How is Capitalism is present day Slavery?

 India Williams

1 December 2021

J. Harris ENG 2016

Blog Post

How Capitalism plays a major role in The Black Gothic?


In this blog post, there will be plenty of bashing of white people, I want it to be clear it is not from a personal vendetta, my facts will be solely based on proven historical events and communal experiences black people share in this country. It is logical for capitalism to be the longest-standing assault on people of color in America, it contributes to The Black Gothic as a, if not the reason most black people live the nightmare of the uncertainty of their financial future today.

Capitalism started in America as slavery, it can be considered twenty-first-century slavery even. Slavery is nothing new, it is a tale as old as time, when power-seeking people feel they are better than others they oppress their “lesser” peers, henceforth the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and in America’s case slavery. Capitalism is a key focus in the black gothic because it instills through the economy that we, people of color, will never be able to be as free as our white counterparts. 

The economy runs the present-day world as we know it, if it crashes, we are all in for a rude awakening. Think of it as it was portrayed in the HBO Original show, “Lovecraft Country,” the main character Leti “purchased” a home in a predominantly white neighborhood, but it will never be hers to own because the loan from the bank can never be repaid fully. While that was back in the 1950s and it is no longer that way anymore, that was a prime example of how slavery evolved into a more intelligent form of oppression. Present-day taxes, interest rates, and wages hold people in poverty. As the taxes go up, paychecks get smaller and poverty-stricken people who cannot afford their living conditions are left out on the street. 

As a closer example of capitalism is a key component in The Black Gothic, we can go investigate the federal government. Firstly, the judicial system in America was founded by the oppressors of the nation, white people. It was created for white people by white people and in numerous cases, it has been shown to inexplicably favor white people. From white terrorism, school shootings, and the day-to-day killings of people of color at the hands of white people very few times have there been consequences to these behaviors through our judicial system. Whereas for the POC community who live their daily lives hoping to not run into these potentially fatal or hazardous situations that are ultimately unavoidable. 

This represents The Black Gothic to me particularly because it is a constant reminder of the familiar saying of, “make it out the hood.” The “hood” does not have to be what is assumed naturally as low-income areas. The hood for POC is anywhere at any time when you run into the right racist or prejudiced person. Even I come from a very diverse ethnic background, will always have the chip on my shoulder to maintain my ducks in a row because any perfectly timed step out of line can cost my life and that is The Black Gothic.








WORKS CITED 

Green, Misha, et al. Lovecraft Country, created by Misha Green, HBO Max, 16 Aug. 2020. 

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