Blogger Prometheus 6 once became so exasperated by professional handkerchief head Jesse Lee Peterson that he said he was declaring war on him. I am approaching the same point in regard to another tool of the enemy. I previously reported far Right loose cannon Alan Keyes had moved to Illinois so he could participate in an electoral battle royale against liberal rising star Barack Obama.
The latest act in the Black CON-servative Revue is Alan Keyes' relocation to Illinois so that he can run against Democrat Barack Obama for the Senate. Keyes' goal is a battle royale — a fight between blacks set up by slaveowners in the ante-bellum South. The slaves would slug it out, bare-fisted, until one of them collapsed or was killed. The battle royale was considered excellent entertainment by many whites, as lynching would be later. However, the underpinnings of this show are obviously shabby. There is no reason whatsoever for Keyes to run for office in Illinois, other than attempting to embarass Obama. The white Republicans backing him reveal their racism and moral bankruptcy by encouraging him to revive the slavish practice of the battle royale.
Since his arrival, Keyes has behaved just as foolishly as I expected. Now, he is accusing the soon to be senator of not being black enough.
Law professor Richard Thompson Ford has considered Keyes' latest faux pas at Slate.
Meanwhile Republican Alan Keyes complained that the Democratic Party's rising star, Barack Obama—the son of a Kenyan immigrant—" [wrongly] claims an African-American heritage."
. . .Keyes (channeling the spirit of liberal multiculturalism to perfection) emotes: "My ancestors toiled in slavery in this country. ... My consciousness, who I am as a person, has been shaped by my struggle, deeply emotional and deeply painful, with the reality of that heritage." This might be a moving first sentence in an autobiography, or an important revelation to one's psychotherapist, but in the context of national politics, who cares? Subjective accounts of personal identity are at best distractions from more tangible and objective issues of racial injustice—such as employment discrimination, residential segregation, and an often racially biased criminal justice system. At its worst, the narcissism of identity politics threatens to mire the struggle for racial justice in intractable conceptual debates and ineffectual emotionalism.
Article comments
1 - Vic
After all the accusations you've hurled I am *stunned* to see "The End of Blackness" at the top of your Amazon list.
You *did* read the editorial reviews of the book, didn't you?
Thank God *I* didn't post a link to that book... you'd be all over me with your false accusations.
Vic
2 - Mac Diva
(Scratching head?) Why shouldn't I post an Amazon link to a book by a friend?
I haven't gotten around to writing a review of The End of Blackness, but have blogged about the book, and Debra's autobiography.
Ah. It just hit me why some people might not 'get it.' The title of The End of Blackness should not be taken literally. Debra means an end to a certain analytical perspective.
3 - Vic
No, what I meant is that although I haven't read the book, based on the editorial descriptions of it I'd agree with it's premise.
I just didn't expect you to agree with it.
Vic
4 - Mac Diva
What Debra believes is much more complex than some folks, liberal and conservative, make it. I agree with her in some respects. She is a moderate in my opinion. To be a black conservative, one must wear heavy duty blinders. Debra doesn't.
5 - Vic
Since we seem to be having a civil conversation (but at the risk of setting you off), what I've continually tried to say in replies to you (and why I've been so frustrated) is basically that my thoughts echo what this author seems to be saying.
I dare not hope that my post listing my posting and commenting statistics might have shown you that I do not in fact have a pattern of racist comments. I don't know why I care except that I know what I believe and it hurts to be accused of something of which I am not guilty.
Regards,
Vic