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Feb. 23, 2005 Just because I haven’t been posting at my usual break neck pace doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention to what’s happening at UK. Recently Brooks Mick posted a piece that caught my attention. “Blacks Should Join The Mainstream.” Hmmm, that’s pretty much what the black movement has been about. In Mick’s article he uses an example of how 75 blacks in business have been honored by Fortune Magazine for their acumen in the predominantly white business world. 18 corporations—out of what I would guess are the Fortune 500 companies (a scant 3.6%)—are now run by black CEOs. Mick writes, “If you think it is impossible for a black to get ahead in America, read those sentences over a few times.” In short, it sounds like he’s saying black folks, for the most part are already part of the mainstream. The real problem is that, like Ken Hughes, Mick has this “father knows best” mentality and thinks he knows what blacks need to do to change their “deranged political thinking.” He fails to realize that such a determination is best left in the hands of black people. Mick believes that blacks are pretty much incapable of doing the job themselves. Charles Manson had a similar philosophy. Mick issued the following challenge: “Name a country run by blacks which is successful, peaceful, and prosperous. Heck, name a CITY run successfully by blacks. Certainly not Washington, DC, under Marion Barry, or New Orleans under Ray Nagin, or Detroit, or...Gee, I can't think of one.” I forgot that Mick believes he has a monopoly on the truth, hence, because he doesn’t know of any black political success stories that means there must not be any. Hey Mick, ever heard of Zaire? Tanzania? Okay, how about Seattle, Washington? Atlanta, Georgia? Ever heard of Douglas Wilder? He was Governor of an entire state. Furthermore, black political success is found in legislative statehouses across the country.You say that the success of blacks in the business world and in the political world are different. I say you haven’t looked close enough. Another Mickism I take umbrage with: “Blacks may be politically delusional and irrational. They vote en bloc for Democrats. Democrats can thus take them for granted and do absolutely nothing other than make empty promises. And by ignoring Republicans, blacks guarantee that Republicans will generally ignore them.” First, more blacks are registering as Republicans and as Independents. Second, MOST voters regardless of race are irrational. They continue to vote for celebrities and people beholden to big business. Why? Because clever sound bites and “traditions” keep most voters in the dark. Republicans vote for the GOP even if they know the Democratic candidate is better qualified, and vice versa. This is not solely a black phenomenon. The fortunes of black political success does not depend so much on what party they give their allegiance to, but the quality of the candidates and their commitment to addressing issues of concern. Blacks voted for Kerry last time out because they believed—and in my view, rightfully so—that anyone else was better than George Bush. They did not vote for Kerry because they were beholden to Democratic ideals. I believe that in 2008 you will see a major shift in the voting patterns of blacks. More will vote Republican (nationally and statewide) because the conservative agenda is more appealing to blacks en toto—not just the so-called “black elite.” In the future the number of black Republicans will grow and Republican candidates will make an effort to address the concerns of this voting bloc, which are a lot more conservative than one might think. Ask J.C. Watts. You said it yourself, Mickster: “Yes indeed, I do think every once in a while.” Obviously, this wasn’t one of those times. ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is a 46-year old California native with a wide variety of interests-from fishing to politics, which have a lot in common: Both require you to deal with worms and most of your time is spent idling. He is a former Democrat, believing that Party represents outdated ideas. He is officially registered as an Independent, choosing to keep his options open. Timothy is also the author of more than 80 screenplays and novels, two of which have been "published": "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice Of Cain", both available through PublishAmerica. He defines his writing style as "Hip-hop fiction; a cross between Richard Pryor and Richard Wright." His UK columns is written in a hard-edged style, but he is not yet a curmudgeon or a conservative. (Is that redundant?) After all, one of his favorite movies is "The Adventures of Milo and Otis." stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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