Last week Tavis Smiley held a summit/ round table called ‘We Count’.. He had anumber of people speaking including Minister Farrakhan. I think this is a series of videos well worth watching.. Minister Farrakhan lays down alot of things for us to keep in mind as we engage President Obama. He speaks to the issue of weather or not we as Black people should be criticizing him in public..and if so how..This is in 3 parts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L91pAl3XYC8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUuY4VtBDaA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdx76kiU2wg
Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner
My immediate response to this question is, ‘why would you privately criticize someone who publicly represents your best interest?’ I mean, if I’m going to praise you publicly, then I should be able to criticize you publicly, right?
Of course we should publicly criticize the president as well as any other political representative. Otherwise, it creates a perception of biasness.
Why is this even a question? Does the president’s race have anything to do with this? I’m jus’ sayin’…..
Tungz
Minister laid out the concerns and issues surrounding that question.. and obviously race has everything to do with this.. If race was not an issue this would not be question.. also listen to what was said and dont reduce the question to something so simple.. Its a rhtorical question.. not literal
Lastly I will say this Ronald Reagan once said..No republican should publicly critize.. He laid out a set of guidelines rooted in strategy.. Similar thing applies to Obama and Black leaders.. who may find themselves having their interests blocked by those who see race first and not character
I don’t believe that the threats against OBAMA’s life are reason for black people to keep quiet about their feelings towards his ability to lead this Country.
I ask that you watch & listen to “A dialogue between Carl Dix + Cornel West — The Ascendency of Obama & the continued need for resistance & liberation” which took place on Tuesday, JULY 14th 2009.
It was broadcast live on WBAI 99.5 FM in NYC (that’s how I 1st heard it) but you can click here to view a video of the event:
http://vodpod.com/watch/1932265-carl-dix-cornel-west-the-ascendency-of-barack-obama-and-the-continued-need-for-resistance-liberation
You just might “change” your outlook on OBAMA.
Storm thats not what the Minister said..did you listen to his remarks? He gave a rich context and very pointed remarks.. In fact he pointed out how Obama was selected before elected..
One of the reasons the right wing hates Obama so much is because they think he’s trying to do what many of accuse Obama as not doing enough of. Frank lutz has a book called words that work that explains how words are used to effect peoples responses. The republicans have been using these tactics and now the Dems openly use them too. So just as Nascar dads is the code name for white conservative males the GOP sees words like health care reform as the code for more free shi* for blacks and Latinos that their constituents have to pay for.
People have to look into the code words used because Obama isn’t not going to go on record to say he’s doing anything specifically for the Black agenda. I know Obama wishes he could smack a few people upside the head and be explicit about his intentions but he can’t. He’s the closest thing to the “spook who sat in the white house” as we’re going to get as of now. You think he didn’t know the Background of Van Jones?
The 2 party system is wack but it’s never been the cards that are dealt it’s how they’re played. People need to focus less on what’s out of their control and more on what they can control and eventually the momentum will allow them to have greater influence over things they were unable to influence before. The game has never changed and nor will it ever; only the players. You either play, watch, or don’t know the game is going on.
People have to use this time to focus on establishing momentum because it is safe to say after Obama’s administration is over there will be less policies favoring progressives. If not it’s going to be hard getting your words out while getting Tea bagged.
Peace,
Allah
Blind loyalty and not questioning power is exactly how the US is in this situation we are in now.
Its obvious if a black person questions the obamessiah, he is called a house nigga. or a sell out.
The way i see it, politics, like religion, is used to divide and control people. The Powers that be all have a diabolical plot that is staged daily.
People need to research theosophy to understand all this. Guys like farakhan, jesse jackson, al sharpton, the messiah obama, they are all 33rd degree free masons. They are all a part of this plot to enslave humanity and tax them to hell. It looks to me as if the plan is goin well.
The people are divided along ethnic and constituent lines, black people for sure are not unified. Black people have never seen a real leader with integrity. That is why black people, just go right along with the plan, and they now cant question the black president.
Dont worry, in a year or 2, obama if he is smart, will regulate the net, and end free speech. That is his only hope for success i think. His plan is designed to fail.
Obviously Maranatha you didn’t hear what Farrakhan said.. he didn’t call for any sort of blind loyalty-not in the least.. In fact he was quite pointed in his remarks and talked at lenght and very specifically about Obama being a slected president and how leaders should deal with him.. What part of his talk did he say was designed to enslave us.. The part where he said we should work together to do our own businesses? Get our own land? Oh yeah the part where he said everyone should pay Taxes?? Not.. You never watched the video, yet your commenting.. either that or your deliberately distorting words..
“Knock knock” Davey… Whoooo’s theeeere?….
