PJ Media Interviews Blacklash Author Deneen Borelli About Race, Obama and Hockey
Deneen Borelli is a dangerous woman. Her new book, Blacklash, How Obama and the Left are Driving Americans to the Government Plantation, provides an unapologetic portrait of how government dependency has destroyed initiative, and the family unit, in much of black America.
Borelli is dangerous in the same way Sarah Palin is dangerous, or any of the other counter-symbols to left-wing orthodoxy. As a black conservative, with a sharp wit and courage to speak out, she is a beacon to others who might otherwise be too timid to break out of the confines of racial expectations.
Blacklash tells the story of how one woman who happened to be black also happened to be conservative. With race playing such a central role in our national discourse, Borelli presents a dangerous symbol to a president who will need extraordinary racial cohesion to win re-election. Beyond the symbolism, her message is even more lethal to the left: being a racial minority does not mean you have to think a certain way.
I had the opportunity to interview Borelli about Blacklash for PJ Media.
Adams: You’re a fan of the New York Rangers and follow the Stanley Cup playoffs. After Joel Ward of the Washington Capitals scored the series winning goal against the defending champs this week, he was subjected to vile online racial taunts. “Gorilla” was one of the more mild slurs Boston Bruins fans used. What does this say about the racial expectations you write about in Blacklash, both in the sense of “keeping people” in familiar places because of their skin color and, perhaps more importantly, that real racism is not confined to red states and the deep south?
Borelli: Yes, I love hockey and for many years my husband and I were season ticket holders for the New York Rangers. There is nothing more exciting than a Stanley Cup playoff game in Madison Square Garden. We have many fantastic memories of exciting games including Wayne Gretzsky’s last game and retirement ceremony. That was an amazing experience!
The comments made about Ward are clearly uncalled for and extremely inappropriate. Unfortunately, social media, especially Twitter, has become a venue for venting outrageous personal attacks about individuals. Like Ward, I’ve also been a target of personal attacks and name calling.
However, name calling is not going to stop me from promoting my views about liberty and I’m sure it’s not going to stop Ward from playing hockey and scoring goals.
Finally, I do not believe that those comments are representative of the vast majority of Boston Bruin fans or hockey fans in general. It’s a shame that a vocal few can tarnish the image of hockey fans and a city.
Adams: In the cases I brought under the Voting Rights Act, you would often see white voter cohesion at about sixty percent in racially polarized elections (meaning 60 percent of whites voted the same way), but black voter cohesion would be around ninety percent, or higher, and the cases were brought to reward blacks with a minority majority seat in a legislative body. Could you describe the cultural, economic and political influences you write about in Blacklash that produce these astounding levels (90 percent) of racial block voting?
Borelli: Clearly, the overwhelmingly black support for Democrat politicians has not served the black community well. The condition of blacks in Detroit, Los Angeles and Harlem speak for themselves. Far too many blacks see the government as an ally and become dependent on social services and liberal black politicians, like drug dealers, are more than happy to keep this population addicted to government services and dependent. This system keeps the politician in power and too many blacks dependent on one party. Monopolies are bad for consumers and voters.
Contributing to the voting monopoly is the lack of diversity in media reaching blacks – it’s an echo chamber of liberal themes and messages including inaccurate claims about conservative and Tea Party goals. Tragically, there is no counter communications effort and I’m hoping Blacklash could be the start to break the monopoly of thought in the black community.
The Republican Party should also be held accountable for conceding this voting bloc, because they don’t try to reach blacks even though most blacks have conservative values.
The day the black American community wakes up in the morning and stops thinking of itself as black is the day they’ll wake up. Everything good will spring from that simple act.
Fail Burton,
You are right when you say they must forget there color when they wake up in the morning. I have been saying this for 30 years- they have to get over’ that 200 years ago, their negro ancestry from Africa were slaves.
I really enjoyed your long letter some days back. I even sent it to one of my Far left wing friends early this week. He didn’t respond.
Racism is current. It didn’t end 200 years ago. Society makes it impossible for individuals of color to “forget” about it. And forgetting about it can lead to grave missteps in the future. Much education, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Tolerance” program, will need to become widely taught and accepted in schools and elsewhere before we can reasonably expect that all people will have equal opportunities regardless of the color of their skin.
If you believe that black and white races exist…. you have fallen into the trap. Might as well believe in flying dragons… Just because the *cowherd that humanity is* believes in the myth of black, white, hispanic, etc……. does not make it true….. Someday people will advance to sophont2.0 and support the idea of 99IPPP. Individual Freedom and Individual Identity….. hooray I am looking forward to the death of tribalism ( including nationalism , state-ism , city-ism , skin colorism ….. ) Love to all 99guspuppet
“And forgetting about it can lead to grave missteps in the future”
But not nearly as grave as the consequences of dwelling on it obsessively to the exclusion of taking any personal responsibility for results. As the example you give – continually blaming bias and unfairness in teaching when the lessons of the classroom go unlearned.
Yes, as you ably demonstrate, racism is alive and well. Are you proud of your incitements? Or are you just as feckless a zombie pawn as you appear to be?
“Racism is current.” No only black racism is “current. If you are using any stat by the SPLC then you are just one of the useful idiots-or worse you actaully believe them. Go to the FBI or DOJ and as crooked as they are you will see that it is black racism that is fomenting violent attacks on White Americans.
“Society makes it impossible for individuals of color to “forget” about it.” Wrong again. Only leftist, white progs (redundant) continue to find racism by White Americans in everything. And they do this on purpose because they need black muscle and victimization to get more power.
“Much education, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Tolerance” program, will need to become widely taught and accepted in schools and elsewhere before we can reasonably expect that all people will have equal opportunities regardless of the color of their skin.”
Just how much did they pay you to plug them? No rational person would accept anything they cite or say. Here’s a test: Go right now to their website and see where the NBP are rated as a violent terrorist group? Hint you will have trouble finding it as you will finding MMS-13.
I hope someday a person of color whom you are so defensive over steps in front of you for a job promotion, a job, or seat in college. I sincerely hope affirmative action hurts you someday.
