LINH DINH
Philadelphia, 2018
The Iranian people would like to know how would you interpret Floyd’s death: an isolated case of officers mistreating criminals or a sign of systematic anti-black racism?
-As we can clearly see in the film, Floyd was murdered, for an officer knelt on his neck as he was lying face down on the ground, handcuffed. He posed no threats to the cops. Although you may attribute his killing to racism, and there is plenty of it in the US, one must also remember that American cops kill a lot of whites, browns and yellows, too. Blacks are more often the victims of police brutality because cops have more run-ins with blacks. They commit more crimes.
Keep in mind, also, that American cops have become more militarized in recent decades, most notably after 9/11, and they’ve become more Israelized. Thousands have been sent to Israel to learn police tactics, which is curious, for Israel has the absolute worst record for police abuse in the world. Trained by Israelis, many American cops return home to treat Americans like occupied Palestinians. Kneeling on people’s face and neck is an Israeli staple.
During the last couple of years, we have frequently heard of pro-black protests in the US. Are we witnessing a surge in pro-black activism? If yes, then what’s the reason?
-As long as there are blacks in the US, there will be black activism and protests, because blacks will always feel aggrieved. Even in black run cities, where the mayor, police chief and district attorney are blacks, blacks are angry at “the system,” simply because they don’t compete as well as other races in that system. They open fewer businesses, make less money and fail more at schools. Generally speaking, black run countries also don’t fare as well in the global system, and by saying all this, I’m not defending any system or saying it should a measurement of one’s worth.
Black resentment, though, is constantly stoked by the American media and many politicians, and they do this to divide and conquer the country. When blacks commit outrageous crimes against whites, browns or yellows, it’s downplayed or completely ignored by the media, which causes the victim’s group to feel resentment and anger. The ruling class wants a constantly seething population, and so far, it’s been very successful at having citizens always enraged at each other, instead of being united to fight against those who are actually kneeling on their necks.
Some US officials lamented the tragedy and the officer responsible for Floyd’s murder is to be put on trial. So why don’t the protesters give up?
-The protesters won’t be appeased even if the entire Minneapolis Police Department is convicted of first-degree murder, with every last officer executed on television. They’re not just angry at racism or police brutality, but mostly because they’ve been systematically disenfranchised, going back decades, so that they’re lucky to have a lousy job and a crummy and overpriced apartment, far from their worksite. They’re also angry because they’re socially isolated, a factor that’s almost never mentioned. Americans are among the loneliest people in earth. They don’t live in communities, but cells, with their cellphones their boon companions.
It was easy to predict the rioting, looting and street violence you see now. George Floyd’s death is a trigger, but also a pretext, for nearly every kind of American to unleash his anger. Even before the economic collapse that’s set off by the coronavirus, America was in serious decline and in deep trouble.
In contrast to the images of affluence and ecstasy beamed out by America to the rest of the world, American cities and towns were not happy places, for they’re filled with too many shuttered stores, ruins of factories, dull faces and misshapen bodies, from a lack of purposeful activities. Drug and alcohol abuses were rampant. I personally know young Americans who’ve died from heroin overdoses. Despair was already widespread, but 40 million more people unemployed and countless businesses abruptly destroyed, the anger and frustration will erupt for many more months. This is just the beginning.
Did Donald Trump act as a responsible president? What’s the buzz about his tweet?
-Trump is not a responsible president, but none of his recent predecessors has been either. Obama sounded better, but was just as complicit in the corruption and criminality of the US government. American elections are shams.
Five months before Trump was “elected,” I wrote, “In 2008, Obama was touted as a political outsider who will hose away all of the rot and bloody criminality of the Bush years. He turned out to be a deft move by our ruling class. Though fools still refuse to see it, Obama is a perfect servant of our military banking complex. Now, Trump is being trumpeted as another political outsider.
“A Trump presidency will temporarily appease restless, lower class whites, while serving as a magnet for liberal anger. This will buy our ruling class time as they continue to wage war abroad while impoverishing Americans back home. Like Obama, Trump won’t fulfill any of his election promises, and this, too, will be blamed on bipartisan politics.”
This, when many commentators thought the deep state would sabotage Trump’s candidacy or even murder him, but no one becomes a US president without the approval of the deep state. As for the mechanism of American “elections,” it is a joke, for it’s done mostly with machines that cannot be audited. They are as responsive to your wish as the slot machines at casinos.
How do you assess the behavior of the US corporate media? Did they provide their audience with fair, realistic coverage of the developments?
-As a nonstop brainwashing machine, the US corporate media can’t tell the truth about anything. It will often set up minor or false arguments to distract you from real issues, which are never addressed objectively or in depth.
With this coronavirus crisis, the corporate media report on Trump signing a $484 billion relief bill “to boost small business, hospitals and testing,” but they say nothing about the $6 trillion that were given to banks, large corporations and investors.
Though they talk endlessly about serving Main Street, American politicos are only loyal to Wall Street and Israel, but the American media, which are dominated by Jews, will never expose this. They’re in cahoots to serve Jewish interests.
As for American “intellectuals,” they know what topics to stay clear of if they don’t want to be demonized, ostracized and hounded out of a job. Like American newscasters, American “intellectuals” are also habitual liars. In such a climate, no truth can surface.
For several years, I was a commentator for Iran’s Press TV, so I was on dozens of YouTube videos, but suddenly they were all erased, along with all Press TV videos. Since 2015, I’ve written for Unz Review, so I’m humbled and honored to be featured along with Gilad Atzmon, Kevin Barrett, Laurent Guyenot, Whitney Webb, Paul Craig Roberts, Michael Hudson, the Saker, Pepe Escobar, Philip Girardi, Ron Paul and Ron Unz himself, etc. I mean, these are all top-notch public intellectuals, but suddenly, Unz Review was banned by FaceBook and suppressed by Google, so its traffic has dropped tremendously. There is not a healthy debate about anything in the USA.
The American mental landscape is absolutely surreal, for just about everything you’re allowed to see, hear, smell or touch is bullshit.
How does the police treatment of the protests compare to similar protests in other countries? Is the US well placed to lecture other governments on how to treat the opposition?
-The US only supports “the opposition” in foreign countries to destabilize them. As a justification, it always cites the promotion of “democracy,” but since there is no democracy in America itself, this is clearly a sham. Americans don’t decide anything. Their government is a criminal organization that does whatever it wants, including plunging the country into war after war for the benefits of Israel, war profiteers and bankers. As house slaves, though, Americans do reap some imperial benefits, so that has helped to somewhat pacify them. As crumbs stop falling from their master’s table, however, they may actually stiffen up and become a real opposition.
How will Floyd’s murder affect the future of America? Is this a milestone or something?
-America is going through a convulsion that will change it forever, but it’s not about George Floyd or even black/white relations. The country is vomiting all over itself because it’s thoroughly sick, financially, intellectually and morally. Out of this chaos, though, some clarity must emerge, even if it can only be applied locally. For the sake of the world, and Americans themselves, the country should break up, but maybe I’m being too optimistic. Going down, America might just resort to its own Samson Option.
Linh Dinh’s latest book is Postcards from the End of America.
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