Last week Glen Ford explained that Barack Obama put out statements "that no white Democrat would ever say--for example, the ridiculous statement that blacks had already come 90% of the way on the road to equality, with the implicit idea that a vote for him would take black people the other 10% of the way. Now, it's a ridiculous statement. It's based on no substance whatsoever. No indexes show blacks 90% of the way towards equality in any area of life. We’ve never made 65% more in income than white people. Black median household wealth is one-tenth white median household wealth. And on and on and on and on. In fact, we can't find 90% figures relevant, outside of NBA teams and prison. But no white man, no white Democrat who said that would avoid being excoriated by the entire spectrum of black political opinion." If you're familiar with Ford or Bruce Dixon or Margaret Kimberley's work at Black Agenda Report, you probably nodded in agreement. But the amazing thing with regards to that statement that it appeared outside Black Agenda Report.
Glen Ford took part in a debate with Michael Eric Dyson on Democracy Now! last week that was broadcast over radio stations, over TV stations and streamed (and read) online. It was revolutionary. And Dyson's remarks did more to reveal the vapidity of his 'scholarship' than any critiques from outside -- including when he declared, " I think there's an illusory notion that perhaps Mr. Ford might want to at least pay more strict attention to, and that is the fact that there's a bifocal vision going on here. Barack Obama's ascent to the presidency doesn't destroy black poverty, radical inequality, social injustice, the need to pay attention to all of those issues that he should be held accountable for once he ascends to the presidency."
For those not in the know, Democracy Now! online is a watch, listen or read option. Dyson should hope and pray that those who missed the broadcast are unaware of that. "He should be held accountable for once he ascends to the presidency." Buy now, pay later? What is that? And exactly how does prolonging accountability benefit anyone?
Those against the illegal war should certainly be aware that not holding John Kerry's feet to the fire, that living under the belief that he'd do something if he became president, didn't help anyone except possibly John Kerry. It certainly scattered -- if not destroyed -- the movement to end the illegal war. Dyson's proposing that those concerned about very real issues of discrimination hold their comments until after the election. If Obama were to win the primary (in Dyson's view, that's apparently a given), there's no reason to expect him, or any politician, to be suddenly responsive to issues ignored throughout the campaign. But what if Obama loses?
Maybe he loses the primary election. Maybe, like Kerry, he loses the general election. In which case, advancing racial equality is placed on hold for a full year in the hopes that it will allow one person, ONE PERSON, to personally advance and after the loss, the movement has to regroup the way the peace movement had to spend the bulk of 2005 regrouping.
That's not a victory for the people and it should never be passed off as such.
No doubt Dyson would beg to differ with that reading of his remarks but he made that point repeatedly including at the end of the segment when he was visibly upset and declared, "Well, listen here. I think that that is a legitimate comment to be made in terms of the critique of a potential Barack Obama presidency. Let's see it get here first."
That was in reply to Ford's comments on the fact that 'anti-war' Obama was calling for 100,000 more troops. According to Dyson, we shouldn't comment on that unless Obama becomes presidents: "Let's see it get here first."
"Listen here," Dyson, primaries are when candidates are vetted. It's when the pressure is applied. Again, that wasn't utilized on the Kerry campaign in 2004 and that was a big mistake. To tell people that we can all wait until Obama takes the White House for his campaign to address these issues is foolish (he may not win the primary, if he does, he may not win the general election) and detrimental to democracy. Democracy does not wait for dialogue, democracy requires ongoing, continued dialogue.
We realize that for a 'scholar' like Dyson's that's difficult to grasp. He's convinced himself that there is a "Hip-Hop Generation" and we wonder if he takes time to mourn the death of the earlier "Bobby-Sox Generation." There is no "Hip-Hop Generation." Dyson defines it as people "born after 1965." At the very least, as Betty points out, that would mean she herself was born of "The Quiet Storm Generation." But when your 'scholarship' rests on popular music, maybe you're really not up to speaking on political trends?
That would explain Dyson's embarrassing June 2004 PBS moment when he explained that the Bully Boy had a shot at African-American votes and offered that "Mr. Bush or the Republican Party, more broadly, has Don King to help with the black vote now." WTF?
