"black america as a moral mirror of america" -cornel west
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elliott_argon
Members Posts: 286 ✭✭
jus checked my fb (i know i shouldn't have one after watching that vid posted on here months agao, but...), cornel west posted this message:
"Black America has served as a kind of moral mirror for America. Not because black people have a monopoly on virtue or are always on the side of justice. Black folk are just as human as anybody else - with ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses, ignorance and wisdom. It's the very notion that black people are human beings that cuts against the grain. It's a revolutionary concept for the West."
(I suppose this is in regards to the all of the racial hotbed POLITICAL issues of the past couple of weeks--Shirley Sherrod vs USDA, NAACP vs Tea Baggers, etc.--which would make a good reason NOT to go into the race and religion dumpster?)
Any thoughts on this?
"Black America has served as a kind of moral mirror for America. Not because black people have a monopoly on virtue or are always on the side of justice. Black folk are just as human as anybody else - with ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses, ignorance and wisdom. It's the very notion that black people are human beings that cuts against the grain. It's a revolutionary concept for the West."
(I suppose this is in regards to the all of the racial hotbed POLITICAL issues of the past couple of weeks--Shirley Sherrod vs USDA, NAACP vs Tea Baggers, etc.--which would make a good reason NOT to go into the race and religion dumpster?)
Any thoughts on this?
Comments
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Yeah but a mirror just shows YOU what it sees. It does not control what it reflects. We do.
As hateful and harmful as whites have been towards blacks we sure haven't kept up the fight to bend the light and change the reflection.
He's right but now the question is....OK so what you gonna do about it? Why are we still at the point of waiting for black people to agree? Most blacks are too busy trying to tread water or impress crackers that will never return the love. So why havent we all just moved into the "what are we going to do about it" phase?
Sad thing is the first hint of ? 's losing power they go Ape ? and carpet bomb every ? iin sight. It takes hundreds of deaths and a damn near calamity for blacks to actually do something about the so-called "reflection" and grab a brick and shatter the damn mirror until we can reflect something more progressive and viewable to the eye. -
i think that cornel has a point, in the sense that, americans sit on a high horse about ? near everything. as fredrick douglas put it, black people have been the step-children of this nation since its inception. so, with all of the high-minded conceit that americans exhibit, black america has served time and time again to show the real 'america' in the mirror, if you will. as far as your frustrations, sir, what is it that you propose the we "...do about it"?
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elliott_argon wrote: »i think that cornel has a point, in the sense that, americans sit on a high horse about ? near everything. as fredrick douglas put it, black people have been the step-children of this nation since its inception. so, with all of the high-minded conceit that americans exhibit, black america has served time and time again to show the real 'america' in the mirror, if you will. as far as your frustrations, sir, what is it that you propose the we "...do about it"?
It's past suggestions at this point I'd be preaching to the choir. Its not exactly something that I can type on a message board and expect people to go out an implement. BUt some bullet points:
- ? out the church stop praying for "change" and looking for a savior and go raise hell yourself
- stop ? about racist cops and start punishing them when you know damn well you not going to get justice in the courts
- start caring enough about yourself to stop waiting for your "black president" to grow a spine and organize your damn selves in your own communities
- Ask yourself why is it that a bunch of retired old crackers can start a tea party to address white corporate needs but your black ass cant form a grass roots organization to address your needs and you the ones that need the most help
- Form groups of like minded people that will directly address your congressperson so that he/she can respect the power in #
- Teach your children to care about politics from an early age so that when people start using the words, "Tea Party, conservative, Associate justice, 60-votes, Chief-of-Staff, etc etc" you know you should care and most importantly know what those words mean...
...we can talk about how America treats blacks like ? all day long and its 100 percent true. But it seems like blacks think that one day whites are going to wake up and say, "? Bill, I realize we've been treating black people like dog ? ....lets change that today." I mean PLEASE...yes blacks have shown America the true under belly of this country. Now what are we going to do to fix it should be the next question from ALL OF US. -
DarcSkies777 wrote: »Yeah but a mirror just shows YOU what it sees. It does not control what it reflects. We do.
