Cornel West: Barack Obama doesn't care about black people
By Ben ReiningaMay 20th, 2011, 2:15 pmComments (22)
Cornel West is probably one of the most interesting public intellectuals we've got these days. He got fired from Harvard for making a rap album (or so he'd tell you), watching him speak is like watching a crazy man whispering to himself, and he's the only tenured Ivy League professor to sport such a delightful beard. Recently, he's also been on the offensive, intensifying his longstanding beef with Barack Obama.
Earlier this week, West went on The Ed Show to spout off about what he calls Barack Obama's "fear of free black men." He said:
"I think he does have a predilection much more toward upper-class white brothers and Jewish brothers and a certain distance from free black men who will tell him the truth about himself as well as what’s going on in black communities, brown communities, red communities, and poor white and working-class communities."
I feel mixed about this. Black and historically under-served communities in this country struggle with poverty now as much as they ever have, in a "permanent recession," as some have said. And it's valid for people to push the President to serve the working class. That said, our weird culture of racial authenticity — where one prominent black man can insult another by suggesting he's somehow inauthentic, "not black enough" — feels oddly regressive, and stands in the way of real progress. Plus, yelling at the President for hanging out with too many white men seems like willful ignorance.
Moreover, whatever political message West has gets obscured by his personal gripes with the President. West campaigned aggressively for Obama in 2008, but soon soured with the President. At first, it seemed like a personal thing, like West was just feeling left out. He got very mad about not getting a ticket to the Inauguration, and bitched publicly about how Barack didn't return his phone calls. I know you're Cornel West, sir, but he's the President.
Commentarium (22 Comments)
Why does everybody have to have on the jews? What did they ever do to Cornel West?
I thought it was a decently respectful comment. Jewish intellectuals pull a lot of weight in West's world, aren't "white", and generally do better than black, brown, and red communities. I've heard plenty of worse - much worse - from people of every stripe.
Doesn't mean he's right.
I can't fathom how you interpret calling a group of people brothers to be hatefull. There was no insult to white people or Jews in that quote. He was making a statement he believes to be factual in neutral terms. You are seeing things.
Cornell Westnis hateful jealous and out of touch
No, this is actually pretty bad. He makes the claim that all Jews are A.of privilege b.Not worth worrying about and c.control presidential policy like no other group out there.
Of course this comes on the heels of the Jewish community being in uproar against Obama - he gave a speech that was anti-Israeli and he came out as supporting the Palestinian agenda.
intellectuals who became famous by whispering to themselves are AT LEAST as fabulous as the president, and the president ought to respect a sense of taste and authenticity far more evolved than his own.
... also, i agree ... from the "yr not black enough" standpoint, it sounds silly ... but in this big, nerdy, fashionable sass-off that is rockstar academics and politics ... Barack could do a better job living up to the heroic image ascribed to him ...
someday we'll adore our politicians for murmuring to themselves between stanzas ...
Cornel West is just jealous because Obama can play basketball better than he can.
That's my choice for comment of the day.
It goes perfect with the header picture. Almost meme-worthy.
I think Cornell West is upset because more people, black, white, red, yellow, take Barack Obama seriously.
Cornell who? Anyone described as a "public intellectual" is automatically suspect in my book. So is the person using that phrase in place of "smartass" or "know-it-all".
Cornell West is a famous Harvard professor for a reason. And he's actually a great public speaker. I think y'all shouldn't talk unless you know.
West shouldn't feel singled out: Obama doesn't seem to care much about white (or any other group) people unless they can help him consolidate power.
+1 You got that right!!
For Obama, read politician.
I mean I voted for the guy in ought-eight and am aiming to again in '12. He is showing (some) improvement in his handling of issues that are under his control and that affect LGBTQ individuals -- such as his stance on the Defence of Marriage Act. He just isn't this great hope that everyone thought he was going to be.
This is what happens when Obama the Idealist gets to the White House and becomes Obama the Realist. Your world view and contexts completely change when you see the real rules of the game. Obama the Idealist was all about serving the under-served. Obama the Realist realized you have to keep business, lobby, and power brokers in your pocket by balancing their interests.
I'm a big fan of West, but he can't be surprised at the political evolution of Obama.
What should Obama do differently? How does he become "black enough"?
Hooksexup writer: You need to learn the history of the beef between these two.
"That said, our weird culture of racial authenticity — where one prominent black man can insult another by suggesting he's somehow inauthentic, "not black enough" — feels oddly regressive, and stands in the way of real progress." Well said, Ben. I agree completely.
I cant say I don't identify with West though. Feeling a little beguiled because a degree of understanding and trust was broken. And the issues discussed are no light matter either. I believe domestic issues are paramount to anything else. But when the 'powers that be' have a tight vicegrip on Americas crotch, it can get messy. Obama stepped into a shitstorm all while brandishing bi-partisanship, change, and a reverse of politics as usual. None of which has happened. We did get an assassinated terrorist though. All I'm saying is I'd be wary too if I were West. I would venture to guess hes keen on these things being, as most socially aware intellectuals are, a harbinger for the silent majority.
hOe-bama = scapegoat= puppett!! : Has no connection to the BLack american <-0- not even the brown/black hawaiian! or the islamic indonesian..!
promised some good things...knowing he wasnt goin to deliver...!
If i were anyone of color,,red,white,black, yellow ,green.. id would runn like hell...the results will be that of any other amerikkan president.. Death, destruction, damnation towards your people...!!oh,,my badd.. i mean--Propoganda, media lies, SANCTIONS, CIA inserts, War ,,then death damnation and destruction towards your people....!! i think they calll it "regime change"!!
Cornel West and many black people problem is that they concern themselves to much with what INDIVIDUAL black people are doing instead of the INDIVIDUAL in the mirror. I agree with Cornell but its a waste of time critisizing him PUBLICALLY. Its also impossible for Obama to address the violence, miseducation, twisted values and self hating culture that was created by white supremacy. I said i agree with Cornell because he understands that OUR problem is WHITE supremacy not white people. White supremacy is a SOCIO-POLITICAL and ECONOMICAL Ideology that affects black and white people CONSCIOUSLY and SUBCONSCIOUSLY (some more CONSCIOUSLY than others) and we (black and white) must continue to erradicate it from the world. How? BLACK excellence and CLASS. When black folk show RESPECT for themselves, DO for themselves, stop CRYING to the children of WHITE supremacy for what they have and go get our own. The strength of white society is that they TOOK advantage of the SCIENTIFIC and SCHOLARLY knowledge that black africans brought to europe during the dark ages. Those same illiterate and backward tribes(visigoths, guals, jutes and saxons) that our ancestors brought out of the Dark ages are today ruling the world as the EUROPEAN UNION and AMERICA. During slavery we were sent into that same state of illiteracy and backward thinking. If the VISIGOTHS and ANGLOS can come from slavery under us and take advantage of whast we had to offer them and they become French and English, then we can do the same. Its doable and we dont have to wait around for white america to do something for us that would be foolish of them. Why would they give you the resources to be able to rule them and out compete their children? We have to use what we have to take what we want (without going out of our way to hurt people) and compete with the other groups. Having their respect is cool but i would rather have the POWER to control my own destiny whether white folk LIKE it or NOT. We dont have that kind of power. We have to smarten up, play it cool, manipulate the power structure, earn its trust and slowly but surely without them even realizing it we running the whole damn country. Thats how the Jews did and I love it. Thats how the Japanese did it and I love it. Thats how the Chinese did it and i love it. The blacks and hispanics??? Freaking cry babys and i am a black man who say that if we are not smart enough to get "our thing" going then white folk should EXPLOIT us AS they will.