The headline is the wrong way around. White saviours need black radicals. Where would they be without a group to patronise and pour their pity on? How else would they feel smugly superior?
Indeed. I am living in the heart of that in Boston. From our lying politicians to the Ivy League students. It’s nauseating. Ironically, very few of them actually live amongst or are friends with anyone who is not a white, upper middle class, pedigreed SJW.
Fraser Bailey
3 years ago
Yes, I read Naipaul’s brilliant essay about all this at least 20 years ago. For anyone who is interested, It forms part of a collection of his essays called ‘The Writer and the World: Volume 1’.
It opened my eyes a little wider (although they were already very open) and is one of the reasons I simply roll those same eyes when I see all the middle-class white progressives pathetically jumping on the BLM racket.
Good tip thanks, time to rummage the 2nd hand online bookshops
Alex Lekas
3 years ago
Leftist white people, especially wealthy leftist white people, have this ongoing need to adopt black people as pets and mascots. The condescension is breath taking – they regard blacks as having no agency, yet freely lecture everyone else on how the white condition is solely responsible for any bad thing that happens to anyone. To anyone non-white, of course; whites who struggle are victims of their own circumstance. It’s pathetic yet treated with a merit that is undeserved.
Your description also encompasses a certain distorted Western perception of the Israeli-Arab conflict where, contrary to the facts but aligning with the politics, the Jews are today assigned the malign role of “white” and the Arabs generally and the Palestinians in particular are assigned the agency-less patronized “Black” pure victim role. And thus are Jews made the scapegoat for what the West hates in itself.
The common element of Western self-loathing among that section of the left-leaning population manifests itself in their violent fantasies – safely projected onto others far away and in such a manner that you can still imagine yourself occupying the moral high ground when, in fact, you are calling from the abyss.
Majalli Fatah
3 years ago
This is beautifully written, especially this part: “This tension ” between servility on one side and hatred on the other ” is destructive for any type of politics concerned with social justice. Malik was a performance artist who gratified the appetite of white progressives, and whose desires were in turn encouraged. He was led to believe he was God; but he still needed the approval of white people for this.” This encapsulates the psychological underpinnings of so much of the posturing and righteousness that now passes for “anti-racism” and reminds us of how people’s best intentions can be abused.
Su Mac
3 years ago
Part of this very interesting article reminds me of one of the themes of Dominion by Tom Holland, namely the sanctification of “victimhood” by early Christianity, an unheard of phenomenon in Roman society. This elevated moral power which Jesus teachings attached to the status of the poor, the enslaved, society’s down trodden was radical to the Romans. Christianity elevated and made global the Old Testament “mercy to widows and orphans” approach with the idea that the Son of God could die the humiliating death of a criminal slave. Intersectionality is probably it’s peak manifestation!
Drahcir Nevarc
3 years ago
Mr Owolade really is an excellent historian. I learnt a lot reading this article.
Andrew Baldwin
3 years ago
A fine piece by Tomiwa! Just one caveat: I read “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”. The incident shown in Spike Lee’s film is described in the book. Malcolm X said it was his gut reaction to the girl’s question. However, he was haunted by the hurt expression on the girl’s face and regretted being so abrupt with her. If he had to do it all over again, he would have told her that he thought black movements of the past had been emasculated by too much white involvement, and didn’t want her to participate in such a white takeover. She seemed like a good person, and just by living her life day to day, without prejudice, she would set a good example for the people around her. That was enough. She really didn’t have to do anything more. Of course, this regret was nowhere to be found in Spike Lee’s film. It was a wonderful performance by Denzell Washington in the title role, but the film itself was very disappointing, perverting Malcolm X’s book to stoke up resentment against white Americans.
Spike Lee has given up even pretending that he is anything but a partisan and racist.
Andrew Best
3 years ago
Sounds like plain old racism towards white People. How progressive, no hang on that’s the opposite
peter lucey
3 years ago
Fine article; thank you. I’m reminded of Shiva (brother of VS pf course) Naipaul’s excellent “Black and White” – about Jonestpwn and its links to radicalism, liberalism and race. Also “Speaking directly about his wealthy white neighbours, he writes: “But damn, man, the minute you sound off, you realized they’ve tricked you into scat singing and buck dancing for them;” Rap, perhaps, as Mark Steyn’s piece on Tupak Shakur’s death (“Bozo in the Hood” suggests.
Funnily enough I recently picked up a signed copy of Shiva Naipaul’s ‘Black & White’. I started to read it but couldn’t really get into it. I found the structure to be rather disjointed. Also, I wasn’t particularly interested in Jones and his merry bunch of loonies. Perhaps I’ll give it another go.