As hateful and harmful as whites have been towards blacks we sure haven't kept up the fight to bend the light and change the reflection.
He's right but now the question is....OK so what you gonna do about it? Why are we still at the point of waiting for black people to agree? Most blacks are too busy trying to tread water or impress crackers that will never return the love. So why havent we all just moved into the "what are we going to do about it" phase?
Sad thing is the first hint of ? 's losing power they go Ape ? and carpet bomb every ? iin sight. It takes hundreds of deaths and a damn near calamity for blacks to actually do something about the so-called "reflection" and grab a brick and shatter the damn mirror until we can reflect something more progressive and viewable to the eye.
? we way lost......to the point where we could get enough of our ppl to reflect anything other than the ice around they neck or chrome rims. If you can play w/ a ball or shuck & jive for the jews then youve made it. We got to change that perception. When are we gonna get our priorities str8? ? is too self centered to see the real image, especially if they see that image to be the white mans model of success. -
elliott_argon wrote: »It's the very notion that black people are human beings that cuts against the grain. It's a revolutionary concept for the West."
That's not a revolutionary concept for the West. The West started all this egalitarian democracy human rights ? . The old world, including Africa, was always on some tyrannical theocracy nonsense.
The West is literally the best thing to ever happen for black people and everybody else.
Unfortunately, the Chinese have rallied and are taking over, inevitably plunging the world into a new dark age of despotism and superstition. -
its over: 2012! wrote: »...good topic
__________________
As unreasonable as it'll be treated, the audacity of Reparations for Separation, is the only answer.
If you haven't realized by now that the white-racist ensures that his Nation will never see, never condone, never allow Blacks to be treated as equals...then you are one disillusioned American.
SOLUTION: Reparate those Blacks who are tired of being ? . But only under conditions that they never return here again to be ? by racist's Democracy. Then, let the rest remain here to silently enjoy it.
Yes sir, send away all of the Dr. West's The Tavis Smiley's The Michael Eric Dyson's The Rev. Sharptons The Rev. Jacksons the NBPP the NAACP you know all the niggs who won't stay in their place...then let this whole thing unfurl like The GOP has hoped for, since the early-70's
Basically I think West was saying here to *quit blaming victims, for being victimized* no doubt. I think he's speaking truth to how, there is nothing we can do about this centuries-old circumstances. We've exhausted all solutions and Heart and Bravery.
I said this before, and I hate to say it again. As I am compelled to bring 'that real' no matter who hates to think about it, but we lost. We Blacks got conquered. It's their country. Period.
We Blacks got brought here in Slave ships, we didn't bring Whites here in Slave ships.
They won. Period.
The battle to make this their country was won by Whites, not us, we got defeated along the way. So it is our job as non-Whites, our expectation, our requirement to shut up sit down and accept Human Nature, called conquering. Oh yes, as I see Dr. West calling truth in how the fact that we awe at decades-old, continual racial-disparities has brought it full circle how the very notion that black people are human beings, is cutting against the grain..
I hate that reality, I hate that it's true. Democracy just can't had turned out to work this way in the name of Abe Lincoln, 147 years later, is what I wanted to believe.
But there is that dreadful reality that we hate to have to think about, every time something submissive occurs on The Homeland.
Oh yes, that's when you can always count on directionless, lost Blacks saying, "okay, but what we gon' do bout it?"
Because they are the clueless conception.
They are the ones who pretend as though we haven't tried to do something, continually, for decades.
The powerful racists said we were too dumb, so went to HBCU's by the droves, over the past 100+ years
now today you have HBCU honor-grads getting opportuned no further than General Manager spots at Wal-Mart stores. oh yes, we tried with Black Wall Street and they burned that down. Oh yes, then we tried Martin Luther King Jr. They killed him. We tried with Black Panthers, they killed them...same with Malcolm.
