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Keepin’ It PI (on Street Knowledge CD by Cornel West) This piece on Dr. West’s new CD entitled Street Knowledge is a collaboration of generations. Namely, the baby boom generation, which Dr. West represents, and the hip-hop generation to which rappers Killa Mike (of Outkast fame) and Lucky Witherspoon belong. The term ‘PI’ loosely translates in hip-hop jargon as “keeping it real”. In this piece Dr. West flips the term into an acronym denoting “Preserving Integrity”. Each of the three artists expresses their feelings on the subject. Dr. West chooses to illustrate the point in a personal way. He does so by speaking out in regard to a situation that occurred at Harvard University two years ago. It resulted in his voluntary departure. Dr. West’s departure from Harvard, the departure of other progressive thinking professors and the controversy regarding an inferior woman’s learning capacity for science and mathematics in which Harvard President Lawrence Summers is currently embroiled represent an important phenomenon. One, which has become more prevalent in today’s more intensified political climate. The methods instituted by president Summers since his arrival at Harvard represent a clinical attempt straight out of a conservative think tank to truncate dialogue for purposes of promoting a political agenda. Whether it be on behalf of some on the board of the Harvard Corporation or whomever, the important thing to realize is the long arm of the that brand of conservatism is now attempting to co-opt the agenda of our institutional bastions of education at it’s highest level for their own political gain. It has done so with much success with many of our religious institutions. It is attempting to continue to do so with our governmental financial institutions (social security), and primary educational institutions. The connection between what is happening at Harvard and how the strategy on the right has evolved is clear. If you can truncate the dialogue, you can therefore control it. Create a controlled dialectic and even if you lose the battle, you are that much further along in winning the war. In the case of Dr. West, just throw out the albatross of incompetence and let the detractors jump on board. The veracity of such allegations is inconsequential. Likewise were his comments regarding female diminished capacity in the field of science in comparison to males. Such attempts grant power elites an opportunity to solidify an agenda aimed at their own self-interest. Apathy from the greater populace is hopefully anticipated among those employing these tactics. Everyday ordinary people who fail to see it as his/her fight are the eventual losers. It’s not enough to extricate the managerial bully and professional thugery of one Lawrence Summers from Harvard. To do merely that would constitute victory for Mr. Summers and for those whom he represents. The damage has been done. We must recognize the tactics for what they are and wherever they exist. We must be vigilante as everyday people in analyzing how seemingly innocuous events affect our lives. As our options to engage in meaningful participation become fewer, the quality of our lives does suffer. Neither the right nor the left have a monopoly on principle or values. All benefit when the dialogue is free flowing and based upon principles of integrity that respects the humanity of all persons. That’s what we call Keepin It PI. Preserving Integrity! Cornel
West (of 4BMWMB) |
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