Saturday, October 8, 2011

From Martin Bashir: Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth is a Portrait in Courage; Herman Cain is a Portrait in Cowardice



Damn. More folks are piling on Herman Cain. His back must be hurting by now.

The legendary Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth passed away this week. Herman Cain, front runner of the Tea Party GOP has retreated time and time again from the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.

The former is a legend and an older god. The latter is a coward...by his own admitting to being a free rider in the glorious Black Freedom Struggle.

To my eyes, the funny thing here is that the elder gods like Brother Shuttlesworth have broad shoulders and carry so many on them--including those folks who are not worthy. And yes, that includes people like Herman Cain.

Here, in my thinking about racial apologist and Tea Party GOP favorite Herman Cain, I am reminded of the following parable:

A snake and a dog became such fast friends that they took a vow that they would never separate. So when it happened that one of them was obliged to leave his native land, the other promised to go with him. They had traveled only a short distance when they came to a wide river.

The snake was now greatly troubled."Alas," he said, "you, my friend, can easily swim, but how can a poor snake like me ever get across this stream?""Never fear," replied the dog; "only place yourself squarely on my broad back and I will carry you safely over." 
No sooner was the snake settled on the dog's broad back, than the dog crawled into the water and began to swim. Halfway across he was startled by a strange rapping on his back, which made him ask the snake what he was doing."Doing?" answered the snake. "I am whetting my sting to see if it is possible to pierce your skin."
"Ungrateful friend," responded the dog, "it is well that I have it in my power both to save myself and to punish you as you deserve." And straightway he sank his back below the surface and shook off the snake into the water.

Herman Cain, like his Black Conservative brethren, are those snakes, riding on the shoulders and backs of those who gave them freedom. Ilk of that stripe are always ready to bite their benefactors, supporters, and trail blazers once they get a free ride. Herman Cain is no exception.

Question: Is Herman Cain the inevitable negative externality of the Civil Rights Movement? Are folks like Herman Cain the rank afterbirth that comes from a people who struggled for freedom for so many, and as part of the bargain of success had to bring the unworthy along for the ride?

7 comments:

Oh Crap said...

Question: Is Herman Cain the inevitable negative externality of the Civil Rights Movement?

I would say definitely, yes. There are always going to be opportunists with zero ethics and a low moral code.

If Herman Cain did not exist, someone would invent him. He's that 2-dimensional.

CNu said...

No.

The cast of geriatric preachers, pundits, lawyers, and sundry assorted oxygen thieves comprising the CBC, governance in a number of unfortunate metropolitan areas, and unelected, unaccountable tenured public "intelligentsia" - are the inevitable negative externality of the civil rights movement.

The majoritarian 2nd and 3rd line inheritors of the civil rights movement are the real disgrace and actual leadership vacuum systemically afflicting the black electorate in America.

Cain is a farcical mainstream reaction to that negative externality and systemic affliction.

nomad said...

CNu hits the nail on the head.

Anonymous said...

Herman Cain is able to lead people around by the nose because he is a pastor. If there is any one thing that I fear most for the fate of blacks, it is their reverence for these false prophets who clothe themselves in the bible while steering the flock away from solutions. Watching Lawrence O'Donnell last night, one woman from The Grio says blacks have more in common with Republicans in terms of social issues and I thought great just what we need is another party to pay lip service to the social aspects while doing the least bit to advance the collective. I am not discounting Rev. Shuttlesworth or the black leaders of the past who Led the movement to gain civil rights. I believe that in those times you had more people in this country that had reverence for the bible, which is why is was so successful, it shame many racists into doing the right thing. Today's racists cannot be shamed in the same manner, they adjust the words to suit their agenda and in turn accuse those they consider do-gooders of doing the very same. The same religion that was used to boost us up is now being used to hold us down, keep us stagnant and on our knees, with our noses in the bible. Not asking questions, not seeking solutions but, "praying about it." is Cain the inevitable negative result of the Civil Rights Movement? Only insofar as religion being hailed as our saving grace. People like Cain believe that they were good enough Christians that God chose them to be successful as opposed to that 6 year-old-girl that was hit by a stray bullet.

CNu said...

payday loans, liquor stores, convenience stores, korean "beauty" supply retailers, and storefront churches - comprise the overwhelming majority of what passes for private enterprise in most downwardly mobile and predominantly black neighborhoods today - with the majority of these private enterprises not in black hands except for the churches.

As loathsome as Cain's self-deprecating coonery has been shown to be, it doesn't even begin to hold a candle to the cataclysmic failures owned by the predominant 2nd and 3rd line inheritors of the civil rights movement.

Things have gotten so bad that the Boule have begun an orchestrated effort to position economic hit men in the hood to execute public payroll disaster capitalism and drive the artificially created, unsustainable, and politically irksome faux black middle class to its knees.

Folk genuinely have no idea what's going on all around them today and so-called public intellectuals lack the administrative courage to illuminate and publicize the real and acute threats to what little political economics black folk have managed to muster from the crumbs swept off of massa's table.

Must the only viable public alternative to Cain be a geriatric authoritarian demagogue like Farrakhan?

fred c said...

Nomad, CNu always hits the nail on the head. The style is unfiltered, fifteen minutes to live, I don't have time for your bullshit, shut up and take the message. CNu, I love you.

DebC said...

Dang, fred c! I don't know what that's about - but I agree with Nomad's, "CNu hits the nail on the head"

Thanx for that CNu!