Bringing Down The Hope: Condoleezza Rice, Black Capitalism and War

[max sg]

Bringing Down the Hope: Condoleezza Rice, Black Capitalism and War
By Max Gordon
December 13, 2004

I
Having grown up in Birmingham, Alabama as the daughter of a Presbyterian pastor, it is not inconceivable that Condoleezza Rice kicked the underside of a church pew with patent-leather shoes, that she was shushed during a lengthy service with a peppermint from her mother’s purse; or worse, an arched eyebrow silenced her and a girlfriend’s giggles with the promise of a beating after church. Mrs. Rice may have stayed up late ironing Condoleezza’s Sunday dress or pressing her hair by the stove, finally styling it with red ribbons the next morning. Pastor Rice might have carefully mouthed the words from the front pew as Condi remembered all her lines in the Christmas pageant. As a young girl growing up in Birmingham, Condoleezza Rice, at least once in her life, must have hesitated before two drinking fountains; finally approaching the one with the sign marked "Colored Only".

read the rest of this article at http://bringingdownhope.blogspot.com

[Guarionex]

1. I disagree...

"She represents American progress, and specifically black American progress."

What progress? The type of progress that can't understand a memo threat and connect the dots because it was "too vague".

"I consider the human resources department of the United States of America: Gutierrez, Gonzales, Rice, Powell. "

Right...their job is to give political cover/shield for the Bush administration to claim racial progress...but that's easy...if I wanted to, I could find the most self-racist/right-wing people of color and put them in positions of power and say "see, there's racial progress for you).

Overall, the article is really good and a good dissection of the meaning of black conservatives...but I prefer to adopt underground rapper Immortal Techniques more specific and shorter narrative of Condoleeza Rice, "Condoleeza Rice is nothing more than a 20th Century Sally Hemmings".

[StClone]

2. Well said!

Your reply sums up my feelings as to what makes a Black Conservative. Rice's appeal to Bush is not that she is a paragon of wisdom, virtue or courage. It is about aiding and abetting airs of sex/racial progress.

[Skittles]

6. she is incompetent

she should have been fired after 9/11

[pinerow]

3. Unfortunately, skin color and last names (usually Latino\a)

gives the conservative and apathetic voter the cover needed to justify their positions. I have stated on more than one occasion that it is what is between the ears that determines my vote for or against someone.

Sadly too many people equate people of color as being automatically progressives in political thought.

Case in point: Clarence Thomas

[msgadget]

4. Read the entire blog entry

The blogger gets it. Please note:

>A black, a Jew, a Latino, an Asian, a woman, and a homosexual can be brought to the table of capitalist power; but if they are all right-wing and neo-conservative, if they are determined to maintain the status quo and erase their unsavory "differences" by outwhiting the white people, outmaling the men, etc., the richness that comes from true diversity, from the exchange of contrasting cultures, religions, genders and sexualities, is compromised. What remain are six variations of a patriarchal and white supremacist ideology—the same person six times. It’s this kind of "diversity" that is celebrated in the photographs of company annual reports and White House press conferences. A black woman at home watching television knows the people being sworn-in don’t represent her or her community, and may actually do her great harm. She certainly doesn’t trust them; they look too hollowed out, benumbed, Stepford niggered.<

Edited to add this additional clip:
>In the end, despite her many achievements, I can’t claim Dr. Rice. If she is the realization of Dr. King’s dream, he should have been more specific.<

[qanda]

5. Right!

It's a long read, but well worth it.