Comments: From Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers by Tom Wolfe
A bonfire of his vanity.
Posted by Vermont Woodchuck at October 10, 2015 7:10 AM
Naw, the Panthers like coon food: ribs, chitlins, watermelon, fat back, ham hocks, collard greens, okra.
Posted by chasmatic at October 11, 2015 7:15 AM
"Naw, the Panthers like....."
Hence the dilemma, honed to a fine point by the brilliant Tom Wolfe. At that time in history, Leonard and particularly his wife Felicia Berstein were at the very bleeding edge of upper-class hip, the pluperfect epitome of the epicene - and just what does one serve to indicate simultaneously one's contempt for the sort of food beloved of the hoi polloi, while at the same time gettin down with the knee-grow? Observing the neurosis of the participants from the perfect vantage point is deliciously schadenfreud-ic; the modern cult of the culture vulture (Better Than You) was just getting its legs under it, and we are all fortunate that Wolfe was there to watch and report.
I am an unabashed fan of Tom Wolfe, whose clear-eyed look at culture of various sorts has left me rolling on the floor and gasping for breath for 60 years now - and Michael Lewis is the perfect fit for attempting to explain just what's so goddam funny, and the mind that produced it. One of the best indicators of Wolfe's significance is that he has regularly offended every stuffed shirt in existence, and laughed all the way to the bank.
This essay is a stone treat from beginning to end. And if you've somehow missed reading Radical Chic you owe it to yourself to take an hour or so and catch up:
http://nymag.com/news/features/46170/
Posted by Rob De Witt at October 12, 2015 12:14 PM
Rob, I reckon I missed all the subtle nuances, sigh.
BTW The Panthers have an interesting history. They started out as a sorta benevolent group.
WIKI sez"
"In October of 1966, in Oakland California, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The Panthers practiced militant self-defense of minority communities against the U.S. government, and fought to establish revolutionary socialism through mass organizing and community based programs."
Programs like food banks, legal aid clinics, drivers to take folks to hospitals or courts, breakfasts for school kids.
They wanted to be self-sufficient since they could not count on government to help them in any meaningful way.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover called the party "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country".
I'm no fan of Black Negro Afro-American People of Color, but they did get shafted on this one.
As would be expected they became more militant and lost a lot of White folks support.
Posted by chasmatic at October 13, 2015 7:56 AM
Many of Martin King's more militant followers advocated for violent insurrection rather than peaceful demonstrations.
He told them violence was a quick way to understand what the word "minority" actually means.
Posted by chasmatic at October 13, 2015 11:39 PM
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