Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America

by John McWhorter

Why do so many African Americans—even comfortably middle-class ones—continue to see racism as a defining factor in their lives? Columbia University linguistics professor John McWhorter, born at the dawn of the post-Civil Rights era, spent years trying to make sense of this question. In this book he dared to say the racism's ugliest legacy is the disease of defeatism that has infected Black America. Losing the Race explores the three main components of this cultural the cults of victimology, separatism, and anti-intellectualism that are making Black people their own worst enemies in the struggle for success. With Losing the Race, a bold new voice rises among Black intellectuals.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Race, Sociology, History, Education, African American

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

John Hamilton McWhorter (Professor McWhorter uses neither his title nor his middle initial as an author) is an American academic and linguist who is Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where he teaches linguistics, American studies, philosophy, and music history. He is the author of a number of books on language and on race relations. His research specializes on how creole languages form, and how language grammars change as the result of sociohistorical phenomena.

A popular writer, McWhorter has written for Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Politico, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Daily News, City Journal, The New Yorker, among others; he is also contributing editor at The Atlantic and hosts Slate's Lexicon Valley podcas

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ouch. This is a pretty critical book of black America, the thesis basically being: now that U.S. society has removed so many barriers to black success, the real institutional racism is self-imposed, including among middle- and upper-class students. I was predisposed to disagree with this argument but as he runs through statistics and anecdotes to support his views, I found it more and more compelling and aligned on my own observations. These include:
* A dominant cultural trait of outwardly saying school is important but not loving learning for learning's sake (something that is present in mainstream culture as well). The utilitarian approach to school (e.g. just doing enough to pass the test rather than reading for fun) for fear of being pegged as white means that you never really absorb the material and put yourself at a disadvantage in the long run.
* A belief that most black people are constantly subject to discrimination despite actual life experience subtly makes you hold yourself back because you expect to fail. I think there's a lot of truth in the idea that if you expect that people are jerks that you will find that they are jerks, whereas if you believe that people are fair you will have a lot more friends and generally be treated fairly. A wider reading of history in the U.S. and current conditions in other countries makes it hard to believe that black people, like orchids, can only thrive under perfect conditions.

The book is 10 years old now but I think the arguments are still relevant. The good news is that life is a lot easier for black Americans that it was 50 years ago but changing a culture doesn't come easy. I could see that a black student absorbing the author's arguments would risking having no black friends.

Weaknesses of the book:
* His afterword acknowledges that he could have anticipated some counter arguments better.
* He repeats himself a bit but the writing is not too dense.
* Probably too much reliance on personal anecdotes given his criticism of black intellectuals for doing the same thing.
* Too much focus on his academic world. More discussion/arguments regarding working adults would make book more relevant.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A black American linguist, a professor at UC Berkeley, examines ways in which African American culture undermines the chances for success of individual blacks, as well as for the race, as a group. Biting criticism, delivered in intensely articulate prose. A favorite of mine.

[Michael Leak]

This book is awful. He's bouncing around using weak examples while saying little to nothing. If we are losing the race its cause of people who think like he does. He's in love with white folks that is why a black conference is not as good and accurate as a "mainstream" conference. He wrote this for the professors at his university to give him praise and doggy treats cause that was a booty-lickin book and John McWhorter is a disgrace to every ground Philaldelphian but I can't blame him cause he went to Quaker School. He never got a real taste of the black community so he fabricates it and listens to his white colleagues who know less about it than he does. I hate this book. I almost want to fight this dude for this garbage. And anybody who agrees with it is worse than he is cause he knows he's wrong.

[Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

On one hand, this was a riveting and engaging read. Coming from the perspective of a linguist with a background in drama, McWhorter offers a fresh take on African-American underachievement. Interesting tidbits bristled throughout, and his personal narrative is weaved in. Nonetheless, the way he handles the evidence is outrageous.

McWhorter argues that the cultural factors of victimology, separatism, anti-intellectualism, not external racism, are the major impediments to African-American success. He claims that aside from police brutality, racism has all but vanished; in the workplace, in the criminal justice system. He says, "Thus it is simply not true that black people are paid less than white people for doing the same work, on any level" (p. 10). This is infuriating. He offers nothing more than the following: In about half the counties in the U.S. two-parent black families make more than whites. This may (quite usefully) suggest that the lower-rate of two-parent African American homes can explain some of the low income of African Americans, and this would be OK if he offered more evidence. But he didn't. If you want to test whether blacks make less than whites for the same work, you look at how much the two races make doing the same work. You don't go looking at county-level data.

