One of the many interesting discussions that emerged during last weekend’s CPAC gathering was a debate over what role should Euro-American conservatives play in critiquing the politics of race, particularly the impact not only of liberal policies on Black America but also the harmful effects of certain cultural traits that persist among American blacks.
While most of the bloggers – all white – involved in this particular conservation agreed that attacks on the Democratic Party’s social policies were proper, nearly all shied away from raising troubling questions concerning controversial aspects of African American culture. In part, the fear of racism or crossing over into racist arguments led many of the bloggers to self-police their thoughts on this matter. That is healthy and constructive. Most of us have some elements of residual racism and racial preference; however, the latter should not be confused with the former. There lurked a more insidious enforcer, indeed a specter that served as an ever-present external police officer: the charge of racism leveled against anyone who raises a discussion of cultural issues. Totalitarian thought control in the form of political correctness is what kept these white conservatives from exploring cultural issues as a possible source of much of contemporary American blacks’ problems.
What proved most troubling about the white bloggers’ retreat from this topic is that they deferred onto black conservatives the tough love task of critiquing destructive behaviors among American blacks.
Although I disagree with a few points this blogger makes, such as self-policing thoughts is “healthy and constructive,” I think the post captures what I suspect a lot of white conservatives think. (I could be wrong). I’m glad he qualified his “residual racism and racial preference” remark. We all have personal racial preferences, and that’s natural and not necessarily wrong. But the government has no business being in the racial preferences trade.
