The Virginian: Cornel West accuses the Obama administration of being "racist in effect!"

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Cornel West accuses the Obama administration of being "racist in effect!"

What is “racist in effect?” The way West uses it, it means that if a policy leaves black people no better off – or even worse off - than they were before, it’s “racist in effect.” The Obama administration has seen black unemployment rise to 16.3% and black teen unemployment go over 45%.

By West’s definition, you don’t have to hate, dislike or even care about black people to be a racist. All that’s required is for blacks to be … what? I really don’t know what it would take to get off the West racist list, but I suspect that it involves lots of money and lots of racial bean-counting.

Cornel West is Professor of Religion and African American studies at Princeton University. Why does this not surprise me?

Labels: Liberalism, Race