Why Won’t Anyone Just Say It?
The media is abuzz about Jesse Jackson’s comments about Obama, not only about what he said, but why. Why are some blacks are offended that Obama criticizes the black community from the outside?
I honestly think that part of it is that he is not the descendant of slaves (not that he is half white) and is seen by some as having no right to attack the black community. That is why it comes off as more political than if said by one who actually grew up in and was part of the black community. But no one wants to say it in that way. From the Washington Post:
The larger point of Jesse L. Jackson’s criticism of Barack Obama — if not the crude way he expressed it — touched a nerve among some African American political activists who have been unhappy about the senator ’s pointed critiques of absentee fathers and other problems in the black community.
Jackson, an Obama supporter, spent much of yesterday apologizing for a remark that was caught by a Fox News microphone and aired Wednesday on the network. Jackson was overheard saying Obama’s pitch to expand President Bush’s federal assistance for faith-based social service programs was “talking down to black people.” He then used a base phrase to say what he wanted to do to the senator from Illinois.
[...]
Writing in Time magazine last month, Dyson likened Obama’s critiques of the black community to that of comedian Chris Rock, but noted: “Rock’s humor is so effective because he is just as hard on whites as on blacks. That’s a part of the routine Obama has not yet adopted.”
That still will not work. Chris Rock - unlike Obama - grew up in the black community and understands the nuances of it. It is a genuine criticism. He grew up watching the problems in real life. Not watching them on television or reading about them. Chris Rock’s routine frankly would not have been funny if done by an African immigrant. Black Americans get offended even when Africans harshly criticize them. I am not saying that non-black Americans (descendants of slaves) do not have the right to criticized by others like Obama. I am just saying that this is how it comes off. Stanley Crouch wrote this on the topic:
Why then do we still have such a simple-minded conception of black and white - and how does it color the way we see Obama? The naive ideas coming out of Pan-Africanism are at the root of the confusion. When Pan-African ideas began to take shape in the 19th century, all black people, regardless of where in the world they lived, suffered and shared a common body of injustices. Europe, after all, had colonized much of the black world, and the United States had enslaved people of African descent for nearly 250 years.
Suffice it to say: This is no longer the case.
So when black Americans refer to Obama as “one of us,” I do not know what they are talking about. In his new book, “The Audacity of Hope,” Obama makes it clear that, while he has experienced some light versions of typical racial stereotypes, he cannot claim those problems as his own - nor has he lived the life of a black American.
This is a point that will probably be made more and more in the future.
The criticism was similar in some ways to the reaction to comedian Bill Cosby, who over the past decade made some of the same points as Obama.
Bill Cosby was accused of “airing the dirty laundry”. This is not the same. Obama is giving an outside critique.
Eric Easter, a blogger on the joint Web site of Jet and Ebony, two black-oriented magazines, wrote yesterday that some of Obama’s rhetoric “smacked of calculated political expediency” in an effort to win over white voters.
[...]
For Obama, distancing himself from a controversial black figure such as Jackson may help him among white voters. But that possibility raised questions about whether the senator is targeting blacks for political purposes.
Kevin Alexander Gray, who worked for Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign, compared it to a move by Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, who in 1992 famously attacked political activist Sister Souljah for saying, “If Black people kill Black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?”
Obama aides rejected the comparison, and the candidate himself, in his 2006 book “The Audacity of Hope,” called Clinton’s attack “clumsy and transparent.”
Sister Souljah was an idiot (and a weak rapper)
Filed under: Race
[...] Tariq Nelson writes: The media is abuzz about Jesse Jackson
Asalamu alaykum,
Micheal Eric Dyson made an interesting point on Fox News. What I was able to understand before he was cut off was that Obama, while personifying a Garviesque. W.B Dubois, Cosbian tone towards African Americans, has said nothing to the white establishment about race and social issues. Bill countered stating, “Look at the explosion of single mothers in the hood.” Dyson countered with an important stat, “Black fathers spend more time with their kids than white.” And “Bill! Britney Spears sister is on the cover of such and such magazine with her child!”
Obama cannot call African American’s to task alone. If he does so, to the exclusion of the others, he will come across as a sell out. And yes, Sista Solder couldn’t rap a present.
Suhaib
Actually, although slavery is no longer existent in the US, and colonizers are no longer in many of the countries of Africa, one must not ignore the fact that the presence of both has left devastating effects
In fact, many European countries still have a strong grip in the countries of Africa and their resources, mostly through political means. Of course, they prefer not to get their hands dirty and risk looking so obvious to an otherwise passive world. Point taken about the common injustices.
So, African Americans are offended because Obama is not a descendent of slaves and yet
@ indigoblu
I was not referring to Barack when I was talking about African immigrants and Chris Rock.
I agree that anyone can make a valid criticism, but the fact remains that people will get offended when it is done by an outsider. I have been criticized relentlessly by some for my critiques of some of the Muslim cultures. I understand why they get offended since I am not from their culture. Likewise black Americans (descendants of slaves) will get offended when an outsider criticizes them
(That still will not work. Chris Rock - unlike Obama - grew up in the black community and understands the nuances of it. It is a genuine criticism. He grew up watching the problems in real life. Not watching them on television or reading about them. Chris Rock
As salaam wa laikum
As far as Obama not being authentically “African American”, I don’t know, he’s closer to that label than he is to African immigrant. He has definitely acculterated himself to African-American culture and the concerns and issues that come with it due to his social activist work in in black neighborhoods in Chicago.
On a message board I went to, Black opinion seemed to be sharply divided. They weren’t really debating whether or not it was appropriate for him to say what he said about blacks males, but more the fact that he wasn’t saying anything to any of the other groups. His defenders would bring up the “white working class, guns and religion” comment, but those comments were not part of some elaborate speech and once he was questioned on them, he pretty much backtracked on it.
