Cornel West’s Insight on Anderson Cooper 360°: America as a Failed Social Experiment (Video)
Cornel West has been bringing Anderson Cooper to tears as of late on national television in his dialogue with the philosopher and civil rights activist, who shares his insight on the eruption of protests in America, explains what he means when he says “…what we see, is America as a failed social experiment.”
On the imperial decline of America, Dr. Cornel West remarked similarly three years ago, that what we are seeing is “America as a failed social experiment.” This is not the time to discuss opinions specifically about Cornel West, and his “crazy” opinions, in regards to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as some people will find some way to ignore anything and tell those complaining to shut up, comply and love your country above all else. I have often been critical of the two as neo-liberal policies and Wall street oligarchs as well, but this is about the current administration in the Oval Office. There is a legitimate argument there when considering, despite the conflict between the two major political parties, that our system in a way does prove a failure.
“Read the business papers. Scandal after scandal after scandal. Big money in politics, and we wonder why we end up with such mediocre candidates. I mean, it’s embarrassing. But that’s what commodification can do. That what corruption can do. We saw it in the Roman Empire. And now we’re seeing it in the American Empire.”
CORNEL WEST, BAKER HALL (LEHIGH UNIVERSITY) LECTURE, 2016
Many have already shared this, but I would like to share it too — a message not always bound by the romantic hope and idealism so common of my attitude, but that which captures raw emotion of the reality of injustices. On the Right, in their circles, no one ever delves into the social issues, especially given the insult to high heaven of that very word, “social justice.” Those there who criticize and mock people socially engaged in civil justice, do it from a place of comfort. Instead, like Reactionaries’ they deflect, deny and reject. This is what is truly irking me.
“We haven’t given in to terrorism to get the freedom we’re after. We begin in our community, and we embrace each other and we embrace the world and our humanity. That’s integrity in the face of oppression. And you don’t learn that by osmosis.”
CORNEL WEST, BAKER HALL (LEHIGH UNIVERSITY) LECTURE, 2016.
After going over social media for weeks now, nothing has changed at all in how certain people think. I would agree with Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), and call on others to engage more with such knowledge and perspectives.
Frederick Douglass in a speech to Abolitionists.
We must continue to fight for a moral and spiritual awakening of this country. Do not give into political pessimism.
The American Minervan 