Coleman Hughes, according to the brief bio at the end of his WSJ op-ed ('Martin Luther King, Colorblind Radical, p. A15, Jan. 18) is "a philosophy undergraduate at Columbia University." After reading his piece I have to admit that he needs to focus more on his undergrad studies and leave writing op-ed pieces to those more aware, knowledgeable and alert. The efforts to use the "two sides" and "false equivalence" baloney to score cheap memetic points is already getting old fast.
As one blogger on Reddit already exposed the young, would-be scribe:
"If you're going to argue the Democrats have been bad for minorities and ask why more minorities aren't voting Republican, then the omission of the decades of systemic civil rights opposition and racism in the Republican party does make your entire article invalid. To get into this topic and not mention any the attempts to disenfranchise black people by the GOP going on as we speak, let alone the decades of opposition to civil and voting rights preceding the current day, or the racist campaign strategies as first formulated in the southern strategy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_strategy completely invalidates the article by omitting the most pertinent facts answering the questions asked in the article.
This article is an attempt at creating false equivalences between the Democrats and Republicans. "
This is a fair assessment and common to libertarians and certain centrists - whether of the Repug or Dem leanings persuasion . (Hughes in various posts claims to lean Dem which is probably just a ruse to claim he's more objective than partisan Dems, or "progressives" as he defines them in his WSJ piece.)
Central to Hughes' dubious thesis is that Rev. King didn't adhere to "identity politics". To bolster that biased view he trots out cherry-picked quotes from King's speeches and essays, which anyone can do. For example, from a 1958 essay, 'Three Ways of Meeting Oppression':
"The problem is not merely a racial one, with Negroes set against whites."
But actions speak louder than words. Thus, Hughes' arguments were belied when Rev.King joined the sanitation workers' strike in Memphis in 1968, given most of the workers were African-American. King was enraged that black workers were so poorly treated that two (Robert Walker and Echol Cole) lost their lives trying to find shelter in a garbage truck from pouring rain (they were not allowed inside any proper bldgs.) E.g.
For years, black sanitation workers had complained about working conditions and poverty wages. At least three times - in 1963, 1964 and 1966- they faced retaliation from bosses for trying to unionize or go on strike.
Make no mistake here that the singling out of black sanitation workers when they sought shelter was a question of racial identity given white workers didn't encounter similar issues. This was because of Memphis' racist policy at the time of forcing black sanitation workers into the backs of garbage trucks in bad weather. Because of this cruel policy, the garbage compactor was triggered and crushed the two men. The ignorant and racist policy - which Hughes appears to be unaware of - was discussed at length by the historian Taylor Branch in his book, 'At Canaan's Edge'.
Given that Memphis' policy was unabashedly racist, and affected ONLY black sanitation workers, that means the Rev. King joining the strike (and being in Memphis remember ultimately cost him his life) and is the epitome of identity action and identity politics.
Another hyperbolic claim by Hughes also got my attention (ibid.):
"King's dream of a colorblind America - where the content of our character matters more than the color of our skin - is hampered by progressives' focus on checking white privilege and stoking black grievance."
But he misses the point and in the process loses his moral compass. As author Naomi Klein argued in her recent book, 'No Is Not Enough - Resisting Trump's Shock Politics') pp. 90-91:
"It is short-sighted, not to mention dangerous, for liberals and progressives to abandon their own focus on identity politics",
because:
"To a terrifying degree, skin color and gender conformity are determining who is physically safe in the hands of the state, who is at risk from vigilante violence, who can express themselves without constant harassment and who can cross a border without terror."
The underscored segment is especially relevant as we continue in the throes of a white nationalist, authoritarian presidency for which the nascent germs were already evident during Obama's presidency. This was in the visceral and hate-filled reaction by many to his election, e.g
This then propelled and energized the white nationalists who yearned for one of their own in power- hence leading to Trump, Steve Bannon and the Nazi wannabe Steven Miller (who has much to do with the irrational and racist stance on the border wall.). Thus, what drove the aberrant vote in 2016 for Trump wasn't income but identity. An identity connection which Trump has fostered by pandering to their insecurities, stroking their pathetic egos ("You will never be ignored again!"), and pandering to their deranged aspirations of an all white nation.
