Monday, August 25, 2008

Another Look At Shelby Steele's Comments on Obama


I usually don't agree with Shelby Steele, but he may have been slightly on to something with his analysis of Barack Obama.

Watch the Entire Segment from his C-Span Book Reading and Question & Answer for "A Bound Man".

3 comments:

jurahar said...

Where do I start. I am proud to say I still can’t agree with Shelby Steele on anything. When I think there could be some agreement, Steele turns it around to something distasteful and I spit it out. I watched every minute. I stopped a couple of times because of the excruciating pain, but I got through it.

What don’t like about Shelby Steele? EVERYTHING, especially when he tries to hide his bias, pretends he's opened-minded, conducts a search for the truth about something or someone he presumes is liberal and surprise --- after a long drawn out search, guess what, he finally finds out that he’s right after all. Conservatives think they know it all and have it all. Black conservatives are idiots that think they know it all and have nothing, not even their ethnic identity and the joy of the rich cultural experiences of Africans in America.

I almost coughed up blood when he said that in Obama’s search for black identity caused Obama to commit thousands of betrayals to himself and his wife mother. That it was Obama’s White mother that made him who he is and not blackness and if Obama would acknowledge that, that would make him honest. (Steele obviously didn’t read Obama’s "Dreams From My Father" was honest and brillant or seen Obama's second trip to Africa, first time as a US Senator)

Stelle says Obama has said he has no ideologies.

Steele say Obama is stunning for his emptiness of his undisclosed hope and change message.

Steele asks “ Change from where to where from what to what?”

Now I’m choking, get me a respirator as Steele says “In White America there is a hunger for overcoming the racial divide. Since the Civil Rights victories up until now White Americans have achieved the greatest moral evolution in all of human history. You think it didn’t happen. If the stigma of racism comes down on you today – you are ruined.”

Steele is not in touch with several things, but the most important is time. He is in a time warp. I don’t know of any Blacks that think of Whites and race relations in the way that Steele does.

Steele has created a African American village of Iconic Negroes, Bargainers, Challengers, and Smiley Faced Masked Minstrel Performers. What do all these Steele Soul-less Black Folk have in common. They are all frauds. All these Black caricatures are masked and dishonest because they think they are inferior, giving homage to White folks because they think they are superior and putting on a front for White folks so that they can be supported by them and not have to work for a living. Sounds Mighty White and Republican to me.

Thank you God, I still haven’t found anything to agreeable about Shelby Steele and I will be watching the Democratic National Party Convention tonight with Michelle Obama, and her brother Patrick.

rikyrah said...

Sorry AI,

I don't believe a word Steele says.

Steele has lost his mind over Obama. Barack Obama made all the OPPOSITE CHOICES than Steele and is on the cusp of becoming President of the United States. It's driven him mad.

Barack Obama is WHO he's been writing about all these years.

He just can't accept that Obama is here taking the OPPOSITE path of Steele.

To validate Obama would mean to say that his OWN life choices well....

Brian said...

I think Steele made excellent points in his presentation, particularly when he talked about "masking". His analysis seems to have merit. Genius in fact.

Of course I don't agree with Shelby Steele on most of his positions.... he seems to be under the illusion that Racism no longer exists...

But on this analysis, I think he may have a point.