To illustrate, take two places I've lived in: The DC metro area and Buffalo, NY. In metro DC, whites are primarily doctors and lawyers. Asians are mostly techies. Of course whites make more. In contrast, whites in Buffalo, NY are primarily blue-collared folk. Asians there are virtually all associated with the university. Who do you think makes more in that case? If I were to use McWhorter's reasoning, I would hold up Buffalo to make the case that Asians make more than whites for the same work (or vice versa holding up DC).

Before reading this, I haven't looked at income data in depth and I won't for the sole purpose of writing a review, but I've previously encountered voluminous evidence blacks are discriminated against in the workplace. For example here are unemployment rates for STEM graduates by race:

Whites 5.2%
Blacks 9.9%

Roughly the same education level, double the unemployment rate. Another study showed that African-American NFL head coaches won more, improved their teams more, but were fired faster than their white counterparts (The problem has been identified and gunned down). Yet another study showed that black employment increased after drug-testing was implemented - meaning that previously employers just assumed African-Americans did drugs. I can go on and on.

I also dispute his claim that the justice system isn't racist also, but due to interest of time, I won't go into it.

It was interesting to learn that the phrase "I'm doing with that" originated with blacks celebrating their shared oppression. Reminded me of the lyrics to a country song: "I miss back when...when a screw was a screw, and the wind was all that blew, and when you said 'I'm down with that' it meant you had that flu."

On to separatism. McWhorter argues that separatism (1) reinforces the "dumb black myth," (2) is a drag on hiring and employment, and (3) "makes [AAs] inferiors." He points out the tendency of blacks in the humanities to only study black-related subjects (Mormon scholars have this same problem). Fair enough. But he does not address the reason for separatism, highlighted in the Autobiography of Malcolm X: If you keep begging white people to be with them, they will still to look down upon you.

He also claimed that absolutely nothing good came out of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. That's not true; the Nation has been more successful than Christians in reducing drug use in inner cities. And it also produced Malcolm X (although he later converted to orthodox Islam).

Finally, McWhorter argues that there is an anti-intellectual strain in African-America that holds them back, and even devotes a separate chapter to unearth its roots. I really appreciate the case he makes and to bolster the empirical rigor of his case, I would also offer the Roland Fryer study, "An Economic Analysis of Acting White," which showed that African-Americans who earn straight A's lose an average of 1.5 African-American friends.

What's lacking in this section is the lack of a control group. Yes, anti-intellectualism is endemic to African-American society, but it is also prevalent in all of America. He feebly acknowledges this, but blithely dismisses it as a teenage thing (p. 155). Not so. On the contrary, to quote Isaac Asimov: “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” Nobody likes Al Gore the know-it-all. Attitudes toward evolution, climate change, and vaccinations are good examples.

He devotes a chapter each to affirmative action and ebonics. The chapter on ebonics was especially interesting. His line in the conclusion is illustrative of his attitude throughout the entire book: "As I write, the two statistics commonly used to define black conditions are that blacks make 61 percent of what whites make...a myth that needs replacing. I suggest that we replace it with a positive statistic to keep our progress front an center in our minds." Translation: I don't like that statistic, give me another one.

McWhorter takes a moderate position on affirmative action; keep it in business hiring in order to overcome the old boys network, but can it in academia. The result will be fewer blacks at elite colleges, but I think that that would reinforce the perception among AAs that school isn't for them.

He also doesn't address another argument for affirmative action: the value of diversity. Berkeley definitely hired him for his unique research interest.

In closing, I want to address something that served as a limitation of thesis; is personal experience with racism. He said that despite being beautiful, his sister was not chased at a predominantly white high school, except for an overweight white guy. McWhorter did not share his own experience with dating at the same school. I wonder about is place in the pecking order (black guys, black girls do not stand in the same spot). He said that in Hollywood, blacks are often given roles with no personalities. For instance, Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts had no romantic relationship, only subtle "sexual tension" (p. 108). Tough life, huh, professor? How does that compare to the complete absence of Asian objects of masculinity, and Asian male romantic leads in the media. And I'm not just being petty; the practical consequence of this is that we Asian men end up outside the typical girl's archetype, being nobody's Brad Pitt, nobody's Denzel Washington. This is something we're forced to work around.