Incredibly, as a young black man, Hughes actually fancies himself so color blind that he is able to ignore the multifaceted transgressions of the Trumpian White Nationalists and would rather play the 'two sides' game, e.g. "If conservatives whitewash King's opinions on economics then progressives whitewash his views on race."
NO we do not. We concede they are nuanced, but also are factually adept and informed enough by history he didn't turn his back on advocating for the black race - as in the case of the Memphis' sanitation workers strike and how shabbily black (NOT white) workers were treated.
Sadly then, King's "dream" of a colorblind nation can only arrive after the racially divisive, white minority faction drops its own identity politics based on white superiority, entitlement and privilege. So long as the Right embraces identity politics and white tribalism - seeking to stoke their voters using racial hate and distrust of "the other" (as in the border wall hysteria) - we on the sane side must adopt a counter identity politics, appealing to the angels of citizens' better nature - not their worst. What Hughes wold have us do instead is place the 'cart before the horse' and have the 'dream' before the reality of human respect and decency have been established, not just for blacks but for immigrants too.
Thus, the appeals to citizens' better natures are all about protectively circling the "wagons" - whether on behalf of the 1, 800,000 DACAns and 300,000 Haitians Trump wants to ship out, or only offer a fig leaf of protection - or the decent Muslims he wants to block from coming in, or the Puerto Ricans he willingly abandoned as "too costly" for federal assistance after Hurricane Maria. In other words, the counter identity movement of progressives which Hughes disdains, cannot back off or dissolve until the Right's threats cease.
I don't see that happening anytime soon, as this White nationalist -based Trump shutdown clearly shows - with rabid white racists such as Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham. Steve Miller et al driving Trumps's decisions and faux compromises. If Rev. King were alive today he'd call out this brand of racist malevolence for what it is, and put the blame unequivocally where it belongs, unlike Hughes.
SEE ALSO:
King’s dream of affordable housing is still unfulfilled
And:
This then propelled and energized the white nationalists who yearned for one of their own in power- hence leading to Trump, Steve Bannon and the Nazi wannabe Steven Miller (who has much to do with the irrational and racist stance on the border wall.). Thus, what drove the aberrant vote in 2016 for Trump wasn't income but identity. An identity connection which Trump has fostered by pandering to their insecurities, stroking their pathetic egos ("You will never be ignored again!"), and pandering to their deranged aspirations of an all white nation.
Incredibly, as a young black man, Hughes actually fancies himself so color blind that he is able to ignore the multifaceted transgressions of the Trumpian White Nationalists and would rather play the 'two sides' game, e.g. "If conservatives whitewash King's opinions on economics then progressives whitewash his views on race."
NO we do not. We concede they are nuanced, but also are factually adept and informed enough by history he didn't turn his back on advocating for the black race - as in the case of the Memphis' sanitation workers strike and how shabbily black (NOT white) workers were treated.
Sadly then, King's "dream" of a colorblind nation can only arrive after the racially divisive, white minority faction drops its own identity politics based on white superiority, entitlement and privilege. So long as the Right embraces identity politics and white tribalism - seeking to stoke their voters using racial hate and distrust of "the other" (as in the border wall hysteria) - we on the sane side must adopt a counter identity politics, appealing to the angels of citizens' better nature - not their worst. What Hughes wold have us do instead is place the 'cart before the horse' and have the 'dream' before the reality of human respect and decency have been established, not just for blacks but for immigrants too.
Thus, the appeals to citizens' better natures are all about protectively circling the "wagons" - whether on behalf of the 1, 800,000 DACAns and 300,000 Haitians Trump wants to ship out, or only offer a fig leaf of protection - or the decent Muslims he wants to block from coming in, or the Puerto Ricans he willingly abandoned as "too costly" for federal assistance after Hurricane Maria. In other words, the counter identity movement of progressives which Hughes disdains, cannot back off or dissolve until the Right's threats cease.
I don't see that happening anytime soon, as this White nationalist -based Trump shutdown clearly shows - with rabid white racists such as Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham. Steve Miller et al driving Trumps's decisions and faux compromises. If Rev. King were alive today he'd call out this brand of racist malevolence for what it is, and put the blame unequivocally where it belongs, unlike Hughes.
SEE ALSO:
King’s dream of affordable housing is still unfulfilled
And:
by Kali Holloway | January 21, 2019 - 7:10am
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