Ishmael Reed joined us this week to discuss his latest book: Barack Obama and the Jim Crow Media or the Return of the “Nigger Breakers.” We discussed his criticism of Obama’s white “progressive” detractors and then Reed was kind enough to entertain a bit of disagreement from his host. We think in the end it made for good, informative and challenging radio but you feel free to be the judge!
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in answer to mr reed’s question as to why the black left has so little `apparent` traction in the streets one must account for the great successes that cointelpro, the [diss]education system –with its purpose of de-politicizing youth– and the fog producing entertainment/media complex have all had in keeping political thought limted and inside the box…..in the meantime your discussion made for compelling radio and mr. ball please continue to challenge all in the strike zone with all the pitches in your arsenal… i like your style
Ishmael Reed Sounds Like He has Been Broken By The Nigger Breakers.A Lot Of Negro Professors Have Been broken By Uncle Sam And Obama. Mental Illness Is Running Rampant in The Black Community Concerning Obama !!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree. Reed was rude and discourteous to the producers and audience of Voxunion. He would have never conducted a CNN interview in such a ham handed manner. He would not be invited back. Voxunion should not hawk Reed’s books. Jared was too kind.
Citing a poll, Reed accused Jared as being “out of touch” with 90% of Black people. What’s Reed’s point? The evidence is clear that, in the beginning of the 60’s civil rights movement, the majority of black people including the churches were not supportive—especially in the South. Today, Reed’s remarks and analysis are pure sophistry.
Brilliant counterpoints levied by Jared at the now huge dissapointment for me Mr. Ishmael Reed. Brotha Jared you are seriously the truth!
And a quick note to Mr. Reed concerning his erroneous assertion about the so called newly legislated parity between crack cocaine to powder cocaine sentencing ratio: It has gone from a 100-to-1 sentencing ratio to a 18-to-1 sentencing ratio (or something to that effect)in favor of those possesing powder cocaine (i.e. white folks) due to well established back door politico dealing between republican and democratic legislators who have no intention of equitably applying common sense justice let alone empathetic/compassionate justice. You can add the president and A.G. Holder accountable as well.
August 3, 2010 (Various)
Fair Sentencing Act Signed by President Obama
After 20 years of advocacy from families, individuals and organizations including The Sentencing Project and the Crack the Disparity Coalition, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 was signed by President Obama August 3, 2010. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 raises the minimum quantity of crack cocaine that triggers a 5-year mandatory minimum from 5 grams to 28 grams, and from 50 grams to 280 grams to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. The amount of powder cocaine required to trigger the 5 and 10-year mandatory minimums remains the same, at 500 grams and 5 kilograms, respectively. The legislation also eliminates the mandatory minimum for simple possession of crack cocaine. The quantity disparity between crack and powder cocaine has moved from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1.
http://www.sentencingproject.org/detail/news.cfm?news_id=984
I am a bit disappointed with this discussion. I too am disappointed with such a title of this book, the use of the “n” word; as intellectually gifted as Dr. Reed is, why was this necessary?
Dr. Reed seems to be defending Pres. Obama because he’s being attacked by the right wing. Granted, indeed he is, but to the extent Dr. Reed and the rest of us understand class, Pres. Obama and this right wing also have basically the same class interests, though they may disagree how to obtain those class priviledges.
Dr. Reed’s cheap shot about “racism” in Cuba; was that a Carlos Moore-like tactic to have so much attention on the “racism” in Cuba, as a means of hiding his comtempt of socialism?
Dr. Reed has much to say about the movie “Precious”, some of which I agreed with. But when is the approximate time for us African women to discuss the violence in our lives, both from the wider society and sometimes from other African men? Whose permission do we ask to have such a discussion? Rape, incest, sex trafficking, domestic abuse, etc., does indeed happen in the African community; must this be avoided at all costs? Even if such silence continues to kill us? To the extent that we understand the politics of the interconnectedness of race, class, gender, the politics of patriarchy, etc., then such violence displayed in the movie “Precious” should not come as a surprise, but such violence should be seen as inevitable. Does Dr. Reed know anything at all about the politics of patriarchy? Or is he holding out to defend “a brother”?
i heard that (which followed if i recall another interesting show with tom porter, gloria minot (i think), etc.)
even though i’ve only read 1 book by reed i consider myself a fan (or ‘devotee’)—he’s out there, along the lines of other wack dissident types (eg gravity’s rainbow by pynchon, mark twain, are all i can think of now—i basically don’t read fiction usually–i did buy ‘gods bits of wood’ for a benefit though havent opened it; i made it halfway through ‘black explorers’.).
