The (Black American) World We Have Lost

Dean Ericson writes:

So I open the New York Times online and there’s a story on HBO’s new series, “Boardwalk Empire.” The focus of the article, by Peter Applebome, is on the history of Atlantic City’s African-Americans whose stories are neglected in the show:

On Atlantic City Boardwalk, Stories Still to Be Told

Like many other acclaimed TV dramas, the new HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” focuses predominantly on white characters.

Okay, more knee jerk liberal bigotry from the Times, so what’s new? But who’s this writer, Peter Applebome? Clicking on his bio brings up this image:

Oh my, there he is, straight from Central Casting; the Liberal! In his open-collared casual shirt, his balding pate and bozo fringe, his open and accepting look of indiscriminate love: I’m good, I’m moral, I’m not a racist! I love you! It made me laugh. And I’ll bet he’s a really nice guy. Once you get past his liberalism.

There was one other interesting tidbit in the article:

Beneath it all is the fascinating, largely untold story of the vanished black businesses and institutions that flourished during segregation and then died with integration. It is not “The Roaring Sopranos,” as some are already calling “Boardwalk Empire,” but it’s pretty fascinating grist for someone’s mill.

So, back in the evil days of segregation black businesses and institutions “flourished,” and then they “died with integration.” That reminded me of VFR’s old correspondent, Elizabeth Wright, who pointed out the same fact. That back in the days before liberalism bloomed in America’s mind like an algae plague blacks ran a thriving parallel society that served them well. And then blacks made the disastrous choice to give up their freedom and move onto the liberal plantation and chop grievance cotton. Pity. Oh, what might have been.

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LA writes:

Dean writes:

“…his open and accepting look of indiscriminate love…”

In his 1964 novel Herzog, probably his best book, Saul Bellow, or rather his protaganist, spoke critically of such love. He called it “potato love.”

Karl D. writes:

That photo and description really tickled me. As a city dweller you may not know it but there are two brands of cars that liberals love to drive. The Subaru Outback, and for the upwardly mobile liberal, the Prius. Many of which are plastered in Obama stickers or various other leftist slogans. Sometimes I make a game about guessing what the driver looks like and take a look as I pass them. Nine times out of ten I am correct. It is usually a female baby boomer who is either very skinny or overweight with long frizzy greying hair, no make up, a comfortable yet practical top, hippie jewelry and a dopey smile from either listening to NPR or a book on tape about the story of the Buddha. Okay, I don’t know about the last part but I could only guess?

September 24

David M. writes:

Karl D. brings up an interesting topic: cars liberals drive, and what the folks at the wheel look like.

When I see a Obama sticker, I look at the driver. When the driver is a white woman, the expression is a scowl, or a frown, or a look of just plain anger. You know: a feminist. If the driver is a white male, he looks metrosexual, or has that cowed, beaten look that says he is in a marriage with the feminist I just saw in the other car.

I don’t see Obama stickers, or “Coexist” stickers on other makes of hybrids, so I guess the Prius is indeed The Car of Choice for the Self-Righteous.

Down in my part of the country, most of the Obama stickers one still sees are on cars driven by blacks, or cars parked in the employee lot at government buildings. (Was that redundant?)

Posted by Lawrence Auster at September 23, 2010 07:34 AM | Send