economic and socio-economic cohorts between individuals. Race is an identification with others who share a lineage with more immediate human ancestors often tied to geographical location of these ancestors with their traditions, struggles and achievements ‘inherited’. Structural classism is the economic or socio-economic geopolitical reproduction and normalization of exploitation of groups of people or individuals as belonging to certain groups by way of shared socio-economic conditions. Structural racism is the reproduction and normalization of economic and socio-economic exploitation of entire groups of people or even entire nations predominantly and principally identifying with a particular race.

To be effectively against structural classism and structural racism one’s political views must be against reproducing the economic and socio-economic global inequalities – particularly acute inequalities and exploitation.

Being pro structural classism is far worse than making a classist comment or comments. Similarly, a racist slur is far less racist than reproducing racist structural economic exploitation through one’s political views. However, what is the most classist and racist is making classist and/or racist slurs and being politically complicit in reproducing structural classism and/or structural racism in one’s views.

Furthermore, poking fun at the rich is far less immoral than deriding economically poor people since these people are already victims of economic stigma, economic discrimination, and exploitation. This constitutes a double indignity such as the pejorative terms bogan, chav, hick, redneck or feral. ☹ However, like racial slurs the intended victims can co-opt and re-appropriate the meanings of these words as a point of pride and transgression, as one form of effective resistance to this double exploitation.