one question i’d have about reed—when he said ‘blacks are conservative’ and he mentioned the gangs on his street, did that mean he supported them or was against them? i imagine against but sometimes ‘community policing’ (‘a homicide a day keeps the gentrifiers away’) makes for some weird alliances.
i actually think he made many excellent points. i think lots of people, for example do not listen to pfw, dont read black agenda report, or black commentator. also, his views about (white) radicals wanting to start the revolution, so then the working class / homies finish it off (do the work) i think is sortuh straight on point. (eg chomsky—’the people are actually way smart, just don’t you set foot on campus, because elite intellectuals are not in the politics game’).
i’d stick with reed, or say jyb/byb/re/neg/tcb/udb/xcb…
alphaville city.
leave the politics to the people with other interests.
i did google harold cruise. he certainly was down on paul robeson. (my mom interviewed him in a ‘cow college’ in the midwest (dakotaland); first balck person she’d ever seen or met. he was organizing. i wonder if maybe it was 50 cent things would have evolved differently. (i hear kanye has some issue. chain heavy).
i’m agnostic on the issue. i do think ‘intellectuals’ often are a) a bit out of touch and b) too often actually a professional class either of NGO types or vanguards/martyrs.
for example, pfw ran that RCP interview 2 times—i’m supposed to pay for that (payola)? i noticed that dude aint A.N.S.wer the question about how RCP differs from say, iso, PLP, or DRI. i guess since they finally decided that being ‘gay’ actually is a-ok in 2001 they are definately in the forefront of the MOVEement. rockin’ chair man bob.
rockin rob.
ps. just googled it. i retract the mention of kanye west. i just heard something on the radio which doesnt appear true. i like that new song.
There are some black folks whose job it is to drum up and keep support for Obama strong in the Black community. Ishmael Reed is one of them. Why else would he put “nigger” in the title of his book? It’s to appeal to Black sensitivity and to drive them to defend and support Obama, lest he be broken.
I’m not buying it!
And there is no ‘gay confederates/confederacy’. That’s BS – and another crock of ..ish that Reed think would appeal to black sensitivity. Yes, gay people are more organized and intolerant of the closet than at any time in the past, but its simply because they have decided that this is their time. In 40 years this country will transfer political power to the growing brown masses who are far more conservative than the white political power – the gays are making the most of this moment. Black people are wasting time defending Obama and being satisfied with trickle down economics 2.0 — what are our demands?
An interesting dialog. While my ideological sympathies are consistently with Jared Ball, I do appreciate the challenges that Ishmael Reed threw before the “progressive left.” I wish Jared had stuttered less and stood ground as I do think that there is a need for an ideological coup de etat within the larger community. Mr. Reed left himself open many times for strong counter punches yet Brother Ball took the courteous route; not at all inconsistent with social graces, yet maybe not the best medicine for a sick community.
I eagerly anticipate when we, the Black Left, finally put on our work boots and gloves and earn the undeniable respect from our wise and esteemed elders.
Lastly, now I realize why I have never been able to read any of Ishmael Reed’s books in entirety: too much of an air of compromise and accommodation.
Great piece of journalism.
Professor Reed is a great comic novelist, but when he comes on as a political thinker…he should stick to comedy. He threw around so many misstatements and outright lies (e.g., “55 million more people have health insurance now,” Obama saved us from a depression, Cuban society as racist) in this interview that it is foolish to take him seriously.
But most disturbingly, he said absolutely nothing about the wars of aggression (overt and covert) being led by the First Black President, including the horrors of Somalia and the Africom enterprise. It is beyond the pale for this pan-Africanist to ignore, and tacitly justify, the ongoing role of Obama and US imperialism in initiating the Ethiopian proxy invasion of Somalia and subsequent bloodshed there. Of course, these are minor war crimes compared to the holocaust of Iraq, the ongoing slaughter in Afghanistan, the drone war and covert operations in Pakistan, and the impending nuclear attack on Iran, all of which are led by Obama. Then there is the torture, the continuing renditions of terror “suspects,” the FBI terror sting operations, the policy of assassinating US citizens, etc., etc. But these apparently do not register with the Professor.
But particularly irksome is Reed’s posing as a man of the people because he lives in Oakland, where he is apparently involved with some sort of citizen-police brigade against a local drug-dealing gang. People who disagree with him — who are apparently all “white intellectuals” or (those non-entities) “black elitist intellectuals” — live on college campuses or in New York City. Has the man been to Detroit or Chicago or Washington, DC or anyplace else with thinking black and white people who don’t fall for the reactionary bullshit he is shelling out?
I’m disappointed in some of Mr. Reed’s comments. He seemed angry because there are people in the community who do not feel the same way he does about the President. Our people need to stop getting involved in popularity contests and start voting for people who have a platform and stick to it. If 90% of the black community support the President then they are as confused as as their commander and chief.