Barack Obama is not black.

[Lindercles 0]

According to Debra Dickerson, author of The End Of Blackness, in her comments on The Colbert Report "black" is defined as "the descendant of west African slaves brought here to labor in the United States," and that because Barack Obama's father immigrated here from Kenya he is "African African-American" and not "black."

She also said that embracing a black person who is not actually a black person is "white self congratulation."

Thoughts?

[kallend 2,148]

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According to Debra Dickerson, author of The End Of Blackness, in her comments on The Colbert Report "black" is defined as "the descendant of west African slaves brought here to labor in the United States," and that because Barack Obama's father immigrated here from Kenya he is "African African-American" and not "black."

She also said that embracing a black person, who is not actually a black person is "white self congratulation."

Thoughts?

It can't be very difficult to get a book published these days.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[shermanator 4]

is that the new way of calling someone 'whitewashed'?

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[mnealtx 0]

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is that the new way of calling someone 'whitewashed'?

Let's just say that I don't envision him being called "Uncle Tom" or other epithets, like Michael Steele was...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[willard 0]

I would guess Debra Dickerson is more of a racist than most people I know. That's one book I will not be reading, much less buy.

[waltappel 1]

Does she have anything interesting to say about white people?

Walt

[SpeedRacer 1]

who cares what he's called.

since "black" and "white" (referring to people) are just artificial political labels, and have no basis in true anthropology, different people can make those labels mean anything they want.

so who cares.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[Andy9o8 2]

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It can't be very difficult to get a book published these days.

Indeed. Just look at academia.

[jakee 1,595]

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Thoughts?

I think she is probably an idiot.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[kallend 2,148]

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It can't be very difficult to get a book published these days.

Indeed. Just look at academia.

There are, indeed, too many textbooks and they are too expensive. Half the textbooks could be eliminated and we'd be no worse off.

However, the worst textbooks are still better than this sort of rubbish.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[DrewGPM 0]

the review of the book explains what she is talking about

http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/050446.html

[Andrewwhyte 1]

OK, I've read the review. I think she is right on target.

[NCclimber 0]

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the review of the book explains what she is talking about

http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/050446.html

Thanks. She sounds like a true progressive.

Funny how so many poster's immediately condemned her. What's that old saying about judging a book by its cover?

[Lindercles 0]

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the review of the book explains what she is talking about

http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/050446.html

The review of the book is interesting, but it doesn't explain her remarks that I quoted earlier. Nowhere in that review does it draw such a stark political definition of who is and is not black, nor does it cast such a blatant aspersion on white people's motivations for embracing someone like Barack Obama.

[peregrinerose 0]

Two short quotes taken out of the context of the whole book are basically meaningless. Only reading the entire text would provide enough background information to the author's intentions.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Lindercles 0]

I apologize if it wasn't clear in my original post, but the quotes weren't taken from the book, they were taken from an interview she did with Stephen Colbert last night. The interview only lasted a couple of minutes, and those two quotes pretty much represent the tone of the interview, though I could quote the entire transcript if anyone feels it necessary.

The mention of her book was done for the same reason it was during the interview, to give some sort of context for who this person is, not necessarily to imply that everything she says in the interview comes straight out of the book. I thought that would be more obvious.

Edited to clarify: This thread was not meant to be a review of her book, it was meant to be a review of her comments during the interview.

[kallend 2,148]

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Two short quotes taken out of the context of the whole book are basically meaningless. Only reading the entire text would provide enough background information to the author's intentions.

One COULD say exactly the same about a book review. A review of Mein Kampf or Das Kapital can be made to sound quite reasonable.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[NCclimber 0]

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Two short quotes taken out of the context of the whole book are basically meaningless. Only reading the entire text would provide enough background information to the author's intentions.

One COULD say exactly the same about a book review. A review of Mein Kampf or Das Kapital can be made to sound quite reasonable.

From Amazon.com

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Review
: “A dazzling diatribe. . . . [Dickerson] has distilled a lifetime’s worth of eye-opening realizations into a furious, bitterly funny indictment. . . . This book . . .makes her a star.” —The New York Times

“It’s impossible to label Dickerson. The message isn’t conservative or neo-con, not radical nor middle of the road but politically provocative. . . . Dickerson’s book is a hot poker, aimed at shaking up assumptions on all sides.” —Los Angeles Times

“A brave, original, and angry book.” —The Boston Globe

“Dickerson offers a bracing polemic. . . . The brutal honesty of The End of Blackness makes it . . . essential.” —New York Post

“The headlong momentum of her argument, propelled by anecdotes, quotes, homilies, one-liners and blogs, jumps and hums with a vitality reminiscent of high-end pop music, good chase movies or contact-sports television.” —The Nation

"Stimulating. . . . Provocative. . . . Loaded with wish-I'd-said-that one-liners. . . . Dickerson has a way with words and a timely message. . . . When she says it's time for black America to get off its duff, she's not asking anyone to do something she wouldn't do--and hasn't done--herself." --Chicago Tribune

"Blunt and bracing. . . . The End of Blackness is a solidly researched account of the evolution of black identity in America (her 'prologue' is about as concise and direct an account of slavery and its long-standing effects as you are likely to find). . . . Dickerson’s is a message for all Americans, not only those who are confused about how to think about race." --Mother Jones

