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Academic

: Essentially Contested America

Tavis Smiley on Patriotism & the Media's Hypocritical Treatment of Black and White Provocateurs

By Robert Justin Lipkin

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Tavis Smiley, PBS talk-show host and journalist, never impressed me as anything more than a pleasant man. Frankly, I could never sit through an entire episode of his show because Smiley seemed to lack any discernible ts:

substance. I've misjudged people before, but this time was a doozie. Recently, I watched "Real Time with Bill Maher" and Mr. Smiley was one of the guests. The topic of the conversation centered around the debacle in Iraq and the controversy over Senator Obama's pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Smiley eloquently pointed out the existence of an invidious double-standard regarding how we mercilessly condemn black provocateurs, yet show supererogatory tolerance toward white provocateurs. Specifically, he compared the media's condemnation of Reverend Jeremiah Wright for some harsh, but true, remarks about America's failings with Pat Buchanan's "racially arsonist" comments urging African Americans to display the requisite degree of gratitude for being given the opportunity of living in America. How could people born into an African culture be anything but grateful for being kidnapped from their home and permitted to be slaves whose job it was to build America? Such ingratitude is mystifying.

That's just the surface of Mr. Smiley's insightful commentary. He also quoted Frederick Douglas remark "I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery-the great sin and shame of America! I will not equivocate, I will not excuse; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, shall not confess to be right and just...." Smiley's allusion to Douglas expresses a deep sense of "patriotism," which can also be expressed as "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." Mr. Smiley's patriotism is not the faux patriotism of flag-wavers; instead, his patriotism is the genuine article. We're lucky to have Mr. Smiley on the cultural and political scene and I promise never again to under-appreciate his thoughtful, perceptive insight into American history and political culture.

I'd love to display the video of Mr. Smiley's magnificent performance on Maher's show, but alas the following video will have to be sufficient.