Michael Eric Dyson to Cornel West: You ain’t that important

[JustAnotherGen]

http://rollingout.com/politics/michael-eric-dyson-blasts-cornel-west-aint-important/#_

I’ve probably known him longer than anybody on this panel. Hung out with him,” Dyson said. “I’ve been a victim of his vicious assaults in public. I’ve held my powder. That ain’t my usual nature. [Dr. Farah Griffin] called me up and I listened to Farah. Because she loves us both [and was] trying to negotiate a cease of hostilities. But I’m not going to pretend that it doesn’t hurt for you to call me a sellout because I disagree with you. You can be ‘ride-or-die,’ but while you’re riding — see who your vehicle is rolling over.”

Dr. Dyson voiced his belief that Dr. West’s criticisms of President Obama stem from his personal vendetta against the president after West felt that he had been “snubbed.” Dr. West did not receive an invitation to Obama’s 2013 inauguration after attending the president’s first inauguration in 2009. One of West’s major criticisms has centered on his belief that the White House is not providing access to those working for civic and legislative causes.

“With [former President] Bill Clinton, you’re rhapsodizing about access [to the White House] — if access is a problem, it was a problem then. Not because you didn’t get a ticket to go to the inauguration for Obama!” Dr. Dyson stated emphatically. “I’m not talking about just [West], he ain’t the only one. But since he’s been public about it, here’s my response to [his criticism]: I love you, but you can’t talk about love and act unlovingly. It’s the personal assault on Obama that I found problematic, not the principled critique. I’m not mad at principled critique, but you still could be wrong. But when you start indicting my soul like I’ve given my soul over to Obama or the devil — now you’re tripping. You ain’t that important. You’re not God to be able to leverage the divine assignment of privilege or punishment.”

Number23 - where are you?


And with that - Good for Mr. Dyson. He is handling West very well.

And well - West comes from a place of god/spirituality and Dyson comes from a place of reason and logic.

I could see where bringing Dyson's soul into things probably really pissed Dyson off.

[LoisB]

1. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley have done as much Obama-bashing as any

right-winger in the country. I think it's sad because I used to have the utmost respect for Dr. West (never cared much for Tavis Smiley). It is fair to criticize the President when he's wrong but the West/Smiley attacks seem personal to me.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. West/Smiley attacks

Seem personal to me too.

But now - he's going after a scientist. He's based much of his beliefs and approach from a spiritual starting point.

Dyson represents the song 'fishing for religion' - was pretty big when I was at university amongst my friends and me.

[JI7]

7. it was one or maybe both of them that never got over OBama not attending

something they wanted. some event or show or something. and i think Obama not calling one of them about something.

[MADem]

21. Such unreasonable anger--it's like they're piqued because they didn't get the

"Here's your key to the Lincoln bedroom" treatment. I was initially stunned at the vitriol from those gents; now I expect it and it and not only does it not surprise me, but it just doesn't interest me, either. When I see either fellow winding up, I pick up the clicker and click!

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. West & Tavis lost their self appointed status as go-to "black thought leaders" when Obama entered...

the scene, and they ain't happy about it. They've been pissed since he won the nomination. Tavis was a big old Clintonite, and well known PUMA. When Hillary lost the nomination, Tavis saw his chance at the Lincoln Bedroom evaporate, along with the evisceration of his influence over black events. What's odd is that West & Smiley didn't even hold the Bushes to the same standard they try to hold Obama to. Cornel is crazy as hell, he has gone after both Melissa Harris-Perry & Rev. Al, in a similar fashion.



Dr. Dyson nailed it..."You ain't that important". Someone had to say it.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Tarheel

First - glad to see you around.

Second - It was when he went after Melissa Harris-Perry that he lost me. Seriously. We have a lot to learn from our elders - but many of our African American elders are doing their best to listen to the youth (Gen X). It's only a matter of time before he goes after Cory Booker.

Good, bad, indifferent - I believe that's who we've 'got' that can give us a voice. There are others - point blank - I hold Booker and Harris-Perry in higher regard than I do Kanye and Beyonce.

I just do.

In their quest to right a supposed wrong by Obama - they are losing an awful lot of us.

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. And it's "us" who gave them the platform in the first place. When Tavis lost Tom Joyner, I knew....

he'd be relegated to the scrap heap. Tom's audience didn't want to hear from Tavis anymore, and I think that made he & Dr. West even more determined to extract a pound of flesh from Obama. Personally, if Cornel or Tavis shows up on my teevee or radio, I immediately switch the channel. I think they've lost most of us for good, and that's sad.

[Number23]

9. I was looking for you and that crazy picture!!

And here you both are! Girl, that picture is a hot assed mess!!!

[Tarheel_Dem]

12. I suspect that picture is a mirror to the soul, and "hot assed mess" is probably....

just the tip of the iceberg.

[kwassa]

10. I agree 100%. It is pure and very sour grapes.

Obama's success destroyed their self-importance. West and Smiley could no longer be the arbiters of black opinion, as self-appointed as they were. They did not handle it well.

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. You got that right. I don't know who , other than themselves, decided they were...

representative. I don't remember voting for either one of 'em.

[sheshe2]

23. That is one angry black man...

I hope that is not a faux pas to say...Cornel flames! That is not helping.

I prefer this one...



For the man that is indeed fighting for us every damn day!

[Tarheel_Dem]

24. "I prefer this one..." And that goes for you, me & about 95% of AA community.

