Obama, Clinton, and the Spectre of the Culture Wars

In Iowa last Tuesday, a man--a good friend and a brilliant professor named Kembrew McLeod, actually--dressed up as a robot--yes, a robot--to heckle Bill Clinton on, of all things, the infamous 1992 Sister Souljah incident.

You may remember that one: at a crucial moment in his presidential campaign, Clinton seized on a decontextualized quote by the rapper about the Los Angeles riots to reassure white voters that he was solidly on their team. (Then he went on Arsenio Hall to play a disastrous sax solo.)

So against the round booing of 400 FOBs--none of whom, it may be safely presumed, had ever been forcibly detained like Wen Ho Lee--my-friend-the-robot dropped a club promoter's amount worth of flyers that detailed Clinton's disservices to racial justice while, at the top of his lungs, demanding on behalf of all robots that the Great Triangulator apologize to Souljah.

It's true that a lot has changed since then. A rap group even won an Academy Award. And I'm still not sure why my man needed to be in a robot suit. But he had a point.

The resentments that made it possible for Bill Clinton to summon race, class, and generational divides to scold youths of color into behaving properly towards nice middle-of-the-road voters haven't disappeared. Think of how the Don Imus firing turned into a referendum on rap earlier this year. (And think of how much money Imus received to return to the airwaves.) Think of the 50 noose incidents in the two months since the march on Jena in September.

The culture wars have never really ended.

Recently, two more robots--these of the neocon variety--raised the specter of the unfinished culture wars: Shelby Steele, the biracial Hoover Fellow who emerged during the late 80s to decry Black militancy and absolve white guilt, and Andrew Sullivan, the gay white libertarian whose support for Charles Murray's crackpot, eugenics-inspired The Bell Curve became one of biggest battles of the era. Steele's thin book, A Bound Man, and Sullivan's cover story in The Atlantic take as their subject the un-Clinton, Barack Obama.

At the peak of the culture wars, Obama was a pro-multiculti student-activist. His biography, Dreams From My Father, is an artifact of a time when publishers were going bonkers for memoirs of young people of color. Still, Steele--whose Black conservatism once made him a bonus-point star in the diversity quest--finds Obama attractive, potentially an "antidote to corrosive racial politics" and "a living rebuke to both racism and racialism, to both segregation and identity politics". But because Obama won't challenge Black victimhood or absolve white guilt, Steele argues, he is bound to lose.

Actually, Obama has his own version of real talk--defending the power of rap artists while lecturing them on their moral values, for instance. And he has made peace with aging civil rights leaders not just by necessity, but because he agrees with much of their agenda. Perhaps the prospect of Obama ending the culture war with a progressive racial justice platform supported by whites is what really concerns Steele. Obama might actually become a more effective Black president than Bill Clinton ever was.

In truth, Steele is fighting old battles. He uses his Obama book to restate his thesis about declining black responsibility and take swipes at Cornel West. For him, all Black interaction with whites is conditioned by a desire to "bargain" or "challenge", to be Oprah or Jesse, Martin Luther King, Jr. or Malcolm X. Whites, in turn, are primarily motivated by gratitude or guilt. These are tediously familiar arguments to anyone who suffered them through the mid-90s (when some conservatives declared themselves multiculturalists after all, and some white liberals starting cashing in on Steele's steez: yup, love and theft).

But if Kanye West can call Bush on his racism and still become one of the nation's best-loved musicians, haven't things changed? Here is a generational difference Steele--who has interesting things to say about Louis Armstrong and Sidney Poitier (while ignoring Paul Robeson)--cannot bring himself to consider, for it would admit not only that his old war is a losing cause, but that Obama and the hip-hop generation will be the ones to hammer that last nail in the coffin.

Oddly, the end of the culture war is a prospect that Sullivan--up until now no kumbaya guy on "identity politics"--is not only willing to consider, but ready to embrace. Obama is the real Third Way, the light out of the Baby Boomers' rancor and hypocrisy. He is even ready to forgive Obama's "urban liberalism". The symbol of one who stands between Christian and Muslim, black and white is too big to pass up. He is "the bridge to the 21st Century that Bill Clinton told us about."

