Learning from Conscious Living

Sometimes It Just Takes a Little Imagination

Cornel West Takes on W.E.B. Du Bois

In reading "The Future of the Race" (1996), a book co-authored by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cornel West, I came across  the most sound criticism of one of America's great intellectuals. No doubt, W.E.B. Du Bois's genius is marred by his inability to transcend his "elitism," as West put it, and to overcome his classism, as Gates frames it, though it appears to me that West's argument is more persuasive. For it involves not only Du Bois's only slight commitment to "the sorrowful, suffering, yet striving ordinary black folk," but a dedication to preserving Victorian or Enlightenment thinking by precluding the masses as agents, by assuming that legitimate authority rests in the most educated classes, and by supposing that the masses and especially Black people needed to be saved from themselves.

Excerpt (pages 57-74) from The Future of the Race

"Du Bois was first and foremost a Black New England Victorian seduced by the Enlightenment ethos and enchanted with the American dream. His interpretation of the human condition- that is, in part, his idea of who he was and could be- was based on his experience and, most importantly, on his understanding of those experience through the medium of an Enlightenment worldview that promoted Victorian strategies in order to realize an American optimism.....

My fundamental problem with Du Bois is his inadequate grasp of the tragicomic sense of life- a refusal candidly to confront the sheer absurdity of the human condition. This tragicomic sense- tragicomic rather than simply "tragic," because even ultimate purpose and objective order are called into question-propels us toward suicide or madness unless we are buffered by ritual, cushioned by community, or sustained by art. Du Bois's inability to immerse himself in black everyday life precluded his access to the distinctive black tragicomic sense and black encounter with the absurd. He certainly saw, analyzed, and empathized with black sadness, sorrow, and suffering. But he didn't feel it in his bones deeply enough, nor was he intellectually open enough to position himself alongside the sorrowful, suffering, yet striving ordinary black folk. Instead, his own personal and intellectual distance lifted him above them even as he addressed their plight in his progressive writings. Du Bois was never alienated by black people....But there seemed to be something in him that alienated ordinary black people. In short, he was reluctant to learn fundamental lessons about life- and about himself- from them. Such lessons would have required that he - at least momentarily- believe that they were or might be as wise, insightful and 'advanced' as he; and this he could not do.

Enlightenment Worldview
Du Bois's Enlightenment worldview- his first foundation- prohibited this kind of understanding. Instead, he adopted a mild elitism that underestimated the capacity of everyday people to "know" about life. In "The Talented Tenth," he claims, "knowledge of life and its wider meaning, has been the point of the Negro's deepest ignorance." In his classic book The Souls of Black Folk, there are eighteen references to "black, backward, and ungraceful" folk, including a statement of intent "to scatter civilization among a people whose ignorance was not simply of letters, but of life itself. ......The myths of the noble savage and the wise commoner are simply the flip sides of the Enlightenment attempts to degrade and devalue everyday people. Yet Du Bois - owing to his Puritan New England origins and Enlightenment values- found it difficult not to view common folk as some degraded "other" or alien- no matter how hard he resisted. His honest response to a church service in the backwoods of Tennessee at a "Southern Negro Revival" bears this out. ......

Like a good Enlightenment philosophe, Du Bois pits autonomy against authority, self-mastery against tradition. Autonomy and self-mastery connote self-consciousness and self-criticism; authority and tradition suggest blind deference and subordination.....The educated and chattering class the - The Talented Tenth- are the agents of sophistication and mastery, while the uneducated and moaning class- the backward masses- remain locked in tradition; the basic role of the Talented Tenth is to civilize and refine, uplift and elevate the benighted masses.

For Du Bois, education was the key. Ignorance was the major obstacle- black ignorance and white ignorance. If the black masses were educated- in order to acquire skills and culture- black America would thrive. If white  elites and masses were enlightened, they would not hate and fear black folk. Hence America- black and white - could be  true  to its  democratic ideals. 

The Negro Problem was in my mind a matter of systematic investigation and intelligent understanding...The ultimate evil was stupidity. The cure for it was knowledge based on scientific investigation...

