America's Radical 'Foremost Intellectual' (Ta-Nehisi Coates)

American Thinker ^ | July 23, 2015 | Jonathan Keiler

[2ndDivisionVet]

Readers of this website may not realize it, but America’s foremost public intellectual, especially on matters of race, is a fellow named Ta-Nehisi Coates, who for the mainstream media and liberal elites is the go-to guy. If you’ve never heard of him, don’t worry, you don’t matter.

Coates is a canny writer and blogger at the Atlantic magazine and the author of two widely praised books. Like President Obama’s books, one is a coming-of-age memoir, the other an “I’ve made it memoir -- but still got a lot to complain about.” He’s also written two influential articles on race. Generally, with the exception of an ugly internet spat, Coates has been feted on the left, with the Washington Post’s Carlos Lozada reporting the elite media have bestowed the foremost intellectual title, though Lozada has a few carefully nuanced caveats.

If you are thinking that as America’s top intellectual Coates’ works are sober, considered, even-handed explorations of race and society you’d be mistaken. Coates is a dyed-in-the-wool radical black nationalist, son of a Black Panther, a fan of Malcolm X and Jeremiah Wright, and a critic of President Obama for not being “black” enough or sufficiently championing African-American interests.

Coates is a talented (if undisciplined and wordy) writer, whose first book The Beautiful Struggle is in the mold of Richard Wright’s great Manchild in the Promised Land. But from the much inferior and ill-chosen title, to the writing, The Beautiful Struggle, while readable and fitfully entertaining, is second-rate. Coates’ recent memoir, on the other hand, though robotically praised and rushed into publication to take advantage of the country’s recent racial turmoil, is little more than a turgid screed about white racism.

In both works, Coates’ relies on victimhood to make his case....

[2ndDivisionVet]

You might remember him as a proponent of slavery reparations not that long ago.

[Cowboy Bob]

I guess being an “intellectual” doesn’t require any intelligence.

[equaviator]

“The Beautiful Struggle”

Pronounced “shtruggle”

[ComputerGuy]

They are motivated by jealousy first and foremost.

[DH]

The definition of “intellectual.”

One who thinks. That’s all they do....nothing else.

However, the word conjures up visions of the “Wizard of Oz” and the superior ability to be absolutely correct in anything their amazing minds spew forth...even though a room full of them discussing a single common topic will involve the “heavy thoughts” of each and every one of them with different opinions, each and everyone of them...WRONG!

Ever notice that common sense and real science never back their stupid statements?

[driftless2]

The essence of Coate's uh philosophy: Evil Whitey is responsible for all black problems. Gee whiz, I've never heard that before from black scribblers. (snicker)

[Jimmy Valentine]

He has a piece in the most recent New York Magazine. Nothing but self pitying whining in prose that is all but unreadable

[Moltke]

Pronounced “shtruggle”

Or "Kampf".

[FreedomPoster]

BAM!

That just nails it.

[Moltke]

Thanks!

Just saw him on that Jon Stewart show though...inarticulate idiot (Coates, that is). No way he ever wrote a book all by himself. My implied comparison may have been well off the mark. The intent is there, but the skills surely are not.