For those following the faux-controversy surrounding Barack Obama’s relationship with Derrick Bell, here’s a copy of Bell’s infamous short story, “The Space Traders.” As far as science fiction goes, it’s a pretty crummy read, but it does reveal the depths of Bell’s pessimism (perhaps understandable given his biography) about everything from race relations to economic growth to the environment.
Will
Will writes from Washington, D.C. (well, Arlington, Virginia). You can reach him at willblogcorrespondence at gmail dot com.
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I’m going to score this story as somewhere in the range of “not really good enough to to earn a Nubula, but not really bad enough to assassinate Andrew Breitbart.”Report
Also – it’s pretty awesome to see you back, Will.Report
Thanks, Tod. I don’t think I have the energy to start posting on a regular basis again, but I like hanging around in the comments section.
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I don’t think I have the energy to start posting on a regular basis
That’s a pity. I recently stumbled across an old post of yours where you anointed me poet laureate for something I’d written on Positive Liberty. But since PL is dead the link didn’t work right, and I have no idea what you were complementing me for! But my own mysterious glories aside, it is good to see you back.Report
I’m not sure faux controversy quite describes this. Rose Bowl Parade of Fail is a bit more descriptive.
Nothing justifies the nasty things said about Breitbarts death. But the mockery, disrepute and questions about his intelligence and honesty, while he was alive, were right on target.
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Of course, Breitbart always doled this stuff out. The first day is just a taste, so his leftover opponents could spend a day screaming and giving him free publicity. Then he releases more and more each day. Day 1 they say it is a lie. Day 2 more comes out and they say it was an exception. Day 3 more comes out and they say that it’s unjustifiable but Republicans do it too. Day 4 more comes out and they say we shouldn’t discuss the personal life or the pre-political resume of a politician. Day 5 more comes out and they say the tapes are edited.
I think Joan Walsh is still on Salon insisting that Anthony Weiner’s twitter was hacked by Breitbart and she knows his junk really doesn’t look like what was pictured.Report
You’re right, in the next video from Breitbart’s associates, Obama will be high fiving Huey P. Newton and chest bumping John Brown.Report
But GW Bush’s cocaine use and being AWOL is always off-limits.
IOKIYAR!Report
Exit question: If the current electorate was actually presented with Bell’s bargain, what would the results look like? Would the Wilder Effect be enhanced or diminished? And would we survive the aftermath of the election, even if a majority voted against the bargain?Report
We’d tell ’em they’d arrived in the wrong country and give them directions to Nigeria. Our blacks, you see, aren’t black enough.Report
Don’t you think the answer might be different pre and post Obama?Report
No, I do not. An election changes little. the people who called Obama the n-word, are still gonna call him the n-word. Even if they voted for him.Report
If the aliens arrived right now we’d tell em to go stuff it (politely). Things aren’t bad enough for one and for another Bell’s predictions about the trajectory of African American advancement haven’t proven accurate enough.Report
A more interesting question in today’s America would be if you substituted Muslims for Blacks.
Even so, we don’t even come close to doing it.Report
Agreed.Report
you believe more in us that I do. I find Bell surprisingly optimistic.
Then again, his family’s from where I’m from. Where I bus through every day.Report
That seems harsh Kimmi, there’s a long way to go but I don’t think our current point nor our trajectory is in keeping with Bell’s pessimistic prediction. Blacks are moving into the suburbs in considerable numbers; whites are moving back into the urban settings similarily. If we could eliminate the utter scab that is the War on Drugs I suspect we’d find the fundamentals beyond that abominable distortion of a policy have become considerably improved.Report
You mean like Santorum’s hometown? Just another ghetto, dude.
A kid from there pulled a knife on a friend of mine. Who was running a ride in an amusement park at the time. Seems the kid wanted to get his sister to the front of the line.
I have little confidence that anyone would stand up for the blacks at all — Bell makes a good point about the jews… but I remember that there were multiple reasons for the jews standing up for blacks. And just where is Goldmann Sachs right now? Top of the heap.Report
Well you’re mightily more pessimistic than I.Report
I’m still a liberal. I believe we can get better, together. I just don’t trust us to do the right thing.Report
I’m not going to tell you how to self-describe, but I believe not trusting us to do the right thing makes you a “conservative”, as unpopular as that label’s become since being associated with Rick Santorum, and W, and Rush Limbaugh, and such.Report
ya can call me what ya will, but I’ll define myself based on what I support (I support welfare. I support giving people money to make new businesses. I support science (this didn’t used to be liberal, I admit). I support mandatory health care). That, and I’m a bit of an obstinate contrarian. Seems some folks around here wanna call me a libertarian, which is all well and good.
But a conservative! That’d be a new one.
I don’t think conservatism is completely synonymous with pessimism.
Not that there aren’t things I believe in conserving — like the environment. I’m even a “leave it alone, mostly” with gun control.Report
Will, it’s nice to see you’re alive and well. Please post again!Report
Nihilist.Report
It’s hard to believe the alien would want to eat black folk. We are very high in salt and cholesterol.Report