Leadership on Race is All About Love, Not Hate

By: Emil Guillermo, Nov 02, 2007

Tags: Emil Amok, Opinion |

I’ve been slimed by blog bullies like Michelle Malkin, the Asian American conservative lapdog and FOX TV affirmative action hire.

That’s what an amok gets for being an uncompromising truth teller and calling Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal — the first Indian American to be elected governor in the United States — a “man of no color.”

Indeed, Jindal, born in the United States to Indian immigrant parents, has become the personification of the new right-wing solution to race issues in America: it’s all about being “colorless.”

In the past, the right would simply ignore race issues or be in denial.

When forced to address issues like affirmative action, they championed limiting our sensibilities by advocating colorblindness.

But now, Jindal has arrived with a new model. Jindal aspires to what I call “colorlessness,” which brings about the awkwardness of his historical election.

When Jindal hardly acknowledges his race and doesn’t stand in line with the mainstream concerns of immigrants, minorities or people of color in America, how can anyone in the Asian American community cheer?

I simply celebrated Jindal by exposing his pathway to individual success.

Right-wing affirmative action hires like Malkin and her blog minions can’t handle that kind of truth.

Instead, they use rhetorical tactics to twist and manipulate what I said, sprinkle it with some hateful venom and send it out to the Internet.

Civility is too much to ask from the coarse.

Malkin began by calling me AsianWeek’s “stooge,” which is a laugher.

I’m more independent than she’ll ever be at FOX, where she’s paid for her rightward tilt. Regular readers here know that I’m no ideologue or stooge.

I’d be conservative if that movement wasn’t bereft of any real ideas.

What’s most disappointing is the blog bullies’ misreading of my column.

I’m not saying a person of color can’t be a conservative Republican, but that’s a choice a small minority make for good reason.

Conservative Republicans, as a whole, have rarely stood up for the interests of people of color.

Civil rights? Social injustices? The first call isn’t to the GOP.

What Would Cornell West Say

I caught an old Charlie Rose program last week that featured Cornell West, the Princeton sage and a former teacher of mine at Harvard in the ’70s.

Rose, as devil’s advocate, asked West why people questioned whether Barack Obama is black enough.

West, who retains all the spunk he had when I first met him, answered with a comparison between two Supreme Court Jurists: the civil rights stalwart Thurgood Marshall and right-wing affirmative action appointee Clarence Thomas.

“Thurgood Marshall was black enough. Clarence Thomas is not,” West said. “Which is not to say Clarence Thomas is not beautifully black in his appearance. … If a white policeman is beating up Clarence Thomas, I’m on the side of Clarence Thomas because I’m against unfairness and injustice.

What blacks mean is that Thurgood Marshall is bold, audacious and courageous, about speaking about justice.

Black folk, critically reflecting, do not see that in Clarence Thomas.”

Let’s transpose the question to “Is Bobby Jindal Asian American enough?” I’ve got no man-crush here, but I will say he’s beautifully South Asian.

And if he was stopped by Michelle Malkin, who thinks people should be profiled and put in internment camps like the Japanese (read her book, In Defense of Internment), I would defend Jindal. But does Jindal speak out boldly and audaciously against unfairness, injustice? The record suggests not.

Rose did challenge West, saying it sounded as if all blacks or all minorities must agree somehow.

I’d say, no, Asian Americans and other minorities don’t have to be in lockstep.

But for our leaders to be true leaders, they must serve the least amongst us.

As Tavis Smiley, another guest on the show, said of West’s vision of leadership: “You can’t lead if you don’t love people, and you can’t save [people] if you don’t serve.”

If it’s all about love, asked Smiley, then what is the depth of your love and the quality of your service?

Smiley’s right. Leadership isn’t about self-service. Unfortunately, Jindal’s “colorless” path to success is all about that, while minimizing race and the fight for truth and justice.

A true leader must know that four-letter word that goes beyond race: love.

emil@amok.com

Comments

i am NOT asian… and i love this website… but it is racist as hell!

–luke on Nov 02, 2007
You SAY “leadership on race is all about love, not hate,” and at the same time refer to Michelle Malkin as a “lapdog,” and an “affirmative action hire” which indicates you believe she only got on FOX because she was Asian.

Once again, we see the liberal credo: “It’s OK for ME, but not for THEE.”

–Larry Gwaltney on Nov 03, 2007
False and exaggerated claims of racism to advance in the workplace and line your pockets. This is what Mexicans and the Yellow filth in Asianweek are all about.

