Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama: 2 kinds of Black leaders, 'Challenger' and 'Bargainer'

[ProgressiveEconomist]

'Challenger' and 'Bargainer'

Starting in 1972 with 87 church members, Jeremiah Wright built up a congregation of 8,000 and became one of the most highly-regarded inspiring sermonizers of his generation. Many seminary students bought recordings of his sermons to learn how to preach. What is in the hundreds of thousands of minutes of his 36 years of sermons Sean Hannity did not cherry-pick to make him sound unhinged?

A Chicago Tribune profile (at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/religion/chi-070121-relig_wright,1,294740,print.story ) points out that Wright pragmatically combined traditional Baptist preacher-talk with sharp challenges to "white" society and a message of self-reliance for African-Americans. Barack Obama recently criticized his former pastor's style as something that was appropriate for the 1960s but may not always be appropriate for the 21st century.

You see, there are TWO kinds of Black leaders.

Compare Obama with, say, Al Sharpton. Obama himself, in his book 'Audacity of Hope', says that a secret of his success is his learning early that "white people tend to just LOVE a Black man who does not seem angry".

Right-wing psychologist Shelby Steele turned this Obama insight into an entire book (see http://www.amazon.com/Bound-Excited-about-Obama-Press/dp/1416559175 ) that contrasts what he calls "challengers" (for example, Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, or Wright) with "bargainers" (for example, Obama).

Since the 1960s, most whites have come to fear abjectly being portrayed as "a racist". Challengers are "militants" who let whites know they assume racism is in play unless shown otherwise. He points out that when whites get in racial trouble (like the MSNBC morning show host whom Scarborough replaced), they often go to Sharpton because Sharpton can provide racial absolution or racial penance as well as damnation as an irretrievable racist.

In contrast, in exchange for advancement, "Bargainers" let whites know they won't cry "racism" unless they see clearly irrefutable evidence of individual prejudice or individual acts of discrimination. They are the kinds of African-Americans who make whites feel more comfortable. I agree with Steele that Obama and Oprah belong to the rare group of brilliant African-American racial tightrope-walkers who demonstrate to whites they are "bargainers" while simultaneously convincing Blacks they are not "sell-outs".

IMO, Obama's political opponents DESPERATELY want to portray him not as the "bargainer" he is but as the "challenger" he is not. They want a "scary, angry Black Man" to run against, not the cool and calm national unifier that has earned Obama the majority of Democratic primary votes, delegates, and States he has amassed. If they can't get Obama himself to lose his cool and snarl on camera, they'll settle for "linking" him to someone else who rubs millions of whites the wrong way.

IMO, this is a thread that has run through HRC's entire campaign so far, from the time Bill Clinton pointed out (just before the SC primary) that Jesse Jackson had won that state twenty years ago, to the "apology" HRC made over Ferraro's carefully-crafted comments last week. Hillary made a point of mentioning Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama in the same "money" sound byte that was sure to make it onto every on-air media report.

So, on this view, much of the racial strategy being used by Obama's political opponents is designed to have him seen as a "challenger" rather than a "bargainer". This insight has been valuable for me in understanding the political furor that developed last week.

What do YOU think?

[sandnsea]

1. Bunch of racists

If racism weren't so prevalent, none of this would work.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

2. IMO, "racist" is too broad a word to convey "shades" of meaning since last week

Do you mean "white racial prejudice": "institutionalized white racism"; or "white privilege"?

[sandnsea]

3. Racist

I refuse to slice and dice to enable white people to rationalize away their irrational attitudes towards minorities. Period.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

6. "Irrational attitudes toward minorities": Aha, you evidently mean "white racial prejudice"

which can run from the woman who unconsciously clutches her purse with two hands when approaching an African-American, to the Pennsylvanian Gov Rendell said would NEVER vote for ANY black candidate, to the KKK member who burns a cross on a Black family's lawn.

[sandnsea]

8. No I meant all of it

Any incident or institution wherein the implication is that minorities are less - it's all racist.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

12. OK. But IMO very few people will grasp exactly what you mean when you

use a very rough approximation like "racist" to the fine distinctions you may intend.

