Colin Powell: Contradictions of Success?
For Africans in America Colin Powell is pretty much the embodiment of success. He is the
But the contradiction of realisation of that dream and being a conscious descendent of African slaves in the Americas is what Colin Powell represents more than anything else. If he has a conscience and he is aware or has not blanked out his people's history...that man in my opinion had some seriously hard times in the last four years or so. The weight of his opinion and voice has been significantly reduced from Bush Snr. to Bush Jnr. He knows now that he was used as bait, as a vote getting gimmck in the first Bush Jnr election. I wonder how he feels now?
Powell does not seem to be like Rice or Clarence Thomas who appear to have erased the past, the history of Africans in the Americas, a long time ago, to get along and get on. The
Does Powell suffer from hypertension, colon, prostate cancer etc? I never heard any of those health issues mentioned in regard to him. If he does not this man must be one strong person or maybe he is exactly as Belafonte described him a few years ago,a serious
Hmmmn..... I wonder if Alma had to write a book ... her memoires being the wife of the dutifull and loyal American servant...what she would tell in it?
Interesting people these.... but one can only speculate because unfortunately you rarely ever get to know the true story, see the real picture.
American Dreamcome true. That is even moreso for West Indian immigrants in North America; the new arrivals, first, second, third and fourth generations all.
But the contradiction of realisation of that dream and being a conscious descendent of African slaves in the Americas is what Colin Powell represents more than anything else. If he has a conscience and he is aware or has not blanked out his people's history...that man in my opinion had some seriously hard times in the last four years or so. The weight of his opinion and voice has been significantly reduced from Bush Snr. to Bush Jnr. He knows now that he was used as bait, as a vote getting gimmck in the first Bush Jnr election. I wonder how he feels now?
Powell does not seem to be like Rice or Clarence Thomas who appear to have erased the past, the history of Africans in the Americas, a long time ago, to get along and get on. The
forgettingis one of the biggest prerequisite to achieving success for African Americans, in any important American institutions, such as the Army, the Cabinet, without going completely crazy or geting sick from stress and other related diseases.
Does Powell suffer from hypertension, colon, prostate cancer etc? I never heard any of those health issues mentioned in regard to him. If he does not this man must be one strong person or maybe he is exactly as Belafonte described him a few years ago,a serious
Uncle Tom.
Hmmmn..... I wonder if Alma had to write a book ... her memoires being the wife of the dutifull and loyal American servant...what she would tell in it?
Interesting people these.... but one can only speculate because unfortunately you rarely ever get to know the true story, see the real picture.
Comments
In the best of all lights, it's possible that he went into this hoping to effect meaningful change from WITHIN knowing full well he was IN with a den of vipers.
I guess at the end of the day he probably felt safer out in the field amongst exploding bombs and mortar etc than in THAT Administration with THOSE people.
On the other end of the scale, it could be that he was in it purely for ambition. He was courted by Republican's and Democrats. He was "THE MAN". Maybe some vanity and ego took precedence.
Like anything else....the truth may lie somewhere between the 2.
What is for certain is that Powell remains popular in the eyes of the American public and he'll be quite successful in private life.
good blog. First off any man that start pronouncing colin as colon got to be a good pieca idiot. That said I think he really wanted to continue to give to his country so he took this job only to find himself the only moderate in a sea of neo-cons.
Has he forgotten? yes, everyone forgets or at least ignores in order to get by dont they?
I agree with most of what you post but I differ in regards to Powell not having attained the American Dream. He had the highest post in a soldier could occupy in the US that is some serious arrival for any man much less a black man. And he was well accepted as accepted as a black man can be in the US. He had so much power that he gave real weight to which ever side he picked four yrs ago in the US elections.
That has faded some and it is that indigestion from eating all the bad food that has him now. But he reached as far as a African-Caribbean- American man with a conscoius can reach. You must be stopped in your tracks.
I agree wid you, Condi will go further but that is b/c she has a hardy stomach, one that is strengthened b/c she was taught earlier and better than Powell to forget and disregard the underdog, the oppressed, the victimized. Yah being in University in the 60s at 15 would have taught her quickly how to get along, how to disassocaite form the victim and what to forsake to get ahead.
But we agree generally on the impact and significance and what drives these very visible and important black achievers of the US.
Looking forward to more discussions on this from all.