Cornell West

[sithsaber]

Thoughts?

[hatzel]

His hair game is stronggg...

Thoughts about what, exactly?

[norwegianwood90]

http://books.google.com/books?id=bNJD8g1e-QQC&pg=PA13#v=onepage&q&f=false In this passage West seems to regard Marxism as have parroted itself as a religion: "...a shallow secular ideology of social change that fails to speak to us about the ultimate facts of human existence." West rejects Marxism because it does not offer "existential wisdom."

If anyone reads the writings of Marx with the intent of gleaning some metaphysical construct, you're missing the point of Marx.

While West identifies as a democratic socialist, I suspect his democratic socialism is simply social democracy and not revolutionary socialism. Although I'm sympathetic toward West's desires to improve the world, I think he's going about it the wrong way. Time and time again, we've seen that reformism simply does not work.

[ed miliband]

Tt9X1gvz728


i be having conversations will cornell west

[~Spectre]

My dear brother.

[Yazman]

Tt9X1gvz728


i be having conversations will cornell west

What the hell is this? You can't just post a youtube video on its own and then add some ridiculous unrelated comment.

Make a real post or don't bother posting at all. Videos are ok but you have to elaborate on why you're posting that video. You haven't done that.

This post constitutes a warning to michel foubro.

[Renegade Saint]

His book "Democracy Matters" was so boring and full of semi-spiritual mumbo-jumbo I didn't finish it. I'll take scientific socialism over what West is peddling any day.

[sithsaber]

His book "Democracy Matters" was so boring and full of semi-spiritual mumbo-jumbo I didn't finish it. I'll take scientific socialism over what West is peddling any day.

I kind of prefer his speaches over the endless complex debates about revisionism that fill this site. His words are a useful tool in learning how to sway the average person (you can't deny the man can mystify the brothers, brotha brotha brotha)

[Renegade Saint]

I kind of prefer his speaches over the endless complex debates about revisionism that fill this site. His words are a useful tool in learning how to sway the average person (you can't deny the man can mystify the brothers, brotha brotha brotha)
I don't participate in those debates either, because they're really boring.

I just think that class interest is a much better basis for policy than the somewhat nebulous concept of 'radical love'.

[Ostrinski]

Shitty politics, shitty teeth.

[NewLeft]

He is an important figure because he's black and he gets his community. He does NOT reject Marxism and if you read it carefully the full quote is:


In this deep sense, Marxism is not and cannot serve as a religion. And if it is cast as a religion, it is a shallow secular ideology of social change that fails to speak to us about the ultimate facts of human existence. To put it charitably, Marxist thought does not purport to be existential wisdom—of how to live one's life day by day. Rather, it claims to be a social theory of histories, societies and cultures. Social theory is not the same as existential wisdom. Those theories that try to take the place of wisdom disempower people on existential matters, just as those wisdoms that try to shun theory usually subordinate people to the political powers that be.

[ed miliband]

What the hell is this? You can't just post a youtube video on its own and then add some ridiculous unrelated comment.

Make a real post or don't bother posting at all. Videos are ok but you have to elaborate on why you're posting that video. You haven't done that.

This post constitutes a warning to michel foubro.

it's a song that namedrops cornell west, the "ridiculous unrelated comment" was the line that does so. (lol man if yr gonna give someone a warning at least attempt to understand the post - if you had listened to the song in full, and paid attention to the lyrics, it would have been perfectly clear why i posted it)

i mean, there wasn't really much left to add to the thread was there? my post was no more irrelevant than hatzel's. hell, it was arguably more relevant than the original post - what is one meant to take from "thoughts?"? my thoughts on cornell west are that he has dodgy politics and he was namedropped by killer mike, hence posting the video.

[Mr. Natural]

Cornell West? Bah, humbug! Yes, he has some impressive veral chops, but he's a self-promoter and very much a creature of The System. I've learned to turn him off--there's nothing there.

[manic expression]

I don't think I've ever heard someone talk so much and say so little.

[ParaRevolutionary]

I like him.

[Kyu Six]

Cornel West considers himself a Christian socialist. Once you've committed yourself to the nonsense that some mythical person raised himself from the dead as historical fact, you've lost all credibility IMHO.

[hatzel]

While West identifies as a democratic socialist


Cornel West considers himself a Christian socialist.

Just to add yet another meaningless political label to the discussion: West has also referred to (pre-War, at least) leftcoms as 'my guys.' I'm not sure if this is at all significant but as everybody else seemed to want to talk about political ideologies to tie him to rather than saying all that much about his ideas I thought I'd join in...

[~Spectre]

Has anyone ever read this? :

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514c8RduzgL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

If so, how was it?

[KurtFF8]

I like Cornel West, his contribution to the volume "Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture" is a pretty good overview of Marxism and the question of race and I highly recommend it.

Yes he isn't a revolutionary Marxist per sey, but for the amount of prestige he has in the US: his rhetoric is quite far Left compared to what other folks of his "fame" spout.

I suppose whether you "like" him or not depends on what you think he has to contribute to the struggle. I think he has plenty to contribute and already has contributed quite a bit.

[dentistor]

thank you for post....