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Number one it's dangerous to lump "black intellectuals" together without having at least some sort of command of their philosophies and ideas. Any cursory inspection of their work will not do. So in speaking of Dr. West and Dr. Gates as if they're a unit is just plain wrong and misleading.
I agree that sometimes-excuse me-a lot of the time, intellectuals are too far removed from the realities of the situations they theorize about, but that isn't always the case. I've found, and this is just from my point of view, that Dr. West is not that type of person. Sure he can often become wordy and can tend toward using the occasional "harvard jargon," but in general he is very concise and he explains, almost in paniful detail, exactly what he means, most of which has nothing to do with "bootlicking," or "being a gatekeeper for massah." Dr. West has vehemently attacked the dominate structure of white society and the obvious repercussions this country (primarily us black folks) have suffered in the mass delusion we've embraced since post-slavery. And furthermore, unlike many black males in intelligentia, on street corners or elsewhere, he's not afraid to speak on the obvious misogynous structures that still inhibit patriachal society to make peace with their idiotic notions of the role of women in this society.
Have you ever seen him speak? I have on numerous occassions and he doesnt't speak at white institutions only. As a matter of fact the last time I saw him, he was at a small black-owned bookstore in Chicago. If you'd looked at the crowd, you would've seen a black diaspora represented, just from the city of Chicago, who had come out to support the brother. And the implications that he has somehow abandoned all credibility because he's at Harvard is completely unfounded simply in the way he speaks to his people. Plus, you'd be surprised at how conservative black institutions are when it comes to accepting some of our own in important positions (remember Spellman burning Toni Morrison?) They've tried, but sometimes it's not as simple as running to the nearest black institution and being accepted, which is a shame (not to say that all institutions are this way, but many). Point blank-the brotha tells the truth. Sure I disagree with some of his points, but that is the point of criticism and sharing your ideas-to present social theories that you yourself are aware of as faulty, and to be, in turn, criticized.
Anyway, I wasn't as cohesive as I'd like to be, but I couldn't let people who have probably never really entertained his views slander him, especially when we lay claims to supporting those who make attampts at crying out against the injustice that we're all aware of.
And to that person who asks where he is in the community-check your local prison, most of the time he's there volunteering or participating in programs geared towards those who are incarcetarted.
And no, I'm not part of the Cornel West fanclub.
And Louie Gates is a whole nother subject.
"It's slim pickings out there. You can't swing a Fendi purse without knocking over five losers." --Samantha (Sex in the City)
"I would love to be one of those people who's all: 'we loved, thank you, you enhanced my life, now go, prosper...,' but I'm much more: "we didn't work out, you need not to exist." --Miranda (same show)
"We stand, as the manifested equivalent of three buckets of water and a hand full of minerals, thus realizing that those very buckets when turned upside down supply the percussive element of forever." ---Saul Williams
***************************** Pay no attention when I laugh. I'm a notorious pervert in that respect
http://atrackbrown.blogspot.com/
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