18 August 2008
Obama Is Not Culturally African-American
Jesse Jackson’s infamous rage against Senator Barack Obama and the resentment of other old-line black leaders presented by Matt Bai in his 17 August 2008 NYT Magazine article are attributable, at least in part, to the fact that they and Obama do not share the experience of descent from enslaved ancestors. It also reflects the privileged circumstances of the Democratic presidential candidate’s education and perspective.
The first of these distinctions explains much of the laggard support that Obama has received from African-American leaders. They probably feel that they have more in common with Nelson Mandela than with Obama. The second distinction, however, is upsetting to those in the white community for whom the natural order of things is that privileges like intelligence and Ivy League anointment come primarily to their own social group. A beneficiary from another group is considered a usurper—life is a zero-sum game.
Of course, as Mr. Bai points out, the “post-racial” generation of black leaders profess that both of these distinctions are now irrelevant. It is unfortunate, however, that the national standard-bearer for that transformation of American politics is a unique individual. His success may not redound to the benefit of most blacks in our society. On the other hand, it is a strength of our political system that a person with such exceptional qualities will indeed be selected for an important civic position. It would be ironic if such qualities somehow handicapped his rise to the top.
Jesse Jackson’s infamous rage against Senator Barack Obama and the resentment of other old-line black leaders presented by Matt Bai in his 17 August 2008 NYT Magazine article are attributable, at least in part, to the fact that they and Obama do not share the experience of descent from enslaved ancestors. It also reflects the privileged circumstances of the Democratic presidential candidate’s education and perspective.
The first of these distinctions explains much of the laggard support that Obama has received from African-American leaders. They probably feel that they have more in common with Nelson Mandela than with Obama. The second distinction, however, is upsetting to those in the white community for whom the natural order of things is that privileges like intelligence and Ivy League anointment come primarily to their own social group. A beneficiary from another group is considered a usurper—life is a zero-sum game.
Of course, as Mr. Bai points out, the “post-racial” generation of black leaders profess that both of these distinctions are now irrelevant. It is unfortunate, however, that the national standard-bearer for that transformation of American politics is a unique individual. His success may not redound to the benefit of most blacks in our society. On the other hand, it is a strength of our political system that a person with such exceptional qualities will indeed be selected for an important civic position. It would be ironic if such qualities somehow handicapped his rise to the top.
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