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The End of 'Bad Boy' Thinking
In an embarrassing commingling of radical politics, racism, and anti-Semitism, faux academics such as Jeffries, Molifi Asante, father of Afrocentrism, and Tony Martin of Wellesley taught unscholarly rants given to claiming the impossibility of white America ever giving black people a fair chance; that Jews controlled the African slave trade trade; and that they also conspired in modern times against the black scholars like themselves who could liberate the black mind. In short, as much bull as the campus market could bear.
With only a short list of exceptions, the black studies hustle was forced into the halls of academe by naive and hopped up students who demanded this carrion for breakfast, lunch, and dinner or threatened to turn out colleges and universities if they did not submit to this false "scholarship.” One of the many failings of the civil rights establishment once it began to be overcome by and finally submitted to black nationalism was its failure to stand up against intellectual pollution. Oh, well.
It should be obvious by now that hip hop—a black popular music already degraded by violence, misogyny, and crude materialislm—was the last spittoon in which those academic hustles found sympathy. Insecure middle class black kids wallow in this version of "street knowledge" in order to give themselves a feeling of "authenticity" and, in some cases, to profit from their interpretations of this aesthetic junk for white friends who never lose a taste for any version of minstrelsy—black nationalist, revolutionary, thug life, you name it. The Birth of a Nation with a back beat.
Barack Obama, a fiercely accomplished student, Constitutional scholar, and first class writer, may well provide a symbol of the way out of this dungeon of propaganda posing as "authenticity" or "black consciousness." As they used to say, "Crack them books, boys and girls, you might learn something."
We should now note that Ralph Ellison, the most sophisticated thinker about American life since World War II, along only with Saul Bellow, was defiled and personally attacked by the agents of ethnic toxicity. He was called a traitor to his race and to his class. His belief in the grandeur of the Constitution, and in the multi-ethnic fundamentals of American culture and American life, caused him to be derided by his inferiors for years, sometimes brutally and hysterically to his face.
Yet Ellison stood by his beliefs and never failed to provide as rich a reading of this country's history as any of our finest writers or thinkers. The depth of his understanding of this country's culture has never been exceeded nor has anyone had a better perspective than he had on what this country means to the world at large. In Harper's magazine, as if looking into his Oklahoma crystal ball, Ellison once said that it was time for the Negro not to stop dancing or cooking or contributing to America's sense of national elegance, improvisation, and heroic optimism, but to start thinking and step into the ring with the heavyweights whenever possible.
Barack Obama has done that and would do himself well if he read and reread all of Ellison's essays throughout his term of office. Because long before this remarkable politician arose from among us, the great writer had always reminded us of the possibility of the American hero coming from out of nowhere, studying, mastering, and charming when necessary or, when it was called for, kicking ass and taking names.
Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, The New Yorker and more. He has served as Artistic Consultant for jazz programming at Lincoln Center since 1987, and is a founder Jazz At Lincoln Center. In June 2006 his first major collection of jazz criticism, Considering Genius: Jazz Writings was published. He is presently completing a book about the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
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Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, The New Yorker, and more. He has served as artistic consultant for jazz programming at Lincoln Center since 1987, and is a founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center. In June 2006 his first major collection of jazz criticism, Considering Genius: Jazz Writings, was published. He is presently completing a book about the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
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Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, The New Yorker, and more. He has served as artistic consultant for jazz programming at Lincoln Center since 1987, and is a founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center. In June 2006 his first major collection of jazz criticism, Considering Genius: Jazz Writings, was published. He is presently completing a book about the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
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Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, The New Yorker, and more. He has served as artistic consultant for jazz programming at Lincoln Center since 1987, and is a founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center. In June 2006 his first major collection of jazz criticism, Considering Genius: Jazz Writings, was published. He is presently completing a book about the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
I think President elect Obama is a man of our time...he will bring all races, genders, religions and ages together.
It is so nice to watch and hear this young intelligent man it makes me very hopeful for the future of this country and mostly the young people coming up.
They will have a smart man, who is eloquent in his speech and very trendy and smart in his dress.....hopefully they will try to emanate him in all ways and that can't be anything but good.
