Great post. It made me think about the episode of "This American Life" this week on Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children's Zone. The man is out there doing it, big time.

No excuses, just results.

One of the smartest things I've read on Obama's impact, and a real reminder that his likely victory in November is symbolically huge but does absolutely nothing in and of itself to cure what ails us. While the kind of "consumer activism" mindset you nail here (voting Obama is like buying organic carrots at the supermarket) is frustrating, what compels hope is the extraordinary level of participation in his campaign, and even more than that, the sense that his "product" is essentially activism; you can't really buy it without participating.

What sort of business does your Dad run?

"How do you create a "Do For Self" culture when black people are, basically, Americans, and Americans, themselves, are increasingly not "Doing For Self"?"

You look to the past for examples. American history is replete with examples of different groups working hard and supporting each other to get ahead, before Americans were made so dependent on government aid. It started with strong families and built out to mutual aid societies.

"I'd much rather grapple with increasing black turnout for this election to Australian levels"

What does it matter? Blacks have voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates for generations now. And yet many problems in the black community still seem intractable. Perhaps the solution isn't in politics or government programs.

As a BLK male educated at an elite undergrad & law school I have to say you accurately describe an exceedingly difficult feeling about race and society...

Word.

When I moved to the US, race as a cultural and political issue hit me in the face like a spade and to say I underestimated it's importance is to put it mildly. Your writings on this have been a huge education to me.

There seems to be a lot happening in this election, much more than the normal left/right struggle (although there is much happening there), but also racially and generationally.

Okay. But you chose to write a piece arguing Clinton's irrelevance, arguing he's trapped "into prism that was forged some 40 years ago. When they look at Obama they see the stereotype--another effete overly cerebral liberal. And so great is the illusion that they fall never even quite knowing what hit them, never even knowing they've been touched."

I don't think a lot of us would argue that Clinton fits this description. Many of us see Clinton as a slimy politician who knows exactly what he's doing. Even though Obama won the primary, Clinton did do some damage. And he continues, not so subtly, to remind people that there's something not-quite-right with Obama. To marginalize Clinton as just another out-of-touch politician is at best, underestimating him; his behavior deserves more than a "Meh" response.

Trying to pin down what should count as racism and what should not, especially with people who just don't share the same point of view or even the same fundamental lexicon on the subject is an absolutely assured waste of time.

I think I realized that worrying about what white people or indeed what anyone of any race thought about me based solely upon my race was not helpful. What I needed to worry about was what I could do to push back against the actual effective power they had over what I did or didn't do. So, no point in calling out a teacher as racist because they seemed to reflexively disrespect your intelligence. Prove them wrong. Make them believe you are as smart as they are or go around them. But getting into a prolonged struggle with them over the reasons for their disrespect were entirely pointless.

One of the most difficult people to make understand this was my mother. She is a single mom, who, as a strong willed West Indian woman, was always wanting to get up in the face of someone who she thought was not giving her the proper respect. I can see the value of that approach in a lot of circumstances but, from my perspective, it also seemed like a lot of wasted energy. I would agree with her that defending one's dignity is important but that does not always mean braying back at jackasses.

I fully recognize the deep structural aspects of our society that have hindered blacks' ability to achieve material equality. I also recognize the persistent presence of both outright racism and the much more common prejudices we all harbor that color our perceptions. BUT, I have always found the reaction against any criticism of black communities as "you're blaming the victim" as fundamentally disempowering and ultimately unhelpful. I'm not interested in blame, I'm interested in changing society.

"I strongly believe that just like knowledge, in and of itself, has it's own rewards, ignorance has its own penalties. If folks can't see that then that's their problem. ... It's a very weird thing--as an American, and as a human being, I'm deeply concerned about racial reconciliation. But as a black person, I don't much care."

This reminds me of an experience I had many years ago studying abroad in West Africa. There was this black American guy who was very vocal about his distaste and distrust for white people. It made a lot of the white Americans there (who may have harbored their own prejudices but certainbly weren't in the "racist" camp) very angry. I was among the few who couldn't have cared less - I mean, it seemed unfortunate to me that an otherwise really nice, intelligent guy could let his own hang-ups infect him with so much anger, but really how did it affect me? (I do get much more angry, however, about white racism - partly because of the argument that "power" gives it more importance, but moreso, probably, in the same way that America's failings stir me up more than other countries' because I feel some obligation to confront my own group's/country's shortcomings.)

