Starkey believes that young black people must choose between doing the right thing and their own identity and culture. That is wicked.
“Children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.” – Barack Obama, 2004 Democratic National Convention
“That a substantial section of the chavs…have become black, the whites have become black, a particular sort of violent destructive nihilistic gangster culture has become the fashion… this language which is wholly false which is a Jamacian patois which has been intruded in England… it’s not skin colour its cultural… listen to David Lammy, an achetypical successful black man, if you turned the screen off so you were listening to him on radio you’d think he was white.” – David Starkey, 12 August 2011 Newsnight
At the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama alluded to a destructive phenonemon among America’s black communities: A small minority among those communities excusing lack of educational dedication and aspiration by terming such behavior as ‘acting white’.
I am no expert on American black culture, and Obama may have been attacking a straw man. But a brief glimpse of black culture on both sides of the Atlantic shows how the idea that the then congressman from Illinios was tackling, is pure rubbish.
In every generation, the black community in this country have produced figures, from across the political and cultural spectrum, whose words and deeds declare a clear message of bettering yourself through education and living up to your responsibilities, from Learie Constantine and C.L.R. James, to David Lammy, Diane Abbott and Shaun Bailey today.
What Starkey and those that Obama looked to take on do have in common, is that, according to their worldview, young black people must choose between doing the right thing and their own identity and culture. That doing something they may have pride in is ‘acting white’.
Such an outlook is historically and cultural ignorant. It may be not too far to suggest that it is wicked and has the capacity to be incredibly destructive. And anyone who espouses it should be ashamed of themselves. Starkey would do well to listen to the petitioners and apologise.
22 Responses to “What Starkey and those he claims to despise have in common”
Anon E Mouse
Ed’s Talking Balls – Yes the bigger story is the Harriet Harman drivel about cuts which haven’t even started yet.
I’d have thought that after Ken Livingston effectively ruled himself out of being taken seriously as a mayoral candidate with his rubbish earlier in the week that the Labour Party would have got a grip of these imbeciles and considered how it would look to normal people.
I suppose with Harman’s past regarding denigrating the role of fathers in the family we shouldn’t be surprised and I have to say that Lammy has performed admirably.
I think that Harman’s main problem with her toff background is she just doesn’t get it…
Anon E Mouse
For anyone interested in how seriously Harriet Harman’s “theory” on the cuts and riots is taken, just listen to Peter Hitchen’s demolition of her position on R4’s Any Questions most recent episode at 31.56:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qgvj/episodes/player
Where he comprehensively rubbishes her stupid opinion
Knut Cayce
RT @leftfootfwd: What Starkey and those he claims to despise have in common http://t.co/rgNy1JW
BurntAsh
RT @leftfootfwd: What #Starkey and those he claims to despise have in common http://t.co/D8Ds3t0
BurntAsh
David Starkey is just voicing the secret views of a lot of people in the UK. As an educated black woman of Kenyan descent, living in, working in and positively contributing to the UK and my local community in Manchester, I’m just bemused by the past week’s events and all the ‘social analysts’ that keep coming out of the woodwork with their preconceived notions.
As far as I’m concerned, and speaking from my own and the experience of my friends and family, I can plainly say that the Critical Race Theory, holds as much truth in the UK as it does in the US, where it originated: racism IS engrained in the fabric and system of our society, so the individual racist (e.g. Starkey) need not exist for us to note that institutional racism is pervasive in the dominant culture.
And just in case you wondered how much truth there is to this claim, this morning, during a phone conversation, one of my contacts based in Chelsea asked me if I came over from Kenya as a refugee. Hmm… at £10,000 a year for international fees (excluding living costs might I add!), all I can say is hardly!
http://thescorchedashphilosopher.blogspot.com/
@BurntAshTweets