Does Cornel West Harbor Racist Attitudes Towards Black People?

[Eric L. Wattree]

Dr. Cornel West seems to have gone on a shameless mission to disparage anyone in the Black community who tends to overshadow him. Now he’s after music mogul and entrepreneur, Jay-Z, regarding his business holdings. West seems to be bound and determined to demonstrate to the world that Jay-Z's business holdings aren't as impressive as he's increasingly being given credit.

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But what Jay-Z owns or doesn't own is not the point of this piece. The bigger issue is the pettiness of a mind that can become so fixated on such a trivial issue. Considering West's, fading, yet substantial influence in the Black community, the possible impact of such a petty mind during a time when we are fighting for our very existence is indeed frightening.

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During a time in this nation's history when powerful forces in this country are hell-bent on establishing an era of corporate feudalism, how does Cornel West's attack on Jay-Z show "love" for the Black community? How does it help to reinforce the Black community and abolish poverty, as West insists to any and everyone who will listen, is his primary goal? In short, it doesn't - and that, is the point of this piece.

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Cornel West's petty fixation on such issues as the extent and source of Jay-Z's wealth, why a baggage handler could get inauguration tickets over his own illustrious personage, and why the President of the United States failed to return his personal phone call, clearly demonstrates that poverty and suffering within the Black community, and America as a whole, is not only less than his primary concern, but is, in fact, merely being used as a tool to gain personal attention and to promote his own self-aggrandizing agenda.

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In addition, West's all consuming penchant for attacking high-profile Black people - and in racially drenched terms - suggests far more than what many attribute to West's exaggerated sense of self-importance. It more clearly suggests a form of black-on-Black racism - an intense disdain and condescending attitude toward his own people. Black people tend not to look closely enough at this syndrome, but we should, because it's one of the most toxic maladies in the Black community. It's been killing us for over 400 years, and it's past time to bring it to an end.

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I was discussing this issue with a friend the other day, and she insisted, "No, it's not racism; it's a form of self-hatred." But I beg to differ. People like Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, Larry Elder (who Smiley just recently had on his show), Clarence Thomas, and Herman Cain, don't hate themselves at all - it's not
themselves, but the Black community that they look down their noses at. During the Republican primaries Herman Cain said that Black people weren't supporting him because we were brainwashed. That's politispeak for stupid. But as things turned out, being stupid nonwithstanding, with respect to Cain, it seems that the Black community was way ahead of the Republican Party. We saw right through Herman Cain from day one, so who's stupid?
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But we're not quite as practiced at seeing through people like Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, because
Tavis and West have put a different spin on their game through the use of reverse psychology. Herman Cain tried to use the direct approach - using our ignorance to bamboozle us into supporting Republicans. Tavis and West, on the other hand, knew that wouldn't work, so they tried to accomplish the same goal, but through the back door - using our anger to hornswoggle us into NOT supporting the president. But in the end, it amounts to the same thing - our being flimflammed into cutting our own throats.  

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The Black community needs to start wrapping it's head around the fact that you don't have to be White to have racist attitudes towards Black people. Clear evidence of that fact can be had by simply asking yourself when was the last time you heard of a drive-by being perpetrated by a shooter wearing a sheet?

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You see, I know a little something about Black racism. It's not a new concept to me. I've been observing Black racists plying their trade for most of my adult life. I worked for the United States Postal Service for 28 years, and for 12 of those years I was a union representative who specialized in EEO claims. During that time I witnessed Black managers and supervisors engage in some of the most vicious forms of racism against other Black employees that I've ever seen - in fact, a White manager wouldn't have been able to get away with it.