Racism will always be current; everywhere you go in the world. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was institutionalized racism. When it comes to individual racism, the gov’t can’t legislate that and, given the disparity in the way the black American community speaks about race and the way the rest of the country does, I’d say the shoe’s firmly on the other foot in 2012. Even if this is not true, individual racism can be anyone, white or black. There is no reason for you to suggest this is exclusively a white problem – certainly you couldn’t prove it. It’s a myth.
Where was the NHL Player’s Assoc. when Malvo was assassinating whites for being whites? Thankfully, nowhere. They’re not racialist morons like the NBA. Your comment is a good example of how a double standard is being employed, although you can’t show it in reality other than stupid emails or marginalized websites. I can show you racist comments galore right in the heart of our gov’t, re-institutionalized unfortunately.
If I ever debated any single person on the left in public on this issue, I’d leave them standing in tatters, because taking apart a racist is as easy as eating apple pie. People talk alot about everyone calling each other racist, but proving it is another story, and there are not two sides to this one, unless you think of what can be proven and what can not be proven to be two sides.
Why not read Deneen’s book? Support a Black woman.
Mary, my grandmother came over from Ireland to be a servant here in America. Many blacks conveniently forget that slavery could not have happened here in America without the complicity of black Africans. Also, let us forget teaching tolerance and get back to teaching history and geography, math and science, reading, grammar, and writing. What the democrats have done to the black family and our culture is criminal. Grow a spine and get yourself off yhe democrat plantation.
That SPLC considered David Horowitz providing historical context in the matter of Africa’s complicity in the slave trade to almost rise to the level of hate speech. The SPLC has nothing on its site in its monthly hate crimes about flash mobs or any attacks conducted by blacks.
Therefore the SPLC’s ideas of ‘tolerance’ are one-sided and it is in favor of artificial social-racial engineering called multiculturalism based on the bizarre notion whites are simply fundamentally racists, while the SPLC has created itself as an organization that trumpets how such ideas are hateful. Like all Leftists, the SPLC is an excuse factory that enhances and denies reality at will based on an unchanging view of the world and its history set in cement. Based on the SPLC’s philosophy, the cure for Israel would be for Arabs to enter and the Nazis would have been perfectly justified with flooding non-Jews into Jewish European communities in order to water Jews down.
This is why the Left is so dangerous; they are clueless about what sad territory they have unwittingly wandered into and why a default view of the world based on race is so stupid.
If I said I don’t want Egyptians moving en masse to America because their country is a failure the Left would no doubt say I am an anti-immigrant racist. If I said Egypt has no chance to win the World Cup based on the same thinking on my part, that would then be racist? There are many people I may not want on my team if the idea is to institute success – the idea is based on success and not skin. Few American’s respected the old Soviet Union and would not have wanted millions of commies moving to America. The Left’s nuts – they stick in race whenever possible and where not possible just ignore the context.
If you think going through a course will change the facts then you are delusional. “I” don’t need to be reprogrammed to know that this program you propose is merely a way to “teach us all to think the same”. and none of us wants that. You are still in the mindset that something has to be done to us to make us think like you. That isn’t freedom, when you reprogram people you do the exact opposite of freedom. So what you want is for us to be forced, against our own will if needed, to think as you and your friends think, because it would be better for you not to have to deal with having people around that don’t have the same exact thoughts as you. And we should do this to make you FEEL better………… because trying to control MY thoughts doesn’t sound like it would make ME very happy, you are being selfish and if used politically would be called communism.
“And forgetting about it can lead to grave missteps in the future”
No one is forgetting. The world was different back then in a lot of ways and everywhere. Grave consequences come from dwelling on the past obsessively to the exclusion of personal responsibility and accountability as in the example you give – continually blaming the “fairness” of instruction when the lessons of the classroom go unlearned.
The SPLC doesn’t “teach tolerance.” Quite the opposite. They’re all about teaching hatred for anybody or anything that opposes their own hard-left/eco-freak/pro-jihadi agenda.
Even more than that, they’re all about feathering their own nests at the expense of the gullible. In other words, the Southern Poverty Law Center is itself both a hate group and a financial scam.
When blacks attack other blacks for exercising their individual freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice, that is not teaching tolerance.
Absolutely Right. How divisive to have to state your color ahead of your gender, profession or age. How like slavery and slave times. Like the character in The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn?
I never wake up in the morning thinking of myself as a white person. I wake up thinking of myself as a Christian.
If black preachers were doing their jobs, then their followers would wake up thinking of themselves as Christians.
Why is that so difficult?
“I hope to inspire blacks, especially young individuals, that with hard work and perseverance the sky is truly the limit…”
Noble, great thought and aspirations. However when enough minorities take an interest in self determination and reading books…that’ll be the day their minds might be changed and accept the education, rather than resist it as being / acting “white”.
Ms. Borelli gave an impressive speech at BlogCon in Charlotte last month. I hope she makes headway against the race-grievance industry.
Christian, thanks for sharing Borelli’s words and the insights into someone who is clearly a smart, fascinating, independent thinker. More, please.
I can think of a million reasons to hate a person. Race isn’t one of them. Unless a person gives me a reason to hate them, I will respect them as they would me. In my experience, anyone pointing the finger and calling someone a racist, needs to take a long hard looi in the mirror. It takes one to know one.
Very good interview and sounds like a great book, will be purchasing a copy of both Backlash and Injustice.
Sharpton and the like think they are playing the white power structure but in fact they are being played. He gets his payoff and in turn nothing happens that threatens people with real power. This is duplicated in most major institutions in America.
Affirmative action, diversity and multiculturalism are the not the programs of blacks but of those who run the major corporations, media outlets and universities.
I agree with Ms Borelli that the death of Martin Luther King was an enduring tragedy but the problems she talks about started before his death. It started in the wake of the successful voting rights campaign in Selma that culminated in the passage of the voting rights act.
At the end of the march from Selma to Montgomery there was a sense that something very significant had occurred. That the battle in Selma had been the Yorktown of the three hundred and fifty year struggle against slavery and segregation.
There was a rally in Montgomery at the end of the Selma to Montgomery march. There were many speeches, the most memorable of which was Martin Luther King’s “How long, not long” speech; but there was another speech that went largely unnoticed. Whitney Young, the direct of the Urban League advised the crowd, now that the opportunities were finally becoming a reality, black people needed to take advantage of the self-help programs that organizations like the urban League offered. While King’s message was powerful and correct, Young’s message was also important. And nobody at the time found it in anyway off topic or “too conservative”.
