Hmmnn. I've long said that the main message Dr. West has is less the content of his speech than his voice. That's not meant to dismiss what he actually has to say; there's a lot to value in his analysis on many subjects. But for me that is overtaken by the deft way that he weaves together a rhetorical pattern that is unmistakably black with the methods and references of the academic intellectual tradition, which is of course coded as white. Hearing him speak it seems inescapable that making that mixture, and making it well, is itself a deeply radical act.
And yeah, what he said ... that is it. His voice is key. He reminds me of my own street-wise poetic intellectual roots, while at the same time brilliantly wielding the the chisel of academic specificity. Dr West's writing are also a wonderful read, but hearing him speak is such a revelation. When I had occasion to hear him in person, I was completely mesmerized. His delivery is a mixture of Malcolm and Gil Scott Heron, with a little baptist preacher thrown in for good measure.
I wanted to yell, "Teach it", and "Amen". He literally made me smile.
And listening to him joke with Ken Wilbur on this DVD and remark on how the Matrix could be viewed as a black film ... if you have not heard his commentary, get a hold of the DVD.
Funny coincidence, I just recently gave in to the temptation to get the Matrix DVDs. I didn't get to the bit where West calls it a "black film" yet; that makes me laugh, since it's difficult to imagine guys much whiter than the Bros W.
I laughed too. I think it is near where Neo meets the Oracle. It is in reference to the use of a black woman, esp Gloria Foster, to play the Oracle. Cornell was referring to how some folks actually thought it was a black film because the characters played by Lawrence Fisburne and Gloria Foster were so central to the plot. In other words, the Morpheus doesn't die as in standard black sidekick roles.
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And yeah, it's something you do, too.
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:blush: Thanks.
And yeah, what he said ... that is it. His voice is key. He reminds me of my own street-wise poetic intellectual roots, while at the same time brilliantly wielding the the chisel of academic specificity. Dr West's writing are also a wonderful read, but hearing him speak is such a revelation. When I had occasion to hear him in person, I was completely mesmerized. His delivery is a mixture of Malcolm and Gil Scott Heron, with a little baptist preacher thrown in for good measure.
I wanted to yell, "Teach it", and "Amen". He literally made me smile.
And listening to him joke with Ken Wilbur on this DVD and remark on how the Matrix could be viewed as a black film ... if you have not heard his commentary, get a hold of the DVD.
a very happy K
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