Vision Circle

Darn good question Temp.

I am black, and I am a conservative. It seems that the areas I diverge from normal conservative positions are on issues of race. For example, average conservatives reject reparations, I argue that from a conservative position the most logical form of wealth redistribution to fix the black and white disparity is reparations.

The average conservative overemphasizes personal responsibility and assigns the majority of blame for the inequities between blacks and whites to blacks and there lack of corporate personal responsibility.

I on the other hand recognize historic racism and the disparities it produces and assign responsibility both to the individual and the system that guides individual behavior.

There are more, but that is the basis.

The problem with most 'black' conservatives is they are just that, black conservatives. They parrot the cliches of the white conservatives and don't provide any real solutions to the black white divide.

Dell, I'd happily co-sign my name to your entire comment (it IS a great question, T3), except for the last paragraph. Cobb-types excepted, I think their best idea of a "real solution" is, "mayne, go get a job." Hm. Well, mebbe that is just a colorful echo afterall ;-)

I think some black conservatives are doing anything they can to get away from the same old stuff. You take the label off of them and these are the same people who jump up on black people's cases anyway. There is, whether or not it solves anything for anyone, a component of pure *differentiation* in some 'black conservatism'.

In otherwords I don't think it gets a chance to be ideologically pure or directed at whitefolks, because in a certain way, it's new. The very idea that blackfolks criticism of blackfolks is wrong, is wrong. And a good number of black conservatives are right there, still directing their criticism at blackfolks.

It's self-criticis. so what?

That's not where I'm going. With this. Go back to the first post...There isn't a black conservative alive or dead who is more critical of black people than was Malcolm X. Listen to the Ballot or the Bullet speech again. All the stuff you would assert is new was laid out more than FORTY years ago - and a year before the Watts riot. The question is not the criticism, but the proposed solutions. It's fine to tell black folks they're wrong about A, B and C, but when you're solutions don't serve their best interests, are not derived from their experience or values, and are clearly most beneficial to an oppositional group who did not follow a similar path to wealth and power, then, there ain't much to say...

and that's where black conservatives are...they're not NEW...they're 40 years late and coming without the love, but swinging a big Gucci bag of contempt ...further exporting loot out of the fam. Keep it clear, bruh...the criticism is not the central point.

The very idea that blackfolks criticism of blackfolks is wrong, is wrong.

The very idea that people on "the left" think this way, is what is wrong.

No one from "the left" has ever said that Blacks are above criticism. In fact, my contention, with support, is that Blacks of "both stripes" actually take part in HYPER-criticism.

To go further, I contend that conservatives are equally patronizing of Black conservatives as white liberals are patronizing of Blacks in general.

Exibit A is Jesse Lee Peterson.

i think you misunderstood the post from memer.

and the reason why i made this post is to address the question raised in your latest post...what is it that conservatives are advocating for black folk that they have not, cannot, will not advocate for other groups of people? and, of those practices, beliefs, policies, etc. that are advocated, what has actually been done to good effect by the white sponsors of black conservatives? or is what's good for the goose good for the gander?