Having spent many hours in redneck bars attempting to do battle with over racist views (in a former life as a country musician), I can tell you that one doesn’t have many EFFECTIVE conversational weapons against the obstinate intransigence of a garden variety racist who has been immersed his/her whole life in what are cultural "truths" (i.e., "black people are ___") about race. The context in which such conversations occur is so far into racist territory (analogous to being way behind enemy lines) that the things that appear to be taken for granted in the conversation would certainly lead you to believe that the warrior (e.g., myself) is racist IF taken out of context. One does what one can in such conversations to create a chink in the wall without starting an all out war because the all out war is guaranteed to be ineffective in stirring up any latent thoughts that might exist in the racist. I know that some who do battle in this perverted world are more courageous than I in their methods (my fellow musician Phil who last Monday refused to play Dixie for a University of Georgia Sugar Bowl game visitor) but we do what we think we are capable of.
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I think that Rosebuddear’s explanation to her father in which she allowed the assumption that Barack’s views on welfare state motives are those of bootstrap black Republicans (who do exist) who repudiate their impoverished roots, was a very bad generalization that lumps black Americans into 2 camps rather than one: welfare statists and bootstrappers. So in the argument blacks are reduced to 2 groups, but still aren’t granted the dignity of being a varied population like everybody else. But sometimes one has to use such inane oversimplifications to even get the conversation started. It ain’t pretty, but when you don’t have bricks to build a foundation you use garbage if that’s all you have. It’s ugly, certainly inelegant, and would be racist if one were having a normal conversation about race with a normal human being. But conversations with racists are NOT normal. It is usually impossible to voice the simplest of subtleties such as the idea that Barack is his own man with Barack’s agenda, not "the black agenda." So I understand why you think that Rosebuddear’s logic is racist, and on the face of it, I agree that the logic denies arack personhood by lumping him so grossly with the "good camp" of black bootstrappers. It’s silly. But let’s get more detailed. Because when talking to a racist one is more often than not dealing with a person who not only doesn’t understand the slightest subtlety, but one who avoids subtlety like poison, as if it’s not manly or something. Subtlety gets bombed to bits by a racist. It’s like trying to make an etching with a jackhammer. It probably was enough for Rosebuddear to get her dad to start thinking that maybe Barack is not Jesse Jackson (IMHO the least effective standard bearer of a mainstream black American message that could be imagined). I agree with all your comments about the racist assumptions that were allowed to float in Rosebuddear’s conversation with her dad. Yeah, her argument had a great big logical hole in it. But consider the intimidation involved in challenging her own father’s ingrained beliefs. Families can break apart over such things. There is fear involved.
As a white person, I can assure all black Americans that racism does exist, it’s NOT so veiled behind closed doors, and, no, it’s not in black peoples’ imaginations. I have heard the worst of it and I think it’s America’s worst problem. I don’t for a second believe that Rosebuddear is a
well-meaning yet totally clueless white liberals who simply refuse to confront that most of them pretty much feel the same way, deep down, about Black people as the more overt racists of the world.
You are totally off base here. Yes, many white liberals have mistaken generalizations that they still labor under, but, in general, the difference between them and the avowed racists, is that they are receptive to being shown those generalizations. They can learn. We all (even black people) have racist generalizations that we assume to be true because it permeates our culture. There are many willing allies for black people in the white world and it should be expected that white folks are often going to exhibit such generalizations. I recommend educating them rather than alienating them. I understand the anger because it’s an obvious reaction. I feel the same. But I have to check myself because I want to be effective more than I want to lash back. Getting the racist context of our national identity to shift in a meaningful way is going to be an uphill battle for a long time to come. And it’s going to take white people in addition to black people to accomplish any shifting that may take place. And there are LOTS and LOTS of white people who are committed to the cause. And there are LOTS more white people who support the cause even if they aren’t committed to doing the work. White people are integral to the cause of reducing racism because the major shifts that need to take place have to happen among white people. United we stand. If we miss the mark, show us the mark, but don’t kick us off the team.
I really regret the way Bill Cosby’s comments have been taken out of context by the right wing. Even more, I really regret the way many traditional mainstream black commentators have excoriated Cosby for being racist oand for not standing up for black people. In my view, his comments were more reminiscent of Malcom X than of Tavis Smiley. My distillation of his message to the black population is, "We have a problem here. Let’s face it, and unite to solve it because I don’t see the US Cavalry coming over the ridge any time soon." I also really regret the fact that so many blacks don’t trust Barack because he "doesn’t talk black, he doesn’t act black, and I’m not sure he IS black." Tell me racism can’t exist in black people. Shameful.
Have you read Barack’s Autobiography? He identifies himself as black because he IS Identified as black by his surrounding culture. He makes it clear that he has had a lot of inner conflict because of his own perceived difference from other black folk. The idea that
"Black children will see they can succeed" -- as if the majority of Black children haven't been seeing that all along, somehow, in all the other Black folks who have succeeded before Barack Obama...
I have personally witnessed the absence of possibility in many black kids’ views. Not a conscious hole, but a missing ingredient. Not a "there is no hope" statement, but a lack of the word "Hope." I think Barack wants to bring that back for poor black kids.
Your point about collectively cleansing ourselves of any racist guilt by electing a milk toast black man with no "black agenda" is an interesting one. I believe that this may be the case for many Americans. Years from now they will be able to say, "I even voted for Obama." But I think that any black man who is serious about a presidential campaign has to manage a very careful dance with the entire population. If he gets in the white house by collecting enough of the guilt cleansing votes, I’m OK with that. I want him in there because I think he’s the best candidate by far. In politics, you take what you can get. But if he wins, it will be more than the guilt vote that does it. People have lots of reasons for embracing Obama. If say 30% of white voters are unfettered guilt free liberals who have no issues with Obama being black, all black voters vote for him (11%), 5% of white guilt cleansing voters go Obama, and another 5% crossovers vote from him for miscellaneous reasons, that’s 55% of the popular vote and by recent standards, almost a landslide victory. And don’t worry...Barack will definitely support meaningful changes in the way out national institutions approach black people. I believe that he will do Malcom and Cosby proud per their REAL, unspun intentions.