As someone who is not AA, working to remove the barriers of structural racism is more my business than the cultural barriers. As for the cultural factors that impede AA success, I hope this book reaches McWhorter's intended audience (based on Goodreads reviews, he did a few). Overall in spite of its many short comings, I think the book is useful.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, 4.5*. I was so impressed by the candor and decisiveness that went into McWhorter's arguments. I cannot imagine the backlash he received from affirmative action advocates. The closing section of his book was particularly painful to read, because I whole-heartedly sympathized with his perspective of being cheated out of his real sense of accomplishment due to how his career came about. I absolutely loved this book and feel that its tenets far outreach the topic/s it addresses. I experienced some pretty brutal moments of self-reflection too. Victimology is a condition that can be easy and a welcome enough path for anyone to embrace, and there were several passages that reminded me that you are the obstacle in your own way. I liked this book so much (despite a few superfluous apostrophes - which will be forgiven on account of McWhorter being a linguist and not a grammarian), that I feel impelled to write to him expressing my complete admiration at his willingness and ability to attack such a sensitive subject- particularly at the certain peril of being ostracized by others within his race and field. He did it regardless, and I greatly admire the character it must have taken. I loved his delivery. It is done in a manner eloquent and concrete enough as to be utterly convincing as well as entertaining at times. I appreciated the approach he took in dealing with opposing viewpoints and those who expressed them, carefully distinguishing flaws in the arguments instead of flaws in the people themselves. There were a few moments I particularly enjoyed, but some aren't what I'd include in the quotes section. I'll include my favorite:

"Imagine telling a Martian who expressed an interest in American educational policy: 'We allow whites in only if they have a GPA of 3.7 or above and an SAT of 1300 or above. We let blacks in with a GPA of 3.0 and an SAT of 900. Now, what we have been pondering for years now is why black students continue to submit higher grades and scores than this so rarely.' Well, mercy me---what a perplexing problem!"

BRILLIANT!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writer has his finger on the trigger. If only the rest of us could get behind him and pull it. Writing style is a little stiff at times, but the ideas are still important enough that you push through.

[Charlise Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I disagreed with many of his points, I did find this book quite thought provoking at the very least. There will always be the question of individual agency regarding the condition of the black community today, and while I personally believe it plays less of a role than this author suggests, I do believe it is worth examination and discussion as we look for ways forward.

[John-paul Pagano · Rating 4 out of 5]

McWhorter's prose can be canned and repetitive, but he's an engaging writer and his thesis here is both plausible and a welcome antidote to racist explanations of the achievement gap between African and Hispanic-Americans and their peers.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Losing the Race av James McWhorter från mynningen på 2000-talet flaggar varnandes över den svarta amerikanska befolkningens självdestruktiva subkultur, i hans ord (som afroamerikan själv, om det behövs påpekas). Jävligt mycket text med minimalt radavstånd och i pocketformat = marigt.

Trots kraftiga ingrepp och initiativ från offentlig samt privat sektor kvarstår den oproportionerliga underprestationen för svarta elever, som sedan leder till underrepresentation på höga positioner inom finanssektorn, akademin etc. Samtidigt äger en kraftig överrepresentation rum hos svarta amerikaner i fängelsen. Flera dylika exempel tas upp i boken som sedan bemöts av författaren med en förklaringsmodell vilket utesluter att felet ligger i en omfattande, strukturell rasism. När flertalet faktorer kontrolleras i olika fallstudier verkar svarta studenter konsekvent prestera svagast oavsett socioekonomisk bakgrund, privat eller offentlig skola, om majoriteten av skolans elever/lärare är minoriteter eller vita och olika åldrar (middle/high school, college etc).

McWhorter presenterar 3 centrala begrepp som kännetecknar den svarta amerikanska kulturen (post-1960-tal): Victimology, Separatism och Anti-intellectualism. I kort (för att jag har slutat tagit omfattande anteckningar när jag läser (känner både frihet samt ångest över det)) kommer den kulturella offeridentiteten till liv, helt förståeligt och tragiskt nog, efter att en folkgrupp som varit förslavade och segregerade upp mot 300 års tid i ett land plötsligt ges frihet och rätten att gå upp till ens forne förtryckare och uttrycka sitt ”missnöje”, som McWhorter beskriver det hela.

