Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism
by Cornel West
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cornel WestEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2004-09-02
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Book Reviews of Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism
Book Review: Preach it, Brother West!
Summary: 4 Stars
It's hard to know what to make of Cornell West, but more so of his detractors. West is a paradox. On one hand, he has held important positions at America's premier teaching institutions, like Harvard. On the other, he eschews the standard forms by which academics hold such position -- by publishing well-researched, highly-referenced works, many of which have little ultimate value. But West prefers sermons to citations and righteous exhortations to references.
In "Democracy Matters," the West style is in full flourish. He does not attempt to prove any of his statements, and hardly provides enough examples for the reader to be absolutely certain what he is referring to. He is a jazz artist of academe - floating serenely above the dull world of strict chord progressions and precisely-executed scales. This is simultaneously his strength and his greatest liability. The man has something to say that the safe, serene world of the academy cannot contain. On the other hand, a little rigor wouldn't hurt his cause.
In "Democracy Matters, "West preaches a sermon to an America that has become democratically lethargic and is losing interest in the impulses on which it was founded. West pins the blame on a trio of anti-democratic dogmas that underpin how Americans think about themselves and that propel our actions. The trio, (which due to ample repetition makes itself felt throughout the book) are free market fundamentalism, aggressive militarism and escalating authoritarianism. Needless to say, West is no fan of the Bush II administration, and he has little good to say about it adventurism overseas. But West has little use for Democrats, as current constituted, who he sees as captive to the same corrupting influence of market morality as Republicans,
West believes that America has failed to confront two uncomfortable realities that permeate its history: its lust for empire and its racism. The contention that America is a racist nation is irksome to many. But West wonders about a nation which spends so much time whitewashing its founders, who (like Jefferson and Washington) epitomize the paradox of our country: that men who themselves owned and oppressed other human beings could be the architects of a political system that sought to free itself of the oppressive rule of another nation. West scolds an America that can "grow big, grow powerful but not grow up" to maturely admit its faults and seek to redress them.
West's use of the concept of "nihilism" is problematic for some who prefer precise, philosophically-grounded definitions. West sweeps away these objections as irrelevant to his work. Nihilism represents those systems of values that fail to find their grounding in moral systems, but only in convenience or market success. West feels that the growth of these nihilisms, across party lines, is suffocating democracy. He identifies several nihilistic responses that shape the attitudes of Americans. Sentimental nihilism "provides an emotionally satisfying show," but is constrained when required to "expose uncomfortable truths." It is about "partisan punditry stretching truth into fabrication in search for a good story." It is about what passes for politics on much of television today, in which news and patriotism or packaged with the sole aim of increasing its profits and market share. Paternalistic nihilism infects the political landscape, encouraging the rise of leaders who pretend to speak for the citizenry, all the while being beholden to corporate interests and lobbyists. West sees George W. Bush as a classic exemplar of the genre, but names the Clintons and John Kerry among its practitioners. It's hard to argue with either insight.
But all is not lost. West identifies three antidotes or "fortifications" that temper the anti-democratic forces threatening our republic. The first is socratic questioning, in which an environment of dialog and questioning is tolerated and encouraged. The press once filled this role, but it is the responsibility of all citizens to keep their governments accountable.The second fortification is prophetic commitment, as practiced by the biblical prophets like Amos and Hosea up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and beyond. This prophetic commitment is often overwhelmed by "religious" appeals to nationalism and self-interest. But when it is resurgent, great things happen. And finally, the third fortification for democracy is tragicomic hope, which is the vessel within which democracy rides during times when antidemocratic tendencies reign.West sees this hope in the work of artists like Coltrane and Toni Morrison (for whose work he has particular affection) and in the prophetic work of many young hip hop stars of the present.
West then goes on to apply his insights to trouble spots around the world, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His position -- both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian is a gentle rebuke to those who insist that one side or the other shoulder all be blame for the conflict.
West's presentation is heartfelt and right on. It has the character of a sermon or gentle jeremiad, urging Americans off the road of self-righteous imperialism. His diagnosis of the racist and imperialistic rot at the core of our country's self-image is sadly accurate. As our recent supremacist exercise in Iraq demonstrates West's point that we are doomed to follow the lead of our twisted national conscience until we re-examine our founding myths that show our impulses as wholly pure.
West falls short only in his seeming lack of interest in proving his case. He presumes certain facts, then makes conclusions about them. I don't expect this book to make many converts. But West's greatest contribution is in providing a conceptual framework for thinking about our nation's history, and in goading us toward a nation that lives up to its democratic ideals. For all of the name-calling that West has been subjected to, "Democracy Matters" is a call to greater democracy and religious practice in line with the best impulses of both. You may not always agree with West, and you may occasionally find him confusing, but you will definitely be better off for having been taught at the feet of one of America's great patriots and compassionate human beings.
Summary of Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism
Praised by the New York Times for his ?ferocious moral vision,? Cornel West returns to the analysis of what he calls the arrested development of democracy with a masterful diagnosis. Pointing to the rise of three antidemocratic dogmas that are rendering the energy of American democracy impotent?a callous free-market fundamentalism, an aggressive militarism, and an insidious authoritarianism?West argues that racism and imperial bullying have gone hand in hand in our country?s inexorable drive toward world dominance, including our current militaristic excesses. This impassioned and empowering call for the revitalization of America?s democracy, by one of our most distinctive and compelling social critics, will reshape the raging national debate about America?s role in today?s troubled world.n Democracy Matters, Cornel West's follow-up to 1993's Race Matters, the author's diagnosis of the state of modern American democracy is grim. The institution suffers, he says, from what he calls free market fundamentalism, aggressive militarism and escalating authoritarianism, forces that put a stranglehold on efforts to achieve better social and political results on a global scale. These systemic problems exist simultaneous to a pervading sense of nihilism throughout the American corridors of power, West contends, making lawmakers feel that they are inherently virtuous because they are so powerful and accepting a system they know to be unjust, while the press sacrifices truth and insight in pursuit of a sentimental story. Along the way, West makes extensive use of literary and historical parallels, employing Alexis de Tocqueville, Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Toni Morrison and others, with grea! t efficacy for the most part, to illustrate his points. West's prescription calls for a path toward a style of Christianity more in keeping with what he sees as true Christian ideals as well as a greater enfranchisement and understanding of young people and youth culture. West has a lot to say and the vast scope of West's arguments could be construed in at least a couple of ways: either he boldly takes on the enormity inherent to the topic of democracy, or he loses his way and attempts to touch on too wide a swath of topics while rarely going into sufficient detail on any of them. Besides being a provocative author, West is a highly respected professor and Democracy Matters reads something like a university lecture sounds: often insightful, occasionally disjointed, periodically obtuse, and sometimes brilliant. But in the ongoing effort to establish a better democracy, Professor West's perspective is highly instructive. --John Moe
Democracy Books
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