Du Bois's principal intellectual response to the limits of his Enlightenment  worldview was to incorporate certain insights of Marx and Freud. Yet Marx's powerful critique of the unequal relations of power between capitalists and the proletariat in the workplace and Freud's penetrating attempt to exercise rational control over the irrational forces at work in self and society only deepened Du Bois's commitment to the Enlightenment ethos...The tragic plight and absurd predicament of Africans here and abroad requires a more profound interpretation of the human condition- one that goes far beyond the false dichotomies of expert knowledge vs. mass ignorance, individual autonomy vs. dogmatic authority, and self-mastery vs. intolerant tradition....

Victorian Strategies
The second fundamental pillar of Du Bois's intellectual project is his Victorian strategies- namely, the ways in which his Enlightenment worldview can be translated into action. They rest upon three basic assumptions. First, that the self-appointed agents of Enlightenment constitute a sacrificial cultural elite engaged in service on behalf of the impulsive and irrational masses. Second, that this service consists of shaping and molding the values and viewpoints of the masses by managing educational and political bureaucracies  (e.g., schools and political parties). Third, that effective management of these bureaucracies by the educated few for the benefit of the pathetic many promotes material and spiritual progress. These assumptions form the terrain upon which the Talented Tenth are to operate...

The resounding first and last sentence of Du Bois's essay "The Talented Tenth" not only echo the "truths" of Victorian social criticism, they also bestow upon the educated few a salvific role. "The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men."...It assumes that the exceptional men of other races have saved their "race" (Gladstone in Britain, Menelik in Ethiopia, Bismarck in Germany, Napoleon in France, Peter in Russia?)...

Like a good Victorian critic, Du Bois argues on rational grounds for the legitimacy of his cultural elite. They are worthy of leadership because they are educate and trained, refined and civilized, disciplined and determined....

The men of culture are the true of apostles of equality. The great men of culture are those who have had a passion for diffusing, for making prevail, for carrying from one end of society to the other, the best knowledge, the best ideas of their time...to humanize it, to make it efficient...Never; it is, ever was and ever will be from the top downward that culture filters. The Talented Tenth rises and pulls all that are worth saving up to their vantage ground....

How astonishing- and limiting- that Du Bois fails to mention and analyze these movements (black women's club movement and migration movement) that will result in the great Mary McLeod Bethune's educational crusade and the inimitable Marcus Garvey's Back-to-Africa movement in a decade or so! ...

Du Bois holds that the educated elite can more easily transcend their individual and class interests and more readily act on behalf of the common good than the uneducated masses. But is this so? Are they not just as prone to corruption and graft, envy and jealousy, self-destructive passion and ruthless ambition as everyone else....Du Bois wisely acknowledges this problem in his 1948 revision of "The Talented Tenth":...

American Optimism
The last pillar of Du Bois's project is his American optimism. Like most intellectuals of the New World, he was preoccupied with progress...Du Bois tended to assume that U.S. expansionism was a sign of probably American progress...He remained optimistic about a multiracial democratic America.

Du Bois never fully grasped the deeply pessimistic view of American democracy behind the Garvey movement. In fact, he never fully understood or appreciated the strong- though not central- black nationalism strain in the Black Freedom movement...Even when Du Bois left for Africa in 1961- as a member of a moribund Community Party- his attitude toward America was not that of an Elijah Muhammad or a Malcolm X. He was still, in a significant sense,  disappointed with America, and there is no disappointment without some dream deferred. ...Du Bois's American optimism screened him from this dark night of  the soul. His American exceptionalism guarded him from that gray twilight between "nothing to be done" and "I can't go on like this"- a Beckett-like dilemma in which the wait and search for Godot (reference link), or for freedom, seem endless...."  [1]

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What BET's Gospel Talent Show Teaches Us About Race

There was a lot of controversy in the aftermath of Emily Gomez, a mixed Hispanic and white woman, being eliminated off of the gospel talent show, Sunday's Best on BET in November of this year. Here are some comments posted on BET's forum.

>"It because of her color that she was eliminated or because she does not shout like Shari. Whatever the case, this is a slap on the face of Sunday Best, and I will not watch the program again....When will black people learn to do right?  I am becoming ashamed of being called a black person."

>"You are right. This is a case of bad judgment and reverse racism. Shame on the judges."

