When I heard the controversial and heated comments about President Obama that were made by my respected colleague Michael Eric Dyson, I felt like a 2nd grader running outside to see the fight between two middle school kids. Both Barack and Michael are men I've grown to appreciate, and I love them for their strengths as well as their imperfections. Michael was the reason I became a public scholar during graduate school, as I would watch the words flow out of him like an MC in the booth dropping his hottest album. The man is good, damn good.
Barack Obama needs to listen to the words of Michael Eric Dyson. In fact, he should give Dyson as much, or more respect than he gives me or any other black public intellectual in America. Dr. Dyson, no matter how you perceive his critique of President Obama, represents a form of insight that you are not going to find in politics, the pulpit or anywhere else. At the same time, I will confess that his words may also come from an impure place that lies within the darkest part of our souls. In other words, Dyson, Tavis, Barack, Jesse and every other ambitious man in America is always going to be tempted by the "Demon of Playerhaterology". Men are naturally competitive, and no man likes to be disrespected. Obama, as a condition for his employment, is often asked to disrespect other leaders across America who represent the essence of meaningful black thought. That's going to create a long list of enemies.
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1 comment:
"more respect than he gives me or any other black public intellectual"
Perhaps the President would give you the respect you think you deserve as a black intellectual if you did something to deserve that respect.
All I see the the black pseudo intellectuals do is go on Fox News and the other corporate (WHITE) tee-vee shows to criticize the President.
What have any of you done to deserve respect? The fact that you have a few alphabets behind your name?
My father, who finished high school after the Korean War by going to night school after working in the steel mills all day did more to be respected than any of you self promoting race pimps and hustlers have ever done.
Point me to some concrete programs that any of these black pseudo intellectual have done in the black community to help someone other than yourselves. Like tutoring grade, high school and even college students to teach them how to speak standard english. Like mentoring young men to teach them other options than fathering child after child after child after child with multiple women. Like job training programs. Something.
And making speeches and dogging the President on the WHITE tee-vee shows don't count.
P.S. Tell that nasty looking black pseudo intellectual Cornel West to clean himself up and get his teeth fixed before complaining about the President on the WHITE tee-vee shows.
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