Reflection Summary: Week 5 Addendum (Harvest of Empire and White Supremacy)

 

Reflection Summary: Week 5 Addendum (Harvest of Empire and White Supremacy)

In this Week 5 addendum lecture, Professor Scott Tsuchitani adds more explanation about Harvest of Empire and connects the course themes to current racial conditions in the United States. He says this lecture is urgent because racial discourse is changing quickly. The lecture has two main parts. The first part explains the “lie” behind U.S. imperialism in Latin America. The second part discusses current events related to white supremacy and the normalization of vulgar racism.

First, Professor Tsuchitani explains that race has often been used as an “alibi” to justify state violence in the service of capitalist interests. He reviews examples from earlier weeks. He mentions chattel slavery and scientific racism against Africans. He connects this history to modern systemic racism in areas like the criminal justice system, healthcare, and education. He also connects Manifest Destiny to violence against Native Americans. He explains that the “White Man’s Burden” was used to justify colonization of the Philippines and exclusion of Asians.

Then he asks what lie was used to justify U.S. intervention in Latin America. He explains that the U.S. often claimed it was defending democracy and stopping communism. He argues this was a lie because communism and democracy are not the same type of system. He explains that communism and capitalism are economic systems. He explains that democracy and dictatorship are political systems. He says the U.S. did not defend democracy, because it often supported dictators or helped overthrow democratically elected leaders. He connects these actions to protecting U.S. capitalist interests in the region.

Professor Tsuchitani also explains what Harvest of Empire means by “harvest.” He says the harvest is capitalist profit and control. He also says the harvest includes pushing people into migration so the U.S. can benefit from exploitable labor. He gives El Salvador as an example. He explains that the U.S. supported death squads and supported a system where a small group controlled most land. He mentions the School of the Americas and says it trained militias in violent repression. He also shares a resource for learning more about activism connected to that history.

In the second part, Professor Tsuchitani connects these ideas to current white supremacy. He discusses how racist ideas can be normalized by people in power. He uses a post by Ibram X. Kendi as an example and explains the history of comparing Black people to apes as a foundational racist idea. He connects this to the course idea that race is not biological, but social meaning assigned to bodies. He also uses the idea of intertextuality to explain how old racist images and messages can be reused and understood by the public without being directly explained.

Overall, this lecture helped me connect historical patterns to the present. It shows how racism can be used to justify violence, control, and economic power. It also shows how media and leadership can shape what society accepts as “normal.” The lecture encouraged me to pay attention and not ignore racism when it appears. It also reminded me that awareness creates responsibility, even if each person chooses a different way to respond.