>"I am so shocked Emily Gomez was kicked off" [1]

Most of those who defended the judges' decision to send Emily home believed that Emily was less of a Black gospel singer than she was a contemporary Christian artist. I am not interested in this argument because there are underlying assumptions about the nature or importance of Black racial and cultural authenticity within the Black community. Though I had only been keeping up with the show from a distance, I first got wind of this controversy when my sister told me how she thought the results were racially based and how the judges felt the need to justify their decision in the subsequent episode. What I had seen of Emily was remarkable, possessing almost a textbook talent for Black gospel music, but I have come to realize that what Emily faced as a contestant on the show is perhaps the most hypocritical aspect of Black identity. On the one hand, Black people want full and unconditional acceptance in the "white world", but are not willing to extend that same level of inclusion within their own community. This sort of rank and file behavior, indicative of power politics, not only affects those who are racially different from African Americans, but those who might not share in the same cultural or educational experience of African Americans. For instance, being a Black person who is not particularly religious and having musical and educational interests that lie outside of Black culture has often put me on the margins of Black life. I have even been accused of "being white",  "acting white" and "not looking Black".   

This problem really involves a question of Black identity, that is, how can African Americans sustain their identity while at the same time engaging with the promise of equal opportunity in the "white world"? It's a  tough question and Blacks have basically said that integration in a wider context should not apply to  integration in a specific context.  Very few  Black churches (and of course white churches as well) have aggressively sought non-Black members, but when white churches don't have Black members, they are often looked upon as being isolationist and maybe even racist. It's a double standard. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are some of the least integrated educational institutions in the United States with  most schools having a smaller white population than in the 1980s.[2]

So as to resolving this issue, African Americans, as the most visible group in terms of civil rights, must model that which they expect of "white America", meaning that we, African Americans, must stop this terrible game of reducing Black people to this and that. Black people must define ourselves in terms our diversity and our inclusion.

The Oprah and Obama Question

"So to the question of what Oprah brings to Obama is, in a word, transcendence." -CW Political and Social Thought

There is a lot to be said about Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Obama. Claims that she can only give him a slight bump in the polls or that she can't possibly translate her celebrity into sheer political influence are just speculation at best. It's speculation because Oprah has never engaged the public with politics on this scale. Surely, concerning television, books, her magazine, and product plugs and even charity organizations, she's a powerhouse, but what Oprah touches does not always turn to gold. Perhaps, Beloved is the best example to demonstrate her limitations. Setting aside highly unsubstantiated predictions about her potential influence in this race, the reasons that Oprah is entering the political arena are worthy of a second glance.

Today, Oprah made her first two stops in a series of stops throughout early primary and caucus states. In true Oprah style, Oprah's message was clear, full of conviction, and humor. She couched her message in terms of "dangerous times". It's not only the War in Iraq that concerns her, but the health care, educational, and economic crises at home. What seems to be the case is that Oprah does not understand these to be new issues. Rather, Oprah's personal relationship with Obama has deeply affected her to the extent that she is willing to take certain risks in her career. She, like Obama, is innately optimistic, hopeful, and visionary, not to mention that they both are able to transcend race, but at the same time embrace their Black identity.

In his new book, A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited about Obama and Why He Can't Win, Shelby Steele has his own explanation for Oprah and Obama's wide appeal. According to his rather constipated and narrow-minded thinking, he thinks that Oprah and Obama are bargainers, which is defined by a willing to trust whites with the mutual expectation that the bargainer and "bargainee" won't engage in racially charged or racially based presuppositions or actions. And in the case of Oprah and Obama, they would be "iconic Negroes", which I won't bother delving into because his language seems so anachronistic and angry.

But while the question of race can't be glossed over as if white racism and Black oppression never existed in the United States, it seems counterproductive to reduce Obama and Oprah to being strategic Black people, who have to somehow learn how to deal with white people. So to the question of what Oprah brings to Obama is, in a word, transcendence.  Since Oprah first came to the public stage in the 1980s, she has had an uncanny ability to transcend not only television, but what seems to be the superficiality of our values. Sure, her "Favorite Things" shows are some of her most popular, but she never fails to make a moral point. In this case, she thinks that it is better to give than to receive. Lady 'O', as she is known in various media, is a moral leader who has the vision to see pass the convenience of politics or the sometimey-ness of American popular thought. Her philosophy is basically humanistic, that when it comes down to it, humans just want love, security, stability, and acceptance. 

