well u know how i feel bout all them poly tricksters
Sen. Obama's Father's Day speech neither sparked 'outrage' nor applause. The heat is a result of Rev. Jackson's aside. As per what passes for the usual in American politics, there's more focus on the messenger and other aesthetics than the actual message. It's ironic Jackson is getting grilled for what is a profane faux pas, while Obama gets a pass for what could be qualified as jigabooing on Black dysfunction in a prepared speech.
The outrage which I refer to is that of black partisans who take issue with Obama's comments on maladaptive behaviors as they relate to black folks. The utterances of Jesse Jackson were directed at these statements. But the video shows this to be a small part of his speech. You and others have projected something onto his speech that simply isn't there.
All I'm saying is that what you're calling 'outrage' was from a noisy minority of Black talking heads. And most of that production is coming just now, weeks after the fact of Obama's words. Most Blacks -- even the partisans -- kind of shrugged their shoulders to Obama's Father's Day platitudes.
FWIW, I watched the entire Father's Day speech as it was delivered on C-SPAN. To be fair to the senator, he wasn't exactly channeling Bill Cosby. IMO, it was an appropriate speech for the occasion, if not a bit gratuitous.
Perhaps I should have used the word umbrage. Good piece btw of criticism by Kevin Alexander Gray over here.
MIB, what should be the role of moral fitness in politics? Should Obama bypass this subject entirely or choose his words more carefully?
I think there's a very, very small role for moral fitness/virtue in politics that's best projected by a politician's individual conduct. A line is crossed once politicians try to define how people should carry on in their private lives.
Why then do successful revolutionaries make the issue of morality one of their fundamental platforms? Political movements in China and Vietnam expressed as much concern for the moral fitness of their people and leaders as they did for their material welfare. This was taken to its most extreme form by Mao Zedong in the Cultural Revolution. And the Black Panthers and Nation of Islam also had/have a strong ethical component.
The problem, as I see it, is one of do as I say and not as I do. Political leaders are all too willing to point out the deficits of average folks but leave themselves out of the discussion. The other obstacle is intellectual elites minimize the role of personal character as you've demonstrated and focus almost exclusively on material conditions, while if you ask the man on the street he thinks otherwise. Dr. Lester Spence told me of his recent appearance on a Detroit radio show to discuss the flaws of Obama's analysis and said not a single caller agreed with him.
There are morals, and then there are ethics. The two aren't the same.
You asked what I thought should be the role of morality in politics. That's independent of the fact many, many political figures include moral arguments in their rhetoric, and the tactic is frequently successful. You've also illustrated the problematic nature of moral politics vis-a-vis Mao, et al.. There are no perfect people; we're all going to be 'outed' sooner or later for some private transgression.
Returning to Obama... the troubling thing to me, and I presume Spence, is a man of Obama's stripe certainly understands the risks in playing culture cop. That suggests his Father's Day speech was for appearance's sake. I dismiss it as a minor platitude; Spence (I'm guessing) feels Obama's triangulation is the resurrection of Bill Clinton's cynical neoliberalism. Where you place your emphasis might depend on the amount of faith you place in the American system of politics.
I can dig it.
Hello there!
I agree with so much of what you have shared... I wrote a post on Sunday about Obama's speech at the Urban League Conference...
He'll definitely win the presidential race but we will have a white-people-pleasing black president...
That is for sure!
Hmmmmph...and THAT is real change??
Lisa
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