From Cornel West To RiPPA: The Black Conservative's Problem - A Rebuttal and Reframing

This is a quote that I lifted from my good friend RiPPa's blog.

RiPPa's Favorite Quotes:

"The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they simply want what most people want, to be judged by the quality of their skills, not by the color of their skin. But the black conservatives overlook the fact that affirmative action policies were political responses to the pervasive refusal of most white Americans to judge black Americans on that basis."— Cornel West

This statement seems compelling at first read. It appears to be an indictment of the thinking and expectations of the Black Conservative.

Just as with the Maya Angelou statement from last year - it tells only half of the story. Bottom line - you are not going to get a Black Progressive to put progressivism on trial. He only seeks to put his adversary on trial as he shows a stronger commitment to his ideology rather than the whole truth.

First I must point again to the incessant focus upon the ominous threat from the "Black Conservative" which does not stand as we consider his actual numbers in proportion to the "Black Whole". At most the Black Conservative makes up 10% of the total Black voting base. There are few strict conservatives that hold ELECTED positions over the Black community because, despite the ability to consistently prove that what they prefer works for our best interests at home - The Black Community Does Not Vote For Conservatives, including Black ones.

Thus this gets us to the second and more substantial problem with Mr West's statement as he doggedly avoids a more thorough inspection of the prevailing Black Political Machine.

What about the assumptions of the Black Progressive Position, Dr West?


Dr Cornel West makes two major points:

1. The Need For Respect
2. Reparation For Misdeeds Of Past Actions
   

Let us inspect the Black Progressive ethos on these two points.

I just spent the last few days both angered but also "crying inside" as I listened to many Black people recounting Ted Kennedy and his focus upon "The Least Of These". Anyone who has read this blog over time will have note that my observations about the tendency for the Progressive - Black and White - to stultify Black people has been a long running concern to me.
I content that it is not that Ted Kennedy "cared about Black people" but he cared about "The Least Of These" and Blacks fit this mold.

In addition I pointed to the recent California Prop 8 vote in which Blacks voted in a manner that was counter to what the White Progressive THOUGHT that we should be voting. Thus we heard racist attacks upon Black people from them that are typically associated with White right wing bigots.

This moves us closer to my argument that: As long as Black people think and vote as the White Liberal Snarling Fox expects us to - we are his BFF. By definition such a relationship will be one of Superior and Stultified. He is "feeding us" in exchange for our votes and loyalties.

My direct challenge to Dr West's assertions about the Black Conservatives' desire for "respect" is to ask him - "How Do We As A People Grow To The Point Of Equal Respectability When The Key To Your Forward Movement Is The Assumption That Black People Are "Damaged Goods" From Our Past And Thus Require An Affirming Action?"

More to the point: Just as I wondered out loud last week to the words spoken by Rev Joseph Lowery - "What about your plan of development shows any evidence that Black people will one day be the UN-LEAST OF THESE" I ask the same of Dr West: "At What Point Will You Make The Unilateral Decision To Refuse Affirmative Action Because You Need It No Longer"?

The answer to both of these questions are: Nothing and Never.

The key flaw in the Black Progressive macro strategy can be seen where we as a people are "All Alone With Nothing By The Prevailing Ideology To Feed Us, Educate Us, Protect Us". In the large metro areas where the policies that Dr West supports are in power per the Progressive leadership is where we can find the greatest amount of misery among Black people in this nation. Thus we get to the greatest irony of all in Dr West's statement of his beliefs.

We spend so much time focused upon the programs that we believe we need as we engage in competitive battles for resources with White folks (ie: freshman seats, government contracts, etc) that, in aggregate this prevailing, progressive plan fails to prepare our communities and the economic systems within to be viable as stand alone entities.

How many expansive government contracts are the cities of Detroit and Philadelphia issuing today as the former is $300 million in the hole and the latter just stopped payments to all contractors until September due to fiscal constraints upon the city?

Of the school systems that feed our young Black students into competition for the freshman seats in college - how many of these high schools are ranked as "top notch" and thus are responsible for flooding the admissions offices with a record number of highly qualified Black applicants in line with the presence of "people who look like us and care for our children" as they stated in their campaign for office?

The truth about Dr West's statements is that he has successfully "Put The Conservative On Trial" while avoided having any inspection of the prevailing order within the Black community take the stand.

If our goal is to get to TRUTH in our community and not just "One Ups-manship" of our own ideology then both sides must be debated AND the incumbency of one of these sides must be used as a greater weight upon it.