–Eddie on Nov 03, 2007
Folks:
Fun’s fun, but this is getting ominously, to me at least, out of hand.
I am referring to “Eddie’s” rage above. I grudge him not his feelings, where it counts, but it seems only a step or two beyond to reach mayhem.
Yesterday’s Paul Craig Roberts piece in the Counterpunch site puts it all together:
The administration and cohorts’ master plan for globalized “hegemony,” accent on the “mon(e)y,” guys, pays little heed to their ongoing versions of the “new” “genocide(s),” race and nation and color and creed immaterial so long as they either join the team or get out of the way — so why should they give a hot-damn about domestic American workers?
I mean those like “Eddie”?, who seem to be blaming “immigration,” forget the fact some of us have been here as long or longer than him or his forebears, and that neither “Mexicans” nor “yellow filth” are the source of his understandable angst.
Has the 80 alerted the 20 to the growing, urgent?, need to establish at the very least a bureau, if not an “arm,” in-house, purely to monitor the growing specter of the kind of racism that maims and kills?
Frank Eng
P.S.: Arthur Hu, have you read the above and are you “colorless” herein? And Phil, I don’t think lowering the decibels will help, only a major address of domestic joblessness and hopelessness. Lou Dobbs has a point.

–Frank Eng on Nov 03, 2007
In order to be successful and accepted in the whitemen’s world, the non-whites have learn to be “colorless”. But if a white tries to be “colourless”, then it’s another story.
Jindal has learned this lesson when he was in kindergarten already.
is there any true leaders left ? Love alone might not be sufficient to lead.

–Chowdury on Nov 03, 2007
I think this is a blatant example of a Southeast Asian who is somehow jealous that a South Asian is doing very well for himself. East and Southeast Asians are always jealous of South Asians and for whatever reason tend to exclude South Asians whenever there’s a community activity involving Asian Americans (Their justification being that South Asians aren’t considered “real” Asians.)

There is no doubt in my mind that if Bobby Jindal were of East or Southeast Asian descent, Asianweek would be celebrating and calling this a watershed moment for Asian Americans. Instead, because the politician is only Indian (and not a real Asian according to many East and Southeast Asians), Asianweek is having an ulcer at the sight of an Indian as state governor.

As another example, whenever Asians whine about the emasculation of Asian men in cinema, I pointed out the success of actors like Kal Penn and Naveen Andrews as examples of Asian American “leading” men. Yet these same Asians claim that they are not “real” Asians.

It seems that these days, Asian American activism has a tendency of excluding their South Asian breathen.

–Anthony Ciolli on Nov 04, 2007
Anthony Ciolli, who are real “Asians” ?
Is Tiger Wood Asian-American or Afro-American ?
The Arabs, Iranians, Afghanis, Kurds are Asians or ?
This silly name of “Asian-American” itself is so ambiguous and nobody knows what it really means, only politicians who invented the term can guess.
Why there is no such term as “European-American” ?
Mind you, Asia is as complicated, ethnically and culturally, as Europe, if not even more.

–Shinawatra on Nov 04, 2007
As far as I can tell, Asia America seems to be breaking up by ethnicity when it comes to voting in the American two party system. Aren’t many Koreans voting Republicans and many Japanese voting Democrat.

This probably reflects both culture & an ethicity’s history in America.

I don’t know Jindal background. But, I would expect an upper caste background Indian ( in India even “Christians” hold on to casteism ) –even if poor — to gravitate towards the conservative party. I would a lower caste background Indian –even if rich– to gravitate to the liberal party.

–HLove on Nov 05, 2007
Dear HLove:
Check Kenneth Scott Latourette, among quite a few others, for the five-millennia history of what most folk today call “Chinese.”
Who are every bit as wildly, ethnically as well?, the same and different simultaneously, from tha Amur to the Irrawaddy?, as Kazakhs are from Muscovites, or Ukrainians from the Ashkenazy mid-Europe, or, even more closely, the “French” (Flemish?) from the Germans (Prussian or Viennese?) AND the “Brits” who “embrace” the kilted ones AND

–Frank Eng on Nov 06, 2007
And the other Celts on that fabled emerald isle.
What I meam to say, is why are you surprised that “Koreans” and “Japanese,” never mind the rest of us are as “individual” as you, or anyone else.
Third Party vote, anyone, and I don’t mean Libertarian?
Who’s Ron Paul?
Frank Eng
P.S.: Ask about the 100-mil “Untouchables” and all the unemployed, of all “races” (more like class or caste here ) who may be the vanguard of the next “Depression.”

