Yes, Awokening. Because we’re getting “woke”, you see? Or, at least, that’s what the hip, young people say. Or, so I’m told.
You might have heard that Kanye West got himself into a bit of controversy. It started when he rose to the defense of Candace Owens; a black Conservative lady. It wasn’t so much an endorsement of her views so much as just a firm defense of her right to have her views. Kanye got a lot of flack for doing that, and then instead of doing the usual celebrity mealy-mouthed apology, he doubled down by Tweeting out a picture of his MAGA hat, signed by Donald Trump. The meltdown among the social media SJW’s has been epic – and enormously entertaining. But there is a more important issue at stake here. It is about people finally waking up to what is really happening.
I don’t really know Kanye West beyond knowing he’s a rap star, apparently of gigantic proportions. But as my musical tastes stopped being hip by about 1990 or so, I’m just not familiar with his work. It could be the best stuff ever, could be the worst – I just don’t know. His fans love him, and on the level of being a performer, that is the only test he has to meet. Plenty of voices on the right are warning people off from embracing Kanye West – I can’t fully determine if this is based on fears that he isn’t truly Conservative or over distaste for his music. As for me, I suspect Kanye is most emphatically not a Conservative and given what I know of rap, I’m fully prepared to find out that he’s done some songs I’d find objectionable. So, what? This is America and you get to put out whatever you want in music, books, movies, etc. Also, I don’t have to limit myself to alliances with Conservatives. If there’s a non-Conservative out there who wants to do something I agree with, I’m ok with that. The only people I absolutely can’t work with are the SJW types…because they hate me and want me destroyed; so, that makes working with them a little difficult.
Outside of all that, the more important thing here is that Kanye understands that there is a group in America which wants to limit him. They are saying to him that because he is black, he can’t hold certain opinions. Kanye rejects that. So does Candace Owens. So, I think, will more and more African-Americans now that someone with the pop-culture stature of Kanye West has shown it to be possible. That is what is important. Additionally, there are tens of millions of people out there who don’t care too much about politics but are entirely ok with people holding different views about politics…and they are watching the left trying to destroy Kanye because he spoke out of turn and they don’t like it. That is what is going to prove revolutionary.
For the longest time, we on the right have not been able to make a dent in popular culture because hardly anyone – and no one at the top of the heap – has been willing to step out of the prescribed, PC requirements of popular culture. James Woods, for instance, is a great actor and he’s overtly right, but he’s also not a major player in the Hollywood game at this time. Kanye coming out and saying, in essence, “you can be black and have different opinions, and even be friendly with Trump” is as if John Lennon had endorsed Richard Nixon in 1968. The massive pushback against it is an indicator of how gigantic this can be: the left is fearful that African-Americans and other Democrat-heavy voting blocs will now start to re-assess their political allegiance. Remember, if just 20% of the African-American vote were to go GOP, there’d be no chance the Democrats could win in 2018 or 2020. They’d be crushed.
But I think we also have to take a step beyond that. We, too, need our Awokening. Everyone does. Nothing in this country is quite as it should be. The rot has gone very deep. We on our side have let a lot of things slide, as well. Yesterday, I came across a Tweet series from a lady describing the interaction her boyfriend had with the police. Read it, it is horrifying. There are things we are completely right about, but also things we’ve been ignoring, likely because they don’t directly affect us all too often, or at all. But that isn’t good enough. We have to be on guard for all. There are some these days advocating an amicable divorce between the Red and Blue Americas. I won’t have anything to do with such talk. First off, because I won’t consign part of my fellow Americans to the unfettered rule of SJW tyrants; secondly, because economic and strategic reasons compel us to remain together. But they also compel us to build a just society – doing so requires that we remove the left from power and keep them removed. Doing that will require a pretty consistent level of political support north of 55% for an extended period of time…and that means we need a lot more people on our side, and to get them we’re going have to start caring about things we haven’t cared about: as noted at the link, we’ll have to start carrying about the phenomena described as “driving while black”. Sure, a lot of SJW nonsense has been put out under that phrase…but I know POC who say they have run afoul of it. And even if it is hard to quantify, it is there…and we should find out why, and seek to remedy it.
