Chapter 2: Does George W. Bush Care About Black People

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Chapter 2 Does George W. Bush Care About Black
People?
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When the federal governmentfailed to respond in
a timely and life-saving mannerthey made
themselves vulnerable to the charge that race was
the obvious reason for the delay. (p.17)
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Even when fundamental changes in law and practice
occur--say, the Fourteenth Amendment, the Brown
v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, or
the Civil Rights Act of 1964--there is the
matter of racial vision and imagination to
consider. (p.18)
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The question shouldnt be whether race played a
role, but what role it played.(p.19)What role
did race playin the responses of various
people?Before anyone brought it to our
attention, were we thinking about race as we
watched?
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Dysons Metaphor Racism is like a cell phone

• Active malice is the ring tone at its highest
• Passive indifference is the ring tone on vibrate
• What does this metaphor mean?

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Even when the customs that ushered them into
prominence fade, those Southern whites who
inherit from their ancestorsthe rhythms, rules,
and relations of raceand the collective racial
unconsciousfind it difficult to defeat or betray
their racial orientation to the
world.(p.22)What cultural assumptions
(stereotypes) linger even as we strive to make
progress?How does our individual cultural
make-up, our knowledge and experience more than
our beliefs about our knowledge and experience,
frame what we perceive?
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His racial etiquette has been shaped in an ethos
of hard conservative forces that fought racial
progress when it was unfolding and roadblocks its
path today. (p.24)
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Historian W. Fitzhugh Brundage notes
(p.25)Most southern blacks, in rhapsodically
nationalist terms, imagine a biracial America in
which they would assume their place as equal and
full citizens.Doesnt everyone hope for this?
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To the same extent white southerners insisted on
their sectional identity, southern African
Americans exalted their national ties.Does
stronger sectional identity mean less national
identity?Does stronger national identity mean
less global identity?
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Most blacks...are fully invested in a
democratic and multiracial accounting of the
nations history.
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Such attitudes are the backdrop to rap artist
Kanye Wests extemporaneous comments on a TV
relief telethon, days after Katrina left the Gulf
Coast and federal relief was still slow.
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I hate the way they portray us in the media,
West offered off-the-cuff, you see a black
family, it says, Theyre looting (p.26)
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You see a white family, it says, Theyre
looking for food. And, you know its been five
days (p. 27)Did this really happen on TV news
broadcasts?
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West let out his final off-script
pronouncement George Bush doesnt care about
black people. (p.27)What makes some people
think George W. Bush doesnt care?
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Kanye Wests claimwas a claim not about Bushs
personal life, but about his professional
life.West was not referring to the presidents
personal sentimentsor concern for black
people. Was Kanye Wests claim a claim about
President Bush or about people like him? Meaning
whom?
16
West was speaking of George Bush as the face of
the government. Dysons three distinctions(p.28)
personae (private or public representation)iden
tities(individual, institutional, or social
sense of self)care(personal, oral, political)
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West points out the apparent lack of political
concern. Poor blacks matter very little in the
presidents political philosophy. In 2000, George
Bush got 8 percent of the black vote. In 2004, he
got 11 percent.(p.29)How do poor blacks figure
into the presidents political philosophy and
planning? Historically, what percentage of the
poor black vote did other presidents receive?
18
President Bush claimed that race played no role
(p.31)My attitude is this The storm didnt
discriminate and neither will the recovery
effort When those Coast Guard chopperswere
pulling people off roofs, they didnt check the
color of a persons skin. They wanted to save
lives.
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80 percent of New Orleans's minority households
lived in the flooded areathe same was true for
only 54 percent of the citys white
populationDoes this include the entire
metropolitan area including the suburbs?Why are
the poor located in these areas?
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During George Bushs presidency black poverty has
increased (p.32)See Brookings Institute
reference in Chapter 2 notes, p.216Do other
sources of statistics on black poverty come to
the same conclusion?How are we defining
poverty, anyway?How should we?
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The 150 year history of the federal government's
disaster relief efforts is the focus of the next
chapter.
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Additional Question Making from chapter 2What
was the quality of the response to Katrina?What
role did race play in the response?How did
competence/incompetence contribute to the quality
of the response?Did we collectively know how to
respond effectively? Had our country ever
responded better to a hurricane of this magnitude
and complexity? Could the poor response have
been deliberate, or was the response just bad
unintended consequences resulting from other
problems or policies?Did the administrations
anti-federal-government philosophy make a
situation requiring federal emergency assistance
even worse? (p.33)Did it make it better than it
would have been?Has black poverty increased
during the Bush years?
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End of Summary of Chapter 2 Does George Bush
Care About Black People?