LOB Book Club - David Sirota - Final Comments
The discussion on Sirota seems to have ground to a halt, so let me just post one more quick thread to round off the book. In the last section, Sirota deals with race - what he considers the prickliest issue in American society today. I do feel fortunate to have gone to reasonably diverse DoDDs schools. It wasn't always comfortable but I felt that we were confronted with issues that the students I'm teaching today - who tend to go to de facto segregated schools - aren't. As a result, they consider themselves "colorblind" but often fall into the traps that Sirota describes of thinking that race is over as an issue and that any non-white family not thriving is responsible for its own failures. Your thoughts on these or any other lasting issues from Sirota's presentation?
posted by The Blue Devil @ 9:19 PM
5 Comments:
I found that Sirota's discussion of "transendence" - that blackness was something to be overcome - initially distasteful. The unending Cosby references were annoying, frankly, but did make the point. I agree that our current Commander in Chief could not have been elected without his taking the Jordan/Crosby tack of "transendence" and without white America's need to believe in it.
Growing up in a 99% white town, I had very little exposure to black America (or to Republicans, for that matter). My time in Lakenheath was an eye-opener, to say the least. I'm grateful for that time in a more diverse environment.
But the whole premise for this book was that 80s culture has lasting impacts on our times now. Does it? Or was 80s pop culture just a reflection of our nostalgia for a fictional better time (i.e. the 50s) and simply the cycle of fashion? We're looking at the 80s with nostalgia now. What's really different?
Can this all really be laid at the feet of Reagan?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Sirota certainly does paint with a broad brush at times - social critics almost have to do so - but I think he's convincing on his main point that the 80s were a turning point in politics and culture where the social activism of the 1960s around social welfare, peace and civil rights came grinding to a halt. Much of that did have to do with "Happy Days" style nostalgia for a "Golden Age" of American society.
I thought the most interesting point that he made in relation to race and Obama was that the President - like many black public figures - is in a no-win situation in terms of his identity. Because race isn't something fixed but rather is a social construct, we make of it what we will and thus he's "too black" for some (e.g., the Tea Party crowd) and "not black enough" for others (e.g., elements of the Netroots).
As I was thinking of a response to your comment, I turned this morning to the New York Times magazine and immediately noticed an interview with Hermain Cain, the Godfathers' pizza mogul turned GOP candidate, who has commented that "the liberal establishment is scared that a real black man might run against Barack Obama." Pressed on this, Cain says, "I'm not getting into this whole thing about President Obama. It is documented that his mother was white and his father was from Africa. If he wants to call himself black, fine. If he wants to call himself African-American, fine. I'm not going down this color road."
The problem is - like many of the Cosby generation before and many "Truthers" today - he just did!
Sorry to have misplaced the thread. Last week was the family vacation and my time on the computer was limited. Part II of BtoF was the most enlightening to me. Again and again, Sirota was able to cite examples of popular media (e.g., Hollywood and network TV) embracing militarism and denigrating government service. The myth of the spat upon veteran was especially interesting to me -- I'd heard that and I knew that if my father had ever been spat upon his return from Vietnam he would've tore the spitter's head off. True story -- the first week my dad got back from Vietnam my brother and I were running and down the street in my father's Queens, NY neighborhood. Some teenager was chasing us with a whip. Go figure. Anyway, my brother ran between two cars into the street and a VW bug came screeching to a stop -- my brother being kissed by the front bumper, but otherwise unharmed. My Dad charged out of the apartment, and clocked the hippie behind the wheel (who was NOT at fault). Then the police showed up. My Grandad intervened and said his son just got back from Vietnam and this Hippie almost ran over his son. Then the NYPD started roughing up the Hippie.
So spat upon Veteran -- I don't think so either. (Sirota points out veterans were spat upon -- those that protested the war upon their return by other veterans).
Great book choice, Bob!! What's next?
Glad you enjoyed it, mate. I think we're just about ready for Tina Fey's "Bossypants." I've got my copy handy and Bivalve has volunteered to lead us off. Looking forward to it - she's one of my favorites.
Ok . .. I have a copy in hand as well . . .
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