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Man Of Steele

Judged by the power of his analysis in several books that are almost breathtaking in their perception, Shelby Steele really is an intellectual Superman.

I have mentioned his most recent, and most timely, book, Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can?t Win, several times (here, here, here). He was interviewed by ABC News yesterday (or at least the published report appeared yesterday). You should definitely read the whole thing, but I was particularly struck by two things in it.

First, he discussed an Obama statement from a post-Speech interview that may go a long way towards explaining why Obama appears incapable of separating himself from Rev. Wright, no matter what the reverend said or says in the future.

After the March 18 speech in which he addressed incendiary remarks by Wright, Obama told ABC News? Terry Moran that blacks do not have ?the luxury? of ?being selective.?

?During the course of this campaign,? said Obama, ?there have been moments where people say, ?Well, I like Barack Obama, but not Al Sharpton. I like Colin Powell, but not Jesse. I like Oprah, but.? You know, those of us who are African-American don?t have the luxury.?

Asked by Moran what he meant by saying blacks ?don?t have the luxury,? Obama said, ?I don?t have the luxury of separating myself out and being selective, in terms of what it means to be an African-American in this society. It?s a big complex thing. It?s not monolithic.?

Steele told ABCNEWS.com that he considered Obama?s comments to be revealing.

?It?s a very interesting statement. It?s profound,? said Steele. ?What would be keeping him from having the right to be selective about all of those people? Of course he has the right to be selective.?

?What he is really saying is that he?s afraid,? Steele continued. ?What Obama is saying is, ?I?m afraid if I am less than receptive to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, they?re going to call me an Uncle Tom, they?re going to call me a sellout.? The terror of Barack Obama?s life has been that blacks would reject him. That?s why I call him a bound man.?

If Steele is reading Obama correctly here, Obama is saying that there are many ways to be black in America, and he?s not willing ?to be selective? or ?separate himself? from any of them. Wright?s way is to be filled with anti-American, anti-white paranoid rage. Being a society-blaming victim who refuses to take responsibility for one?s own life is another. If Obama wants to do something to address these dysfunctional ways of being black in America, he will have to do considerably more than ?contextualize? them.

That point was made eloquently in an open letter to Obama from Lionel Chetwynd, who was disappointed Obama missed ?the teaching opportunity I hoped you would evoke: not explaining Wright?s outrage to me, but explaining his outrageousness to him.? Be sure to read this whole letter, and then save it to re-read later. It?s that good.

Finally, the most dramatic observation in this interview, or in any interview I?ve read, is Steele?s dramatic assertion that ?[Affirmative action] did more damage to black America than segregation did.?

I hope, and bet, we?ll be hearing more about that.

Full post as published by Discriminations on March 27, 2008 (boomark / email).