Me neither. I can't worry about white racism, and as a woman, I don't worry much about sexism, either. At least not in the abstract. In tangible ways, where I can make a difference to a few people, I do, but I generally can't bestir myself to get outraged at racism.

I have to say, though, that the "Do For Self" conflict is one I spend a lot of time struggling with. My reflex these days is to dismiss it, but there's something there, still. Sigh.

As a black man in America I take the Colin Powell approach: Let race and racism be the problem of the racist.

We can't spend precious time trying to debunk the already debunked. Or trying to convince the terminally stupid that they are wrong. You pick your fights, because you can't fight all of them.

Turnout the vote, fix up your neighborhood, do some good in the community, get something done. Arguing with a racist is not getting anything done.

The split you mention is right on the money. As an American I wish we could all get along and get ahead. As a Black man I achieve, regardless of some other fool's racist attitudes.

The Malcolm-Farrakhan line is an allusion to a comic line in Boys In The Hood where Doughboy ignorantly--and hilariously--says to Trey, "Damn man. Your Pops is like Malcolm-Farrakhan."

I would love to see a list of books you would want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island.

Better yet, a list of books you would want to give to Fred before we strand HIM on a deserted island.

One of the reasons I am eager for Obama to be president is that I think he will change the conversation about race in ways that are reflected in this discussion.

It's hard to make progress (personally or as a group) when you are in a defensive crouch feeling your victimhood, reacting all the time. However, it is important to remember that this does not mean that things are not structured to keep you down! (Just because you are NOT paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.) You still have to go after the bad schools and teachers with bad attitudes in order to bring about change-- but the methods are different, you do it from a position of personal strength, not from angry vicitimhood.

As an older woman, I relate to the story of the West Indian mother who wanted to get in people's faces-- perhaps she needs to know that she can do that, to speak back; when she started doing it, it wasn't obvious that she could (either that SHE could, or that she would be permitted to). If enough progress has been made that the younger generation does not feel it needs to get in people's faces, that's good; but it was probably built on that woman's shoulders.

I think TNC is reflecting some of the generational difference that Obama demonstrates; racism is not confronted in the same way an older generation did. Again the older generation was not wrong; but progress has been made and what is needed today is not what was needed in the 1960s. (I think age-wise I must be about halfway between Barack and Jesse Jaskson.)

Obama as president will not end racism, obviously. But every little black kid will have the opportunity to see him and herself very differently. This goes for adults too; how many black people honestly thought Obama could win, a year ago? Every white person will also see a powerful black leader. In twenty years, the conversation will have shifted dramatically, and American society will never be the same.

They didn't see themselves differently when Stan O'Neal became CEO of Merrill Lynch, when Ken Chenault became CEO of American Express, or when Don Parsons became CEO of Time Warner? They didn't see themselves differently when Clarence Thomas took Thurgood Marshal's seat on the Supreme Court? They didn't see themselves differently when Colin Powell became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and, later, Secretary of State? Not when Condoleeza Rice succeeded him as Secretary of State?

Not having had a Jewish- or Asian-American president hasn't seemed to have been a problem for Jewish- and Asian-American kids.

Secondly, great post.
You soundly grasp the notion that race is beyond superficial skin color. It's a nuanced concept - if you will - considering that no one is pure - that often moves quietly into discussions more suited for culture.

Side-stepping the obvious reasons why Obama doesn't raise the race flag - black men "grunting" on (legitimate) race issues are tapped by the media as carnival barkers - the good senator chooses to attack ignorance with humanity.

It's like when Radio Raheem knocked out love with hate - sans the five-finger rings.

Thus the true threat an Obama presidency presents to those who are invested in a purely racial point of view. And, the conversation has already shifted- has been, I think, for a while now- but this election is accelerating the process.

