Democracy Matters: Wiinning the Fight Against Imperialism

This book is outstanding. It outlines our anti-democratic conditions permeating American democracy, both domestically and in foreign policy and draws on the deep foundations of democratic traditions needed to draw on to combat what have lost. We have reached a rare fork in the road and it is crucial to draw on such democratic energies. West outlines three antidemocratic dogmas that dominate our current political climate: 1. Free-market fundamentalism, which trivializes the concern of public interest. The overwhelming power and influence of plutocrats and oligarchs in the economy put fear and insecurity in the hearts of anxiety-ridden workers and render money-driven, poll obsessed elected officials deferential to corporate goals of profit often at the cost of the common good. 2. Aggressive militarism. This new U.S. doctrine goes beyond preventive war but puts the green lights on the elites to sacrifice soldiers, mostly of the working and poor classes, fueling a foreign campaign which does away with multilateral decisions to that of unilateral, lone ranger imperialistic colonial invasions, all for the sole benefit of the government regardless of all others and societies. 3. Escalating authoritarianism, which is tightening security in replace of liberty and freedom. The Patriot Act is only the beginning, as we will see escalated censorship and rights removed. In this West brings out three common forms of anti-democratic nihilism: 1. Evangelical nihilism. This is the idea that might makes right, as in Thrasymachus argument in Plato's Republic. The stronger U.S. must use its military power to quiet dissenters. All must obey and submit to our correct interpretations of culture. The evangelical spirit sharply gravitates towards militancy and censorship against all views that differ, especially dissenting views and those that employ Socratic inquiry. 2. Parental nihilism. This is found in both Democrats and Republicans, that is, the ideas that the leaders will not resort to the proletariat decisions, but rather remain in charge to work within the corrupt system to make the necessary changes, the idea that it is useless to do otherwise. 3. Sentimental nihilism. This is found in the cowardly lack of willingness to engage in truth telling, even at the cost of social ills, to forfeit the comfortable life for the sake of exposing truth to help others, as in many former slave owners and today in the media where they are drawn to their corporate owned sponsors and what sells a story. Monetary interests clearly outweigh the truth, dialogue is limited, questions are reduced and thus the answers are reduced to the range limits of the questions in the vulgar partisanship corrupting our public life. While we see such antidemocratic views permeating America and the middle east, both with the Palestinians and with Israel, with oppressive policies and imperialism, West brings out there are those that are aware and that our future depends on those who embrace

It never ceases to amaze me how the right is so quick to point out anyone (currently) pointing out mistakes this country is making is somehow unpatriotic or unchristian. I'm both a born-again Christian and an American soldier and I hate what conservatives are doing to this country. Dissent is patriotic. There would be no America if our forefathers didn't rebel against English rule. Jesus dissented against the leadership of Israel. Even Paul rebuked Peter when he started teaching that circumcision was needed to be saved. It's both an American and Christian idea to question leadership when it is wrong, regardless of where it is, whether it be your church or your country. Having said that, this is one of the best books I've ever had the priveledge to pick up. If only for the chapter on Christian identity, in which many Christians (including myself) will be glad to know that they aren't the only believers who are both disappointed and angry at what is happening to the Christian church in America. This book is more than your typical anti-Bush book. It's an outcry against imperialism itself, a call to arms to take back the government that was created to serve the people and have it do just that. It is an outcry against politicians who care more about money and special-interests groups than they do about the American people. Conservatives will bash this book because they are scared that true patriots will stand up and put on their Democratic armor, and expose the right-wingers for what they are-selfish, repressive individuals who exploit religion for their own ends. A lot of the people who criticized this book did so because the words were too big for them to understand. To that I say "OOOHHHH......BIG WORDS.....SCARY!!!!" Go back to preschool, you half-wits.

Below is a Book Review of Cornell West's "Democracy Matters". I'm submitting this review because too many of us need Hope in this troubling post-election (Bush-4-more-years) moment. West's book is peculiarly on time, he talks about establishing deep-Democracy and he is engaged with youth culture, especially Hip-Hop. We've got to do something; reviews that say its my way or the highway will not get it done. The irony that those who have suffered most from the siuational use of Democracy "people of color, women, gays" resepct and value democracy more than those who call themselves patriots. Imagine if "liberals" ruled and they told everyone that they are either for them or against them. This is too naieve. Maybe these following words can help us help-ourselves... Cornell West has created yet another classic, evidenced in his most recent text "Democracy Matters", the sequel to his best seller "Race Matters". In this timely, insightful, compassionate and relevant political text, West aims to wake the "demos" from its somnambulations. In other words, he hopes to inspire "the people" to critical consciousness so that we can win the fight against Imperialism and its "modern" cohorts racism, sexism and discrimination in general. According to West, this is a question of ontological import, which has moral consequences-- Bush and gang hold no monopoly on morality. West's text challenges us to fight against political, cultural, social, and religious nihilism i.e. hopelessness, at home and abroad, to say the least. Consistent with what he has coined "Prophetic Pragmatism", or practical self-critical-insightful truth-acts, West says that there is still hope. Hope in a troubling, and unreconciled anti-democratic-democratic American past, which ever-lives in the imperial-racist-sexist "democratic" present. To cope with these historical and contemporary incongruities we must arm ourselves, in his eyes, with a tragicomic sensibility. This "tradition" of prophetic pragmatism, armed with a noble-courageous tragicomic sensibility, can be found throughout the American democratic experiment, typified in figures like Emerson, Walker, Douglass, Melville, King, Ellison, Morrison, Davis and many other figures in the historical and living present, most grippingly expressed in the painful-soul-expressions of blues, jazz, and now hip-hop. He lays bear this "controversial" praxis, and his contributions to it, as a model of a Pedagogy of Hope (Friere, Hooks), equipped with the power of Socratic questioning and the love demonstrated by the model of Christ. West's praxis is especially noteworthy because it is atypical for the professorate. He's rewriting, to a degree, what it means to be a public, or better yet, "civic" intellectual. In other words, he's about critical-deep dialogue with the masses, rooted in love, at the level of consciousness of the "common-folks"; a dialogue and a pleading with, not a talking "over" or "t

As I watched the Presidential debates I was struck more by the simularities than the differences between the two candidates. Both of them are the polished, practiced professionals their party thinks can lead them to victory. They even wore identical suits, but Kerry's red tie had a few more spots in it than did Bush's red tie. Cornel West's latest book says that the deep democratic traditions of our country are at risk in this Post 9/11 world. He says that three dogmas are leading the country down a dangerous, non-democratic path. these are: a callous free-market fundamentalism, aggressive militarism and insidious authoritarianism. We are in a time of a single super power. Where are the checks and balances if they don't come from inside? This book provides an insight to where we are going that deserves a lot of thinking.

The fact that some "reviewers" have used their review as a polemic against the left and an empty and spurious argument for the establishment of religion in school shows how little they've understood this book. "Democracy Matters" is a lyical plea for the beginning of a meaningful dialogue in this country. With the talking heads on FOX and CNN and the dribble that drips from the mouth of the Bush administration (and often the Kerry campaign), West argues that America has lost its ability to advance democratically. This is an important book for anyone who wishes to transcend the easy labels of the day and stop the shallow mudslinging so common in our time. Whether you agree with Professor West's conclusions, the overall point of his work is to have a meaningful dialogue about the state of our country that does not devolve into the mindless shouting so common today. The comments by some envoking the impoverished mark of "Leftist" prove Dr. West's point: the dogmatic inflexibility of much of this nation has made a mockery of our political process. If conservatives and liberals alike would read this book with an open mind, instead of questioning why dissenters don't leave this great country, we would all be better off.