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Personally, I believe the postal service incorporates that fact into its business model. You see, it's next to impossible for a Black employee to file a successful claim of discrimination against another Black person, so part of the postal service's business model is to elevate Black people to rob, steal, intimidate, harass, and fire other Black people. As a direct result, I have an Asian friend with a Master's degree and she's been being  passed over for promotion for over 10 years by a parade of Black racists who barely made it through high school, because the only qualification for promotion was their willingness to abuse other Black people. . The following is an eye witness account of a Black bigot at work:

 

Customer Statement

"Atten: Miss Stanley, Station Manager:

 

To Whom It May Concern:

“My name is Elizabeth Crawford. I along with my wife Michelle Lo, own [address withheld].  On August 13, 2011 we were landscaping our front yard and witnessed an altercation between our mail carrier, Sylvester Burton and a woman whom I later learned was Juanita, his supervisor.

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“At first I only heard a woman (Juanita) shouting and cursing. Since my back was to them I did not see who was yelling. Then I saw our letter carrier Mr. Burton drive by in his mail truck and pull over to the curb just past our driveway. A black woman raced over to the now parked mail truck cursing and shouting at Mr. Burton saying “you tried to run me over” and that she was going to “call the police”. As I watched I became very very alarmed because I could not tell at first from the casual attire she was clothed in that she was a postal employee. All I could see was an extremely unhinged woman going ballistic and attacking our mailman. I watched Juanita as she reached inside the mail truck and shook her hand in Mr. Burton’s face as she shouted ‘I don’t give a f*** about you and by the way I think your ass is GAY!’ Then she shouted ‘you take your ass back to the station right now…this is MY ROUTE, MY ROUTE…and you take your ass back to the station right now...’ She then shouted ‘I’m calling the postal police on your ass you take your ass back to the station right now.’

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“Mr. Burton drove away in the mail truck. I don’t know what Mr. Burton was saying in response to all this as he NEVER raised his voice or shouted back during the entire episode.

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“My entire family including my seven year-old niece had to witness this entirely unprofessional vulgar outburst. The cursing and swearing peppered with the f-word and the homophobic remarks was nothing less than shocking and completely inappropriate. I was extremely offended by her homophobic remarks and I am myself gay, not to mention the cursing and swearing in front of our child.

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“Don’t know and I really don’t care what prompted Juanita’s tirade. I was shocked to see someone in a so-called “supervisory position” treating someone who works for her so brutally. Needless to say law in the state of California the law prohibits the attack on Mr. Burton based on his sexual identification in the workplace! You should take note of this.

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“You need to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS WOMAN. While representing the USPS no one should be able to behave that badly and make that big of a scene in public plus publicly attacking a subordinates sexual orientation and be allowed to keep their job. “If Mr. Burton sues for harassment I will gladly be a witness on his behalf.

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Signed,

M. Elizabeth J. Crawford"

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The postal service lost the case and gave the supervisor involved a tap on the wrist (sensitivity training). Now it's back to business as usual.

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So with respect to Cornel West, just take a minute to ask yourself the following questions. First, with everything the Republican Party is trying to do to Black people - obstructing our right to vote, trying to destroy our educational system, attempting to take away our parents' and grandparents' access to Medicare and Social Security, and trying to destroy our future by making higher education beyond our children's reach - why is West focused on something as unimportant to our welfare as what Jay-Z is doing?  In addition, West is as quiet as a church mouse regarding the role that his buddy, Tavis Smiley, played in helping Wells Fargo Bank swindle Black homeowners - at least, former Black homeowners. All of a sudden, "accountability" doesn't apply in that case.  http://washingtonindependent.com/59633/suit-alleges-trusted-black-f...

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And secondly, since the most direct road out of poverty is to ensure that our young people obtain a quality education, why is it that Dr. Cornel West has failed to teach at any school that more than 1% of Black students can even afford to get into in his entire career? Wouldn't you think that one who is renowned as an educator, and who claims to "love" his people so passionately that he was "forced" to publicly attack the first Black President of the United States, would at the very least, apply his skills to educating Black youth? Come on, people. Connect the dots.  