Offeridentiten, som författaren försöker påvisa, är inget medvetet stunt av svarta amerikaner, utan en kulturell tragedi som snarare förlamar generationer av svarta medborgare och ligger djupt indoktrinerad. I den upplevda övertygelsen att man som grupp är segregerad och diskriminerad i samhällets alla skikt uppstår tanken att det ”normala” inte inkluderar de själva. Kulturen och normerna är ”de vitas” och allt som berör svart kultur anses som alternativt och inte en del av den amerikanska. Här odlas fram känslan av separatism (i kort). Det tredje och sista begreppet, Anti-Intellectualism, är en förgrening av de tidigare två som författaren lägger stor del av boken att argumentera för dess legitimitet. Ifall den amerikanska kulturen är någon som exkluderar de svartas erfarenheter så blir det symptomatiskt att även akademi, utbildning och det här med skola överlag något som vita håller på med. Varje försök till uppmuntran att lyckas i skolan (som det naturliga första steget i livet, men även senare på universitet) blir ett cyniskt tillvägagångssätt att beröva svarta på deras egna kultur, då att vara svarta är ett liv i förtryck, fattigdom, omgiven av kriminalitet och permanent utanförskap. Med dessa starka, internt hållna, stereotyper väcks begrepp fram som "Uncle Tom", "Oreo" och "Acting White" fram mot framgångsrika svarta amerikaner som anses ha svikit den svarta gruppen och dess kultur, därav blir de bannlysta och utfrysta.

Boken byggs på empirisk fakta så väl som anekdoter från författarens erfarenheter som professor i lingvistik samt när han själv studerade. (Minst) en slående fråga väcks när statistiken visar tydligt att andra minoriteter utklassar svarta amerikaner i utbildning och inkomst (samt sin frånvaro från lägre inkomster och fängelser). Svarta som är födda i USA har i regel bättre socioekonomiska förutsättningar än invandrare från Karibien och Nigeria (m.fl ur annat etniskt ursprung): Om folkgrupper som invandrar från andra länder, med sämre utgångsläge och samma hudton utklassar svarta afroamerikaner - är svaret då strukturell rasism? McWhorter, som har sitt svar på frågan, menar först och främst att frågan måste kunna ställas utan att bli anklagad för att påstå att rasism är ett minne blott. På näst sista sidan skriver han vädjande:

”While not falling prey to the equally treacherous fiction that we have completely overcome (racism), we must not be tempted by the seduction of underdoggism into turning a blind eye to how very close we are to the mountaintop”.

Spola fram 20 år senare och raskritikern Robin Diangelo skriver i White Fragility på fjärden sidan är att den största bidragande faktorn till rasism i Amerika (och världen överlag) är den ”vita progressiva*” (*läs humanistiskt liberala). Att rasism vilar överallt är mer av ett axiom idag och det förankras diskursteori och relativism. Fan, till och med i ett segment i den här boken tar han upp några erfarenheter från ”svarta konferenser för lärande” (ish) och påpekar att vissa påståenden ger ett ekande Michel Foucault (!). Sedan, nästan tragikomiskt, försäkrar han sig själv och läsaren om att: Jaja, den här sortens låga akademiska nivå finns tyvärr, men det är såpass dåligt att den kan inte ens överta fältet ”African-American Studies” som McWhorter själv är/var verksam i som professor i lingvistik. Han skriver detta år 2000.

Jag stannade mitt i läsningen och mådde så jävla dåligt. Pluckrose och Lindsay, skrivet efter att den akademiska atombomben redan hade detonerats, gav den historiska återblicken av just postmodernismens evolution och övergången mellan Applied postmodernism, där McWhorter i sin bok befinner sig, och Reifed Postmodernism, en framtid som är idag vilket han inte ens ser som en möjlighet. Man kan säga att cancern (dessa idérön) spred sig från hudens yttersta lager (absurda konferenser med högst tveksamma nivåer hos föreläsare) till lymfkörtlarna (hela akademiska fält) och nu angriper den vitala organ (fundamentala koncept och idéer som kännetecknar moderniteten och det fria samhället) vilket sätter kniven mot strupen (den liberala demokratin). I kort kan man säga att BLM är ett förkroppsligande av McWhorters antites - och då skall det nämnas att han har mycket bra utläggningar kring polisbrutalitet och vissa problematiska element i samhället som tangerar med rasism mot svarta vilket ingen sund, rationell människa skulle kunna invända sig mot. McWhorters kemoterapi i det här fallet utgör bokens sista 50 sidor där i kort och gott handlar det om att vill man nå sann jämlikhet måste man bemöta alla lika värda, vilket utgör dödsstöten för flera progressiva politiska idéer som kvoteringar, att se fall av polisbrutalitet som fruktansvärda händelser men, desto viktigare, isolerade fall i sig som kan lösas med konkreta åtgärder än akademiskt flum etc. Min favorit handlar om att våga (från "samhällets" håll) uppmana svarta till att konkurrera med andra på samma villkor, för att tvinga den subkulturen bort från offerskapet där framgång istället uppmuntras för att vara något universellt gott, än något som vita håller på med.