Then we tried with passing legislation of the 60's forcing America to embrace Blacks as Equals...now they've killed that. And turned it around onto us, including now even have Black People calling it reverse-discrimination. Believe it, or not. Yep, even though the same lop-sided racial disparities when equipping Americans for pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness have continued, since the 60's.
And top it off, worst of all, we even tried to elect a Black President.....and I'll be damn, if he didn't have to openly and blatantly disconnect from his own Black Heritage, in order to be accepted as this Nation's Leader.
Mirror is one thing but when are we going to fix the image? If a mirror just reflects then it is the responsibility of the reflector to get him or herself together.
Black people worry about white people to much. We have made them our ? . We want to blame white people for all of our failures and won't take responsibility for nothing. FOH.
You have white Master Degrees working at Starbucks. HBCU's should have partnered with Black companies and Professionals to develop industry to have a place for them. If An HBCU grad has to go to Walmart for a job, what does that say about the HBCU and the Black community that prepared them? You can use Tulsa as an excuse all you want, but the reality is we could have built up our communities long ago. We just weren't patient enough
White people don't have enough jobs for their own let alone you. Your children are suffering because in the 70's you opted for the colder ice of the white man and his rugged individualism mentalitiy and he played the ? out of you. He gave a few token negros a position and you thought you was in like flynn. You didnt see the trend of finding cheap labor markets that started decades ago that would leave you without work?
Now is the time to stop ? , moaning, complaining and get to work. They are not going to change your condition. You can repatriate or get reparations but until we make a change we will be ? with money. We will be like the Chapelle show episode on reparations.
On one hand I feel Dr. West, but on the other sometimes things are better left unsaid and it is time to roll up the sleeves. Quit being a poster child for pity. Quit poverty pimping use your influence among the intelligentsia, sit down develop a plan and move out. My dude is a College professor at California University. He teaches African American studies and is always railing against "whitey". I got tired of hearing that ? . I had to check him, ? you get a check from whitey and his factory for white supremacy and you work on a beautiful college campus and you got a tenured position. You playin.
? want to go to the club, bang somebody's wife, get high, talk about Kobe vs Lebron, American idol, How many ? we got. Create a nationwide network of baby mamas and baby daddies, eat McDonalds, talk behind each other's back,etc.
We got to switch the style up..................... -
Mirror is one thing but when are we going to fix the image? If a mirror just reflects then it is the responsibility of the reflector to get him or herself together.
Black people worry about white people to much. We have made them our ? . We want to blame white people for all of our failures and won't take responsibility for nothing. FOH.
You have white Master Degrees working at Starbucks. HBCU's should have partnered with Black companies and Professionals to develop industry to have a place for them. If An HBCU grad has to go to Walmart for a job, what does that say about the HBCU and the Black community that prepared them? You can use Tulsa as an excuse all you want, but the reality is we could have built up our communities long ago. We just weren't patient enough
White people don't have enough jobs for their own let alone you. Your children are suffering because in the 70's you opted for the colder ice of the white man and his rugged individualism mentalitiy and he played the ? out of you. He gave a few token negros a position and you thought you was in like flynn. You didnt see the trend of finding cheap labor markets that started decades ago that would leave you without work?
Now is the time to stop ? , moaning, complaining and get to work. They are not going to change your condition. You can repatriate or get reparations but until we make a change we will be ? with money. We will be like the Chapelle show episode on reparations.
On one hand I feel Dr. West, but on the other sometimes things are better left unsaid and it is time to roll up the sleeves. Quit being a poster child for pity. Quit poverty pimping use your influence among the intelligentsia, sit down develop a plan and move out. My dude is a College professor at California University. He teaches African American studies and is always railing against "whitey". I got tired of hearing that ? . I had to check him, ? you get a check from whitey and his factory for white supremacy and you work on a beautiful college campus and you got a tenured position. You playin.
? want to go to the club, bang somebody's wife, get high, talk about Kobe vs Lebron, American idol, How many ? we got. Create a nationwide network of baby mamas and baby daddies, eat McDonalds, talk behind each other's back,etc.
We got to switch the style up.....................
Perfectly said
