Auf ein Miniaturbild klicken, um zu Google Books zu gelangen.
Lädt ... Is Bill Cosby Right?: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?von Michael Eric Dyson
Keine Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. As indicated by the title, this is Michael Eric Dyson's take on Bill Cosby's notorious rants of a few years ago lambasting the poor. For those who are unaware, Cosby took it upon himself to criticize poor blacks, especially youth, for a variety of issues including dressingly sloppily, promiscuity, not being able to "speak English correctly", irresponsible consumerism, and not parenting. Dyson, in his typical fashion, seeks to explain the larger causes for each of these issues. While Cosby seeks to place the blame squarely on the victim's shoulders, Dyson seeks to examine more systemic reasons. As usual, Dyson is entertaining and easy to follow, as well as intelligent in his arguments. (He also suffers from repetitive points and redundancy..but maybe some of us need this stuff etched into our brains) This book was a little odd because in addition to theorizing about specific social issues, Dyson also confronts Cosby's validity as a spokesperson directly. He brings up instances/scandals in Cosby's own life (ie. an extramarital affair, possibly fathering a child out of wedlock, having a drug abusing daughter) that are very much in the same category of offenses that Cosby chastises other blacks about. Dyson also provides a contrast between Cosby of the 1960s and 1970s to that of the Cosby today. Cosby, at one point, seemed to have a much more complete and compassionate view of the plight of the poor blacks in this country. Cosby has always (until recently) preferred to keep quiet about issues surrounding race, seemingly in part to keep from offending white audience members. However, Cosby once wrote a dissertation the clearly focused on more institutional and systemic factors for continuing poverty, and granted an interview with Playboy where he candidly talked about race relations in a framework much more similar to Dyson. I personally could have done with less criticism of Cosby specifically. It's clear that he's only human, and that he's getting old and frustrated and out of touch with the younger generation. He also occupies a different economic class and level of privilege, so one can't be all that surprised at his comments...I still want to hear why Cosby is wrong, but I don't think it's necessary to drudge up his personal failures repeatedly. Zeige 2 von 2 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Auszeichnungen
Michael Eric Dyson took America by storm with this provocative expose of the class and generational divide that is tearing black America apart. Nothing exposed the class and generational divide in black America more starkly than Bill Cosby's now-infamous assault on the black poor when he received an NAACP award in the spring of 2004. The comedian-cum-social critic lamented the lack of parenting, poor academic performance, sexual promiscuity, and criminal behavior among what he called the "knuckleheads" of the African-American community. Even more surprising than his comments, however, was the fact that his audience laughed and applauded. Best-selling writer, preacher, and scholar Michael Eric Dyson uses the Cosby brouhaha as a window on a growing cultural divide within the African-American community. According to Dyson, the "Afristocracy"--lawyers, physicians, intellectuals, bankers, civil rights leaders, entertainers, and other professionals--looks with disdain upon the black poor who make up the "Ghettocracy"--single mothers on welfare, the married, single, and working poor, the incarcerated, and a battalion of impoverished children. Dyson explains why the black middle class has joined mainstream America to blame the poor for their troubles, rather than tackling the systemic injustices that shape their lives. He exposes the flawed logic of Cosby's diatribe and offers a principled defense of the wrongly maligned black citizens at the bottom of the social totem pole. Displaying the critical prowess that has made him the nation's preeminent spokesman for the hip-hop generation, Dyson challenges us all--black and white--to confront the social problems that the civil rights movement failed to solve. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
Aktuelle DiskussionenKeineBeliebte Umschlagbilder
Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)973History and Geography North America United StatesKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
Bist das du?Werde ein LibraryThing-Autor. |
A pity in my case since I liked Dyson's later book on Katrina. I guess once a while a writer comes up with a book that is not so good. ( )