The second half of B&W explores how the radical-chic left allowed Jim Jones to exploithis followers. (He was a political Force in 1970s SanFran. (What do you pay for the signed copy – if that’s not an intrusion?
Jurek Molnar
3 years ago
I like the comparison with Malcolm X a lot. Malcolm indeed had beside all his failures actually a strong moral code. Michael X was just an imposter, who tried to exploit others. And the poor woman who fell in love with a psycho paid the ultimate price.
“But it is also a critique of white progressives who, instead of treating black people with dignity, mistake condescension for solidarity…”
That’s a very harsh and unfair characterisation of that poor murdered woman.
Because their argument often paints whiteness itself as an offense against humanity. Anything negative that occurs to a black person is never the result of that person’s choices; it is always the result of some “white” construct or institution. In recent years, things like math, science, correct grammar, and punctuality have been characterized as evidence of whiteness.
Very interesting to read thankyou – it also reinforces some of the thoughts I have had on this and the whole BLM movement.
Tom Adams
3 years ago
The Race Relations Industry has taken a bit of a battering in recent times – glad to see it back in excellent hands and once again a lucrative (financially and psychologically) career choice!
Derek M
3 years ago
I’ve not seen this Curtis film but if it’s like the rest of his output I can’t see it being anything other than an incomprehensible mess which tells us nothing about its supposed subject but a lot about the profligacy and self absorption of those who commissioned and produced it. Or to put it more simply, his films are cobblers
Warren T
2 years ago
This is a brilliant piece that points a harsh spotlight on the affluent, suburban, white female socialites in America, otherwise known as “Soccer Moms”. The ones that still have BLM signs on their immaculately kept lawns in front of their multi-million, very stylish abodes, replete with turrets and hanging flower baskets. Their beautiful blond children go to the local school with all the other blond children and will some day rely on those relationships to “find” a suitable job that will continue the cycle. They post pictures of their daughters’ lacrosse teams, whereby every last team member has a blond ponytail and looks like they all came from the same set of parents. They drive home from the match in their $120,000, 8-cylinder SUV, while admonishing others to “save the planet”.
Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with this, but please spare me the virtue signaling. Like Malcom said, “The white liberal is the worst enemy to America.”
The headline is the wrong way around.
White saviours need black radicals. Where would they be without a group to patronise and pour their pity on? How else would they feel smugly superior?
Spot on.
Great observation.
Indeed. I am living in the heart of that in Boston. From our lying politicians to the Ivy League students.
It’s nauseating. Ironically, very few of them actually live amongst or are friends with anyone who is not a white, upper middle class, pedigreed SJW.
Yes, I read Naipaul’s brilliant essay about all this at least 20 years ago. For anyone who is interested, It forms part of a collection of his essays called ‘The Writer and the World: Volume 1’.
It opened my eyes a little wider (although they were already very open) and is one of the reasons I simply roll those same eyes when I see all the middle-class white progressives pathetically jumping on the BLM racket.
Good tip thanks, time to rummage the 2nd hand online bookshops
Leftist white people, especially wealthy leftist white people, have this ongoing need to adopt black people as pets and mascots. The condescension is breath taking – they regard blacks as having no agency, yet freely lecture everyone else on how the white condition is solely responsible for any bad thing that happens to anyone. To anyone non-white, of course; whites who struggle are victims of their own circumstance. It’s pathetic yet treated with a merit that is undeserved.
Your description also encompasses a certain distorted Western perception of the Israeli-Arab conflict where, contrary to the facts but aligning with the politics, the Jews are today assigned the malign role of “white” and the Arabs generally and the Palestinians in particular are assigned the agency-less patronized “Black” pure victim role. And thus are Jews made the scapegoat for what the West hates in itself.
The common element of Western self-loathing among that section of the left-leaning population manifests itself in their violent fantasies – safely projected onto others far away and in such a manner that you can still imagine yourself occupying the moral high ground when, in fact, you are calling from the abyss.
This is beautifully written, especially this part: “This tension ” between servility on one side and hatred on the other ” is destructive for any type of politics concerned with social justice. Malik was a performance artist who gratified the appetite of white progressives, and whose desires were in turn encouraged. He was led to believe he was God; but he still needed the approval of white people for this.” This encapsulates the psychological underpinnings of so much of the posturing and righteousness that now passes for “anti-racism” and reminds us of how people’s best intentions can be abused.
