11/29/2004
The Mononlithic African American: A Lesson in Modern Day Mythology.
In the past few years, and indeed nearly every time an African American gains prominence, and then draws criticism from other blacks, certain segments of the populace get all up in arms. They act like there some sort of internal racism going on. They actually believe that there is something wrong with one member of the perceived African American Monolith having anything negative to say about another. And yet, when confronted with clearly contradictory evidence such as black on black crime, public disagreements on policy and tactics even among Martin Luther King, Junior and Malcolm X, they completely fail to absorb the obvious fallacy of this belief.
Currently the criticism of Secretary of State Nominee Condoleezza Rice is raising the and eyebrows of pundits both professional and part time. But why is that? Reverends Jackson and Sharpton have been running for president since black suffrage, and have consistently failed to gather even a significant minority of voters. They haven't even gathered a proportion equal to "the Black vote". Obviously the "Black Monolith" is a serious fallacy, and yet it lingers.
While i do find it heartening to know that national, and even state candidates do go recruiting the 'black vote', its wholly silly to do so. With the possible exception of the 'womens vote' no single other voting block is so coveted. Politicos peruse us like run away slaves, like adventure, like their hope of nirvana. And yet the voting of blacks is as buckshot like in patterning as the rest of America. When people label us "African Americans" and fixate on the African like a pedophile on small children, they leave out the American. And that, whatever the reasons behind it, is demeaning, and leads to continued racial tension.
Currently the criticism of Secretary of State Nominee Condoleezza Rice is raising the and eyebrows of pundits both professional and part time. But why is that? Reverends Jackson and Sharpton have been running for president since black suffrage, and have consistently failed to gather even a significant minority of voters. They haven't even gathered a proportion equal to "the Black vote". Obviously the "Black Monolith" is a serious fallacy, and yet it lingers.
While i do find it heartening to know that national, and even state candidates do go recruiting the 'black vote', its wholly silly to do so. With the possible exception of the 'womens vote' no single other voting block is so coveted. Politicos peruse us like run away slaves, like adventure, like their hope of nirvana. And yet the voting of blacks is as buckshot like in patterning as the rest of America. When people label us "African Americans" and fixate on the African like a pedophile on small children, they leave out the American. And that, whatever the reasons behind it, is demeaning, and leads to continued racial tension.
