Cornel West: Obama's response to shootings was weak

[Scoop]

Cornel West calls Obama response to shootings 'weak'
July 09, 2016, 10:58 am
By Jessie Hellmann

60 Minutes
Activist Cornel West says he was disappointed in President Obama's response to this week's shootings in of black men by police in Minnesota and Louisiana.

"I thought it was weak," West said, according to The Washington Post.

"He's always got to explain to white America how black people are feeling. Black people don't feel as if we're being treated unequally — it's a fact that we're being treated unequally. He sort of always has to serve in this translating role. That's how he rolls, but that's not how I roll."

West said while Obama called Thursday's attacks on Dallas police officers "a vicious and despicable act," he would not not use those exact words to describe police-involved killings in general.

West said the president's latest remarks emphasized how much time he had lost to speak out on racial justice.

"He has, he has, it's just a fact," West said. "He's been running from the issue for too long. When he finally gets pushed into a corner, he says something eloquent and articulate. But you've got to be able to hit it head on."

Cornel West calls Obama response to shootings 'weak'

 

[NZA]

nothing but truth

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

For fukks sake.

The Right Wing is ALREADY blaming the police deaths on him too.

This is why I stopped fukking with Cornel West...dude has NO concept of what Obama is dealing with by even attempting to address this shyt.

He stuck his neck out for Mike Brown, Trayvon, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray...and STILL got shyt for it.

And Cornel never comes to his defense when these white supremacists are acting like Obama is anti-cop.

shyts different on that level. Cornel may never understand that.

 

[Robbie3000]

For fukks sake.

The Right Wing is ALREADY blaming the police deaths on him too.

This is why I stopped fukking with Cornel West...dude has NO concept of what Obama is dealing with by even attempting to address this shyt.

He stuck his neck out for Mike Brown, Trayvon, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray...and STILL got shyt for it.

And Cornel never comes to his defense when these white supremacists are acting like Obama is anti-cop.

shyts different on that level. Cornel may never understand that.

Cornell has a personal beef with Obama. So much so that he is unable to be objective when Obama is involved.

 

[mc_brew]

For fukks sake.

The Right Wing is ALREADY blaming the police deaths on him too.

This is why I stopped fukking with Cornel West...dude has NO concept of what Obama is dealing with by even attempting to address this shyt.

He stuck his neck out for Mike Brown, Trayvon, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray...and STILL got shyt for it.

And Cornel never comes to his defense when these white supremacists are acting like Obama is anti-cop.

shyts different on that level. Cornel may never understand that.

i never understood why anyone would want to be president.... 25% of the country will always hate anything you do, while granted 25% will love any and everything you do.... not a job i'd want....

 

[King Kreole]

This is why I stopped fukking with Cornel West...dude has NO concept of what Obama is dealing with by even attempting to address this shyt.

Why would Cornel West give a fukk about that? Is he Obama's daddy? No, he's an activist pushing his cause. If the President feels like he can't speak out on these issues forcefully because the many white supremacists would be mad, it's not Cornel and other activists' job to back off because the President is stressed. That would in fact be an abdication of their moral responsibility. Cornel is not the President, his job is to speak truth to power.

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Why would Cornel West give a fukk about that? Is he Obama's daddy? No, he's an activist pushing his cause. If the President feels like he can't speak out on these issues forcefully because the many white supremacists would be mad, it's not Cornel and other activists' job to back off because the President is stressed. That would in fact be an abdication of their moral responsibility. Cornel is not the President, his job is to speak truth to power.

Cornel doesn't know what he wants.

 

[JahFocus CS]

Cornell has a personal beef with Obama. So much so that he is unable to be objective when Obama is involved.

But is he wrong though?

 

[bzb]

cornel criticizing obama....


at this point dude is so corny, overdone, and petty that it distracts from all the good work he has done and could be doing to push the agenda on his own. he's like the scorned gf that shows up uninvited to the wedding, baby shower, anniversary party just to complain about how wrong you were for breaking up with them, how you ain't shyt and never will be shyt, and ya mama ain't shyt either.

it's not even constructive criticism, it's just plain bytchyness imo.

as for obama's response to these issues dating back to the trayvon martin incident up until today i think he's been spot on considering the role of the president and difference between fed and state power.. the office of the president is not be an activist, that's what blm movement (who obama acknowledges and implicitly supports) is doing as are other groups and individuals. cornel and tavis need to be out here doing more of the same.

and yes i thought obama's response to the shootings over the past week including the officer killings were well said. especially when he pointed out that people can't blame all blacks for the actions of one black shooter the same way all white people don't want to take the blame for dylan roof's killing of 9 innocent people in a church.

 

[ⒶⓁⒾⒶⓈ]

He started hating on Obama at inauguration and never stopped....theres a backstory there somewhere

 

[Tate]

It's fukked up that cornel west won't say he thinks Obama shouldn't be assassinated imo

 

[JahFocus CS]

It's fukked up that cornel west won't say he thinks Obama shouldn't be assassinated imo

Where did he say that?

 

[Type Username Here]

Dr. West is out of line here, and I happen to agree with him most of the time, especially in regards to his criticisms of the President.


President Obama played the situation correctly.

 

[hashmander]

I'm confused

"He's always got to explain to white America how black people are feeling. Black people don't feel as if we're being treated unequally — it's a fact that we're being treated unequally. He sort of always has to serve in this translating role. That's how he rolls, but that's not how I roll."

this is a bad thing? why shouldn't he explain or translate to these deliberately obtuse devils? unless your solution is violent and we're severely outnumbered and asian cops are killing us too and i damn sure ain't counting on hispanics to have our backs. so for change we actually need the majority to see the error in their evil ways and change. sporadic violence from those fed up and trained like micah johnson is one thing, but as a strategy? hell no.

 

[King Kreole]

I'm confused

"He's always got to explain to white America how black people are feeling. Black people don't feel as if we're being treated unequally — it's a fact that we're being treated unequally. He sort of always has to serve in this translating role. That's how he rolls, but that's not how I roll."

this is a bad thing? why shouldn't he explain or translate to these deliberately obtuse devils? unless your solution is violent and we're severely outnumbered and asian cops are killing us too and i damn sure ain't counting on hispanics to have our backs. so for change we actually need the majority to see the error in their evil ways and change. sporadic violence from those fed up and trained like micah johnson is one thing, but as a strategy? hell no.

I think the operative word in that quote is "feel". Cornel is saying that instead of Obama coming out and treating white supremacy as an objective fact, he treats it as simply a bad feeling that black people have. That black people are merely being insulted or offended by white supremacy. This leads to white people thinking these problems are superficial and can be solved by simply making black people feel good. You see this in most white people's reflex to find a token black person and say "See, they're not upset!". Cornel is saying that Obama's translation ends up obscuring just how deeply embedded white supremacy is, and diluting its effects and root causes. It allows white people to hide behind a veil of ignorance. If this problem is to be solved, it needs to be confronted in full.