But though the culture war has been fought around symbols, it has borne its own strange fruit: an unremittingly harsh view of the rapidly emerging, thoroughly browning post-Boomer generation. The culture wars, in fact, sacrificed a generation under the guise of legislative wars on drugs, gangs, and youth. Abandonment and containment have been the dominant themes of the post-Boomers.

So we now live in a country where racial and economic segregation of students and teachers approach pre-Brown vs. Board of Education levels. Campuses allegedly overrun by tenured radicals remain ivory towers where 80% of faculty are white. Young women and men of color are being disappeared into prisons at historically high rates. Black and Latino poverty rates remain twice that of whites.

Perhaps Sullivan's and other conservatives' battle fatigue may actually be the key to a progressive turn. He notes that, of all the Democratic candidates, Obama attracts the most support from Republicans. Could it be that they too are tired of the nonsense? And it has been a conservative Supreme Court that has undone the excesses of allegedly "centrist" lawmaking that
criminalized vast numbers of youths of color--striking down anti-loitering ordinances and the death penalty for those under 18, and rolling back the effects of mandatory minimums.

But although Obama has gestured toward a platform that takes up some of these problems, the larger discussion remains off the table for most candidates and reporters. Clearly, it takes a certain kind of robot to see that the end of the culture wars will have to come through addressing the schisms of race, class, and generation.

Jeff Chang is the author of the award-winning Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of The Hip-Hop Generation, and covered Barack Obama for Vibe Magazine. His next book is on the selling of American multiculturalism.
www.cantstopwontstop.com

Comments

[milo9]

Culture war is a diversion from the real conflict: class war.

[tom928]

It was as important then as it would be now for Clinton to show that being a Democrat does not mean sheepishly ignoring statements as stupid, caustic, unhelpful, etc as "If Black people kill Black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" just because the statement happens to come from a member of an important constituency.

[LeeFromVA]

For me, HRC has disqualified herself. No way I could ever get behind her now with all those cheap shots she's flooding the media with. I'm sick of her tactics. We can do so much better. Time for her to get off the stage and let's have a real primary race.

[Beaux510]

Great post.

[Beaux510]

Great post.

[Susanholmes]

obama, obama, obama...

...i'm So conflicted

this election is from the twilight zone, i swear. there's a serious female canidate that has a serious chance of winning on the democratic side and i can't bring myself to vote for her because i don't think she's a feminist. there's a black canidate that has a real shot of winning the primary And the general and i feel like he's not solid enough on racial issues, labor, and putting up blocks to corporate power.

then there's a white, male canidate that's a millionare lawyer that i really want to see in the white house because he's the most progressive of the front-runners.

i mean, Hello, mister serling?

[michaeljwsiegel]

Nice piece. Thanks for speaking the truth. I never really knew where Sullivan is coming from, only that he says some off-the-wall, neo-liberal sounding s***. I appreciate the context.

[DANIELLECLARKE]

Hillary Clinton Can't be Trusted on Iraq

Clinton's position on Iraq is almost indistinguishable from Bush's.

http://digg.com/politics/Hillary_Clinton_Can_t_be_Trusted_on_Iraq_2

"Clintons Recruit Bush 41"
And I saw it on CNN too, interestingly 41 says he knew nothing about it... The gall of this woman to call that change... we need to chart what she says because she's just all over the place.. why would anyone want to elect her when the best she can come up with is 41? I guess tomorrow she'll have a job for 43 too. I wouldn't be surprised if she selected a "rogue nation" leader on assignment next week. And Clinton say that Obama was a "roll of the dice"?? Even their loyal supporter talking heads on CNN were talking about all how desperate they are with Bill in the attack mode. It certainly looks like they are unraveling.... but given their level of desperation....they probably still come up with more attacks.