She, I knew that being the first black POTUS wouldn't be easy (hell, being the first BLACK anything ain't easy), but he's catching it from all sides. I hope I'm wrong, but all these vicious groups on the left, calling for this president to act unilaterally and govern by executive order may come to regret that in the future. Once the Repukes come back to their senses, there won't always be a Democrat in the White House, and Executive Orders may come back to haunt us all.

[1StrongBlackMan]

6. In the words of one of my mentors (R.I.P.) ...

"Imagine how much could be accomplished if no sought credit or assigned blame?"

It's a shame that we find ourselves in a (one-sided) HNIC battle; but a drowning man (and West and Tavis are clearly drowning) will grasp onto whomever is nearest to keep their head above water.

That said, it pains me that Dyson felt compelled to publicly respond.

[Number23]

8. I'm here, girl! I am here!

I've been so sick of this damn place lately that I haven't even been reading, let alone posting much. But leave it to you JAG to post an OP that pulls me in like hot molasses and I cannot escape!

I tried to read the whole thing but I keep getting an error message but regardless, the bit you highlighted give me more than a chance to get the gist of what MED is saying and all I got to say is:

We'll just add him to the list of 4,997,725,561 black academics, scholars, activists, journalists, folks on the street that have ABSOLUTELY NO USE for Cornel West and haven't since he started his unhinged and bizarrely personal attacks on President Obama.

Brother man needs to go back to acting (remember his foolish stint in The Matrix?) and stop hating on President Obama. MED was probably one of the last black people in the spotlight that had any time for him and now he's kicked him to the curb too. Couldn't happen to a bigger clown. And I once WORSHIPED this man.

[JustAnotherGen]

11. There's a method to my madness

Number23. The next time someone holds up West as the ONLY opinion of black America . . .

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. MED is simply stating what many of us have been talking about for several years now.

He's speaking nothing but the unvarnished truth!

But he shouldn't just be saying these things to West. He should be saying them to his boyfriend sidekick, the no-talking Tavis Smiley, too.

Those on the political right and left have exploited West-Smiley's disdain for the president and used it for their own advantage, especially white liberals who hate Obama and conservatives. These people didn't know much about Dr. West or Smiley...until they began their anti-Obama vendetta. It's really disgusting!

[Cha]

17. Exactly, Liberal Stalwart!

Good to see you!

[TBF]

15. Gen -

thank you for inviting me over to read this and I thank you for broadening my perspective. Criticizing policy is one thing but the back-story here indicates that the intent behind Dr. West's words was due to a personal slight. That is unfortunate because Cornell West has some very important things to say about education and this does not reflect well. Thanks for providing more of the picture.

[Cha]

16. Thank you, Michael Eric Dyson!

Ouch! That's gotta sting.. tellin' West he's not "God"!

Mahalo, Gen~

[randys1]

18. I have a friend who complains about these two also

I think celebrity gets in the way with all these guys, including President Obama.

I have seen Dr. West often on Bill Maher and I have seen Mr. Dyson a few times as well, I think Mr. West is a brilliant man and I love to listen to him talk (up to a point, he can go on a little long sometimes).

I dont have a judgment about any of them, I learned a long time ago that as a white guy I have no honest clue what any of these men had to go thru to get where they are, it is also why I dont use the term Uncle Tom, aint my place, and the true meaning is confused by many anyway.

I listen to Mark Thompson or Matsimela Mapfumo every day, and my favorite calls are white guys calling to lecture Mark on Black history and racism


Bottom line, President Obama has been up against the greatest obstruction in the history of American politics, that is number one, number two is he is NOT an extreme lefty progressive/liberal like many of us, he is more mainstream and we knew that when he ran, so to overly criticize him being who he told us he was makes no sense.

Now having said all that, you think he will build his presidential library in Kenya?

I would love it, drive the rightwing terrorist America hating racist morons crazy...

[brush]

19. Good on you, Randy1

I know this is a late response but I happened upon your post appended to a current OP critiquing Cornell West. Both Cornell West and his sidekick Tavis Smiley seem to have staked out a vendetta against the President over a so called personal affront.

West seems upset over not getting an invite to the 2013 Inauguration even though he'd been bashing Obama for much of his first term. Smiley, a well-entrenched Clintonista, got his knickers in a bunch in '08 because the busily campaigning candidate Obama couldn't make one of his televised "State of Black America" panel discussions (he offered to send Michelle, no slouch herself, but that wasn't good enough for Smiley). Smiley soon lost his popularity in black America when the word got out of his nose being out of joint over such silliness. I personally think Smiley also was upset when Obama got the nomination over Hillary. IMO he saw his imagined ambassadorship or cabinet post in the Hillary administration go up in smoke.

Anyway, I said all that to say that you are so right on about how we should not have expected extreme lefty progressive/liberal policy out of the Obama administration. He was never that, and if he was he wouldn't have been viable enough a candidate to continue after the '08 the Iowa primary. He be in the failed candidate history dustbin.

Hell, a white extreme lefty progressive/liberal wasn't going to get the nomination, much less win the election, with those stated policy positions either so for many to think a black candidate could take those positions and win is not realistic and a tad naive.

[JustAnotherGen]

20. Glad you kicked this - it serves as a good

Contrast to the one in GD right now.

[HipChick]

22. Dyson does not mince words..

He always speaks the truth and his lectures are amazing