Www.freeblackthought.com is a Website formed by a “group of scholars, technologists, parents, and above all American citizens determined to amplify vital black voices that are rarely heard on mainstream platforms.” It pursues “no political agenda other than a commitment to free speech, civil rights, and a conviction that a pluralistic society committed to liberal democracy is nourished by the entire spectrum of black thinking on matters of politics, society, and culture.” The Website About Page further states: “As parents, we are troubled that our children, black and non-black alike, are coming of age at a time when K-12 schools and elite institutions such as academia, major media companies, and corporations appear committed to enforcing narrow and tendentious standards of black racial authenticity in thought and behavior.
Thanks for drawing my attention to this important intellectual resource Charles! It really would be wonderful to have a panel at the next Havana conference with these scholars and to also add some of your thoughts about World Systems and Colonialism to the mix. If only we had the money and resources to pull something like this off (sigh)....
I'd also add that I am a bit suspicious of Steele's agenda -- though his ideas on victimization are sound I suspect that he is trying to use them to advocate a neoliberal agenda rather than a socialist one.
I don't think I would invite him to our fantasy panel in Havana. LOL. Nor do I think he'd accept the invitation, so as not to jeopardize his cushy gig at Hoover manufacturing ideas to justify liberal capitalism. Though his intellectual product is coming from the other direction than the "anti-racism" crowd it is no less important in perpetuating liberal hegemony. In fact, there seems to be a symbiosis between these two ideologies. Though they are (superficially) in bitter opposition to one another they in fact act in tandem to drown out any genuine critique of capitalism from public discourse.
from a favorable article on Hoover in the National Review: "The Hoover Institution is a conservative American public policy and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and limited government." They are pretty well known as being outspoken defenders of neoliberalism and US interventionism.
When I visited the Russian studies institute at Stanford a few years ago the director pointed out the building where they are located and jokingly said: "This where we keep the neocons". LOL.
I am interested in formulating a synthesis of radical (socialist) thought and conservativism, and therefore I do not shy from convervatise websites adn writing. But my interest is more in traditional conservativism, not neoconservativism. Traditional conservatives tend to be opposed to U.S. interventionism, and their concept of limited government often takes the form of federalism, in which it is proposed that state governments decide the cutlural issues. But certainly, we must recognize that the state has to play a decisve role in the national economy, and U.S. imperialism and interventionism have to be sent to the dustbin of history.
I think this is a promising area to look for synthesis. However, I am a bit skeptical about American conservativism as it is so closely tied to the individualistic and libertarian ideals of the American bourgeoisie. I think European conservativism, with its origins in the traditional aristocracy, reverence for the state (e.g. Hobbes), and its emphasis on communitarian ideals (e.g. noblesse oblige) would offer a more promising pairing.
Thanks for drawing my attention to this important intellectual resource Charles! It really would be wonderful to have a panel at the next Havana conference with these scholars and to also add some of your thoughts about World Systems and Colonialism to the mix. If only we had the money and resources to pull something like this off (sigh)....
I'd also add that I am a bit suspicious of Steele's agenda -- though his ideas on victimization are sound I suspect that he is trying to use them to advocate a neoliberal agenda rather than a socialist one.
I don't think I would invite him to our fantasy panel in Havana. LOL. Nor do I think he'd accept the invitation, so as not to jeopardize his cushy gig at Hoover manufacturing ideas to justify liberal capitalism. Though his intellectual product is coming from the other direction than the "anti-racism" crowd it is no less important in perpetuating liberal hegemony. In fact, there seems to be a symbiosis between these two ideologies. Though they are (superficially) in bitter opposition to one another they in fact act in tandem to drown out any genuine critique of capitalism from public discourse.
Interesting thoughts. I am not sure. I don't know much about the function of Hoover Institution Fellows, although I do like Steele's modest roots.
from a favorable article on Hoover in the National Review: "The Hoover Institution is a conservative American public policy and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and limited government." They are pretty well known as being outspoken defenders of neoliberalism and US interventionism.
When I visited the Russian studies institute at Stanford a few years ago the director pointed out the building where they are located and jokingly said: "This where we keep the neocons". LOL.
I am interested in formulating a synthesis of radical (socialist) thought and conservativism, and therefore I do not shy from convervatise websites adn writing. But my interest is more in traditional conservativism, not neoconservativism. Traditional conservatives tend to be opposed to U.S. interventionism, and their concept of limited government often takes the form of federalism, in which it is proposed that state governments decide the cutlural issues. But certainly, we must recognize that the state has to play a decisve role in the national economy, and U.S. imperialism and interventionism have to be sent to the dustbin of history.
Thanks for your comments, Andrej.
I think this is a promising area to look for synthesis. However, I am a bit skeptical about American conservativism as it is so closely tied to the individualistic and libertarian ideals of the American bourgeoisie. I think European conservativism, with its origins in the traditional aristocracy, reverence for the state (e.g. Hobbes), and its emphasis on communitarian ideals (e.g. noblesse oblige) would offer a more promising pairing.
Thanks for the info.