Varför rekommenderas inte den här boken under Black History Month av biblioteket, Akademibokhandlen, Adlibris etc? En kan ju endast undra, då hela grejen med det konceptet är väl knappast att man ska ge enbart utrymme åt en förklaringsmodell som man bara ska gapa och svälja i sig utan motfråga, i synnerhet om man tillhör majoritetsbefolkningen?

punktpunktpunkt

[N. N. Santiago · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taken from a CUNY TV interview with McWhorter about his later book ‘Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America’:

Interviewer: The thesis and the argument make sense, the one thing I was concerned with was the lack of data. Obviously, impressionalistically and intuitively you get the feel, but have there been longitudinal studies or cross-sectional studies, data, looking at the black masses either with survey research or focus groups, that could really document this phenomenon that you’re talking about?

McWhorter: That’s an interesting question Doug, and of course the answer is no, and I think that it would be impossible because we’re talking about covert sentiments for example, you can’t ask someone ‘are you a victim of therapeutic alienation, are you expressing these political views because it makes you feel comfortable’, people aren’t aware of these things, so…

Interviewer: Right, but you could get around that - a good survey researcher or…

McWhorter: I honestly don’t think that any kind of empirical research could identify it, and so, if there is a weakness in any kind of analysis such as mine…

[Piotr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting that this book about victimization got so much media attention, but all in all the ideas are neither novel nor very provocative, comparatively speaking. It's a little naïve to label McWhorter as a "black conservative" for simply disagreeing with the leftist thought-police that fills academia...But he does give ammo to douchebag conservatives who can now say "See, blacks are digging their own social graves! We even have a black person who agrees with us!"

I guess to reach a mainstream audience he had to dilute this a bit, but it's still an interesting read. I would love to check out his follow-up, Winning the Race.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this account fascinating and wish that more Americans, no matter what the shade of their skin, would read it. McWhorter's thoughtfully written and well-researched book about a sometimes non-politically correct subject provides great insight into race relations and human behavior. Since reading this book, I regularly visit McWhorter's web site. I am always interested in what he has to say about progress and regress in race relations and admire his conviction, especially since his opinion, in my experience, differs with that of most whites and blacks alike.

[Sarah Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes this book had me gnashing my teeth in rage and at other times it had me nodding thoughtfully. I think that for many people it will be a hard book to take, with it's criticisms for established black activists. Regardless of your viewpoint, I think this book is worth reading with an open mind. McWhorter asks some serious questions here. I don't know if he has the right answers, but they at least make you stop and do some serious thinking about the state of things.

[Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the first 15 pages, I quickly thought how did I pick up this book?! This guy definitely has opposite politics from me.

But after continuing on and finishing the book I can honestly say the thesis was compelling. As a young millennial in college, I don't know if all aspects are still relevant today but I realized I was nodding my head several times throughout the book.

So in that regard I'm thankful for not giving up on this book as soon as I realized we had different politics.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very thought-provoking; a NOLA evacuee who stayed with me for several weeks read it at the same time as me, and we were able to have some really lively conversations about the ideas put forth. Worth reading, certainly, though dry and repetitive at times (though the latter is insignificant compared to the value of the content).

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

McWhorter wrote up his own personal thoughts and experiences without giving any thought to how someone else's upbringing or individual experiences may have impacted their current status or condition. This linguist needs to focus on his area of expertise and leave this subject matter to sociologists.

[Kyle Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Offers a different perspective on awareness problems in the African American community and suggestions to overcome them. While I was a student at UCF John Mcwhorter came to my cross cultural psychology class where we listened to him explain his perspective. It would have been nice to have a discussion, but the time did not permit.

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not get the Ebonics argument AT ALL, I attribute a lot of that stuff to regional dialects, but otherwise, this book was WAAAY better than I anticipated and McWhorter came across as someone I'd like if I met him.

[Kris Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am digging this book. This guy is fantastic! Anyone else read him?

I didn't quite finish it thoroughly, but enjoyed his style of writing, his premise and his views. Excellent book!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't agree with everything in McWhorter's indictment, but he is a thoughtful person and a cogent writer. Definitely worth the read.

[Theresa Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book by a brilliant (and very courageous) man. I love his work. It is so refreshingly honest and in the face of appalling "Woke" nonsense it is a breath of fresh air.