Ultimately, everyone of good will is in this together with us, even if they don’t agree with us on every issue. But everyone who has a sense of fairness; who has a desire for liberty; who doesn’t want anyone running their lives – all such people are our allies. And all of us must band together.
Blogs For Victory 
Agree with everything you say. “Driving while black” is a real thing, though obviously connected to massive crime problems in Democratic controlled ghettos.
I’m a casual rap fan, and like some of Kanye’s music, though I’m hardly a big fan. I have one thought about him in respect to his praise of Trump. He originally came to my attention when Chris Rock said in an interview that Kayne was one of the few rappers he could listen to at the time (maybe ten, fifteen years ago) because unlike all the popular gangster rappers, he would rap about real life things that Rock could relate to and not simply glorify ghettos, street life and crime. I don’t know to what extent that is true about his entire catalogue, but I’ve found it true in terms of what I’ve listened to. Certainly, he raps a lot about girls, sex and being rich (not surprising for a rich handsome guy) but I can’t think of any songs that glorify ghetto life, crime or wallow in victimization. So it’s not hugely surprising he’s in favor of a successful billionaire, rather than marching with those who want to burn down cities because of historical injustice.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s a great role model (neither is Trump), but he’s certainly better than many (like Trump).
I am too old for Kanye but my conservative son is a big fan of his music and has played some for me …. while it’s not my taste I have to admit it was pretty good. It had a nice melody, excellent percussions, and a good beat so it sounded a hell of a lot better than most the other rap I have heard.
Good post Mark and while I agree 100%, I am not so optimistic that there are enough “freedom” loving progressives willing to join us. And I also think that many conservatives have begun to understand the need to address our social issues in a more realistic manner. I have “evolved” if you will on gay marriage. I didn’t like the way they went about it and wish they wouldn’t have tarnished an institution recognized worldwide and older than most governments, but I certainly believe in their right to have all the protections and civil rights of traditionally married couples, so to me this became a fight not worth fighting. Hate the sin, not the sinner.
The communist aka liberal thought police 👮 has to go!
At any other time, under any other President, this would be leading every news cast:
North and South Korea will seek a peace ‘regime’ to end the 68-year Korean War, their leaders announced today, after Kim Jong-un agreed to a ‘complete denuclearisation’ during historic talks.
Strangely though, MSNBC has just spent the last 2 hours discussing the Stormy Daniels case. I am becoming more and more convinced though that the media’s maniacal obsession with destroying Trump is beginning to hurt them.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5662577/Kim-Jong-prepares-walk-history-Korean-summit.html#ixzz5DsK8WrZt
Mark, as you noted, if the Dems’ share of the black vote drops from 90%+ to even 80%, they’re toast for a long time. For most of my adult life I’ve marveled at how the Left was able to maintain control of minorities simply by providing them with free stuff and demonizing Republicans as the mean, evil ogres who want to take it all away. That Democrats were able to keep that ball in the air for 3 generations defied logic. Now it appears I may finally witness the end, or at least the beginning of the end of that horrible chapter in our history.
If rational thinking and self interest can finally erode just part of the black and Jewish support for Dems, you are right, they’re in trouble. The recent Republican respect for Israel, particularly advocating moving our embassy to Jerusalem, ought to impress at least some Jews, though not the self-hating anti-Israel crowd, and we are finally starting to see a little support from black celebrities other than the few politicians and thinkers like Condoleeza Rice and Thomas Sowell.
Another Clinton casualty:
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released its report on the findings of the Russia investigation Friday, which showed that FBI agents “did not detect any deception during [Former National Security Advisor Michael] Flynn’s interview.”
So they have financially destroyed Flynn for purely partisan reasons. Isn’t it time to try, convict, and execute the Clinton’s?
What is the current media refrain? That Trump is disparaging the rank and file of law enforcement – the very people who who protect America day in and day out? Right? Well ….
SAN DIEGO (CBSLA) — A Los Angeles police officer has been arrested on federal charges alleging he tried to smuggle two illegal immigrants into the United States this week in southeastern San Diego County.