Part of this very interesting article reminds me of one of the themes of Dominion by Tom Holland, namely the sanctification of “victimhood” by early Christianity, an unheard of phenomenon in Roman society. This elevated moral power which Jesus teachings attached to the status of the poor, the enslaved, society’s down trodden was radical to the Romans. Christianity elevated and made global the Old Testament “mercy to widows and orphans” approach with the idea that the Son of God could die the humiliating death of a criminal slave. Intersectionality is probably it’s peak manifestation!
Mr Owolade really is an excellent historian. I learnt a lot reading this article.
A fine piece by Tomiwa! Just one caveat: I read “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”. The incident shown in Spike Lee’s film is described in the book. Malcolm X said it was his gut reaction to the girl’s question. However, he was haunted by the hurt expression on the girl’s face and regretted being so abrupt with her. If he had to do it all over again, he would have told her that he thought black movements of the past had been emasculated by too much white involvement, and didn’t want her to participate in such a white takeover. She seemed like a good person, and just by living her life day to day, without prejudice, she would set a good example for the people around her. That was enough. She really didn’t have to do anything more. Of course, this regret was nowhere to be found in Spike Lee’s film. It was a wonderful performance by Denzell Washington in the title role, but the film itself was very disappointing, perverting Malcolm X’s book to stoke up resentment against white Americans.
Spike Lee has given up even pretending that he is anything but a partisan and racist.
Sounds like plain old racism towards white People.
How progressive, no hang on that’s the opposite
Fine article; thank you. I’m reminded of Shiva (brother of VS pf course) Naipaul’s excellent “Black and White” – about Jonestpwn and its links to radicalism, liberalism and race. Also “Speaking directly about his wealthy white neighbours, he writes: “But damn, man, the minute you sound off, you realized they’ve tricked you into scat singing and buck dancing for them;”
Rap, perhaps, as Mark Steyn’s piece on Tupak Shakur’s death (“Bozo in the Hood” suggests.
Funnily enough I recently picked up a signed copy of Shiva Naipaul’s ‘Black & White’.
I started to read it but couldn’t really get into it. I found the structure to be rather disjointed. Also, I wasn’t particularly interested in Jones and his merry bunch of loonies. Perhaps I’ll give it another go.
The second half of B&W explores how the radical-chic left allowed Jim Jones to exploithis followers. (He was a political Force in 1970s SanFran. (What do you pay for the signed copy – if that’s not an intrusion?
I like the comparison with Malcolm X a lot. Malcolm indeed had beside all his failures actually a strong moral code. Michael X was just an imposter, who tried to exploit others. And the poor woman who fell in love with a psycho paid the ultimate price.
“But it is also a critique of white progressives who, instead of treating black people with dignity, mistake condescension for solidarity…”
That’s a very harsh and unfair characterisation of that poor murdered woman.
It’s a fair characterisation of the generality of self-hating white progressives though.
Why “self-hating”?
Because their argument often paints whiteness itself as an offense against humanity. Anything negative that occurs to a black person is never the result of that person’s choices; it is always the result of some “white” construct or institution. In recent years, things like math, science, correct grammar, and punctuality have been characterized as evidence of whiteness.
It’s ‘maths’, not math. It’s short for mathematics.
If you disagree, it’s because you don’t understand the prevailing linguistic orthodoxies of your superiors.
Coming from someone who thinks “labor” is spelled with a “u”.
In the UK. Not in the US.
Very interesting to read thankyou – it also reinforces some of the thoughts I have had on this and the whole BLM movement.
The Race Relations Industry has taken a bit of a battering in recent times – glad to see it back in excellent hands and once again a lucrative (financially and psychologically) career choice!
I’ve not seen this Curtis film but if it’s like the rest of his output I can’t see it being anything other than an incomprehensible mess which tells us nothing about its supposed subject but a lot about the profligacy and self absorption of those who commissioned and produced it. Or to put it more simply, his films are cobblers
This is a brilliant piece that points a harsh spotlight on the affluent, suburban, white female socialites in America, otherwise known as “Soccer Moms”. The ones that still have BLM signs on their immaculately kept lawns in front of their multi-million, very stylish abodes, replete with turrets and hanging flower baskets. Their beautiful blond children go to the local school with all the other blond children and will some day rely on those relationships to “find” a suitable job that will continue the cycle. They post pictures of their daughters’ lacrosse teams, whereby every last team member has a blond ponytail and looks like they all came from the same set of parents. They drive home from the match in their $120,000, 8-cylinder SUV, while admonishing others to “save the planet”.
Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with this, but please spare me the virtue signaling. Like Malcom said, “The white liberal is the worst enemy to America.”