I have apparently been under a rock
This morning I was lying in bed, listening to the radio and trying to wake up. So I turned the dial to KPFA, a lefty radio station in the Bay Area. A talk show was in progress and the guest was discussing politics, politicians, and the political landscape in the US, with regard to race and class. I was totally blown away by the 10-or-so minutes I heard of his comments. It was so nuanced and thoughtful. He was able to make fine distinctions on a subject that is usually very polarizing and is usually painted with much broader strokes.
Wow! WOW!! This was a guy who thinks almost exactly the way I think - except that he knows a lot more. :) At no point did I find myself thinking, "Yes, but what about...?" For example, he was able to criticize Obama without writing him off, as many on the left have done. He was able to distinguish between the positive symbolic effect of having a black man in the White House, and this particular man's policies, which themselves are neither all-good nor all-bad. He was able to talk about Obama with great respect for him as a politician and an intellectual, without pulling punches about the ways that Obama has not addressed issues of most importance to the poorest people in the country.
So when the announcer said who he was, I made a note of it, and as soon as I got to work, I looked him up on Our Friend Google, only to discover that this guy is a world-renowned scholar and has been publishing highly regarded books for many years. Where have I been??
His name is Dr. Cornel West, a name I'm sure many of you who are reading this post have already heard. Many of you have probably already read his book "Race Matters". (Even I am familiar with that title, although I haven't read the book.) Now I'm off to my library's online catalog to reserve myself a copy of that book, or maybe another one.
By the way, if you live in the East Bay, Dr. West is going to be reading and speaking tonight at Barnes & Noble in Oakland (address: 98 Broadway), in case you want to go see him. 7 PM. If I can get there in time, I'm going to try to go.
Wow! WOW!! This was a guy who thinks almost exactly the way I think - except that he knows a lot more. :) At no point did I find myself thinking, "Yes, but what about...?" For example, he was able to criticize Obama without writing him off, as many on the left have done. He was able to distinguish between the positive symbolic effect of having a black man in the White House, and this particular man's policies, which themselves are neither all-good nor all-bad. He was able to talk about Obama with great respect for him as a politician and an intellectual, without pulling punches about the ways that Obama has not addressed issues of most importance to the poorest people in the country.
So when the announcer said who he was, I made a note of it, and as soon as I got to work, I looked him up on Our Friend Google, only to discover that this guy is a world-renowned scholar and has been publishing highly regarded books for many years. Where have I been??
His name is Dr. Cornel West, a name I'm sure many of you who are reading this post have already heard. Many of you have probably already read his book "Race Matters". (Even I am familiar with that title, although I haven't read the book.) Now I'm off to my library's online catalog to reserve myself a copy of that book, or maybe another one.
By the way, if you live in the East Bay, Dr. West is going to be reading and speaking tonight at Barnes & Noble in Oakland (address: 98 Broadway), in case you want to go see him. 7 PM. If I can get there in time, I'm going to try to go.