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August 01, 2005
The (Slow) Death of a Liberal
As I read this longish entry over at Neo-Neocon, I saw a few glimmers of self-recognition. All of our stories are different, of course, but if there is a generic coming to the light story, this example is a good one.
The interesting thing is that I notice that political transformations of this sort are egged on in jumps and starts by harsh confrontation with new realities that don't fit. Those of us who like to consider ourselves up on issues find these jagged little reality pills hard to swallow. They hurt going down and it's always intensely personal. And since most of us don't have actually anything to do with the business of reportage and wonkery it tends to be more of an existential battle with ourselves and our friends than anything else.
Now that we can self-publish and link up beyond the small circles of our old lives' travels, not only new clarity about the world but of ourselves is possible.
Kali Tai told me in a very studied way that blackfolks have developed a knack of being something else than what we are doing. We have adapted to contingent existentials, we can move quickly in out of modes of communications. Cyberspace suits us well in this regard. The expression of code-switching. So as I consider the existentials of 'being' conservative and all that (in anticipation of questions I expect to field during my upcoming seminars), I wonder if there is something more to it for blackfolks than others.
I leave it to idle speculation, with one thing in mind which is that stinging argument hurled at African Americans: self-segregation.
Posted by mbowen at August 1, 2005 07:40 AM
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