I used to subscribe to this line of argument, but now I think it is willfull and a bit perverse (in the nonmoral sense of the term, of course).
The existence of a (relatively) large black middle class has changed nothing -- __except for the fact of the (relatively) large black middle class itself__. Which is rather a big change. Now if you are a certain type of person you may guide everything according to the lodestone of Destroying the Capitalist Enemy this may be a mere sideshow, but the overwhelming majority of people in the universe do not think this way, being sane.
BTW I'm about 99% sure that King would have voted for Obama. ;)
--- On Wed, 4/1/09, Philip Pilkington <pilkingtonphil at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I'd say that there are many criticisms that could be made
> of getting a
> hard-on because a presidents skin has changed. And I'll
> give a political
> theory which could ground this criticism.
>
> I've always imagined affirmative action a double-edged
> blade - I mean its
> likely to simply reinforce opinions on either side; those
> who aren't racist
> will get all teary eyed when someone from a racial minority
> is given a
> position of power while those who are racist will use this
> promotion as an
> instance of affirmative action and thus as proof of the
> racial minority's
> need promote themselves into a position of power through
> legal force.
>
> My point is that nothing actually changes. People's
> opinions are simply
> reinforced. Progressives hail political
> correctness/affirmative action while
> remaining progressives, while racists deride political
> correctness/affirmative action while remaining racists. The
> only possible
> progressivity at all is maybe the pride which the
> affirmative action may
> actually give to the minority group. But again we have a
> double-edged blade
> as this can easily function as a mask. Many with
> superficial knowledge of
> politics will believe it a sign that things may be getting
> better for their
> minority group while things get materially worse. Thus it
> may function as
> much as ideology and integration as it does as an "emotive
> boost". This
> isn't the pride imbued by an antagonistic figure like
> Martin Luther King
> which allows people to stand up for themselves; this is a
> pride by a highly
> conformist figure whose essential ideological message is:
> "stand down,
> integrate, accept your circumstances etc.".
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