I agree, to a point, with your take on the generational differences in how racism is perceived and battled, but I also think that Obama simply understands the value of common courtesy, the loss of which, some have said, is the surest indicator of the decline of our civilization. When he was polite to McCain, looked him in the eye, he wasn't showing deference due a white man, and should not be perceived as such. He was simply showing the basic respect any human being should have for any other human being, period- regardless of race, age, gender, religion or any other difference. McCain showed no respect because he has none for anyone but himself and his own interests, and he sees people only through the prism of how they help or hinder his ascent to the presidency.
McCain obviously has not given much thought to the day after the inauguration- he just wants to get to that podium in front of the Capitol. Obama shows every day that he understands that his campaign is just a precursor to the real work that lies beyond.

Sigh, if only this weren't a public blog!

his dad is a well known book publisher, specializing in the republication of obscure and significant books by and about people of African descent. He also is a leading digital printer and runs a printing company in Baltimore. He's a handsome old guy, with some gray in his beard. He's also his son's biggest fan, and most harsh critic. His dad has said, at least i think i've heard him say, he always wanted to be just like Ta-nehisi when he grew up. We'll, with the exception of TC's views on Bill Cosby.
Pick up a copy of Ta-nehisi's book to get all the details.

frankie d

i'd simply object, however, to any thing that appears to put malcolm x in the same category as louis farrakhan

read, study talk and listen, one day, maybe the comparison might come through. or you can continue to stand in the the space of thinking you know. but never being able to understand why most Black folks would disagree.

So, to follow your example: while I get what your Dad was saying about Malcolm t-shirts, I think those shirts posed a real, bottom-up challenge to the watered-down version of Black history that was getting mainstreamed by white liberals at the time. (Whether or not it was an effective challenge, and whether this challenge was also, at the same time, a cooptation of Black Power motifs for commercial ends, are questions that just point to how complicated these issues are.)

I see the same issues poking up in the presidential race right now, not just around questions of race but around questions of class. Should people care that John McCain is incredibly, filthy rich, and operates from within the prejudices of that particular perspective? Does it make sense, at this historical moment when millions are sinking into poverty but Wall Street billionaires are getting bailed out, for regular folks to get conscious about the class position of political and corporate and media elites? Indignant about it? Angry about it? Maybe at the individual level, this kind of anger will be distracting and ineffective. But at the level of the common culture, I think we kind of NEED it right now. The CULTURE needs it.

The example that jumps to mind for me is this pair of anti-McCain spots that's been bouncing around the web. Have you seen these?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrEZdLsS7Eo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz4Z6L4u8E4

They're actually the same video done twice, but the first time in a "white collar" version and the second in a "blue collar" version. The second is angrier (and funnier). I think it's this kind of anger that we need to see more of.

Steel7, your last point is becoming increasingly clear each day. McCain's goal is to win the presidency by whatever means necessary. Obama's goal is to win the presidency with a consensus (if possible) to implement his policy.

Survival. Sense of Self. Sanity.

To attempt to take on or explain to every prejudiced ear racism, is emotionally draining. To attempt to constantly prove to people you are worthy as a human being (no matter how cultivated and cultured) is a waste of time.

I've gone this route trying to explain to non-black West Indian friends. Of course, if you were to ask them, they aren't racist at all. They listen to my arguments, but don't get it. It taught me that all I can do is be myself, and love myself.

I treat most racism as background noise.

You know, I've tried to address the false dichotomy of "small town" versus "urban, coastal" in other comments. But this struck me. My dad wasn't into Malcolm X, positive or negative. He was born in 1919, his heroes were more guys like Edmund Hillary.

But everything else in that sentence could have been describing him. Don't talk the talk, walk the walk. Get it done.

My dad said the same thing. In a nutshell image is nothing work is everything. Don't Wear a shirt read a book.

Good dads always seem to say the same things don't they. Work Hard. Pay your debts. Stay out of Trouble.

Bump for fathers everywhere. May I be half the dude my daddy is.

Maybe we need a couple more government programs to help Citizens learn how to do for themselves.

Also, we should unionize the government jobs.

t-nc,

thanks for the info. i apologize for being kinda touchy about the subject.
i didn't recall that line in the movie.
it reminds me, i need to watch that movie again.
i do have to admit that i am a bit jumpy about the mention of that ... person's... name.
i think that there is serious evidence of his collaboration with establishment folks who have done some really dastardly things and he is one of the most despicable figures in our history.
truly a destructive force. he's gotten rich and famous and black folks have gotten...? exactly what because of his endeavors?

