Identity Politics

Devone Tucker argues that within the next thirty years, we may witness the political equivalent of a civil war in the United States of America. The black conservative Republican blogger writes: "This war, if it happens, will literally pit brother against brother, in the sense that it will pit older blacks still wedded to the belief that they are victims against younger blacks who believe that racism is no longer an obstacle to success. In short, it will pit those who see themselves as African-Americans against those who see themselves as simply Americans. Younger blacks are no longer reflexively loyal to the Democrat Party and the 'old-school' vision of race in the United States. While they certainly haven't embraced the Republicans yet, it's not out of the realm of possibility that more and more blacks could see the merits of the GOP; after all, who would have thought a generation ago that we would even see Republican groups at historically black colleges and universities? With black achievement in American business, politics and entertainment at an all-time high, it'll be increasingly difficult to convince younger blacks that racism in this country is anywhere near as bad as it was fifty years ago--the pretense upon which the political left operates (witness the 'progressive' reaction to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina). Younger blacks are more independent-minded than ever before--which is likely to cause conflict with older blacks, who still tend to believe that racism is rampant. Watching the political and cultural consequences of this clash will be fascinating. Finally, we will have a thorough examination of what it means to be black in America. For years, most blacks have been primarily concerned with how white people view them. A generation ago, that was certainly understandable, considering the institutionalized racism of the age. Now, however, changing social circumstances dictate that blacks begin to focus on how they view themselves. Do we view ourselves as Americans, woven into the very fabric of this country? Or do we continue to view ourselves as eternal outsiders (or as Malcolm X once put it, 'victims of Americanism')?"