[Underconsumed Knowledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manifesto written by black linguist John McWhorter at a mere 34 years of age in 2000 has both stood the test of time and remains incredibly relevant; it could have been written yesterday. If one cannot see that McWhorter writes out of a love for black people and a desire to actually try to help his fellow people, given the inability to wave racism out of existence with a magic wand, they are being willfully ignorant. There exists a three-pronged cultural set of beliefs and practices in the African-American community that winds up holding the race back in what the author purports to be an act of “self-sabotage.” He argues that the set of beliefs are nothing other than what one would expect to emerge from a formerly oppressed minority all of the sudden thrust into society as it was in the 1960s; these sets of cultural beliefs are “not black people’s fault,” but they are nonetheless holding them back. “Centuries of abasement and marginalization led African Americans to internalize the way they were perceived by the larger society, resulting in a postcolonial inferiority complex. After centuries of degradation, it would have been astounding if African Americans had not inherited one...” “I do not want to brand black American culture “guilty” of its own academic failure, but simply as the locus of it, so that we can more effectively solve the problem. It is not the fault of black Americans that they have inherited Anti-intellectualism from centuries of disenfranchisement, followed by their abrupt inclusion in American life before they had time to shed the internalization of their oppressors debased view of them...” Black beliefs incorporate 1. victimology 2. black separateness and 3. anti-intellectualism. The cult of victimology maintains that all black people are victims, across time and space and class. “I will show that black America is currently caught in certain ideological holding patterns that are today much, much more serious barriers to black well-being than is white racism, and constitute nothing less than a continuous, self-sustaining act of self-sabotage.” McWhorter says the entire black community suffers from an inferiority complex, and that playing the victim feels good, egged on by race hustlers like Al Sharpton. In contrast, MLK, “...was not having a good time” in contrast to Sharpton who “is having parties” and revels in “the cheap thrills of getting to stick it to whitey.” “Insisting that black Americans still lead lives of tragedy forty years after the Civil Rights Movement is a desecration of brave and noble black Americans who gave their lives for us. Martin Luther King did not sit in those jail cells so that black professors could make speeches about the hell they live in and then drive to their $200,000 homes in Lexuses and plan their summer vacations to Antigua.” “...much black academic work is not assessment of facts and testing of theories, but chronicling victimhood and reinforcing community self-esteem.” He points out that the majority of black people are actually middle-class or better, and that most do not live in “the hood”, most do not sell drugs, and most are not poor. He acknowledges the existence of racism, but says that it must not be the primary focus, particularly if one is black and is not in that lower 20% of black people. “Every time a black person outside of a ghetto calls herself oppressed because of scattered inconveniences as opposed to the brute horrors that our ancestors lived with daily, she is saying that Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King didn’t accomplish anything but get some signs taken off some water fountains... That, if you ask me, is sacrilege.” Victimology gives “failure, lack of effort, and even criminality a tacit stamp of approval.” Victimhood moves “from a problem to be solved into an identity in itself.” It does “nothing to enhance the upward mobility” of black people. It involves, “...wielding self-righteous indignation less as a spur to action than as a self-standing action in itself because it detracts attention from the inadequacies we perceive in ourselves by highlighting those of the other.” -- the tattle-tale. Secondarily, black separateness, similar to the Cornel West “closing-ranks" of black people argument (Clarence Thomas confirmation example), means that black people are only interested in things which are “black.” Likewise, one must always have solidarity with other blacks, and cannot pursue those things which black culture looks down upon. It offers “escape from the vicissitudes of making our way into realms so recently closed to us.” This segues into the third prong, anti-intellectualism, where black culture, he argues, does not value education, curiosity for its own sake, and a general affinity for learning. One does not read “white books” like those written by Tolstoy. “Black Anti-intellectualism can often seem like a jolly and even healthy alternative to sterile nerdishness, but it is also, as I have noted, the main reason blacks underperform in school.” Echoing Sowell, there is a disdain for “Acting white” which can lead students who might become otherwise curious to instead become intellectually un-curious in their high school and college years. He points out the insult, “Yeah, well, you’re still black” as if to mean someone can never