Maranatha, you reckon the Hon. Minister is a Free Mason? My advise to you: 1. Stop reading too much David Icke, you `ll end up in a mental institution and 2. crack cocaine is bad for your health, get off it. I may not agree with everything that the Hon. Ministyer says, but he is a true, sincere and wise Black visionary, I thank Allah and the Ancenstors that we still have him amongst us. May he live for a very long time and may we be able to absorb the wisdom that comes out of this humble man.
of course we should be able to publicly criticize Barack Obama. Are you going to be critical of him just for the hell it? that’s not constructive, can you be constructively critical of him In public? Yes.
Obama wasn’t selected beyond his own will to become president. The neo cons who historically run the industrial-military complex wanted McCain. But we live in a democracy where people died for the right to vote and the black vote along with liberal whites got Obama over. There was no behind the strings kingmaker. The Jews being smart and very aware sized up the possibility before most blacks, I think. Right after he was given his big chance at the 04 convention. Find out who pushed for Obama to speak that night and you’ll get as close as you can to a “kingmaker” over this man’s career.
Farrakhan wanted to call Obama a straight up puppet, but his organization would not be able to stand the fallout. The nationalist movement slid down the poll when Obama slid up. I agree with one thing Farrahkan said, the brother is not out of danger. However improbable the source.
Again let me reiterate the importance of finding the cracks that present themselves and applying pressure to leverage them. I’m not mad at people being critical of Obama or anyone else because we need to see the contrasting views of the whole to be most effective in finding where the power resides in our ability to make things happen. Subsequently we can only be truly effective in acting on what we know and our aptitude for knowing where our strengths are.
People getting caught up in who’s playing puppet or puppet master embracing every conspiracy theory just because they want to be anti everything will eventually destroy themselves. It’s futile to speak about things without empirical knowledge and relying on second hand information.
Powerful people are only as powerful as their ability to find leverage in particular situations. That’s why it really doesn’t matter who’s in power because the powerful bank on seeing vulnerabilities in their opposition and they know how to use their energy and resources to to subdue their antagonists. Consequently they are able to add momentum to their undertaking.
Everyone has that power not just the wealthy elite it’s just that people allow the “powerful” to keep them blind to themselves because they’re so caught up in elite’s “perceived” power while ignoring their own.
Where are the chinks in the Armor? What policies are in play that are useful in furthering ones cause? How can one apply themselves to produce momentum in those areas? If people keep doing what they been doing they’re going to keep getting what they have been getting. So if people are always complaining they will only encounter more things to complain about. If they seek the vulnerabilities in the opposition they will be keen on more of them as they present themselves.
Peace,
Allah
It does matter who is in power. They get to steer the direction. Opposition gets to counter punch. Leverage can work in cases where a range of cooperation is needed. However the President has built in authority. In America the most powerful institutions in my opinion are.
1. Executive branch of government
2. Financial houses, including corporations
3. Judiciary branch of government
4. military-industrial complex-including state department bureaucrats and spy agencies
5. Legislative branch of government
6. Think tanks and fellowships
7. Religious coalitions
8. Universities
9. organized crime and gangs
10. European Union
flavorblade, u should put number #2 in place of ur number 1 #.
Perhaps so. Made it a little hasty. Need to divide the financial apparatus, from other non-financial sector fortune five hundred corporations. Need to divide organized crime from gangs. Organized crime should be higher. You got a list Dexter. Does NATO make it. Or the Israeli lobby.
Who run it. America’s power twelve.
1. Financial apparatus. Includes worldwide institutions.
2. Executive branch of government
3. Military industrial complex, including state bureaucrats and spy agencies
4. Legislative branch of government.
5. Judiciary branch of government
6. Organized crime
7. Think tanks and fellowships, includes university inner circles.
8. Religious coalitions.
9. Israeli/Jewish lobby
10. Asia
11. European Union.
12. Street Gangs
13. Rama Networks
Thank you very very much for posting this. I didn’t know that this event even occurred. My feeling is that it is fine to criticize the Obama, or any political leader for that matter. The question is *how* it is done. The fact that Obama is black should enter the minds of all who are on the side reason. We should pose our questions on his leadership with dignity and composure and not out passion and anger. Angry criticism that is unfocused and broad, as Minister Farrakhan suggests here, can be used by others with duplicitous agendas to set a stage for things that we will not agree with.
Also, I’ve seen a lot of criticism from the Left that Obama needs to yell more–scream from the “bully pulpit.” Give that some thought for a minute: a black man on national tv yelling and screaming. That would fit perfectly into the stereotype The Tea Party and FOX news network have been trying to build. It’s a picture of Obama that is nasty, dirty, and devilish. We really don’t want to be party to helping them do that.
So criticize, fine. But do it with a sense of history. Remember the past and consider the future.