In the aftermath, the civil rights movement became the victim of its own success. Within a year, SNCC, the most integrated of the civil rights organizations had kicked out all whites, integration had been replaced by black power, and Malcolm X had been venerated to a level equal to that of Martin Luther King.
The transition from a multiracial movement for justice evolved into a separatist movement, one that resonated with other groups in society and that is evident today in “multiculturalism” which is essentially “separatism lite”.
The current political left in this country was forged in the years following the march from Selma to Montgomery. Understanding the racial politics of those years is crucial to understanding what is happening now. I think it is a story of tragically missed opportunity. Much good happened but the kind of change that could have resulted in bridging the educational gap between blacks and whites never really happened. Instead we got affirmative action and offices of institutional diversity, diversity trainers and hate speech laws. This was easier in the short run than making the effort that could have brought real equality.
It would help if we could talk about this honestly but I don’t see it happening anytime soon. Ms. Borelli is heroically trying to move the debate in a productive direction and deserves our support. Her courage is a throwback to the kind of strength that enabled the civil rights struggle of the sixties. I wish her luck.
Jonathan Cohen:
I was involved (on the ground) in the civil rights movement. What you say is true. I finally gave up trying to help people who didn’t seem to understand that once on their feet, they were supposed to walk by themselves. Too many were content to sit in the middle of the road with their hand out and feel sorry for themselves, and complain. It certainly wasn’t for lack of opportunity.
For me it’s a real blessing to see a Deneen Borelli.
And, I’m so disappointed in Obama and Holder, I can’t tell ya.
Yo
You seem to assume that race hucksters like Sharpton and Jackson are interested in race equality or justice. They are interested in continuing to make money off racial strife, including creating it where it doesn’t exist. They’re interested in money and power, nothing more.
They would happily throw a million black folks under the bus to preserve their power base and continue to hide under their phony “Reverend” titles. Companies would do well to realize that their boycott threats are empty and tell them to pound sand.
Think of it like the anti-smoking lobby…it is actually against their interests to see people quit smoking, it means their job is finished and they have to go find real work. Sharpton, Jackson and their ilk are not interested in seeing racism go away as it would expose them as the lying cheats they are.
Excellent Jonathan. You have it right on. I really don’t believe that the black community hates the white community outright, if it wasn’t for the race baiters.
I’m from European descent, and was in Montgomery in those times, and had a difficult time understanding, Why?
Having lived with, and around blacks all my life, I keep thinking what has “whitie” aver done to you? that you are not doing to yourself?
I have come to the conclusion that they are at war with themselves.
And not unless they start thinking for them selves and turn their back to the race baiters I foresee no change anytime soon.
I commend you for laying it out, in a way that anybody can understand.
And may I say she is gorgeous.
Gorgeous and intelligent. A natural conservative.
Gorgeous, intelligent and extremely brave. It takes tremendous courage to go through the withering hate and slander she’s encountering. My hat’s off to her, and I wish her all success. The day blacks — and Jews — stop their knee-jerk voting for lefty pols and policies will be a very great day for our country and the world.
Borelli is yet another example of the winning combination of brains and beauty that conservative women consistently bring to the front in the battle against brain dead leftist group think dogma and their knee jerk misogyny against women of the right. Yep, she’s a babe, and the left can’t stand it.
She is all that and sweet and sincere too. I’ve been in love with her since the early days of Project21.
Too bad she’s taken, eh?
I’d like to point at just one quote of Ms. Borelli: “Most conservatives by nature are not activists and they tend to think that the facts will speak for themselves.”
This is a very important point. In fact, this is a great observation for our future ability to market conservative ideas. We have allowed schools, media, and miscreants of every flavor to spew half truths, and logical fallacies as if they were gospel. They are never challenged.
We need more people like Michelle Malkin, Andrew Breitbart (RIP), Victor Hanson, and so many more, to counter the foolishness and inaccuracies that get repeated daily until people cease to question them.
It’s funny, you hear about the Democrat party focusing on this voter block or that voter block. They then speak about the lack of GOP efforts to reach out to some other voter block. They have missed the point that Ms. Borelli made.
Perhaps we need to borrow a page from that play book…
We saw this same effect in the case of Dan Savage. The conservative students chose to simply leave the auditorium when Savage was speaking against the Bible. Savage chose to react by berating and name calling. We conservatives assume that the facts speak for themselves and that people for the most part are entitled to their opinions. Unfortunately many liberals think they are entitled/anointed to dictate opinion.
Here, here!!
Where, where?!
(The phrase you’re looking for is “Hear, hear!” — an old-school injunction to “listen up, somebody’s making sense!”)
I was also struck by how true that quote rang. Ken C also makes a great point. Not only did the students just walk out, but consider what happens when a conservative is the speaker – the lefties shout him/her down or even throw things. The left excuses this by saying free speech (and democracy) can be messy – but it seems it is only messy when they do it.
Borelli: “Tragically, the movement veered off course after the assassination of Dr. King because the void wasn’t filled with another selfless leader.”
She is not correct about that.
I lived through that era and I know.
The movement had already begun to flirt with black nationalism, anti-Americanism, and violence while Dr. King was still alive. He was starting to have militant competitors in the black community, like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael, who insisted that black empowerment was to come not by working within the larger American community, but by revolting against it and winning at its expense. By 1965, this “black power” movement was gaining lots of followers. The Watts riot–rationalized by agitators like Carmichael and socialists like Bayard Rustin–happened that summer.
Finally, Martin Luther King himself was becoming more radical in the final years before his death. He openly denounced capitalism and called for what we now know as affirmative action.
Bingo! on all counts.
The commie radicals like SNCC were side by side with the SCLC.
I agree; by ’67 – ’68, MLK was being denounced as only just short of an Uncle Tom by the emerging black radicals. MLK himself was becoming more strident and more radical just to try to keep his following. Black Power was the movement of the future and MLK’s peaceful protest was a thing of the past. By the time of his assassination, his respect and following was among the old folks and whites. The poverty pimps and race baiters keep his legend in the forefront because it gives them a legitimacy with whites that their radicalism and avariciousness would not allow otherwise.
Let’s hope she run’s for office in her home state – would love to see her debate the race baiters and liberal black establishment on the national stage.
