Posted by Dan Ewert : 10/18/2002 02:24:00 AM (Archive Link)
Just recently, the singer, Harry “Banana Song” Belafonte, said some rather unpleasant things about Secretary of State Colin Powell. Specifically, he said, “There’s an old saying. In the days of slavery, there were those slaves who lived on the plantation and there were those salves that lived in the house. You got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master… exactly the way the master intended to have you serve him.” Several days later, to “clarify” himself, he said, “The idea that you work in the house of the master is almost in itself its own opportunity to do some mischief and made a difference, but when you are in that place and you help perpetuate the master’s policy that perpetuates oppression and pain for many others, then something has to be said about it. And the master in this instance, of course, was the president of the United States.” He was claiming that Powell’s current position in Iraq is nothing but foot-shuffling obedience to the mass’r, George Bush. He also referred to Powell as a sell-out and he lumped Condoleezza Rice into the same category. This absolutely disgusts me on several levels. Let me count the ways…

First, and I’ve stated this before, I think it’s outright shameful how many in minority groups tie racial identity to political positions. For example, you’re not truly black unless you support affirmative action and slavery reparations, vote Democratic, and think Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are swell guys. If you don’t agree to the above qualifications, then you’re a self-loathing, race-hating, sell-out Uncle Tom. It’s as if you’ve been excommunicated from your race because of what you think. It’s horrible that one’s sense of self must be tied to what others have decreed it must be. To make it worse, when they disagree with the person, they merely slap on the Uncle Tom label and leave it at that. No effort is made to debate the merits of the argument… they merely label them as an “other,” a non-black… and worse, an anti-black. This is precisely what Belafonte is doing to Powell. He refers to him as nothing but a mere house slave who won’t speak his mind. He even makes the connection that if Powell were truly black, he’d actually “do some mischief” from a political standpoint. The assertion is that Powell’s race dictates that he must do these things. The race is the political. Horrible.

Second, I think the manner in which these minority leaders cut down those of their own race is utterly self-defeating. Here you have Colin Powell, a man who rose through the ranks of the army, became the most powerful military man in the world, currently holds the highest position in Bush’s cabinet, and, if he had chosen to pursue it, would have been a serious presidential candidate. You also have Condi Rice who holds some serious educational and policy credentials and is one of the President’s closest advisors. Forget Jesse Jackson, forget Al Sharpton, forget Michael Jordan and Harry “Shake Senora” Belafonte… these are the two foremost African-Americans out there. These are two folks who beat the odds, beat the system, and have reached the paramount of prestige and power. These are the true role models for young black kids out there. And yet here’s Harry “Day-oh” Belafonte trying to rip them down, trying to put them in their place, and trying to destroy their accomplishments and racial identity. “You don’t want to be like them, kids… they’re not really black… they’re not really like one of us.” Agony!! It’s as if the African-American “leaders” ran civil-rights as if it were a totalitarian, Communist entity (redundant, I know). You must stride lock-step according to their rules. If, in this field of wheat, a plant or two seems a little different or if a plant rises taller and stronger than the others, then it must be cut down and made to be like all the rest. I’ll call it Racial Totalitarianism. This is why the civil rights groups frustrate me so. They demand diversity in everything except their own group’s thinking.

Third, let’s say that Powell privately doesn’t like Bush’s policies. Let’s say he is toeing the Bush line. So? That’s politics. Race has nothing to do with it. Bush is the President and Powell is Bush’s representative to the world. That means that Powell needs to be representative of Bush’s policies as well. To do otherwise means he is a rogue element and doing a horrible disservice to the President and his country. If he has a strong enough conflict with Bush, then he’s free to resign at any time. This is politics, this is a job… and like any job, you sometimes have to do things you don’t necessarily agree with because your employer says so.

So yes, it infuriates me when people like Harry “8-Foot Bunch” Belafonte come out and make accusations against true role-models like Powell and Rice. It’s unfair, unwarranted, and counter-productive.