"Fascinating. . . . A call to arms. . . . Dickerson knows how to throw a literary punch." --Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"[Dickerson is] a thinker who suffers no fools of either the liberal or the conservative stripe. . . . Revive(s) a tradition of clear-eyed, accessible writing about black political destiny in the vein of W.E.B. Du Bois, Carter G. Woodson, and Frederick Douglass." --The Atlantic Monthly

"A brave, original, and angry book. . . . I find much to agree with. . . . We Americans need to get out of the 'race' routine, and black folk must lead the way. . . . The end of blackness . . . is worth striving for." --Glenn C. Loury, The Boston Herald

"Compelling. . . . Exhibits a praiseworthy independence of mind, questioning everyone from the 'Black Politboro'--the civil rights establishment, which sets the tone of black politics--to white apologists who still downplay the ravages of slavery. . . . A stirring endorsement of a new marriage of responsible civic individualism and dedication to the collective good." --The Washington Post

"[An] important and powerful book. . . . With deft, precise and often humorous language, Dickerson takes equal aims at both whites and blacks who would deny the diversity of opinion among blacks and dictate how they should think." --San Antonio Express-News

"Illuminating. . . . Throw(s) the entire damn dictionary of race out the window. . . . Dickerson journeys into interesting, and gutsy, terrain." --The Washington Monthly

"Dickerson has a great deal to offer about the perplexing constraints of race, and in this exhaustive collection of essays on the subject she doesn’t merely say it: She rants, raves, vents, exposes, attacks, questions, ponders, pontificates and theorizes. . . . She’s dead on." --Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

"[Dickerson] is emerging as one of this country’s leading authors on race. . . . The End of Blackness explains how racism laid and continues to maintain the groundwork that makes escape so difficult." --The News & Observer (Raleigh)

"Incendiary. . . . [Dickerson throws] a heavy and sharp-knuckled gauntlet." --Newsday

"Dickerson is . . . courageous, smart and well-informed. She has a wonderfully sharp sense of humor. . . . [The End of Blackness] serves as a fitting tribute to the achievement of Dickerson's heroes, among them Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison and especially Carter G. Woodson." --The Washington Times

"Bold and appropriately documented. . . . Dickerson writes with sincere concern for the plight of African-Americans. The End of Blackness is not an attack. It is a plea for blacks to look inward." --St. Petersburg Times

No doubt - It's a conspiracy.

[Kennedy 0]

Who gives a shit what color his skin is, other than racists?

I don't even like the word "racist," bacause it is in and of itself misleading. There are only three races, which have nothing to do with skin color.

Caucasoid, Negroid, Mongoloid

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[livendive 8]

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I don't even like the word "racist," bacause it is in and of itself misleading. There are only three races, which have nothing to do with skin color.

Caucasoid, Negroid, Mongoloid

If not skin tone, what are those based on, skull shape? Which are the tribal folk of south america considered?

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Kennedy 0]

Yes, it's based on skull shape, or Craniofacial anthropometry. I list it only to show how ridiculous spliting the human race into races or subspecies. Does skull shape really show any difference other than skull shape. Is skin color anyhting other than skin. Some people from the Indian subcontinent have very dark skin but have features that are essentially "white," or Caucasiod. Another similar (and useless) system uses five races: Caucasian race, Mongolian race, Ethiopian race, American race, Malay race.

If you want to distinguish based on a physical trait, why use skin color? Why not hair color? or eye color? How about hand shape?

It's all so very arbitrary and illogical that you can't even really aruge against it, because proponents can only say "Yuh-huhhh," and "Is too!"

Homo Sapiens can accurately be described as Monotypic.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[livendive 8]

Quote

Homo Sapiens can accurately be described as Momotypic.

?????

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Kennedy 0]

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Quote

Homo Sapiens can accurately be described as Monotypic.

?????

Blues,
Dave

Holy crap. Oh man, I needed that laugh so bad tonight. Thank you.

Monotypic is basically defined as having only one type, not able to be split into different subsets.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[Andy9o8 2]

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Homo Sapiens can accurately be described as Monotypic.

I've been making this argument for years. Usually falls on deaf ears, even among well-educated, well-meaning, non-bigoted people who want to engage in "biological semantics". I've given up arguing about it.

[happythoughts 0]

Salon article

If you read the entire article, then it makes more sense.

Her main point is only semi-valid and she avoids the actual painful question.

Her point is that he is not "black" in the political context. He does not reflect the political party line of the NAACP. He does not have the political brainwashing.

His mother is white. His father was a black immigrant.
He was not wealthy at birth and has done manual labor. However, he did graduate to Harvard Law school. He overcame all of the same obstacles.

The painful admission? That he grew up with a different mindset and was successful in the US, even though black. Instead of embracing him as a role model of success from inside the process, black leaders reject him because he shines a light on their failures as leaders.

Al Sharpton is "keeping the brothers down". That is his hook to his constituency.

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"Black," in our political and social reality, means those descended from West African slaves. Voluntary immigrants of African descent (even those descended from West Indian slaves) are just that, voluntary immigrants of African descent with markedly different outlooks on the role of race in their lives and in politics. At a minimum, it can't be assumed that a Nigerian cabdriver and a third-generation Harlemite have more in common than the fact a cop won't bother to make the distinction. They're both "black" as a matter of skin color and DNA, but only the Harlemite, for better or worse, is politically and culturally black, as we use the term.