But I thought all women were to be believed:
NBC women back Brokaw: Rachel Maddow, Maria Shriver and Mika Brzezinski join SIXTY other female staffers by signing letter backing legendary anchor against sexual harassment claims
They don’t deny that Brokaw actually DID anything, they just stand behind him anyway.
OTOH, I am also skeptical of late claims of sexual harassment, years after the fact, now that this has become such a fad. There are no witnesses, there is no proof, yet lives and careers can be damaged by these kinds of claims, and I always wonder why they were not made at the time.
What Amazona said …..
They stand behind him because if they stand in front of him they are nervous about where his hands might go.
LOL, Ryan. I had much the same reaction.
RIP Alfie Evans
Britain should be ashamed of themselves
Here I speak as an Anglophile, a huge fan of English history and culture, who has been watching England throw itself into a death spiral. Reading of the adoption, even if only by default, of Sharia in many large British cities, where officials look the other way when young girls are taken into hotel rooms by multiple Islamic men, where sex attacks by Muslim men are ignored, where abuse of women by Muslim husbands and fathers is tolerated, make me really sad about the erasing of British culture and law and basic values. Between the International Left and Islam, the nation seems to be doomed.
Brits tried to stand up for British sovereignty when they voted to get out of the European Union, but that is not enough to turn the tide.
I think we are in the beginning of a cultural shift towards conservatism. I think the smarmy antics of nasty leftists like Michael Avanatti and last nights comedian Michelle Wolf are turning the stomachs of ordinary Americans. The unending and unAmerican Mueller investigation is starting to be questioned by everyone and the left’s hatred, fascist tendencies, and smug superiority are more and more obvious everyday and all of this is not settling well with voters. This North Korea issue could, and should, win Trump a Nobel Peace Prize, and his presence on the world stage is more prominent and effective than any other President since Reagan. The media use to worry about Trump’s inability to connect with world leaders, and now they mock him for being too friendly.
Black folks are starting to question their loyalty to Democrats, the Dreamers are realizing that they are just pawns in the leftist agenda, and the unions have already abandoned them. They soon will be a party with only extreme radical factions as their base constituency and that wont win any elections. So let’s encourage Bobby Mueller to continue to investigate, let’s encourage small stature men like Michael Avanetti and Adam Schiff to seek their 15 minutes of fame, let’s encourage Comey to keep talking, and let’s encourage Michelle Wolf and Joy Reid to continue to think they represent Americans, because everything these reprehensible people do, serves us well.
Cluster, I could not agree more. As we have criticized the Left I have always said that I believe many millions of good-hearted, sincere, well-meaning people have voted Dem because they have bought into the lie that the party represents fairness, compassion, kindness, etc. Now that the disguises are being ripped off—-by the Dem radicals themselves, without us having to lift a hand, because they are so complacent in their conviction they have the masses well under control—-I think a lot of these people are willing to at least start looking for an alternative.
My concern is that the Right is not going to offer them an alternative, at least not one a transitional Dem is going to find appealing, because we are also deeply invested in Identity Politics. What does a concerned Dem see when he looks beyond the confines of his own party?
He sees a choice between full-on Trumpism and irrational anti-Trumpism. He sees demands that he be instantly pro-life and pro-gun, instead of seeing a calm and welcoming attitude that says “come vote with us and you can still believe in the things that matter to you, you will just have to agree that they are things that have to be resolved at the state level and not by the feds”. We don’t offer them a simple, unemotional, POLITICAL philosophy but instead a whole dogma of belief systems they are expected to accept. We make a move the Right more of a religious conversion than a simple political decision.
So each party is self-destructive, the main difference being in the path to irrelevancy.
And the speed to irrelevancy – and in that I think the Dems are just slightly ahead of the bungling GOP. This is why I want to see a new coalition of socially moderate conservatives and blue collar Dems, wherein we do understand that we have differences and those differences are best resolved at the State level, but we also all share a common bond and that is a firm belief in individual liberty, a capitalist economy, and a healthy love of country.
We do not subscribe to group think, socialism, or a borderless country and with those beliefs, we are all 180 degrees opposite of the current Democrat party and their leadership.