Her long-term vision was certainly conveyed in a speech that was on CNN, in which she raised questions about the sustainability of our foreign policy and the morality of our social policy. As she says, she's trying to get Americans "to think" more broadly, which in politics, is a big no-no. The whole point of politics is to take advantage of issues, real or not, big or small, that can be used against one's opponent, not to pontificate about a non-partisan American vision, but this is exactly what Oprah is trying to do. She began her speech by saying that she has voted nearly equally for Republicans and Democrats, so she is clearly trying to transcend politics, even making statements about how experience in Washington is no longer sufficient to meet to the needs of the nation.  Much like transcending  television, Oprah wants to transcend politics, which is a perfect match for Obama, a candidate running on opposing "business as usual".

Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

What Made Pastor Thomas Weeks Lose It?

There are rumors circulating that Bishop Thomas W Weeks III, husband of televangelist and best-selling author Juanita Bynum, may have violently assaulted his wife due to threats issued by Bynum that she would go public with claims that he was sexually involved with men from his church. What is certain is that Weeks and his wife were engaged in an argument when he suddenly attacked her, even choking and kicking her. Apparently, when he walked out of a meeting in which they were trying to reconcile after a separation, Bynum confronted Weeks in the parking lot of the hotel. One has to wonder what could have driven Weeks to be so violent when he had demonstrated such restraint by walking out earlier.

Is this the case of a down low bishop? Or a bishop who had enough with trying to piece his marriage back together? At this point, the facts do not lean one way or the other, but if it turns out to be the former, then the whole down low phenomenon has reached all new lows (or highs, depending on how you look at it.) I don't mean to imply that this is a phenomenon in the sense that this is unique in American social development, only that we have just  recently been able to put a label on a practice that predates the church itself. Interestingly, men having sex with men is as natural to human history as is heterosexual sex. Though for reasons related to social norms, religious doctrines, and legal and political structures, this history has been marginalized.  After McGreevey,  Haggard,  Bob Allen, and others, you'd think that we would stop being so shocked that this happens. But I guess it'll take a whole lot for that.

Related Links
Juanita Bynum's MySpace Page
Weeks Out on Bond
Weeks' Official Website
Juanita Bynum Savagely Beaten
Televangelist Attacked in Atlanta

The Michael Vick Trial: "A High Tech Lynching"?!

A Black female supporter of Michael Vick was on my  local news tonight and described the whole debacle with Michael Vick as a "high-tech lynching". Is this what Black people have become? Have we become so accustomed to being victims in a white racist society that we must always defend any Black person accused of committing a crime despite the fact that we have no clue as to their culpability? It's not just Michael Vick of course. I recently heard or read that the majority of African Americans still publicly defend O.J. Simpson's innocence. Even with the incident involving the Duke lacrosse team, the Black female was portrayed as the object of white violence and exploitation. I am not saying that the victim was truthful or a big fat liar, only that African Americans too easily buy into our victimhood as a people rather than protecting the rule and objectivity of the law. Personally, this paranoia is not altogether unfounded. We need only look at the Black population in U.S. prisons and jails (37%) [1] in order to question the equal applicability of the law, but this reasoning, that general Black injustice demands individual Black public support, is terribly flawed. It seems that these public outcries all are a response to a Black person being painted as the victim of a crime perpetuated by a white person, but how convenient it is for us forget that we are our own victims! We are killing more of us that white people are killing us. Black-on-Black homicidal crime made up for 42.3 percent of all homicides in 2005  and white-on-white homicidal crime made up 46% in the same year. [2] This seems to suggest that Black people need to speak out against self-lynching, not "high-tech lynching"! Of course, the reason why we won't do that is because we have not fully retired our slavery/Jim Crow mentality, i.e. victims whose identity is strictly defined by the need to combat white racism and violence. This mentality excuses us from properly attending to problems within our very communities, like the HIV pandemic that is sweeping this country and taking more and more Black people, especially young people. Also like the achievement gap between Black students and other populations. I don't think that the SAT is necessarily a good marker to judge achievement, because of its limited cross-cultural and trans-economic value, but I think that Black students' falling behind in the technology and higher institutional arenas warrant much more attention that they are presently being given. 

