Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.net
My questions of the day:
I am in a commercial break during my interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson. I wanted to ask an important question that my good friend Dr. Marc Lamont Hill brought up during our discussion:
1) When Cosby challenged African Americans to be responsible, he was applauded. When Obama claimed that African American males are more irresponsible than other ethnic groups, he was applauded. But when individuals speak out to hold Barack Obama responsible, they are attacked. I wonder why that is?
2) One of our consistent bloggers (El Rancho) made this point: To say that we don't need Black leaders if we have a Black president, isn't that like saying that if John McCain is president, we don't need the AARP to represent Senior citizens?
3) Why is the language of personal responsibility only used when referring to African Americans? Do they use this language to discuss the alcoholics on college campuses, government fiscal irresponsibility with the War in Iraq or irresponsibility by lenders during the sub-prime lending crisis? I am a fan of personal responsibility (I have lived it for my entire life), but the notion that Black males have a monopoly on irresponsible behavior is kind of silly.
5 comments:
What some don't understand is that the issue that many had with the speech had nothing to do with "personal responsibility" or hating 'personal responsibility'. The issue was that Obama the race neutral candidate made an issue race specific. He did it to a group of people who are used to being maligned. He gave credence to the negative perception of black men being morally bankrupt, loose, lazy and irresponsible. His speech was also laced with accusations and clichés.
People keep harping on personal responsibility because there is this myth, this racist myth that black people are collectively irresponsible and lazy. They believe that they hate personal responsibility. That is what many are basing their assumptions of the situation on. They think that those who did not approve of the manner in which Obama made his speech are trying to dodge responsibility, blame others or protest those who are not responsible.
I will admit that many are indeed very responsible, successful and forthright citizens but hate the term because it is often used to cancel out the pervasiveness of institutionalized racism, social injustice, economic inequality and so forth that our country loves to deny.
It's getting pretty tired and while some feel that this whole thing is benefiting Obama, it is benefiting him with white voters only. There are indeed black voters who are viewing it differently. They are not looking at Obama's father's day speech as isolated. They are looking at it as a pattern of his behavior in front of black audiences and the fact that he is often "absentee" when it comes to issues that he can actually change policy wise in regards to black people. It would be who of Obama to take heed to the words of those like yourself and others. It would be who of him to get it right and listen to what some are trying to tell him and why some have not agreed with the way in which he went about doing some things.
Now, Dr. Marc Lamont hill brought up a good point. I have said for a while that black people are in a one-sided relationship with the senator.
He shows very little loyalty to us and often takes us for granted. However we are nationalistic with him. He can demand personal responsibility from us but we cannot ask for the least bit of integrity from him. That is because of what I just mentioned. We are in a one-sided relationship. We are loyal to him at all costs but it is not the other way around. Any criticism of the brother is treason to the black race. Any misstep with him is accepted because of our loyalty to him. However when someone asks him to come to a talk about black issues, he doesn't because this is a racist country and he is not running for president of "Black America" however he will show up in a church to get a couple of sound bytes denouncing "black" irresponsibility and moral bankruptcy. He can throw a black church under the bus but then show up to one the next week on a day of celebration to put people in their place to the cheers of Bill O'Reilly and Fox News and the racist white conservative blogosphere. I was on a blog site trying to defend blacks from down right nasty rhetoric on a mainstream blogsite. There I found a trackback to Stormfront.org (david duke's site) praising Obama's speech.
Black people came down on Wright for giving fodder to Obama's enemies. Yet nobody said anything when he did it to us.
As I said, if Obama is running for president of all Americans, then talk to all Americans about the collective breakdown of all the American families. If you cannot give "tough love" to others, then don't give it to us.
I understand Obama's predicament and the fact that it is almost always a Catch 22 but Barack has made avoidable missteps. I support him, which is why I fell the need to say out loud how I feel.
We as AA's must hold Obama accountable at all times. It is not about tearing him down or hating. It is about making sure that he is a good leader to us as he is with everyone else.
If he can come and talk about personal responsiblity, accountablity and all what some should be doing then we have the right to do the same with him.
I will make sure that on August 4 which is his birthday, I make a long list of all the things that he should be doing and could be doing better.
Dr. Boyce watkins, I live in New York. The show is not syndicated out here (at least I don't think so). Is there anyway that I can hear today's program? Would you be able to post it.
I thought of this because i know that you like analogies.
The relationship between obama and the black community is like the relationship between amarried man and his mistress.
Immortal Technique said something in a rhyme abut how the government expects us to assume personal responsibility for several things but refuse to do the same when the government does something completely out of whack.
The problem with Barack Obama's comments were that they help falsely perpetuate the myth that merit is what soley dictates success in this country. The reality is that explaining the racial discrepancy in economic situation is extremely complex. There are big picture reasons why racial inequity exists that have nothing to do with individual effort, high racial segregation, a legacy of government-sanctioned discrimination and overwhelmingly negative media portrayals to name a few.
While he did acknowledge that there are policy-driven reasons that contribute to this inequity in his first condescending lecture to the Black community, in his more recent one to the NAACP, he goes as far as saying that no policy would do any good if Black people don't take responsibility.
You're absolutely right to wonder why everyone is so okay with Barack Obama standing on his high horse and "holding people accountable," and then outraged when Jesse Jackson tries to hold Barack Obama accountable.
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