Unfortunately, as a browse through GDP the past 10 days will attest, there's a lot more ignorance than knowledge out there when it comes to race relations.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. Kick!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

15. Kick!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

16. Kick!

[Bake]

20. I take it your broad brush applies to all white people, then.

Have fun winning the GE without us.

Bake

[Breeze54]

4. It's a two way street. imho.

Great article. Thanks for posting it.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

7. Sure, there are Blacks who are prejudiced against whites and rarely give them a chance

But the reality of political and economic power does not permit very many African-Americans to avoid whites entirely, while whites can thrive on excluding Blacks from every facet of their daily lives, especially in predominatly white suburbs.

Members of the dominated group has very few opportunities to act out any prejudices they may harbor, while members of the dominant group can be 100% prejudiced, 100% of the time.

IMO, defensive, completely justified African-American SUSPICIONS of white motives are often mistaken by whites for Black "prejudice".

[Breeze54]

9. Some of what you say is true but I disagee

with the notion that all the suburbs are as white as white on rice. I live in the suburbs and there is diversity and I see diversity in every town around me and in the businesses. Maybe it's like that where you live or maybe you're speaking about the uber rich neighborhoods. I'm pretty sure I've had prejudice directed at me by AA's and/or any other group, including men. I've experienced it myself, so I am aware of the difference, although not on a scale like an AA or any other group. I don't think the "dominant" group is prejudiced 100% of the time, all the time though; anymore than the non-dominant is either but it happens and yes, I agree it exists in Gov. (See "Heck of a job, Brownie") and other institutions, including the private corporate sector. I agree that defensiveness can be misinterpreted by many non AA's and they put their own spin on it, instead of understanding where that anger is coming from. Maybe soon, America can continue bridging that gap and gain better understanding soon. I hope so.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

10. So we agree more than we disagree

BYW, I meant SOME "members of the dominant group CAN be 100% prejudiced 100% of the time", although admittedly that's not unambigous in what I said.

[Breeze54]

11. I hope we agree more than we disagree!

:hug:

I know what you meant. ;) I got it. I get it.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

13. I think we do. I've agreed with just about every post I've seen of yours in other threads.

[Window]

5. Good analysis.

:thumbsup:



:kick:

[ProgressiveEconomist]

17. WSJ: Shelby Steele HIMSELF puts a RW "spin" on this insight, founded on the "20 yrs

of AntiAmericanism" myth about Wright's sermons.

See http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120579535818243439.html?mod=googlenews_wsj and, on why "20 years" of extremist statements in Wright's sermons CANNOT be true, see http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5139226&mesg_id=5139226 .

[EffieBlack]

18. obama and Wright are not a "black leaders"

Yes, Obama is a political leader and he is black. Yes, Wright was the leader of his congregation and he is black.

But calling them "black leaders" marginalizes, pigeon-holes and stereotypes them based solely on their race - and forces them into boxes that no white public figures are confined to.them

White ministers are NEVER called "white leaders,l even when their congregations are lily-white. They're called "religious leaders," as should be Rev.Wright, whose congregation.

Hillary Clinton is never characterized as a "women's leader" or a "white leader.". John Edwards is never called a "white leader.". Like Senator Obama, they are or have been United States Senators.

Barack Obama is a leader of many people of many races. He is much more than a "black leader.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

19. Agreed--he's not "just" a Black leader. But IMO anybody who gets > 85% of the vote

from the African-American demographic in primary after primary IS a "Black leader". Do you disagree?

And where did I say Obama is "just a Black leader"?

[EffieBlack]

21. No, I don't agree

White candidates regularly get overwhelming percentages of the white vote in primary after primary, even when black canddiates are running, but they are NEVER called "white leaders." White candidates regularly get overwhelming percentages of the black vote, even when black candidates are running, but that does not make THEM "black leaders."

The fact that Barack is black does not make him a "black leader" any more than the fact that a white candidate is white makes them a "white leader." The fact that Barack gets large percentages of the black vote does not make him a "black leader" any more than the fact that a white candidate gets large percentages of the black vote makes them a "black leader."

By calling Obama a "black leader" - whether you include the word "just" or not - you are differentiating him and marginalizing him in a way that white politicians never are. He is not a "black leader." He is a United States Senator who is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary race for President of the United States. He's more than earned the right not to be pigeon-holed.