Much of the Black problem is not about trying to abate the color line, rather to dream it.

Some Words of Wisdom For Young People........ .........(and Big People Too)

Oprah’s show today inspired me to say a thing or two to young people who might read my blog, particularly young Black men. I am a 22 year-old Black male who has graduated from one of the nation’s top public universities. I am not boastful, just very proud of this fact. You’ll soon realize why. Over many years, I have received numerous accolades, including the National Horatio Alger Scholarship, not to mention state titles in public speaking and awards of recognition for academics, leadership, and service. I wouldn’t describe my life as lucky because ultimately it is not coincidence or fate that determines our destiny but determination, hard work, and good people who are willing to walk with you, even if that sometimes means they’re having to push you from behind in order that you stay on the right track. I don’t mean to imply that life has to be understood in terms of work. After all, if I thought for a second that my life was strictly defined as work, then I wouldn’t be so motivated to get my Ph.D., write several books, do this blog, read constantly, compose poetry, paint or just live life! While hard work is necessary, I think it’s more the case that a sense of perspective is what induces that hunger to be successful and goal-oriented.

Unfortunately too many young people are seduced by our nihilistic and misogynistic culture while losing a sense of their own worth and their own truth. I think that one thing that enables me to stand proud and tall is that I never thought that I was less than what I could be. I think that part of that has to do with my parents and my family’s demands that my siblings and me be the best individuals that we could be. It didn’t mean that we all had to be lawyers or doctors, but it did mean that we could not compromise our self-worth or self-content to fit in, to be average, or to be nobodies. Though my father has been a minister ever since I can remember, he never once told me that I had to be straight or to like sports or to be anything other than myself. He and my mother gave me the freedom to be myself and that ensured that I could define myself in such a way that I didn’t need the outside world to define me. You never saw me with my pants exposing my underwear, hanging out with the wrong crowd, or being in any environment that could poison my self-confidence and my optimistic view about life. I never once thought that it was cool to like sexist and violent rap music or engage in that whole urban culture. I remember when Boys in the Hood and all those type movies came out in the 1990s. Even as a kid, I remember thinking that such violence and “ghetto-ness” were so foreign. I had been brought up on wholesome shows like the Cosby Show and Different World (of course, I was practically raised in the church) where it was possible and in fact encouraged to be respectful, respected, responsible, and successful. I couldn’t relate to using a gun as a way of proving my manhood or needing to be part of a gang to feel like I fitted it.

I knew that I wasn’t those images that I saw on television. I knew that I wasn’t those oft-quoted statistics about Black success that I had heard and read in the media. I knew that I was somebody. My parents didn’t have to tell me everyday, but it was through their actions that I knew that I was good enough, smart enough, and capable enough to be what and who I wanted to be. I knew they would love no matter what. If I wanted to be a lawyer or a stay-at-home father, I knew that my parents would accept that. My mother had told me this all of my life and I have never forgotten it, nor will I, “Chris, as long as you are happy that’s all I care about.” See, my parents weren’t fancy folks. They didn’t have doctorates or even college degrees. They both had high school diplomas and all they wanted for their children’s lives was the chance to live happily, not that my parents weren’t happy, but they knew that had they made better decisions they would not have to struggle so much, doing jobs that paid too little and demanded too much. I am grateful to them for their sacrifices. I would not be who I am without them.

Nevertheless, I am absolutely convinced that parents and a good head on one’s shoulders are not the only important tools. It’s so important that teachers take an interest in their students. Had I not had Mrs Swan in 6^th grade, Mrs King in the 7^th grade and 8^th grade, Ms Campbell, Mrs Currence, and Ms Wright in 9^th through 12th grade, there is no doubt in my mind that that seed that my parents planted and cultivated in me could have grown to its maturity. I wish that more students could have been as fortunate as I.

That’s why I am joining Essence Magazine’s mission to mentor one million kids. I think we all should do our part! Pay it forward!

I hope that I have said something encouraging to anyone who has read this.

What Debates You Should Watch

Ok. It's all caught up with me! I have been trying to do this blog while
finishing my last year in college and I have totally given you guys the wrong information! I have confused two different candidate debates.

