White politicians, if they want the Black vote, must be cautious about “whitesplaining.” Lucille Clifton gives us insight into the insensitivity in “note to self.” Brother Jack in “Invisible Man” is racially insensitive in this way and may have lessons for certain Bernie Sanders supporters.
Tag Archives: politics
Clifton, Ellison Help Explain Whitesplaining
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "note to self", Bernie Sanders, Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton, Invisible Man, Race, Ralph Ellison, whitesplaining Comments closed
Prospero and the Presidential Primaries
Think of Shakespeare’s “Tempest” as an allegory for the current state of American politics, especially the presidential primaries. It contains visionaries and cynics, orchestrators and disrupters. If Prospero is the island “establishment,” then he enjoys some success but it is qualified.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Bernie Sanders, Democratic primary, Donald Trump, GOP primary, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Tempest, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Brecht’s Working Class Revenge Fantasy
Many working class and lower middle class Americans have felt abandoned by the GOP and Democratic establishments. Bertolt Brecht’s “Pirate Jenny” articulates a revenge fantasy that captures some of their anger.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Pirate Jenny", Bernie Sanders, Bertolt Brecht, Donald Trump, Presidential Primaries Comments closed
Cruz’s Contortion of Cristianity
Bill Moyers has called Ted Cruz a “fundamentalist charlatan,” and he cites an 18th century satiric poem to help him make his case. Cruz, he says, is contorting a beautiful religion to garner votes.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Swan Tripe Club in Dublin", GOP primaries, Presidential race, Ted Cruz, William King Comments closed
An ANTidote for Apocalyptic Talk
Depressed by all the doom and gloom being voiced in the presidential primaries? Here’s a Scott Bates poem about an apocalytptic antichrist ant to lighten you mood.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "A Is for Apocalyptic Ant", Presidential Primaries, Scott Bates Comments closed
Sarah Palin as Daisy Buchanan
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, speaking for moderate Republicans who are being driven from the party, sees himself as Jay Gatsby jilted by Daisy. Sarah Palin was once his Daisy and Donald Trump could be compared to Tom Buchanan.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, F. Scott Fitzgerald, GOP, Great Gatsby, Republican primaries, Ross Douthat, Sarah Palin Comments closed
Ted Cruz–Dark and Satanic?
When NYT columnist David Brooks called Ted Cruz “dark and satanic,” he was referencing a Blake poem. But although the allusion is apt, it struck most people as weird or offensive because they didn’t recognize the source.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Jerusalem", David Brooks, electoral politics, GOP primary, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, William Blake Comments closed