out-intelligent or achieve their way out of their inferior black status. “The black person who, for one reason or another, sheds cultural blackness is viewed with ire in the black community because it is automatically assumed that the person considers herself not simply different from, but better than, black people.” This would not happen amongst the Jews, he says. Echoing Sowell, he cites numerous personal examples of solidly middle-class African-American college students who continue to disappoint him with their subpar work and substandard effort. He also states this is the case amongst other professors he confers with. He says the way forward means acknowledging that progress has been made; “Because black Americans have obviously made so very much progress since the Civil Rights Act, to adopt victimhood as an identity, a black person, unlike, for example, a Hutu refugee in Central Africa, must exaggerate the extent of his victimhood.”. Thus, “...depicting black American life as an apocalyptic nightmare when except for the quarter who are poor, it would, warts and all, be the envy of most people on the planet, is plain.” (Emphasis mine). He says people keep harping at victimology due to insecurity. There has been “a miraculous social revolution” yet African Americans maintain a “professional pessimism” “out of sync with reality.” “As cancer eats away healthy tissue, this Victimology cult, obsessed with what the Man did last week, expends energy that would be better devoted to moving ahead and figuring out what we are doing to do next week.” He points out that there is no one more American than a black person; they have been here just as long as everyone else; he has no ties to anywhere else, yet he is always considered first and foremost to be “black.” He points out that the black Congressional caucus was a sponsor of crack-crackdowns, which were aimed at “the murderous culture that was decimating blacks young and old in the inner cities.” (In a more recent NYT op-ed, he advocates ending the drug war, acknowledging points made by Michelle Alexander, and that the violence surrounding crack is no longer an issue). He argues, “...in certain areas where certain kinds of crime are rampant, a police officer can, quite reasonably, stop more young black people, especially males, than any other type of person without being racist at all; on the contrary, to do so is often the only logical way to effectively fight crime.” He recounts his own run-ins with the police as a black man, saying, “I felt that what had happened was a sign that the black underclass is America’s greatest injustice, and that I ought take it as a call to action to do as much as I can to help rescue the underclass so that such encounters with the police won’t be necessary.” He questions, “When is the last time Maxine Waters convened a group of thinkers and activists to work out a plan to spark entrepreneurship in South Central...? Instead, Waters chases a mythical CIA crack conspiracy like Ahab pursued Moby Dick... Victimology hinders black leaders from lending significant and creative energy to breaking cultural patterns that those born into them are largely powerless to change. Victimology, focusing attention on pointing fingers at whitey, blinds us to the potential for inner-city residents to take part in changing their lives, thus making failure look much more inevitable than it is.” Of whites, “Often under the impression that they are working on behalf of the oppressed, they fail to realize that they are feeding hatred against themselves, which also in turn discourages blacks from helping themselves to be helped, by infecting them with the idea that they are hunkered behind a barracks against a barrage of outrageous racism.” He points out the injustices suffered by the Chinese and the Jews in America, but that has not begged a lower bar for them. He says black authoritarian parenting styles discourage the development of outside the box thinking, as well as questioning the way things are done. The cultural patterns, “This frame of mind is so deeply rooted in these people’s very souls that to let it go would entail a massive sociopsychological dislocation few human beings are capable of or willing to endure." Change is hard, and people like McWhorter and Kmele Foster are trying to lead the change. “The person who one considers incapable of coping with any hardship whatsoever, who one considers capable of achievement only under ideal conditions, is someone one pities, cares for, and perhaps even likes, but is not someone one respects, and thus is someone one does not truly consider an equal.” “But indulging the resultant chronic self-righteous doubletalk, ironically we are now blocking the integration the Civil Rights Movement sought.” McWhorter rightly points to the lower 20% of black people as suffering in a true state of victimhood, but that it is the role of other blacks to not steep in victimhood, but to pull the race forward with strength and initiative. “Cognitive dissonance and unfocused resentment are handicaps to emotional health and being all that one can be... posture over action... regardless of the historical reasons... doomed to remain America’s poster-child race apart.” McWhorter argues it is time to take off the training wheels of Affirmative Action, as raising the bar is the only thing that will force black achievement to go up.