“All American Presidential Forums”
Democratic Candidate Debate Forum
    June 28th, 2007
    9:00-10:30P.M. - PBS - Howard University
Republican Candidate Debate Forum
    September 27th, 2007
    9:00-10:30P.M. - PBS - Morgan State University

Moderator: Tavis Smiley
Issues: Healthcare, Housing, Economy, Environment, Hurricane Katrina, and others
Significance: the first time that a panel exclusively comprised of journalists of color will be represented in primetime.
Panelists: Michel Martin, Ruben Navarrette Jr. and DeWayne Wickham.

“CBC Institute Presidential Primary Debates”

First Democratic Candidate Debate Forum
September 23rd, 2007 - Fox - Detroit, Michigan

Second Democratic Candidate Debate Forum
January 2008 - CNN - South Carolina

First Republican Candidate Debate Forum
Fall 2007 - Fox

Second Republican Candidate Debate Forum
Winter 2007 - CNN

Moderator: Not Yet Determined
Issues: Healthcare, Housing, Economy, Environment, Hurricane Katrina, and others
Significance: Responsible for organizing presidential debates that target African American and minority voters

Credits: http://www.cbcinstitute.org/about.htm

http://www.prnewswire.com

Fox News Is Not the Only One

I mentioned sometime back that the Congressional Black Caucus Institute has partnered with the Fox Network to bring the first ever presidential candidate debate specifically geared to African American voters. The fallout has been immense. So much so that the most left leaning candidate, John Edwards, has declined an invitation to participate in the debate.  Though John Edwards' stance on many issues like poverty and racism resonates with the African American community, his camp has decided not to be a part of this historical event because "there's just no reason for Democrats to give Fox a platform to advance the right-wing agenda while pretending they're objective." I think it's trite to say at this point that Fox News is not to be trusted for fair and balanced news.

Surprisingly or not, it's not just about Fox. MSNBC has Don Imus, who recently referred to the Rutgers women's basketball teams as "nappy headed hos." CNN has TJ Holmes who admits that he struggles to get the big guns over there to cover African American issues that aren't related to violence and drugs. The fact of the matter is that all the networks do it. They all put the interests and concerns of white people over minorities. Everyone is pointing the finger at Fox because their blatant disregard for minority viewers goes without question. Nevertheless, I think that Edwards is absolutely right in taking a stand against the worst offender, though I wonder if he plans on boycotting the other networks. Probably not. In any case, I think we should think about the ways in which minorities are subjected to the viewpoint of white Americans.

Here are some issues that are important in the African American Community that News Media Are Ignoring....

HIV/AIDS- half of all new HIV cases are African Americans

Genetic testing- Hundreds of Thousands of African Americans are turning to DNA testing to find their ancestral roots. The impact that mass testing could have is for the first time African Americans could connect with their exact roots in Africa

Predatory Lending- African Americans are disproportionately affected by this. Now, studies are showing that many of these families who signed these high interest loans are filing bankruptcy in the aftermath of the housing boom.

50 Million Pound Challenge- High blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease all disproportionately affects the African American community.  This  free program hopes to help African Americans lose the weight and reduce these preventable illnesses. Ian Smith from Celebrity Fit Club heads this initiative.

FYI: Obama Will Not Be Party Nominee

So what?! Obama raised $25 million in the first three months! Every four years we go through the same thing. A candidate does well in the beginning but eventually fails to win where it counts: primaries, caucuses, and national convention. Does McCain from 2000 ring a bell? Does Howard Dean from 2004 ring a bell? I think that we shouldn't make such a big fuss over Obama. Besides, if I were a strategic Republican voter, I'd easily support this year's leading Democratic candidates. A woman and a minority! It's almost too good to pass up! Hillary and Obama are setting new records when it comes to fundraising, but don't they realize that they have not engaged Americans on the most important question of the election, "Do Americans believe that a woman or a minority could be president in 2009?" While Americans are extending amazing support to both candidates, there is still a profound hesitancy to elect someone outside of the traditional ruling class (i.e. White males). It's one thing to give money, but quite another to cast your vote for the underdog. I say we hold off on the presidential predictions for awhile, or at least until we get much closer.