[Querent]

I think the real reason Obama is more popular with Repigs than other Democratic candidates is because he keeps talking about negotiating with them. Repigs' definition of negotiation: I get whatever I want. You get to give it to me.

This is also the reason why Obama now comes after Clinton on my list of preferred candidates.

[research]

Obama fans: is this true???? Is Obama's mentor Lieberman?!?!?!?

Google obama lieberman mentor

You have to be kidding!

[CitizenE]

The problem is that to be President one has to be more than a symbol. I'd be more up for Obama if I could actually see him leading in the Senate, rallying other Democratic Senators around his views and legistlation and bringing Republicans who might incline to do so into the field. But largely the best he seems to be able to do is not vote against progressive legislation.
I'll vote for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton against any Republican in the field, but before I believe that we're going to do more than get off the bullet train to Hades and back into the hand cart headed in a similar direction, I want some show me from the good Senator from Illinois. Saxo on Arsenio was never enough for me, nor, no matter how much it appeals to Andrew Sullivan, is dancing with Ellen.

[RaiderGreg]

Racism in America? Give me a break. And the Democrats are going to nominate A Black Male for president. It's probably the only way they can lose the election in November. Every neo-con in the country is gleefully cheering this on. David Brooks came out today for Obama. But in November he'll only vote once, and guess what? He'll vote for the Republican--while at least 5% of white voters--who would vote for any other democrat-- will silently refuse to vote for the black man and pull the lever for the Republican.

[DudeE]

sista souljah? she's the one who also wrote that "If there are any good white people, I haven't met them..."

why is it there an expectation that incendiary commentary will not be met with similar aggression? this idea that, white people just 'don't get it' or aren't allowed to comment only reinforces a segregated point of view and pushes and 'us' vs. 'them' paradigm.

[cylindar]

You are complicating things. Fact is: Hillary represents the plantation owner mentality and Obama is the freed slave. Obama will win this one. Pretty damn simple.

[dmc2]

Great piece!

I just heard Shelby Steele interviewed on KPCC this morning and you captured perfectly the fallacy of his argument. He's caught in another day and time, and you're citation of Kanye West is right on point. Shelby Steele thinks that they only way to appeal to whites is to completely disassociate yourself from any concern for those who might be a little less fortunate than yourself in escaping the legacy of slavery and discrimination.

Obama is charting a new course, where, as you so eloquently state, we can end the culture war with a progressive racial justice platform that everyone, including whites, can get behind.

[MyNameIsJames]

Interesting article. Shelby Steele represents no one with his theories about racism and African Americans in this nation. He is actually a constituency of 1 with a few white supporters who like to be fooled by Blacks who imitate them.

Shelby Steele has fooled a lot of people by claiming to be a "Black" intellectual. Actually his mother is white. I only mention this fact because Whites have used his viewpoints to justify their criticisms of Black people for at least 15 - 20 years. Steele seems to be a tragic mulatto - conflicted about his identity. Tragic mulattos usually hate their black side while wishing that their white side was more dominant. A classic case of self-hatred.

Shelby Steele viewpoints have NO impact on the African American community. He is a NEO- Conservative RACE hustler. One of those blacks who makes money by denigrating blacks on behalf of white people.

[nellie]

Interesting article.

What is also noteworthy about Shelby Steele is that his twin brother, Claude M. Steele, is also an intellectual and a researcher, one of the pioneers of the "class experience" theory of academic success and failure. The two are diametrically opposed in their conclusions about racism in America. Shelby blames the victim while Claude blames the social environment.

It is unfortunate that the problem of racism in this country cannot be cast in a blameless framework. There is always something to offend someone in any theory that tries to explain or solve the differences in our experiences. I think this is the basis for the culture wars. We all want to be the good guy.

And when it comes to politicians, the motives behind any public statement must always be suspect. Best to ignore what any politician has to say about race and instead look at the policies they propose and support—and vote for.