We will make little progress in America toward racial harmony and equality until the views of people like Deneen Borelli become mainstream. Likewise, we will not effectively address our current problems regarding Obama and his radical supporters until we can cease dancing around the issue of Obama’s radicalism with lukewarm statements such as “Obama has a pattern of associating with radicals and Wright is just another example.”. This is like saying that Obama thinks and acts as he does because he sometimes hangs out with the wrong crowd. The fact is that Obama IS the wrong crowd. He is obviously at the epicenter and is the personification of it. He is certainly not just sometimes at the fringe of left-wing radicalism. But then I suppose our inability to recognize this and deal with the fact accordingly is related to the statement that “Most conservatives by nature are not activists and they tend to think that the facts will speak for themselves.” How very true. Until conservatives can change their nature progress is going to be slow if not impossible. With the left the facts often get in the way of power and must be ignored, massaged, and manipulated. After all, power is what the “plantation” is all about.
You’re absolutely right. It’s obvious to anyone who is paying attention and has half a brain that Obama is a dangerous radical. It makes my blood boil when Bill O’Reilly says that he doesn’t think Obama is really a socialist, just far left. BO is a socialist and, if he is re-elected, we’ll all see just how much of a socialist/communist he really is.
Here’s another thought relative to the whole racial spoils game: Would Barack Obama be president today if he’d decided to marry one of the white girlfriends he talked about in his book and then went on to have children who looked white? My guess is that this grave insult to “authenticity” — not to mention to the sensibilities of black women — would have severely limited his chances in politics. And how many blacks, who identify so much with Obama, ever allow themselves this thought: “He’s as much white as he is black?”
It doesn’t work that way. It’s not about the math at all. There’s no thought process of, “40% white, 10% American Indian, 50% black = BLACK”, or “30% black, 70% white = WHITE”, etc. It seems that ANY black that is visible = BLACK.
Obama is every bit as black as Al Sharpton, in the minds of most black people. He’s not half white, he’ black.
And this is NOT a liberal vs. conservative thing.
Case in point: a good friend of mine has a black father, and a white mother. Her husband is Hispanic. Not knowing her racial background, I once just asked her straight out, “So, what are you, exactly?” (You have to be good friends to pull that off!
)
Her answer?
“I’m black!” Said with a smile, said with pride.
THEN she went on to explain that her father is black, and her mother is white.
I don’t know of any white people who think that way. Sometimes people ask me if I’m Dutch (because of my name). I tell them I’m half Dutch, because my father was Dutch. If they ask me if my NAME is Dutch, I say yes, my father was pure Dutch.
I never identify myself as Dutch. I’m not. I’m half Dutch.
For my friend? She’s black. That’s how SHE identifies herself.
I’ve seen this to a lesser extent among Asians and other minorities. They identify with the minority part of their heritage, even if it’s only a small part.
I think this is something that those of us who are part of a majority have trouble understanding. It goes very deep, and it’s very emotional. It has nothing to do with genetics, but everything to do with being a numerical minority.
I’m sure all races would act the same way, given the same circumstances.
I guess you have to be one or the other. What are you going to say, “I’m a halfie”?
My family line is English, French and German. I never say I’m French when asked about heritage. Depending on my mood it’s either English or German and English usually because it’s dominant in the tree.
I’m white and married to a black woman. She once told me that whenever she has to list her race on a form, she checks “Other” and writes in “American”. I started doing that myself.
Race will be an issue only as long as we keep making it an issue.
I like that!
Arnold:
I’m with you, I’ve been checking the “other” option since it was offered, and if I can get away with not checking gender, I do that too.
Yo
Please just don’t tell us you are going to let your children decide their gender!
“I’ve seen this to a lesser extent among Asians and other minorities. They identify with the minority part of their heritage, even if it’s only a small part.”
I agree with everything you’ve said in your remarks but just wanted to seize on this one paragraph to make the point that Ward Churchill and Elizabeth Warren are interesting examples of the point you’re making here. Both Churchill and Warren self-identify as native Americans even though they are apparently only 1/16th native by their own reckoning.
Of course, in their cases, there is considerable doubt that they have ANY native blood and are just claiming that blood to advance their own careers. But that doesn’t invalidate your basic point. People apparently identify with specific parts of their heritage even if it isn’t the biggest or most visible part.
Brilliant …… I agree
I know a fair number of conservative blacks, and they are all far too busy working to spend their time on politics. Like most people, once they achieve a modicum of prosperity they seek neighborhoods with good schools and minimal drama. People tend to self-segregate, and in my experience this is more and more based on values rather than ethnicity. One of the unfortunate consequences of this trend is that urban areas develop pockets of crime and poverty with precious few good examples in their midst. Those brave souls who are altruistic enough to live in the ‘hood in hopes of proselytizing and illuminating a way out frequently become victims. If conservatives can create a movement like the Underground Railroad to serve that purpose, it will be a real game-changer.
Damn, here is another book to add to my reading list. I am two years behind on that list already. I have seen her on TV a couple of times and I am impressed with her intellect. I hope other people will get to her book before I will.
RE: NY Rangers. The author and I have that in common as well. While growing up a Rangers fan, I moved to Dallas in 1992 and embraced the Stars when they moved here in ’93 — what a great run they’ve been on these 20 years. One of their stars today is Trevor Daley, one of my favorites. He is cool as ice when ON the ice and a superb role model off the ice. He happens to be black, but there is no racial component to most sports, certainly not hockey where skill and character matters much more than skin color. I salute the Rangers in their quest for the Cup, Ms. Borelli, and hope you enjoy it too!
I bought ‘Blacklash’ yesterday (full price at B&N no less) and look forward to reading it this weekend!
I issue this comment and question as a challenge to Deneen Borelli. When I was becoming of age and cognizant of the relationships between values, economics, good laws and politics, no one came to me and advocated for their position on the subjects. I did that on my own, for my own benefit. Why does she say that Republicans have to go out into the black community and advocate? Are they not self interested? Are they blind to their plight? Are they incapable of making the association between their allegiances and their plight?
The article says Republicans tend to think that the information for chosing a political affiliation is out there, readily and freely available. That for this reason advocacy isn’t needed. I agree. I give the black community credit for being able to think for themselves without personal hand holding.