How shallow is the pool of thought Dyson wades through? He's a boxing promoter and one who's been sued by every professional boxer from Muhammed Ali to Chris Byrd. More importantly, for some who sees a "Hip-Hop Generation" beginning in 1965, is King's 'musical' history. He's seen not only as the greed factor behind the ticket prices for The Jacksons' Victory Tour (complaints from fans that the complicated, pyramid scheme didn't allow for purchases by any but the well-off and wealthy led to Michael Jackson halting the plan after the tour started) but this is the man who destroyed a rare public chance to hear Michael Jackson speak at a time when Jackson didn't give interviews. Forced to speak at the press conference announcing the Victory Tour, Michael attempted to beg off but agreed to introduce his family beginning, "First, my mother Katherine" only to be cut off by King, "Yes, that's the mother Katherine. The backbone, the strength, the heart and soul --" Ignoring him and obviously irritated by his actions, Jackson attempted to continue, "And this is my father, Joseph --" only to have King again try to steal the limelight by declaring, "Hm-hm. That's him. Joseph Jackson. I love that man. That man has truly mesmerized me." Only when Michael Jackson introduced sisters Janet and LaToya and King cut him off again did King begin to grasp what every reported already knew: Michael Jackson wanted him to shut the hell up. (Which is why King stopped himself mid-sentence, "Yes, aren't they truly lovely? The sisters, LaToya and . . .") King didn't even know -- AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING THE TOUR -- that the tour had a name. Marlon Jackson would have to correct him.
The stunts Don King pulled in the lead up to and during the Jacksons' Victory Tour are both music and Black history. It takes a special kind of stupid to insist in 2004 that Don King was going to sway African-American voters with that history or his record of law suits from boxers he had represented (including Mike Tyson).
It's the sort of moment that probably breezes by many, but King's already tarnished name got a lot worse due to the Victory Tour. Maybe had it been the Born in the U.S.A. tour, White media would be aware of that? Maybe even Dyson would be aware of it?
We're dwelling on it because Betty, C.I., Cedric and Ty insists it needs to be dwelled on further. For those who don't grasp it, the Victory Tour was the first chance to see Michael Jackson in concert since the blockbuster Thriller had been released. It was already one of the best selling records of its day and on its way to becoming the best selling record of all time. In addition to that factor and the Michael mania, older fans from days gone by were about to be treated to something they hadn't seen in some time: The Jackson Five. They couldn't bill themselves as such, Motown had registered the name the group had come up (come up with before signing with the label). But in 1975, the Jackson Four left Motown. Jermaine Jackson stayed behind. There had been no concert tours with Jermaine since that time. This was a reunion and very significant. That Dyson seems unaware of that or of the perception that Don King ruined the experience for fans is rather amazing considering his 'scholarship' is on music.
In his final statements, Glen Ford noted:
Well, Dr. Dyson doesn't seem to know what a rightwing interest is. An expanded US military, 100,000 new troops, isn't a rightwing interest? An expanded military budget that sucks up all of the money for healthcare, for revitalization of the cities, for a rebuilding of America's infrastructure, for all the projects that black folks hold dear, all of which would go down the tubes, will be postponed indefinitely with the kind of expanded military budget that clearly follows from Barack Obama’s proposal for 100,000 new troops. And so, it is not in black folks' interest. It’s really not in anyone’s interest, of course. But it is diametrically opposed to the historic black political consensus on domestic development to be proposing expanded military activities and budgets for the United States.
But we'll give the final word of the broadcast to Amy Goodman who stated, "We're going to have to leave it there, but this is part one of this debate." We're going to expect Democracy Now! to follow up on that. It was a revolutionary broadcast and you only got it via Democracy Now! Yes, Ford and Dixon do a Black Agenda Report radio spot that many radio stations carry. We're not devaluing the importance of that. But this was the first time that the serious issues Ford, Dixon and Kimberley have been raising were taken out out of spot and treated seriously -- and it was done by the independent media program with the largest audience, a world wide audience. If you missed it, you can click here for the audio option, the video streaming option or the transcript.
We think it was a very huge moment (as huge as a moment as the cultural moment of the Victory Tour Betty, C.I., Ty and Cedric were saying had to be noted at length). We didn't want to bury it in another entry. We considered a "Truest statement of the week" honor. In the end we thought revolutionary broadcasts deserve their own write-up and we hope to be able to do that again if there is a part two.