Thanks, great review on Faces at the Bottom of the Well by Derrick Bell.

Looking over the modest gains made against systemic racism, the truth of Bell's assertion is evident. Lincoln ended slavery not out of humanitarian concerns, but in order to weaken the traitorous rebels and sustain the Union. De jure segregation ended when its costs became too much, and when the wealthy classes realized that Black money spends just as well as any other kind. More recently, businesses got on board with #BLM because they realized that this would improve their public image and generate more sales. OTOH, Ye lost his contracts because the bigshots saw that his perceived anti-Semitism was bad for business. And so on.

As a visitor to Earth from Planet Aspergeria, one thing I find most perplexing about humans is their constant prioritizing of self-interest. Or maybe that's only Westernized humans, because I also see how traditional peoples prioritize the well-being of the entire community. At any rate, this seems to me to be a fatal flaw, because humans are obligate social creatures. Rugged individualism is based on the lie that we are solitary creatures like snow leopards or desert tortoises.

Maybe it's my outsider status that lets me see that racism hurts everyone. That's why I resist. But most people who look like me don't see this. So it seems that the best bet is to seize those moments when Black and White interests coincide, and ride them for all they're worth.

Thanks again for this great review. I'll have to read this book next. Blessings to you!