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What we have to begin to understand regarding people like Cornel West and others of his ilk is, Black people are the product of the very same racist environment as White people. And as a result, many of us are just as racist and condescending towards other Black people as any racist Hillbilly. So what West is clearly demonstrating is, in spite of everything that's coming together to destroy the Black community, it all has to take a backseat to America's favorite pastime - dragging a successful Black man through the mud. And West’s attack on Jay-Z is not just an aberration - he’s done the exact same thing to President Obama, Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, and Rev. Al Sharpton. Yet, he seems to be fine with Walmart, and the others who are trying to cut the Black community's throat.

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No other group of people in the world thinks that way about their own, and for that reason, Black people are at the very bottom of the social and economic ladder. New arrivials to this country all but stumble over us as they move forward and leave us behind. So we need to wake up, and stop tolerating this sort of thing, regardless to how we might feel about Jay-Z's wealth. We shouldn't be doggin' Jay-Z. We should take pride in what he's accomplished, because whether you're a hip hop fan or not, the brother has demonstrated the intellect to rise to the top - and without Walmart.

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Finally, it's easy to understand why West is so popular among many - he's the most prolific champion of intellectual masturbation in the Black community - bar none. He's an entertainer. But don't be bamboozled by a wooly head and hardcore rhetoric. While Cornel West has been hyped by the establishment as one of the Black community’s premier intellectuals, he’s been repeatedly demonstrating the very worst in Black behavior for over twelve years now. So while it’s both understandable, and appropriate, for the Black community to despair over this public embarrassment, we should use it as a teaching moment: Always look beneath the hype, and never allow others to define our heroes.

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RELATED ARTICLES

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What Has Obama Done for the Poor and Middle Class?

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Tavis, West, and Malcolm

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It’s Time to Boycott Tavis,West, and All Black-on-Black Racists

Eric L. Wattree

Http://wattree.blogspot.com

[e-mail]

Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

[Penguin Board of Directors]

Hello Eric,

I agree with you that all leaders, including Bro. Cornel, must be held accountable always. However, I could not but take exception to the rather caustic rhetoric directed at Cornel. We may, and often do have cause to, differ from Cornel on issues of grave social importance to us all as Americans, but the merit of our case does not grant us the latitude to disparage others with reckless abandon. It is not only those who live in glass houses who should not throw stones: None of us should, even if we lived in iron and steel houses. We can be bold, direct and unsparing in speaking truth to power; we also need to avoid throwing decorum overboard.

While I hope that you take this critique in good faith, materially, it changes nothing for me if you do not. It might make me re-classify or discount whatever you have to say or write in the future, that is neither here nor there. My point is that, in the hope of effecting desirable change, we should train our critical remarks on Cornel's (or any other person's) acts of omission or commission, not their personalities. When I say 'we,' I clearly include myself in the mix of all who have to take this admonition much to heart. If we fail to look in the mirror and check our own excesses as we try to check those of others (lovingly), we reduce ourselves to levels of mere talking heads and opportunistic, intellectual Lilliputians masquerading as social critics.

Sincerely, 

Me. 

[Alison P. Minto]

Well stated, Bro. Penguin. God Bless and God Speed.

[Eric L. Wattree]

Bro. Penguin,

I fully understand the shortcomings of putting forward ad hominem arguments, and believe me, I've taken your sage advice into consideration in the past. I agree that one should ALWAYS restrict one's argument to the issues, because personal attacks invaribly suggest either a weak argument, a weak mind, or a limited grasp of the facts. But the problem with mounting an argument against the behavior of Tavis and West is the fact that their character - or the lack thereof - is intrinsic to the argument itself. Therefore, it's impossible to clearly state my case without clearly defining the motivation and source of their treacherous intent. So, again, while I fully appreciate, and respect, your point of view, I hope you'll take into account the nature of my dilemma.    