Gandhi made a statement very apropos your post:
We must become the change we want to see.

Words to live by.

"They didn't see themselves differently when Stan O'Neal became CEO of Merrill Lynch, when Ken Chenault became CEO of American Express, or when Don Parsons became CEO of Time Warner? They didn't see themselves differently when Clarence Thomas took Thurgood Marshal's seat on the Supreme Court? They didn't see themselves differently when Colin Powell became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and, later, Secretary of State? Not when Condoleeza Rice succeeded him as Secretary of State?

Not having had a Jewish- or Asian-American president hasn't seemed to have been a problem for Jewish- and Asian-American kids. "

The answer is no they didn't. Most people in America don't even know who the people you mentioned are outside of Rice & Powell. Thomas is seen as a "sellout" by most in black community I think so no one is looking to him as a role model.
The main problem with your question though is all of the positions held by the people you mention pale in comparison to the being the leader of the free world. It's not even close. There will be celebration & newspaper stories the world over, including every cover on the US, when Barack becomes president. Did that happen when O'Neal became ceo of Merrill?

You are utterly clueless if you think young black kids on the south side of Chicago, for example, have ever heard of any of those people, Maybe Condi and Colin, but maybe not. Many high school kids I've talked to barely know the name of the mayor of Chicago-- and that only because we have mayor for life Daley. Seriously. President is something else, and Obama is totally above and beyond, and he communicates to people, he still speaks the language (even when only in dog whistles). Never saw Condi or Colin do that, eh, not to mention all those CEOs.

So, thanks.

I am an outsider to black culture, but a close observer. I grew up in a hispanic neighborhood in San Antonio where blacks and whites were both minorities. I played sports, so I knew alot of the other black kids because most of them were jocks too. I went to their houses and all I really noticed was that they were louder than my house and I laughed a lot more there. I was a kid and I had fun and that's really all I cared about at that point.

After high school, when I was a young man, I fell in with love a Jamaican girl, an immigrant. Her family was alot different than the black families I knew grewing up. Her Dad ran businesses, not "a" business, but businesses, like the old "In Living Color" joke. Her brothers and sisters were either entrepreneurs or doctors. They were all successful. I remember sitting at their family events thinking how remarkable the sit-around talk was. They told a lot of stories and their were a lot of laughs, but their theme was always the same: how to be successful. They were all first or second generation from Jamaica and they came here for a better life, period. All the stuff about racism was there, they talked about it, but didn't seem to see it as any kind of barrier to success. And they were all wildly successful from my perspective. They embodied the American dream - they came, worked hard, used their wits and their grit and they made a real life for themselves and their families. I don't know how to transfer that kind of upbringing to others, but I clearly remember the young ones all sitting around listening to their elders discuss how to make it, and they were soaking it in. I think the key is there somewhere.

As the guy who wrote the comment on which you commented, and everybody else commented... thanks for engaging me, man. I gotta voice my agreement on how awesome the comments are, too. Your blog is elevated, son.

I still disagree with you on Clinton, though. But I hear you. And this might be the only blog of its kind, ever!

peace

Best line out of the post and my personal goal despite all the other nonsense out there

I presume thats the point of your line, but just checking: as an Australian, I don't want you to have the impression that all Australians are enthusiastic engaged citizens and that there's a very practical reason for our nearly 100% voter turn out levels.

I think some of this personal -> I think some of this is personal

When describing it to him, he listened intently, then said, "So What!"...and left the room. He'd probably said it to me before but that day I finally understood it. Race is a huge problem in this country, it's going to kick you in the teeth sometimes, but none of that has anything to do with me busting my ass to put myself in the best possible position that I can.

Like a previous poster said, leave racism to the racists. It's a "them" problem. They hate black people and I'm black. I can't change being black and it's not my job to explain to them why they shouldn't be racist. I'll answer earnest questions, I'll listen, and when / if they ever come around, I'll buy'em a beer. Until then, they can go kick rocks!