Shots In The Dark: Welcome, conservatives!

Monday, June 27, 2024

Welcome, conservatives!

Here at "Shots in the Dark," we really are a big tent. Unlike, say, some political parties that I could mention.

My criticism of Jonah Goldberg seems to have struck a nerve; the comments section of that post is a hotbed of anti-RB vitriole. Why, even Jonah himself has gotten into the act, insulting me, my (first) book, my (last) name—but not actually responding to my criticism of his argument.

What strikes me about some of the posters is the way that they stubbornly hold certain ideals sacred and inviolable: Harvard is a bastion of liberalism (not really), Ted Kennedy is the devil (seems a bit strong, no?), Cornel West is a fraud (would they say this if he were white?), and Eric Alterman is truly unpleasant.

Well, maybe that last one....

¶ 7:38 AM

Comments:

Well, if a white Ivy League philosopher's work for the last decade-and-a-half consisted of a cameo in the Matrix, a self-published country (rap) music album and campaigning for Pat Buchanan (Al Sharpton) for President, he'd probably A) be widely denounced on the right as a charlatan and B) given a show on cable as the Conservative mediawhore with Arianna Huffington as the Liberal mediawhore.

# posted by john bragg : 8:33 AM

John,

If your summation of Cornel West's career was accurate, you'd have a point. But it isn't. If you don't believe me, go to Amazon and look him up.

In addition to all those published works you'll find, West is a hell of a teacher.

Look, there's plenty of stuff to criticize West about, if you're so inclined. You can disagree with his ideas or challenge the merits of his books. And anyone who puts himself out there politically the way West does invites strong disagreement.

But the poster I referred to called West a "fraud," and I just think that's a load of uninformed B.S.

# posted by richard : 8:40 AM

Whether or not West was a fraud, he was not doing his job at Harvard. Summers asked him to publish something, and West freaked out and left campus. And West should have been fired: his actions were completely inappropriate for a professor at an Ivy League university.

# posted by Anonymous : 9:09 AM

It appears that the Pax Americana of the future brings forth the predatory imperialist aims outlined by the crypto-fascist Project for a New American Century. Presumably, the appropriation of Arab resources belies justifications given by the world's leading apologists for an oil war masquerading as an endless crusade against "terrorism." Let us never forget that the 15-minute speech delivered Monday night by President Bush is determined by capitalist interests which lead to the theocrat Ashcroft's suspension of our civil rights. This suggests that Americanism as an ideology represents the crushing of internal dissent in order to propagate this calamity brought to us by a horrific onslaught, known as Shock and Awe.

# posted by Anonymous : 9:23 AM

What are you talking about?

# posted by Anonymous : 9:33 AM

Look, I'm not going to defend everything about Cornel West. His writing style certainly isn't my favorite. I don't care for that mixture of academic jargon and political jeremiad any more than you do.

The point is that the things Larry Summers accused him of were simply untrue. In fact, similar but much more accurate criticisms could have been levied against any number of other professors at Harvard, who happened to be white.

Again, I'm sorry to plug my book, but there's an entire chapter in it devoted to this episode. It's just much more complicated than you're presenting it.

# posted by richard : 9:37 AM

Also—folks, even if you don't want to use your real name, can you make one up, just so I can tell which anonymous is which? It's a little confusing.

# posted by richard : 9:38 AM

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