So looking forward to the New Year and seeing President elect Obama sworn in, what a great, historic day for this country.....we need to come together as one nation and get this country back on track.
Thank you for a comprehensive article. I have never understood how the unscholarly rants of certain professors are tolerated at our academic institutions. As you say, enough students asked for just that.
BRAVO Mr. Couch!
This is stunning. One forgets the beauty and the legitimacy of the idea of pluralism, and that more often than not both sides are to be implicated in its continual degradation...
Stanley Crouch....I must remember this name because you Sir are a Clown. You make some good points about some of the more misguided thought processes of some of the Young Brothers and Sisters from today's era and honestly, mine (I'm 27) but speaking about Malcolm X and other members of that particular movement the way you do is nothing more than a stunning play on your own self-righteousness or an unfortunate example of a staggering degree of self hate.
Either way, as a Grandchild of the results of the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement I have to say that I appreciate the sacrifices made by ALL sides of that struggle for even though they may have disagreed with one another on the philosophical approach to the struggle, the recognized that it would indeed be a struggle and they were willing to struggle on our behalf. I am of the notion that one couldn't have had one without the other, no matter what many of the history books would lead us to believe.
In this regard, nothing is perfect and there may have perhaps been an overcorrection on many a college campus throughout the 80s and 90s as it pertains to African American History classes. However, this could perhaps be argued as a small price to pay for the 100 plus years of Education on many a campus that was void of most, if not all references of any positive or true historical contributions of African Americans to the many successes of this nation's great history.
Again, a disgustingly one-sided distortion of a few historical Giants of the Civil Rights Era.
Wherever it goes unquestioned, ignorance will flourish. Very thought-provoking piece.
This article is spot-on!
To me, one of the most fascinating developments of the 2008 presidential campaign was the talk of "elitism." For so long African-Americans, coloreds, negros, people of color (fill in your own term) have been critizied for not being intelligent and lacking the ability to be articulate. Yet, as Barack Obama made his way across the country he was lambasted for being just a "good speaker" with "good speeches."
It was apparent to me that the fact that he attended Columbia and Harvard were strikes against him. But, don't we want intelligent people running the country?
It is refreshing to me to know that what Mr. Obama has done is to raise the bar for all Americans to become well versed, thoughtful and pragmatic in the way we communicate our thougths and ideas. Hooray for a brain in the White House!
Great Stuff Stanley! Pluralism rules!
Malcolm X, Amiri Baraka remain great and inspirational figures. But we have moved beyond insecure teenaged "revolution" into a more adult "evolution".
Having a Black President changes the whole equation...
One of the things that I like about Obama is that he respects other peoples views. He may not like it. He may not agree. But he respects their right to their beliefs. He isn't closed or narrow minded enough to believe that he's the be all to end all or the absolute authority on anything.
I understand that you want to be invited by, or included by, white folks whereever you go. That's cool. If you want to assimilate into their culture that's fine, too. But to insist that blacks who don't share your views are somehow ignorant or stupid, says more about your intelligence than it does about theirs.
People like you kill me. I read your article but nowhere does it slam Asians, or Arabs, or Europeans, or Pacific Islanders, Hispancis or Africans for having their own special enclaves in every large city in the Union. Or having Asian or European history classes taught at all major universities. Yet, you criticize and demonize black folks (American) for wanting the same things.
Looking at your picture, you appear to be of a certain age. I know you're not claiming that because Obama's been elected President, that somehow, racism is a thing of the past!? Please take a tour of the criminal justice system in the country (preferably in the south, Texas specifically) and review some of the cases, past and present.
The Justice Dept has declined to prosecute the woman at the center of the Emmitt Till case. Not even a conspiracy charge. You may not think that's relevant, but there are plenty of women alive who lost their children and husbands and had to swallow the bitter pill of racism. I won't mention education.
I have one final question for Mr. Crouch. Are you in love with Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan? I ask because it seems that no matter what you're ranting and raving about, you tend to keep his name in your mouth.
Thank you.
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