[outnow]

Give me a left wing Black person to be the first Black president. More Republicans support Obama because they are tired of the game? Not so, they are just getting started.

One of my sons sees Obama as being able to be a role model for Black youth. Especially, the West Coast Black rappers who are anti-intellectual.

These issues are important to me but I am concerned with the wars, continued efforts to eliminate constitutional rights, including the right to compensation for injuries, privacy, and dddue process and equal protection. Moreover, our foreign policy needs a tune up after the disasters we see.

If Mr. Obama believes that he can at once solve the race problems in this country, work out health care with greedy insurance companies, and solve all Middle East problems because of his own racial background, I view him as naive. Not because Hillary does, the reason is that negotiated settlements are not always possible. Sometimes you have to fight special interests and become confrontational, as John Edwards suggests.

But the future is in my son's hands, not mine. But only yesterday he believed in Rudy Giuliani. Sometimes it is experience not logic, other times logic; but mere "hope" isn't getting it for me. It sounds like a knock off from Keep Hope Alive by Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition. Multiculturalism and solidarity for workers internationally is what is needed. It's just how to get their. To quote another Clinton, no, I don't want to roll the dice with another triangulator. Capital is capital; labor is labor.

[SCharb]

I'd hardly call Sullivan a neocon or robot... well, anymore, at least.

[caved1ver]

"Post-modern Racism: pathological tendency to interject race into situations where it is not relevant, merely for personal gain." ---Dr. Mike Adams

With respect to the ongoing "Racial Dialogue", quite a few hyphenated-Americans seem to think that the "hue" of their skin grants them esoteric insight into the nature of reality in general, and the human condition in particular. Said esoteric insight apparently grants them automatic "gravitas", i.e., discussing the merits of middle/ upper-middle class black privilege in perpetuity: e.g., affirmative action, quotas, etc. If you don"t agree with a hyphenated-American you either stupid or a bigot because she is a member of a government-sanctioned "victim group" & therefore her viewpoints are beyond reproach. Additionally, quite a few hyphenated-Americans conveniently subscribe to the ubiquitous but unsubstantiated myth of "institutionalized racism" so popular in the hyphenated-American subculture, while giving little consideration to the fact that today"s Hyphenated-Americans are victims of their own stupid behavior (i.e., 70% illegitimacy, 50% school drop out, 25% prison incarceration, etc.) more often than they are victims of a theoretical white-conspiracy.

[caved1ver]

Spare me. Left-wing philosophy: members of "victim" groups are automatically granted gravitas that should shield them from the insensitive comments of big, bad evil white men (member of "oppressor" group) like Don Imus. In contrast, The Duke 3, being members of the "oppressor" group aren"t entitled to any semblance of dignity- never mind that the Duke 3 had racist/sexist things said about them via the MSM for a FULL YEAR. The very same people who called for Imus" head were making racially disparaging remarks about the Duke 3 for a FULL YEAR. In fact, Jesse Jackson had the temerity to offer their accuser, Crystal Gail Mangum, a college scholarship. Please note that the MSM is silent on this issue.

Contrast the Duke and Rutgers sports teams. A white man insulted the Rutgers team with a racially-insensitive remark. No arrests were made. No coach fired. No season cancelled. No parent had to mortgage their home IOT to spend thousands of dollars on defense attorney fees for their child. They were insulted. Wow. Boohoo. Spare me. Perhaps Imus was unconsciously commenting about the overt "Tattoo" display & the apparent LACK OF ETHNIC/RACIAL DIVERSITY in the Rutgers University women"s basketball program. This is ironic because Rutgers actively employs affirmative action/quotas IOT maintain the properly racial representation in its student body. Unfortunately, like most college sports favored by hyphenated-Americans, quotas IOT maintain proper racial representation doesn"t apply to basketball programs. Since Rutgers University and most other universities are federally subsidized (e.g., Pell Grants), perhaps the US Justice Department should investigate the overt lack of white representation on various college athletic teams. I see a ubiquitous but undefined "institutionalized racism" at work¦