Africana.com explores the politics and passions of University of California professor John McWhorter. Known for his belief in assimilation, McWhorter has proven himself a controversial black conservative. McWhorter contends that sociopolitical misconceptions pervasive among black Americans are much greater hindrances to black advancement and interracial dialogue than white racism. Is he right?
The line between “conservative” and “sellout” is as thin as the line between love and hate. A conservative is someone who believes in low taxes, individual and states rights, ‘life,’ the centrality of the family, a strong military, and American sovereignty over international concern. A sellout is an individual who denies his own culture, and takes action to injure members of his culture in exchange for personal gain.
In my mind, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice are “conservatives;” even Louis Farrakhan is a conservative if you think about it. But people like Clarence Thomas and Ward Connerly are “sellouts” because they actively pursue the disenfranchisement of black people in exchange for personal gain.
McWhorter seems to be dancing on the line between conservative and sellout, but hasn’t fallen one way yet.
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