Black conservatism

[Jim heartfield]

In message <s8a2c2a3.046 at mail.ci.detroit.mi.us>, Charles Brown
<CharlesB at CNCL.ci.detroit.mi.us> writes
>Anyway, in case you didn't notice, the Reaganite counter-reform has been 
>roaringly successful, and the U.S. has been in a free fall to reaction since 
>1980 or so. Black people seeing radical politics as an anachronism is an 
>accurate vision.  The idea that Black people in general , one of the most 
>reviled and despised groups in America, would move drastically away from the 
>general political direction of the White , dominant majority, in a 
>Cassandra/suicide move, misunderstands our profound survival tradition and 
>skills here in the belly of the beast. 

Black Americans' poll quite conservatively. In 1986, 83 per cent of
blacks favoured school prayers, 43 per cent favoured outlawing
abortions, 60 per cent 'oppose letting homosexuals teach in public
schools', and surprisingly 77 per cent oppose quotas  (quoted in Manning
Marable, 'The Contradictory Contours of Black Political Culture', The
Year Left 2: An America Socialist Yearbook (eds, Davis, et al), London:
Verso, 1987, p7. In 1996, 53 per cent of American blacks wanted to see
more affirmative action, according to Gallup). Commenting on these
findings,Manning Marable was blunt about 'the persistence of
conservative cultural values among most working class and low-income
blacks'. 'Profoundly religious in their outlook and civic socialization,
the majority of Afro-American working people have no difficulty
accepting legislation to permit prayer in public schools'. 'Undoubtedly,
most blacks outside of the middle class would probably oppose abortion
rights and legislation to protect the civil rights of homosexuals, and
would not support federally-mandated school desegregation'. 'A majority
of Afro-Americans support the death penalty, despite its systemic racist
application against Black prisoners'.  Interestingly, given the
counterposition of the black vanguard to white trade unionism, Marable
suggests 'Afro-Americans are more favourable towards trade unionism than
any other major group.'  Marable's view of the social conservatism of
black Americans is born out by a poll of black Christians. 'The views of
black Christians reflect the mixed liberal/conservative agenda of their
clergy. On the one hand, they express less support for the death penalty
and more support for helping the poor than do other Christians. On the
other hand, they oppose gay marriages and on balance take a pro-life
position.' (Pew Charitable Trust, 'The Diminishing Divide ... American
Churches, American Politics', June 25, 1996)

I'm intrigued by Charles' comment


> As soon as White people get it together 
>and get radical again, we will be way ahead of you.

In other words, blacks are waiting for whites to give them a lead,
before they give whites a lead...

Isn't the truth that revolutionary politics are never automatically
present, whatever race you are talking about, but have to be argued for.
-- 
Jim heartfield