१६ जानेवारी, २०२४

"I can attest that to speak as a black man often at odds with the stated consensus of his fellow blacks can be liberating."

"Just as often, however, race becomes a burdensome constraint on how one’s statements are received. For some, I will always be speaking, thinking, and acting 'as a black man.' The specter of race always threatens to impart an undue exemplarity to whatever I—or whatever any black people—say or do, as though the firing of every synapse in our brains could be traced back to a racial origin. In that sense, race is both qualifying and disqualifying—a reason to believe a speaker’s account of himself (for, of course, blacks are always 'authentic') and, at the same time, a reason to disbelieve it (for, of course, a black person would say that)...."

The loyalty trap does not spring unexpectedly and maim you; it welcomes you in and fills you with the warmth of comradeship. That is what makes it so deadly: it feels good to be trapped....
Thomas is often accused of bitterness.... I, too, have felt that bitterness. To some extent, I even gave in to it when I became something of a liberal in the 1990s and 2000s. At the time, when I “left” conservatism, I did so because I could no longer endorse its attitude toward race problems in America. But some part of me also wanted to be free of the burden of dishonor that my thought and beliefs had accorded me in the eyes of black peers....

For his part, Thomas seems never to have wavered....

१५ टिप्पण्या:

Oso Negro म्हणाले...

A black man could really feel free in sub-Saharan Africa.

Scott Patton म्हणाले...

exemplarity

rhhardin म्हणाले...

One link isn't obvious to Loury or McWhorter - they're both two-sigma-up intelligent people who've noticed that they're smarter than most whites, so what's the problem with merit; and because they think of themselves as smart blacks, are sure that a lower one-sigma-down ability should not be ascribed to the black average.

But they're seeing the white reaction to their smartness, which is as usual patronizing pretese that they're genius level. They're not outstandingly smart by white standards, and they'd both be nowhere as whites. Don't believe your press if you're any sort of protected group. Smart for a woman etc.

So now there's another book about blackity black.

Milton Friedman didn't write about being white. He had actual insights.

Loury is in a position to help blacks if he can rid them of chip-on-the-shoulder resentment, which is what prevents an IQ 86 black from doing as well as an IQ 86 white. The secret is to act like that white.

Good character.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

"That reticence, [Lloyd] Austin’s backers say, reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man"

n.n म्हणाले...

Diversity of individuals, minority of one. In good... God We Trust.

n.n म्हणाले...

A Zulu in contention with Mandela's Xhosa, perchance allied with native off white (albino, too?) who are later genocided in an imperial divestment (and redistributive change scheme), recalls the myth of black... color bloc (DEI) ideology.

Birches म्हणाले...

I read that article yesterday since it was front paged at Real Clear Politics. Outstanding. Clarence Thomas is an American hero.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"it feels good to be trapped"

But not great, once you recognize the trap. As Loury demonstrates.

For many blacks, the trap feels good not just because the tribe offers a warm embrace but also because it has lots of practical benefits. Example: McWhorter getting his first job (as he explained).

The real American systemic racism is the kind that keeps blacks "trapped" in the way Loury describes.

LordSomber म्हणाले...

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Narr म्हणाले...

A black academic is such a prize at most universities that they make more money than their white peers even if their work is no better than theirs--and often it's worse.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

Loury is great.

Very smart and able to lay things out in a simple way.

I always listen to what he has to say, whether I agree with him or not...

Saint Croix म्हणाले...

Thomas' autobiography is the most interesting one I've ever read. Highly recommended.

RigelDog म्हणाले...

If a very-bright-but-not-genius level of intellect is more than sufficient to capably handle a given job, then I have no problem with that person being hired for that job because they also fit a certain profile. Perhaps it's their race, or their sex, or their height, or their personality, or their contacts, or their attractiveness.

I am pretty sure that I was hired out of law school at a time when the legal market was way down because I was a woman. When I was subsequently hired over others in a highly-competitive situation, I think the fact that I was attractive was a big plus factor. The bottom line is that I had the necessary education (even if it was a state school) and the necessary brain-power and personal attributes to be able to handle the job.

Jamie म्हणाले...

They're not outstandingly smart by white standards, and they'd both be nowhere as whites.

Oh, for gosh sakes. Have you actually listened to Loury? How does he compare to, say, any white economist and cultural commentator of similar education, publication history, and employment? Can you even think of a white economist who is as verbally adept and can connect with an audience as well as Loury? We'll set aside his notoriety since you believe he's a dancing bear.

I do think McWhorter is smart but not as smart nor as subtle as Loury. But McWhorter is funny at times, and I generally don't find Loury funny.

Damn, I hate it when people nominally in my camp engage in grotesque group-identity sh*t like the "no noted black person could possibly be as smart as any noted white person because of a 'racial' IQ differential that reveals nothing about any individual."

Estoy_Listo म्हणाले...

"For some, I will always be speaking, thinking, and acting 'as a black man.'"

I know the feeling