Show:
Civil vs. Wild Spaces,
Personhood vs. Subpersonhood
The Racial Contract & The Social Contract
Enforcement of The Racial Contract
Moral and Political Consciousness of the Racial Contract
The Racial Contract & Reality
100
There are two dimensions of the norming and racing of space into civil and wild spaces. What are the two dimensions?
The two dimensions are the EPISTEMOLOGICAL and the MORAL.
100
The Racial Contract is the ____________ of the Social Contract.
TRUTH
100
The Racial Contract is enforced through TWO specific things, name these two things.
VIOLENCE and IDEOLOGICAL CONDITIONING
100
Mill says that the Racial Contract creates a "racialized moral psychology" and that this condition is called an epistemology of ignorance. What is this epistemology of ignorance?
The epistemology of ignorance is that whites will act in racist ways when they think they are acting morally. The ignorance of racism is so embedded in white privilege that whites will have difficulty in recognizing racist acts.
100
The Racial Contract is ______________ to the _____________ Social Contract.
SUPERIOR, RACELESS
200
What does Mills mean when he uses the phrase "global locus of rationality". What dimension does this fall under?
The "global locus of rationality" refers to how knowledge, science, and the ability to understand the world intellectually is restricted to European/white/civil spaces. This concept falls under the Epistemological dimension because it has to do with knowledge.
200
Why does Mills say that the "ever-deepening differentiation" between the First and Third Worlds, and viewing the Third World as 'unfortunate' is a part of the Racial Contract?
Because we don't view the conditions of the Third World as being related to the history of transcontinental racial exploitation.
200
Mills says that Ideological Conditioning requires "labor at both ends". Explain what he means by this.
Ideological Conditioning is based on self-negation (by whites) and self-definition (by non-whites). Both groups learn to view themselves "through the eyes of each other".
200
Mills talks in-depth about the Jewish Holocaust being referred to as THE Holocaust, and the astonishing reactions we have from it. Why does he say this is part of the Racial Contract?
Because Whites have forgotten the long history of European conquest, settlement, colonialism, and slavery, which all encompassed genocide, but against non-whites. The only reason for European "outrage" at Nazism is because the Jewish Holocaust was genocide inflicted by whites upon whites. *Note: Mills explains how Hitler's creation of a middle level within the white/non-white dichotomy is what contributed to his failure. Although Jews were this 'middle class', the outrage stems from the idea that Jews should not have been considered non-whites.
200
What does Mills say will be the benefit of using the Racial Contract in looking at current political/social issues?
That the Racial Contract will remove the "mysteriousness" of these issues.
300
Mills says that vice and virtue (morals) are spatialized. Give either the example Mills provides in his book or one of your own of how this is.
Mills goes into detail about how non-white spaces are demonized. One example he provides is how we view the 'Third World' as an 'abyss of darkness'.
300
Why does Mills say that viewing the present as a 'neutral baseline' is part of the Racial Contract?
Because if we look at the present as a neutral baseline, we take for granted the configurations of wealth, poverty, and property that were handed down to groups historically. Because just a formal extension of rights is insufficient to remedy the inequities of the past.
300
Is the Racial Contract voluntary or non-voluntary? Explain why.
The Racial Contract is non-voluntary for 'subpersons' because it is an exploitative contract. The 'subperson' has no reason to accept the Racial Contract and therefore resists it.
300
How does the Racial Contract open up a space for white repudiation/rejection?
Since whites are given the privilege of 'valid cognition' they can choose to speak up against the terms of the Racial Contract. Mills includes that this will be difficult for whites because in doing so, whites will have to forego their privilege (that sometimes they may not know they have).
300
What is Mills' comment on the discussion of multiculturalism?
Mills says that although the discussion for “multiculturalism” is welcome, what needs to be appreciated is that racism is an issue of political power, not a clash of cultures.
400
Mills says that subpersonhood can be divided into categories (eg. "savage", "noble savage", "barbarian"). Why does he say that these categories are irrelevant for whites in the Racial Contract?
Because regardless of variations, the Racial Contract still deems subpersons as subpersons who are incapable of self-autonomy and self-rule.
400
Mills states that we are currently in the second stage of White Supremacy. What does Mills say is the conflict/tension in this second stage?
Mills says that the tension in the second stage is the disconnect between de facto white privilege and the formal extension of rights to all people.
400
Mills uses the police to illustrate the difference between law enforcement in the Social Contract and law enforcement in the Racial Contract. Briefly explain this comparison.
In the Social Contract, the police is used to 'protect citizens' versus in the Racial Contract, the police is used to 'diminish non-white resistance'. Non-white resistance receives drastically higher levels of retaliatory violence versus crimes committed by whites.
400
Mill says that in order to understand the workings of a system of oppression that we must use “stand-point theory”. What is this?
The idea that we must examine the system from the bottom up to truly understand it. In the Racial Contract, we must begin by looking at the experiences of non-whites oppressed by the system.
400
Why does Mills say that whiteness is not really a color at all?
Because the Racial Contract CREATES whiteness as a set of power relations. The Racial Contract brings whiteness into existence.
500
Mills introduces the concept of "The Black Body", briefly explain this concept.
"The Black Body" is the idea that every black person is a "part" or "limb" of one large 'Black Body'. The Racial Contract says that whites disqualify the thinking of non-whites by viewing them as "talking bodies" (the Black Body) rather than "talking heads".
500
Mills mentions four major philosophers/political theorists from the past. Name these four theorists. Which one's argument was the pillar of the Expropriation Contract and what was the argument?
The four theorists were: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Kant. LOCKE's argument was the pillar of the Expropriation Contract. Locke argued that while both whites and non-whites shared a brief time together in the state of nature, that whites were superior because they added value to their environment. Aboriginals did not improve the land and could therefore be regarded as non-existent (the pillar of the Expropriation Contract).
500
Define what Mills termed as the "cultural bomb".
The "cultural bomb" is the practice of annihilating a group's identities and capacities by annihilating the beliefs around their names, languages, environment, unity, heritage, and histories of struggle.
500
Mills says that the Racial Contract can be seen as voluntary if non-whites accept subpersonhood status. In order for nonwhites to overcome the internalization of subpersonhood, what does Mills say they must do?
They must learn to trust their own cognitive power, to develop their own concepts and most importantly to oppose the knowledge-based framework of the Racial Contract thats purpose is for exploitation.
500
What parallel does Mills state at the end of his book to explain what the Racial Contract's aim is?
Mill says that The Racial Contract's aim is to close the gap between BLACK POLITICAL THEORY'S GHETTOIZATION FROM MAINSTREAM DISCUSSION, AND WHITE THEORY'S GHETTOIZATION FROM REALITY.