Therefore I think, I have to if I’m going to be consistent, that the black community is not lacking for information to make choices. They’re obviously well enough informed to know who to label Uncle Tom or Tomasina or racist. They want it the way it is. I can’t put my finger on the reason, though.
“I can’t put my finger on the reason, though.”
My theory: They think they are entitled to the benefits of AA as a form of “reparations” for our status as descendents of slave owners. Many are just as racist (if not more so) in their approach to those who are not like them as some to whom they affix that label; thus, their comfort with things as they are right now. Plus, they buy into the standard leftist drivel that most of us know is just not true. Additionally, it’s easier for them to adopt the defense of denial rather than admit that they are wrong. So it goes……
My theory:
Liberals offer Black Americans $20k/year for free. The only requirement is that they must stay uneducated, unemployed, and unwed.
Conservatives offer Black Americans the opportunity to make $200k/year and more. No catches at all.
Black people have taken the Liberal option because it’s cash right now, guaranteed. The rest is a history of social and personal corruption, a vicious circle.
I think that is an unfair question. When choosing a representative it is not enough to know what you believe in but whether the representative in question really does have your interests. In that sense it is incumbent on those running for election to make their case. If the Republicans were a natural alternative (not merely an alternative) to the Democrats there would not be a Tea Party.
I think there might be a mistaken assumption here regarding “information”. When you look at the entertainment media and public education, do you see objective information? I see enormous amounts of liberal spin. I see race hustlers promoting a victim agenda. Look what happened to Bill Cosby and Juan Williams when they pointed out some failings in the black community. Even Barack Obama suffered criticism from Jesse Jackson for “talking down” to blacks on his fatherhood speech. The news media is clearly biased left as well. I suggest the issue isn’t “information” but rather “messaging”.
They are immersed in a culture which allows only ONE voice, ONE message. The penalties for listening to any other message are severe and swiftly carried out. Were you raised in such an environment you would have done no better than they.
Just like we used to broadcast information into the Soviet Union and China and other communist countries which carefully controlled what the people are allowed to hear, we must broadcast our message into a society where the flow of information is restricted.
“I give the black community credit for being able to think for themselves without personal hand holding.”
Are you kidding? The whole reason we have this much racial strife is that blacks CANNOT think for themselves. Bobbcat gives possible reasons and is on point.
But now after 60 years of War on Poverty, the black culture has become steeped in dependency, victimization, obsessed with being african-Americans instead of Americans (which they do to distance themselves from America and thus always cry and complain), violent and self destructive.
They attached themselves, lock, stock and barrel and made the classic Faustian deal with the white progs who use them for their benefit-not blacks benefit. White progs have gained power using blacks. And nothing will change that relation ship. For reasons already noted. So why should we pursue them? And hispanics are going the same way. Note the new Fox channel just for hispanics. Sellouts.
Look if white America does not stand up for themselves as a race and person both electorally and individually then America will perish at the hands of white marxists. We need an awakening or revolution to get the many white Americans who do not vote or participate in the nation to get involved-not blacks. And once white Americans get back in power, we can save our nation.
Very impressive lady. A black conservative female – she’ll make liberal heads explode. Bet the farm the MSM and the left (but I repeat myself) will do everything in their power to destroy her personally and professionally, just as they have tried to do to Palin. Borelli is obviously a woman who has empowered herself, and not depended on government, affirmative action, or the likes of Jackson & Sharpton to advance herself (unlike a certain occupier of White House now). While outer beauty is certainly appealing, and she has plenty of that, her greatest appeal, to me, is her beauty, intellect & strength within.
Black Americans would do well to wake up to the self-serving racist games of the left, Sharpton, Jackson et al . . . . . and pay attention to this lady.
According to her bio, she was active in the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
Roy Innis started that organization as a more militant alternative to the NAACP. But the disaster of the Carter Administration convinced Innis that black Americans couldn’t succeed within an America in general decline. In 1980, he ended up endorsing Reagan for President. And ever since, Innis and CORE have emphasized self-help and black capitalism as their form of “black power.”
The militants who demanded “black power” had the right idea: Black Americans should be able to have power to do things for themselves, instead of waiting for favors from white liberals. But where they got off the track was their embrace of socialism. It’s too bad they didn’t recognize that entrepreneurship and succeeding in the business world was an effective and peaceful means to power.
This is the sad truth: The ascent to power is faster, more civil, and more productive with plain old capitalism than with just about any other method.
Don’t misunderstand me: Capitalism is HARD WORK. Socialism seems easier. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last. I wish there were some easy way to make it work, but there isn’t. Socialism carries the seeds of its own destruction embedded within. The only way it can “work” is when outside funding is applied.
If I were to introduce just one additional high school class to inner city schools, I’d add a class on the history of economics. It would show students that there is no free lunch. Government money ultimately comes from taxes, not the tooth fairy.
The race baters – as we already know – are in pursuit of personal wealth accumulation – AKA M.O.N.E.Y. – and and the P.O.W.E.R. that comes with wealth. Most Democrats already have M.O.N.E.Y. and P.O.W.E.R. and have a self- absorbed interest in keeping both. To that end both parties need to keep their black constituents in place and on ‘the farm’ and voting ‘D’ at every election.
I marvel at the fact that inter-city blacks have the same God-given ability for thought and logic that each of us have – yet cannot seem to fathom that these liberal programs hold them back as individuals and as a community. Can they not see that the liberals promoting illegal entry into this country hurt their chances of finding a job? Is a life on public assistance and food stamps that alluring? That the rules for public assistance (generally) forbid the father of their children from residing with them? That it tears the family apart?
I chalk it up to the nature of upbringing, lack of exposure to contrasting perspectives, poor-quality public education, exposure to drugs, the culture, lack of socialization. It’s all the perfect recipe for what we see emanating from the inner-city black community. Unfortunately, no one seems to be inclined to want to handle the problem.
You forget that their education is wholly in the hands of the Democrats. They hear from all sides that racism is normal, they can’t break out, etc. News and entertainment media reinforce it. They go to college and it’s reinforced again. All of us have MANY ‘pre rational’ beliefs that were formed while we were little kids, and they are devilish difficult to overcome. Actions are all predicated on preexisting beliefs, and when the beliefs are bone deep, even isolating and analyzing a discrete belief that causes one harm is extremely difficult. Once you finally realize you have an erroneous belief deep down in your guts it’s still no simple matter to overcome–it will remain your default gut reaction, even after you’ve spent years trying to beat it.