“This dwelling upon a mere subset of possible views is not deliberate; black culture puts a mental block on even conceiving that other views might have any validity. The black person who takes issue with the basic assumption that white racism is omnipresent in all black lives is met with the torrid indignation rained elsewhere upon the Holocaust denier.”

Black people dismiss any black person who speaks out against affirmative action for any reason. “Such a blithe dismissal of the legitimacy of differing opinions is unexpected from someone trained in the law—unless he is a black American, because Victimology blinds the sufferer to any perspective outside of the Victimologist box.”

“Victimology seduces young black people... an easy road to self-esteem and some cheap thrills...”

“Only when the victimhood one rails against is all but a phantom does one have the luxury of sitting back and enjoying the sweet balm of moral absolution undisturbed.”

“...the black academics and journalists who dwell in Separatism do not know any other way to think... [it] is much more psychologically deep-seated than a mere political pose... it is... difficult to imagine being culturally “black” without.”

“...there is no tighter in-group definition in America today than blackness.”

“Law firms have to choose from dozens of interviewees for summer positions, and if a white person interviewing one of these men decided that she would rather hire the white guy she interviewed that morning because he laughed at her jokes, seemed like he would be more fun to have around, and in general did not give the impression of hating her, this does not make her a racist, it makes her human.” “The two black students were snubbed not because of racist bias, but because of their immersion in a Separatist sense of whites as malevolent aliens.” “people black, white, yellow, and brown would rather not spend time with people who have something against them.”

“...the person who cannot be taken to account is not an equal” of Separatism excusing bad behavior

“I spent a long time resisting acknowledging something that ultimately became too consistent and obvious to ignore, which was that black undergraduates at Berkeley tended to be among the worst students on campus, by any estimation. I tried my very best to chalk up each experience I had to local factors and personalities, but as one episode piled upon another, it got to the point where pretending that there was not a connection among them all would have required a suspension of disbelief beyond my capacity.”

“… I join legions of other black people who have reported in myriad articles and books that they were teased for being “smart.” Reports of the strong tendency for young African Americans to discourage one another from doing well in school are numbingly common both on paper and in oral anecdote form... black children are disengaged form school several years before they even confront tracking.” Other kids get called “Oreos.”

Theresa Saunders, black principal in Berkely, “The peer culture is such that it doesn’t acknowledge or reward academic achievement.”

“... the black person who chooses to truly embrace school has indeed had to all but leave the [black] culture.”

“Namely, a race preferring to reaffirm common wisdom rather than innovate, and distrusting prevision as “white,” is in a poor position to formulate strategies for its own advancement.”

“Good, concerned white people: Do not turn human beings into pawns in a sociological experiment that will not personally affect any of your nearest and dearest."

[Kiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love John McWhorter's classes and books on language, and came across this book as I was searching for one of those.

I was interested in it partly because he wrote it and partly because I've observed the effects of an abiding sense of victimhood in individuals, and have struggled with the question of how to end that subtle and destructive worldview.

So this book -- purporting to trace and address this phenomena in an entire subculture -- really caught my eye. I found it very insightful. Both for its direct topic -- the impact, manifestation, and roots of victimhood in a significant American subculture -- and also for the inferences it supports in relation to individuals of any culture.

The center of the book does drag a bit with redundancies. I believe that's because McWhorter foresaw heavy criticism, and was attempting to address every possible complaint. I was tempted a few times to just put the book down but I pushed on and ultimately found the ideas powerful and insightful enough to warrant a top rating.

[Jesse Rine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book with a different viewpoint that doesn't get much of a hearing nowadays. The author relies quite a bit on anecdotal evidence (which is often the kind of evidence one hears on the other side of the issue as well, honestly). I would have appreciated a more data-driven narrative, but a personal point of view from inside the culture is nevertheless a valuable addition to the debate. His personal story of affirmative action and its positive and negative effects is particularly striking. Overall, a solid, well-written (one would hope so, coming from a linguist!) read, and I'll be checking out his sequel "Winning the Race" out from the library next.

[Curtiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

John McWhorter's books on language ("Language Interrupted", etc...) were recommended to me by someone who saw me engrossed in Steven Pinker's "The Language Instinct"; and this was the only McWhorter book waiting to-be-read on my bookshelf. So far it's a devastating indictment of the widespread adoption of the Cult of Victimology by the black community in America, and the way victimology holds blacks back from achieving their full potential; even more than the remnants of latent (or blatent) racism in post-Civil Rights Era America.

[Zalee Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 283 pages, this author slaps Blacks that live in America in the face with a dose of reality that must be taken with a shot of Heaven Help Us!Take one look in the mirror - if you count more than one thing that is not naturally yours you might want to start over. Listen to yourself when you talk to people of other races - if you put down your own people, you might want to check yourself. When You see someone that is less fortunate than you, if you spew hate in your mind - You are guilty. The 10-page Index is also a great read.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a linguist, therefore a little hard to read, but I think everyone should read this. No matter what race you are, you will learn something, if not a lot, about Black/Brown American culture.

If you're White and ever wondered "what the deal was" "why so angry", etc, this book may shed some light for you.

[Izaiah Dawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bold new voice for black intellectuals.He was completely able to tap into the secret bitterness of the black community ,his insights are insane,but his knowledge is totally comprehensible.I love this book, it impacts the black flaw in its thinking and goes as far as to call into question the law system. The biggest question he answered for me : is being black in this society worth it?

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book and needs to be in the discussion of race in our country. It takes courage to go against the flow and this author does this.

If you want a different view than the mainstream race relation folks like Jesse Jackson read it.

[Brian Talbot · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting take on the struggles of the African-American community to pull parts of it out of the cycle of poverty and crime.
Probably just as overly one-sided as those he calls part of the problem, but well written and researched.