In my personal opinion, even though I’m not black, I think the critique of black Americans by Obama is really just political calculation. It helps him shed the image of being the “black candidate” and become the “American candidate.” At the same time, I do feel that he genuinely is concerned about some of the ills that plague that community, but he’s not running for president of Black America, he’s running for president of America, period. So he should sternly criticise whites, latinos, Jews, etc. for the many issues that plague those communities.
I have no problem with Obama pointing out the shortcomings in the black community. I mean he is not saying anything new or enlightening.
Maybe it is political expediency or calculation but he is a politician so we should expect that from him.
An African immigrant can say anything they want about the black community and we should take as an honest assessment based upon their perspective.
Constructive criticism is totally different from mean-spirited denigration. I think we know the difference.
I think it is out of love for the black community that Obama wants black men to be involved in their children’s lives.
Salaam
I am sorry that I wasn’t clear. I wasn’t trying to insinuate that Obama was an immigrant. I was making a separate point.
To a non-black American, Barack is black. Pointing out that his father was an African immigrant, doesn’t stop how a non-black person sees him.
If the black community (slave descendants) don’t consider him black because he somehow doesn’t have the baggage they do, now he’s in a place where he’s black but not quite. So what in the hell is he?
Is it that because he didn’t have baggage that people are jealous/envious/insert adjective? Isn’t that a little disingenous? So let’s say he was slave descendant black, but his parents were quite well off and he grew up in a white neighborhood and was fairly privileged. Is the criticism then going to be that he had it easy?
What exactly will it take for a black candidate to be accepted? Will he have to have been born to a single crack addict mother in the worst inner city in America, joined a gang, killed a few people, done time in jail, then got out and managed to turn his life completely around. Is that realistic?
I don’t believe in the hokey about not being able to criticise a group unless you’ve been in the same exact situation. As long as the outsider does not belittle/humiliate the particular group, that’s fine. And sometimes an outside perspective can be quite healthy. Heck, I bet there are some white Americans who understand the issues in the black community better than a lot of members of the black community.
Does anyone ever bring up the fact that Obama is married to a black American (I presume descended from slaves), and has two black American daughters. Does the fact that his father was an immigrant make life any different for them?
“We” were just as offended by Bill Cosby’s remarks. Why? Because he was “airing dirty laundry?” I don’t think so. If we don’t know, the dirty laundry has been hanging around wafting on the breeze for everyone to see and smell, so why are we acting like it’s a secret that our communities are seriously struggling? I’m sure that ain’t no newsflash, or at least it shouldn’t be. If we think that our trash don’t smell then we are deluded beyond belief. Whether or not Bill Cosby, Barack Obama, or any one of us anonymous black folks who most likely have said more or less the same at the dinner table or in the beauty salon, actually puts our frustrations into words the stench is still there.
We get offended no matter who the messenger is–because many of us don’t want to hear about personal responsibility. It is much easier to blame all of your problems on someone else. This psych 101…people, individuals or collectives, typically attack the messenger. It’s a basic defense mechanism.
Racism is real, we all know that. But what are WE as a collective going to do about our problems? If we know that the mainstream isn’t interested in our collective welfare, why don’t we take matters into our own hands? Because that requires introspection, and hard work for the changes that we need to effect, and many of us just ain’t trying to hear that. It don’t matter who says it. We’ll figure out some half baked reason not to get down to business.
@ K-Dude
Nothing Barack said was
umm pookie….
I wish more people thought like you.
@ Tariq
By the way Tariq, I’m not criticizing your viewpoint. I understand what you’re pointing out. My comments are more general.
I’m not even an Obama apologist, there are a few things about him that aren’t exactly Kosher for me, but as we say back at home, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are some positives about the man.
Love your blog by the way, always good stuff on here, keep up the good work.
Obama is black
It’s just his pops don’t go back
To the roots and the ties
Of those he would criticize.
Mom was white as a lily
And he did not grow up in Philly
But if he walked down the street
What fate would he meet?
We all know if he stood
In the middle of the hood
Folk would see him as their own
The white side they’d disown.
When he lived in Hawaii
Just what did they see?
I’ll put in a bid
That they saw a black kid.
Now y’all are excited
A fire he’s ignited
Everybody wants to vote
And read all that he wrote.
He asks that you believe
Go ahead, be naive.
The ‘bro’ wants to get elected
No matter who gets rejected.
He voted for FISA and you got upset
But what in the world did you think you would get
From a man that is saavy and politically shrewd?
It’s just the beginning of things from this dude.
No matter what or whether
Black folks have GOT to get themselves together.
That’s the bottom line
Regardless how they whine.
Jesse wants to cut nuts
Well the truth requires guts.
So what blacks got offended
It’s time the crap ended.
As a Blackamerican man I accepted Islam
And ended up as a BAM
Despite the robes I may drape
This I cannot escape.
I’m no fool for Obama
And tired of all the drama
But a vote for McCain
Borders on the insane.
Pardon me; you said all that to say what?
Don’t believe Obama and don’t vote for McCain; just be passive huh.
I’m checking out on this one.
What Was Jesse thinking? Well, who was he talking to?
See
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/no-dead-mics-on-fox/
As in our previous discussions black and white are cultural terms in America that have less to do with simply skin color. That’s why people say you can sound ‘black” or sound “white” they are referring to the cultural aspect. I did not like how Obama spoke about the absentee father issue. But the verdict is still out for me I will wait until I see what he does once in office. But I do think it’s important we keep hold his feet to the fire.
Dr Boyce Watkins on the Jesse Jackson Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N23af-S7unM