This is not a matter of simply coming up with a good argument and suddenly the light will dawn. In order to defeat this kind of deeply rooted belief, it’s usually necessary to shock people out of the comfortable groove of their mental habits. And that’s not easy to do in the age of gotcha journalism, torture porn, and shock comedy.
The real reason why conservatives have failed so miserably to enlist black Americans is simpler than many think: we’re too polite. It’s rude to mention harsh and grotesque truths. Just like the kids reacting to Savage’s screed; they walked out. They didn’t shout him down, they didn’t stand up and turn their backs on him, or do anything other than leave. That took a bit of courage, mind, and I don’t despise them for it, but it’s emblematic of a fundamental problem with conservatism. A reason we all admire Mrs. Borelli and other like Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin is because they do what many of us dare not. How many times have you heard a conservative talk about keeping quiet in a room full of liberals? It’s very common, and it’s not simple cowardice. Turning a friendly gathering into a knock-down drag-out fight is rude. Contradicting a room full of people is rude. Good manners are very important, and show a respect for others which cannot be considered anything but good, however in certain times and places, such as the battlefield, portions may be suspended. It’s fine and admirable for Prince Edward to treat the King of France with noble courtesy and hospitality…after the battle is won. Better to be courteous victors than well-mannered but conquered.
“Borelli: Clearly, the overwhelmingly black support for Democrat politicians has not served the black community well. The condition of blacks in Detroit, Los Angeles and Harlem speak for themselves. Far too many blacks see the government as an ally and become dependent on social services and liberal black politicians, like drug dealers, are more than happy to keep this population addicted to government services and dependent. This system keeps the politician in power and too many blacks dependent on one party. Monopolies are bad for consumers and voters.”
I agree, but it’s a pity black voters don’t see it that way. I’m sure Obama will still get about 90% of the black vote this election. Even though Obama has done very little for blacks other than keep them on food stamps and welfare, they will still vote for him. Even though the unemployment rate for black kids is about 50% (or higher) and even though the unemployment rate for black adults is far worse than the national average, blacks will still vote for him. And even though over 70% of black kids are born to single-family homes and that maybe as high as one in three black men will be in trouble with the law at some time in their life, black people still want to keep in power the system that got them in this mess.
Add to all of that the the possibility that blacks (not to mention the mainstream media and the far left) just don’t want to admit that Obama is a lousy president and an empty suit when it comes to job creation or stimulating the economy. People are stubborn and most of them just don’t want to admit that they made a mistake. If the Republicans are smart, they will find a way to convince blacks that it’s OK to have made a mistake in 2008, but that doesn’t mean that they have to make another one in 2012.
“If the Republicans are smart, they will find a way to convince blacks that it’s OK to have made a mistake in 2008, but that doesn’t mean that they have to make another one in 2012.”
I saw an interest example of exactly such a slogan the other day. I don’t remember the exact wording but it was quite close to this: “If you voted for Obama in 2008 to prove you weren’t racist, vote Republican in 2012 to prove you aren’t stupid.”
In my opinion, that would make a great bumper sticker!
Mr. Adams,
Might I also suggest….Carol M. Swain, a professor of law and political science at Vanderbilt University, has just published her latest book, The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration.
Here she gives some of her thoughts on the matter.
White Nationalism: A Symposium
By: Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, January 10, 2003
http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=20346
Swain is another one I’ve read but not really mentioned. Some of her comments on race verge on the fantastically stupid. Certainly they are ignorant beyond belief. I’m like most people, I tend not to think anyone capable of being that dumb but Swain is a piece of work.
Good interview and many thoughtful comments. The additional thing that gets me is this; I grow tired of this Colonel Klink “I know nothing” narrative Obama and his minions put forth on the people surrounding him. Obama knew full well about Jeremiah Wright. He invited Wright to give the invocation when he announced his candidacy but then uninvited Wright because he could “get a little extreme”. He joined Wright’s church because he liked Wright’s politics. Of course, the fact that he joined any church was because an adviser told him that if he wanted to get anywhere in politics, he would need to be a member of a church. Then there’s Bill “just a guy in the neighborhood” Ayres. And he said he “knew” Rashid Khalidi without saying he was a good friend. His administration sought out Van Jones – look what he’s been up to since leaving the administration. Let’s not rehash the “did Obama know?” trope because he clearly did. He has repeatedly lied or distorted these associations.
That gets me to the subject of Alinsky. I went to a talk last week about the teachings of Alinsky. I asked the presenter this: We know about his tactics and methods, but how do you counteract them? Pointing out hypocrisies or inconsistencies seems pointless because they simply don’t care. He said the core of Alinskyites is that they have no morals, ethics, or principles. They will do or say anything to win (Alinsky, after all, said “Rules for Radicals” was the people’s answer to Machiavelli’s “The Prince”). He suggested that the best counter against an Alinskyite is to point out his/her lack of character, morals, and principles. Make it personal (lefties do it all the time). Therefore, I would suggest Obama has the character and ethics of a used car salesman.
I submit that the presenter has little or no experience in dealing with Alinskyite or Meany School trained agitators and organizers. They love to be called names and criticised for having a poor character – so long as it is the right people calling them names and criticizing them.
Sorry, “Rules” is a one way street; you can’t get conservatives to behave the way Alinsky expects his followers to behave. Try to visualize a bunch of middle aged, middle class Republicans getting together for a bean dinner a couple of hours before a city council meeting or a legislative hearing; ain’t happening. The only thing I found to work consistently in dealing with the union version of “Rules” is to ignore them, and throw in some ridicule and open contempt sometimes. Everything they do is calculated to get otherwise sane, moderate people to over-react to them and do something stupid, preferably something violent or even deadly. If you ignore them, they do ever crazier things trying to get you to react, peeling off followers and public support as they move further into crazy. Then ultimately, they’ll do something so crazy as to be indefensible and then you unleash Hell on them, and you MUST make it hurt the “little people;” the followers. You really can’t hurt the leaders usually unless you can provoke them to do something criminal AND you control the LE function and the DA/AG. You must fire, arrest and criminally charge, or whatever is appropriate to the circumstance the followers and show that following such leaders both has a price and that the leaders can’t or won’t protect them. Then you can see how well you handle being called names and having your character questioned, because for awhile you’ll be the sole object of their affection. Been there, done that.