[Eric L. Wattree]

Bro. Penguin,

There's one other issue here. In order to make an effective case, it's also necessary to defuse the readers' minds of the unwarranted hype that's been heaped upon these two - particularly Cornel West - by the establishment media. A huge part of what allows Cornel West to get away with some of the total nonsense that he espouses is the public's brainwashed view of what he repersents. Therefore, in order to clear the fog from the peoples' eyes, I must completely strip West of his "superhero" status. Without that, he would have long since been dismissed as a self-aggrandizing lunatic.

http://wattree.blogspot.com/2012/08/why-am-i-so-fixated-on-cornel-w...

 

[Penguin Board of Directors]

I appreciate that, Bro. Eric. I sincerely thank you for understanding. The dilemma part I get; I experience it as well, all mixed in with frustration, anguish and yes, some element of righteous indignation. Oftentimes, I struggle, just like you or anyone else, containing the temptation to go 'ballistic' rather than keeping it clean and tidy. The greater our love for our brothers, the angrier and more disappointed we get when they seem so 'human.' Yes, so human because we have gotten used to clothing them in superhuman robes, Many a time, their track record and the passion they bring to bear on social struggle justify the high esteem; sometimes, they do not. And that only tells me that they are as human as the rest of us.

While writing this, I had a thought come back to me that Bro. Cornel might sometimes feel the same dilemma towards Bro. Barack (the POTUS). The problem is that insofar as a communication gap subsists, each side will only be digging his hind deeper into a void of unresolved and avoidable issues that impede progress. And that is why I have written in the past that, at some time hopefully sooner than later, both Bros. Tavis and Cornel will have to find ways to personally mend fences with the president in and out of office. It is tragic that we have the state of affairs as it is among the three of them. No one buys the fallacy that this has not gone personal because it has. Often it is said to be done IN LOVE, but circumstances can and may take love out of loving.  

Thank you. And thank you to Bro. Alison as well.  

[Penguin Board of Directors]

I see you are still very angry. If you are open to it or are already familiar with it, try some meditation; then, return to read your post. You might surprise yourself. 

Eric L. Wattree said:

Bro. Penguin,

There's one other issue here. In order to make an effective case, it's also necessary to defuse the readers' minds of the unwarranted hype that's been heaped upon these two - particularly Cornel West - by the establishment media. A huge part of what allows Cornel West to get away with some of the total nonsense that he espouses is the public's brainwashed view of what he repersents. Therefore, in order to clear the fog from the peoples' eyes, I must completely strip West of his "superhero" status. Without that, he would have long since been dismissed as a self-aggrandizing lunatic.

http://wattree.blogspot.com/2012/08/why-am-i-so-fixated-on-cornel-w...

 

[Alison P. Minto]

Bro. Penguin, I am your Sister in the struggle. God Bless and God Speed.

[Penguin Board of Directors]

Thank you for the correction, Sister Alison. Noted henceforth.  

[Eric L. Wattree]

Penguin Board of Directors said:

I see you are still very angry. If you are open to it or are already familiar with it, try some meditation; then, return to read your post. You might surprise yourself. 

Eric L. Wattree said:

Bro. Penguin,

There's one other issue here. In order to make an effective case, it's also necessary to defuse the readers' minds of the unwarranted hype that's been heaped upon these two - particularly Cornel West - by the establishment media. A huge part of what allows Cornel West to get away with some of the total nonsense that he espouses is the public's brainwashed view of what he repersents. Therefore, in order to clear the fog from the peoples' eyes, I must completely strip West of his "superhero" status. Without that, he would have long since been dismissed as a self-aggrandizing lunatic.

http://wattree.blogspot.com/2012/08/why-am-i-so-fixated-on-cornel-w...

Angry? 

That doesn't even come close to describing my sentiments:

 

I BEAR WITNESS

 

I sit, I watch, and I grow ever more obsolete as I bear witness.

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I bear witness

to a once vibrant people greedily gulping down society’s hemlock. Even as they claim to be “keeping it real,“ they continue to maim, kill, and despise their own in hot pursuit of the prime directive with the passion of a sheetless klan.