–Frank Eng on Nov 07, 2007
Dear folks, let’s cut out all the BS. To be very blunt and truthful, human beings are all racists from childhood. Even the babies can tell all the differences of different races. Why don’t you watch the babies and see how they react in sight of someone of different skin colour ?
The basics of ethnic differences is first by skin colour. There are black, yellow, brown and of course, white (if not pink) races, in general terms.
Asian-Pacific American is such a silly and ambiguous term to lump together all those who originated from Asia, but the same method somehow does not apply to those who originated from Europe, since there is no such term as “European-American”.
White American, Yellow American, Black American and Brown American are much more down-to-earth descriptions. Don’t you think ?
Will there be any great leader who has love in his heart and brave guts to tell true stories of racial differences ?

–K. Hirabayashi on Nov 08, 2007
As usual, good, intresting and really useful post for all readers and specially for me, thanks!
Good luck to you!
;)

–ThankfulR on Nov 16, 2007
Really good and really interesting post. I expect (and other readers maybe :)) new useful posts from you!
Good luck and successes in blogging!

–WildKid on Nov 28, 2007
Dear Frank Eng: I was not expressing surprise but making an inquiry and stating what I would expect. Am I wrong ?

–HLove on Jun 24, 2008
Dear HLove:
You are fully entitled to the question, as, indeed you are entitled to your expressed perceptions herein.
I can only speak for myself, for the rest you will have to rely on the reported, and “reputed,” stats and conclusions of “exit polls” and such.
And, personally, it is my belief/observation that the reverse of what you posit is true, which is to say, it is more likely that “lower-class” castes will tend to the conservative and the offspring of the “upper,” “privileged” classes who will “rebel” and steer to the “left.”
That said, the entire mishegash is a total chaos of individual configurations of belief systems and biases that, singly and collectively, defy generalization(s).
ANYone who casts her/his ballot on the basis of “race” would appear to be “racist.” More to the point, pointless.
ANYone who thinks for him-/herslef would at least make the feeble effort to discern the candidate’s “stand” on “issues” and her/his “ambiance” of beliefs and intents in general.
Also, to me at least, one of the most reliable standards against which to judge a candidate is his/her “enemies.”
And, bottom line, motivations AND backers.
It isn’t Jindal’s race, or ANYone’s race, it’s her/his record in public service, where, it is obvious, few, if any, inspire much admiration or hope.
But a candidate who adheres? to “Creationism” and is anti-”choice” seems to me to be at least TWO generations behind the “curve.”
No, HLove, “race” in these here benighted States of Amurrika today is a superhighway of shuck-and-jive, just as it is Blair’s Britain and Sarkozy’s France and Berlusconi’s Italy, forget the jumbled client states elsewhere around the Middle Sea of antiquity.
Oh, and please check out today’s humongously amusing piece on the 10,000 “Chinese” in South Africa who have finally won the “badge” of “black,” whereas a mere two generations ago, only Japanese/Korean/Taiwanese were granted second-class “white”ness by the apartheid overseers and the Chinese relegated to a sort of half-assed “black”ness.
That is, absolutely, just how relevant and “important” race is today all over this globe. That is, unless you are one of the half-mil “aboriginal” and “true” natives of Taiwan, who are treated by the occupying “Han” pretty much the way Japanese have traditionally treated their “Ainu,” and the penal-colony Aussies their “dreamtimers.” Oh, and don’t forget the “Nations” of this continent themselves. Thank God for “gaming.”
Frank Eng
P.S.: I also humbly refer you to that inspiring snapshot of what?, nine?, graduating members of the First School class of ‘08, of ALL, well, quite a few, “races” and “cultures.” A “Christian” “Methodist” school at that. Beginning at age TWO. These beauties, at FIVE, that Freudian “age” of psychic completion, seem to me to be the bearers of future benedictions, for ALL “races.”

–Frank Eng on Jun 24, 2008
Sorry, forgot the proper attribution, to wit:
The info, “news”?, on the Chinese in South Africa today comes by way of the everlovin’ “liberal” London Guardian online, which is a tonic vis-a-vis the pabulum of our own online “mainstreamers” of misinfo and disinfo.
And note well companion pieces llke the David Davies assay by a pessimistic onlooker. Hey!, with a Brown after a Blair, what else would you expect? Now, if only Nov. 4 brings relief, however slight, from OUR eight-year nightmare and decades-old slumber.

–Frank Eng on Jun 24, 2008

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