“The additional thing that gets me is this; I grow tired of this Colonel Klink “I know nothing” narrative Obama and his minions put forth on the people surrounding him.”
Small correction. Your remarks are obviously a reference to Hogan’s Heroes, the 1960s TV comedy, but it was actually Sergeant Schultz, not Colonel Klink, whose catchphrase was “I know nothing! I see nothing!”.
K: “He said the core of Alinskyites is that they have no morals, ethics, or principles. They will do or say anything to win (Alinsky, after all, said “Rules for Radicals” was the people’s answer to Machiavelli’s “The Prince”). He suggested that the best counter against an Alinskyite is to point out his/her lack of character, morals, and principles. Make it personal (lefties do it all the time). Therefore, I would suggest Obama has the character and ethics of a used car salesman.”
Your presenter makes no sense. If the left has no moral compass then what good is it to “point out… their lack of character”?
I favor the more confrontation method which if we all would stop denying will be the only solution.
But I agree with you on Zero’s character which actually makes car salesmen look bad.
The idea is not to change the mind of the Alinskyite (that will never happen) but rather to effectively counter the Alinsky tactic with the general public.
Snarky, thanks for the correction.
Art Chance, I agree that ridicule is a powerful tactic – Alinsky was right on that. And clever conservatives can deploy it successfully. However, I disagree on a couple of other points. First, you say conservatives won’t act like Alinsky. I would point to Andrew Breitbart as an example to the contrary. It can be done, but to do so sinks to their level and I personally don’t like it. Second, I think ignoring them plays into their hands. When their distortions and lies go unanswered, they become the narrative.
I understand the Alinsky concept of provoking a response and I agree that you don’t want to react in such a way that it gives them an advantage. But simply pointing out hypocrisy after hypocrisy, and thinking you’ve won the debate is a fool’s errand. Alinskyites simply formulate their next manipulation and move on. They lie and we respond, but in this process they control the narrative. We have to move beyond that and strike their vulnerabilities. To win the debate, we need to take control of the narrative and strike vulnerabilities. That’s why I think questioning their character and credibility is the ticket. Point out a couple of lies or hypocrisies and use this for a basis to say “X is the used car salesman for the Democratic party”, “X cares more about winning an argument than telling the truth”, “X has taken a sledge hammer to his own credibility”, and the like. As with ridicule, this discredits the person. And it is truthful and fact-based to boot, which warms my conservative heart.
There’s real core of low lifes in the Boston fan base. I was at a Pats game in the old Sullivan Stadium when the group in front of us started calling the black players unsavory names. It was getting on my nerves. Finally the guy in front of me threw a crumpled up cup at a player and that was it. Put it this way – after that, the idiots kept their mouths shut for the rest of the game. And bumper stickers like “Yankees Suck”, I mean, one – you wish and, two, who goes around with that on any way – idiots that’s who.
I’m so glad the Bruins lost to the Capitals even though I’m a Southie boy. The Capitals had the first black player back in about ’72, they deserve it. On the whole though like any people Boston fans are good people. And Joel shouldn’t feel bad about being called a gorilla, you know, you’re either a gorilla or a goon when you beat the other guy.
The disgusting aspect of the Ward story wasn’t a few racist yahoos in Boston or any other city. Boston fans raked Tim Thomas over the coals for declining the invitation to the White House to meet the President after their Cup win.
It never, and I am not politically naive, ever, occurred to me that people would sneer at him because they claim he declined on the basis of Obama’s race. I, rightly, I’m sure, assumed that he simply doesn’t agree with Obama, can’t think of a reason meeting Obama would be beneficial to his life in any way, and since it’s an optional event, he demurred.
Unbelievably, it was assumed that his white face was in front of a racist brain, and that Obama has no bad qualities, so it must be on a basis of race that he didn’t go. Very shameful. The comments were outrageous, and the media, local especially, were no help in denying it. Has Thomas ever showed any inclination in any way to be a racist? Of course not. But that doesn’t stop leftists from just making stuff up to smear those who stand in ideological grounds and don’t want to be a hypocrite.
Then, when Ward scored the winning goal ousting the Bruins, and a few racist tweets of angry drunk pigs get put out there, the media goes crazy. What racists!!!! But the silence when Thomas was slandered from this same media was disgusting. He is a good man, and they didn’t stand up for him.
Just awful. Media should be ashamed of their picky-choosy white-man-bad narrative. Washington DC papers, Boston papers…all the same leftists.
I’m a Bruins fan, but don’t recall a lot of talk about Thomas being racist. He was pilloried (to the extent that he was) for holding conservative political beliefs and not being a TEAM player. It is supposed to be an honor for the TEAM to go to be honored by the President, whether he is a lefty or a righty. It seems to me that he lost more than he gained by such an action, but Timmy has always, according to his team-mates, danced to his own drummer.
And for what it’s worth, I believe that most of the racist tweets, which were identifiable, came from people NOT in the Greater Boston area.
But yes, fan behavior is often dumb and despicable. It has become a tradition for folks next to the rival bull-pen to say all sorts of provocative and outrageous stuff. Fans here chant “Yankees Suck” but the NY Post can run a headline for the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park, “100 Years of Ass Kicking,” Gulp.
Takes a lot of courage. She’s got my support. That said, the point made about conservatives reluctance to speak out and up (with kudos to those that do) it occurred to me that we need to highlight those out of the limelight who do stand up. There was quite a bit of coverage of Dan Savage but very little of those brave students who stood up and walked out. Just standing up takes courage.
Deneen Borelli and Star Jones. Guts, Brains and Beauty.
Oops! I meant STAR PARKER. (CURE)
See the role of Stokely Carmichael, a Communist, in fomenting race riots, etc. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, riots with burning of cities broke out all over – contrary to the views of King, but in accord with Carmichael’s strategy to start a race war and then have the Communists take over. See Julius Lester pn Carmichael and his role in causing riots with burning of cities.
Ms. Deneen: You are a knight in shinning armor, I watch you all time as available. You are spot dead on, and the reservation cities speak for themselves, a complete shame brought on by the liberal progressives and government dependency. Please keep up the terrific work and much success in your career.