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I bear witness

to Black fists in the air in false solidarity promoted by self-serving poverty pimps as the world looks on and giggle at crooked fingers pointed elsewhere.

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I bear witness

to the superficial attempt to ban the “N-word” while the new "un-niggas" stand around watching children killing children and fathers drugging sons, as they celebrate, lionize, and enrich those who denigrate the very womb of their culture with impunity.

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I bear witness

to a generation of lost knowledge, cut off from its roots by Ronnie’s “Just say no” generation of crack, greed, death, and political corruption; A generation where the new N-word is pronounced “Responsibility” and the keepers of the flame completely ignore the destructive power of b****, slut, whore, and tramp.

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I bear witness

to the reckless disregard of the words uneducated, irresponsible, and classless. Should we not ban these words as well, or should we ban banning words altogether as we celebrate their meaning?

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Yes, I do bear witness.

I bear witness to a new world - a world where gross ignorance comes disguised as enlightenment, and funky sneakers look down with disdain upon the sweet smell of Florsheim; a world where saggin’ pants and gaudy glitter enable country bumpkins to masquerade as elegant, and the exquisite surrender of eloquence is the very essence of what it means to be hip.

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Where's Langston? Where's Baldwin? Where's Oscar Brown, Jr?

We need you stormin' this beach, because . . . .

I now bear witness

to a world where motherhood stands alone, to be “dope” renders a smile, and posterity is forced to embrace the wind for paternal sustenance; A world where the walking dead strut about rapping the wisdom of idiocy, and we praise the illiteracy of vulgar nursery rhymes as profound; a world where the mother of salvation's final gasp is compared to the pigmentation of brown paper bags.

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Malcolm, Martin, where are you?

I once stood with a crowd. Now seemingly alone, I'm forced to bear witness - horrific witness . . . to the imminent demise of our people . . .

And my heart bleeds.

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Eric L. Wattree

 

 

[Penguin Board of Directors]

Bro. Eric,

Thank you for the Bobby "Blue" Bland's classic of a piece, 'Sad Street.' I love the music and I love the (deep) message. The satire is as real today as it was back then. Keep up the struggle; we can't let up: we can't let go. As Sister Alison would say, "God Bless and God Speed."  

[Eric L. Wattree]

Thank you, P.

Penguin Board of Directors said:

Bro. Eric,

Thank you for the Bobby "Blue" Bland's classic of a piece, 'Sad Street.' I love the music and I love the (deep) message. The satire is as real today as it was back then. Keep up the struggle; we can't let up: we can't let go. As Sister Alison would say, "God Bless and God Speed."  

[Ricardo Jones]

January 15, 2013 on Martin Luther King Jr, day we are calling for a NATIONAL MARCH AGAINST LYNCHINGS AND ATTEMPTED LYNCHINGS. THIS MARCH IS ALSO AGAINST THE MIS-TREATMENT OF BLACK STUDENTS AND/OR BLACK PROFESSORS AT DSU AND THE BLACK COMMUNITY OF DOVER, DEL.

DOVER DELAWARE IS THE CITY AND DSU IS THE TARGET. PEOPLE AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND INDIFFERENCE TOWARDS BLACK PEOPLE (POOR PEOPLE AND WORKING CLASS). THIS IS A LINE IN THE SAND. GOOD SALT OF THE EARTH PEOPLE WILL UNITE TO PROTEST, RALLEY AND MARCH AGAINST BLACK OPPRESSION IN THE COMMUNITY OF DOVER AND THE STATE OF DELAWARE.  THERE WILL BE A CALLING FOR A NATIONAL EXECUTIVE ORDER FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR A NATIONAL ANTI-LYNCHING ACT. WE WILL ALSO CALL FOR THE CITY AND STATE FATHERS (CASINO GAMING GANGSTERS) TO USE REVENUES TO REBUILD AND CREAT JOBS FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY'S OF DELAWARE IMMEDIATELY!