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February 23, 2005
Everything Worth Having
'Everything worth having' is a snappy answer to the stupid question 'What do black people want?'.
In thinking about the role of black public intellectuals and female public intellectuals, I have to ask how much time they spend lambasting 'the opposition'. Call me sheltered but I am convinced of the essential beauty of creation, and I mean man's creation. To paraphrase Devo, it's a beautiful world we live in. And I know the kick line to that is 'for you, but not for me'. The question is whether we use our skills to move in or burn down the house.
But sometimes the question is not so stupid. And as I look towards discussion and debate over Estrich v Kinsey and the black left vs the black right, I want to keep that in mind. I admire people who challenge for the crown, but not those who say the castle is irredeemable, especially those who cannot build their own when there are still plenty rocks around.
Posted by mbowen at February 23, 2005 03:47 PM
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Comments
I remember reading something ... was it The Invisible Man? ... where the author kept mentioning "the Negro question". After a while I kept wanting to holler, "Well, what is it?" I still don't know.
Posted by: Laura at February 23, 2005 04:43 PM