The problem in the Black Community across America: poverty, crime, UNWED Mothers, school dropouts(76%), 50 percent illiteracy rate, corrupt unions, abortions, drugs, gangs, gangsters, guns, abyss of crime, debauchery, gun play, school truancy, car-jacking, human depravity, cronyism, incompetence, arrogance, 7 out of 10 murders remain unsolved, unemployment rate is 32.9%, and general entitlement living. They have become this way (AS WE ALL KNOW) from the liberal progressive mindset of spread the wealth. With Aid to Dependent Children, (73% Out of Wedlock) minority women birthed eight to 10, and in one case, one woman birthed 24 children and all on American taxpayer dollars.
– Brava!
Is she “qualified” to be in the running for vice President? What a great thinker.
LBJ started the war on poverty and it has destroyed ones who might have become “individuals” instead of “black” people.
Here we have an outsider who is despicable in all ways and the humans who are truly co dependents and addicts are holding this charlatan up for re election. It is truly scary
“An outsider?” He would have to be classed as someone who made it, wouldn’t you say? Compare where he started to where GWB started.
He started as a Red Diaper Baby whose grandparents and mother were communists, both of the men who could be his father were communists, somebody, somewhere with either communist, muslim, or both links got him in and paid for an education that nothing about his family’s position or his abilities would indicate he could actually have acquired without someone’s intercession and a whole bunch of Affirmative Action. Yeah, Comrade Obama has come a long way. I know all the lefties love the self-made son of a single mother meme, but it is a lie on its face; the communist SOB never earned a thing he has.
Usually, you are in the ballpark, even when you (often) choose to be over the top; but not so much, here.
We have this poor kid, I don’t care if his parents are commies, John Birchers, or Amish, and he moves along the lines that he has. Even if the Holy Spirit is at work, the guy has made some amazing progress from where he started. Poor Art,…if only your parents had been Commies, instead of rednecks (not that there’s anything wrong with that) you coulda been somebody, you could a been a contendah. What’s the Chance in that?
No, Dwight, no matter how much the useful idiots want to believe the legend of Barack Hussein Obama, mmm, mmm, mmm, everything about the man is a contrivance. His life is a lie. He didn’t go to those fancy schools on academic scholarships; he went because somebody other than his family put up the money and arranged the matriculation. He built his “legend” in a made-man position as a community organizer and adjunct, neither of which require ANY qualifications other than being a Democrat who knows somebody. In fact, nothing he’s ever done has required any qualifications or accomplishment other than being a Democrat who knew somebody. I’m not automatically averse to rising that way, I’ve done a few things armed with the courage of my connections, but to build a whole false narrative and then move heaven and earth to try to hide the evidence that it is false.
And my parents weren’t rednecks, you pompous ass. And they weren’t communists and of very questionable morals for the times, Hell, for any time; sorry, few girls behaved like young Miss Dunham in the late ’50s, early ’60s. Most respectable parents would have either gotten her an abortion, easily done in Hawaii at the time, or sent her to live with her aunt in Montana and put the baby up for adoption. The Dunhams were either card-carrying or very close fellow travellers; that’s the only thing that would explain their lives and their communist connections paved the way for young Barry. There was no achievement in it; he was born to it.
I’ve contended pretty well and I think made it considerably further up the food chain than you have. Anything further for me in my career field would require legislative confirmation and an outright war with my union “friends,” so it would have to be a Governor I really liked.
Good grief, if you can’t acknowledge that simply not screwing up enough somewhere along the line so that your “anointed” rise to the Presidency does not get de-railed, then you are hopelessly in the tank against the O. GWB obviously was born with the silver spoon and the pedigree, who who knows what he actually “accomplished” but he had to avoid screwing up, or turn to Jesus to save him from his screw-ups in order to make it to the Presidency. That was his accomplishment.
But for Obama, in your mind, some kind of magic, a spell was cast; evil sorcery was involved. “There was no achievement in it.” That is just goofy hyperbole. Was Obama helped by his connections? For sure, (and his connections were lefty, as opposed to GWB, blue-blood, diplomatic, CIA, Presidential, Ivy league, Skull and Bones connections) but to translate that into “no achievement (the “at all” is explicit)” is your particular kind of bold-faced silliness.
Is there any difference in your mind between “greatly helped by ones connections,” and “no achievement at all”? Or is it just all rock and roll and rhetoric?
And if we add “is a substantial accomplishment in itself,” after “derailed,” we have more of the coherence for which we all strive.
Racism is NOT the problem.. TRIBALISM is what ALL of mankind does.. If everyone on the planet was red haired with freckles and blue eyes there would still be tribalism.. US and THEM is part of the human DNA.. Until we become the HUMAN race we will have xenophobia.. The only way that will happen is when we are invaded by aliens form another world.. Not anytime soon I bet..
I am very encouraged by this type of site, I was raised in the inner most part of the city. My mother was widowed as of 2 weeks prior to my birth, had 5 children and supported by the government. I am white and consider myself as being color blind.My mother died when i was 19 years of age,being raised in a Christian home i was taught that red, brown,yellow, black, or white “we” are presious in His site Jesus Loves the children of the world. I was born in 1952 and during my youth there was a lot of racial tension,but that just caused me to love that much more. I moved out of the city in 1978 because i wanted my children to have a more hate free environment, I believe that the government programs a lot of the time enable us to depend on them rather then to learn to earn our own way. I did have to use the government to get started, my 1st. home was purchased through a government source called Farmers home administration, $213.00 as down payment and $218.00 per month. I only am saying this so that people know that there are programs out there that can help you to get on your own and help others. I hope that we all can see how important it is that we can make a difference if we help and share with others. God Bless you’all
I remember reading a liberal black blog about Mia Love. They were really angry that she was everything they hate – Republican, Mormon, Conservative – but Black. The biggest argument made? That she was brainwashed because she wasn’t like one of them. There was at least one liberal Black who saw the irony of the comments, but everyone ganged up on him too. I don’t care how racist it sounds, but I think that the black community is beyond redemption and forever stuck on the self-imposed (and Democrat sponsored) plantation.
As far as I’m concerned, black preachers (Jackson, Sharpton, et.al.) are the greatest obstacle to good race relations in this country.
Actually, just the race hustlers and liberation theology propenents.