Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America

by John McWhorter

Book Overview

Why do so many African Americans--even comfortably middle-class ones--continue to see racism as a defining factor in their lives?Columbia University linguistics professor John McWhorter, born at the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060935936
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Every Thinking Black Person Should Read This Book

I first heard McWhorter speak on National Public Radio. Curious about his work, I read his book. I'm very glad I did. McWhorter discusses a theory about Black people in the United States that is more radical, uncomfortable, and life-changing than anything since the 1960s: Black people, as a group, are not getting ahead in America not because of racism (although it definitely sitll exists) but because of a mind-set of Victimization, Separatism, and Anti-Intellectualism. McWhorter dares to say something people like Al Sharpton and other prominent Black figures would never speak: in many important ways, it's OUR fault we are where we are. The statistical evidence presented in the book is incomplete, but McWhorter does point out many sociological trends to support his arguments, such as how African and Carribean immigrants as a group do better in school than American Blacks, not because they are smarter but because of the way they approach and value education, and how Black American students consistently rank in the bottom portions of stnadardized tests regardless of how sucessful their parents are or if they live in the suburbs or the ghetto.Even if you do not agree with his arguments, I would encourage you to read this book. At the very least it is a refreshing change from the "Blame Whitey" party line that has dominated African-American social thought for the last 40 years.

BULLSEYE!

Thanks to John McWhorter for having the courage and honesty to write this book.He writes of things that are desperately overdue to be talked about;things that our politically cockeyed and o so correct times have wholly failed to address.Thanks to Mr.Mcwhorter for tearing into those who would perpetuate the "I'm a victim" syndrome for their own selfish interests(the Reverend Sharpton and his ilk).I personally have seen the anti-intellectualism and cult of victimology that pervades inner city students especially.I went to school with many kids who were afraid to succeed for fear of what their "homeboys" might think of them.So much wasted potential and time-it is sickening to think about.One thing that Wcwhorter could have gone into depth about but didn't, was how the mass media portrays the only successful black Americans as football and basketball players,and ignores the sizable contributions of black scientists,doctors,lawyers,educators and many other professionals.This book will anger you,make you question the motivations of the same old talking heads rehashing the same old politics that has yet to provide solutions, and it offers hope that people are waking up to the fact that the past cannot be used as an excuse for failure.Most of all it shows that the saviors and sheisters(one and the same usually)and papa government and its endless programs will not cure the problems so long in the making.This book is a wake up call for our society in general and the black community especially.

A Much-Needed Wake-up Call for the Black Community!

This is unquestionably the best piece of factual non-fiction scholarship I have ever read. John McWhorter hits the nail right on the head in eloquently explaining the three "cults" that plague us as Black Americans - Victomology, Separatism, and particularly ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM. As a young Black man whose dearly departed mother instilled in him the value of education at an early age, who did well in school, and who was viciously ostracized and ridiculed by his Black peers for "actin' white" as a result, reading LOSING THE RACE represents the ultimate validation for me. The fact that so many Black young people see not only academic success, but a mere love of learning as something "not BLACK" is a CULTURAL problem I have witnessed my entire life. I realized in reading McWhorter's book that I am not alone. The many anecdotes he gives poignantly and accurately explains the Black American self-induced psychological phobia of anything scholarly: how Black freshmen accepted at Berkeley after affirmative action was repealed (i.e. because of their high academic prowess and not their skin color) were looked upon as "OREOS" by the Black preference-benefitting upper-classmen; how when he was growing up one of his childhood friends had his little sister slap him for correctly spelling the word "CONCRETE"; how, while in graduate school, after engaging the professor in a discussion on the Swahili verb TO BE - a subject of dear interest to him - some other Black grad students approached him afterwards asking "whether or not he was a TRUE BROTHA." While reading, I had flashbacks of my own childhood experiences of being dissed almost daily by my own "people" for being smart and having the audacity to actually ENJOY school. For years I have grown sick and tired of liberal "blacker than thou" pseudo-intellectuals who claim to have MY best interests at heart as a Black American. They blame all of our problems on racism, constantly making us out to be victims - even 30-plus years after the Civil Rights Movement! Yet, they are never willing to turn the microscope on us as Black Americans and how we should take responsibility for the ways in which we do ourselves in, but are quick to try to censor, berate, and/or brand as a "traitor" someone like McWhorter for doing so, all for the so-called crime of "airing our dirty laundry." If I, the youngest of six children and the product of a broken home in inner-city Cleveland, OH, can graduate high school VALEDICTORIAN, become the first college graduate in my family, earn a master's degree, and ultimately become a diplomat for the U.S. government, then what in God's name is wrong with (suburban) middle-class black students - as the author clearly points out in his discussion of Shaker Heights High School - who attend the best schools, with top-notch teachers, guidance counselors and other educational resources, have college-educated parents and therefore no excuse NOT to succeed, yet STILL choose not to apply themselves,

Sometimes the truth hurts!

As an African-American high school teacher, I can wholeheartedly agree with much of what McWhorter says. It has puzzled me for quite some time why, despite having educated parents, equal access to resources an intricate knowledge of the educational system, and extra attention from me as well as the other black teachers, my African-American students were routinely the worst in any of the classes I taught. They put forth less effort, are less ambitious, and seem permanently indignant at being challenged and expected to work hard. By contrast, the Nigerian, Senegalese, and West Indian students I taught turned in work of the same caliber as my White and Asian students. Like McWhorter, I also grew weary of trying to make excuses for students who really had no barriers to achieving success, especially when being educated side-by-side with students who looked just like they did.Apparently a few of the previous reviewers missed McWhorter's point, as he predicted they would. For example, one reviewer points out "gender equity" and the fact that the book does not address this. The title of the book is "Losing the Race," not "Losing the Boys," or "Losing the Girls." Discussing gender equity would have been an unneccessary detour in subject matter. The reason for the gender gap is easily explained anyway: lack of black male "academic" role models, boys focus more on athletics, and also have other options that females tend to approach less avidly, such as the military and technical fields which don't necessarily require degrees. Regardless of even this, Mr. McWhorter is addressing the LACK OF QUALITY of Afican-American students IN GENERAL, not just the NUMBERS.This book is a must-read for black parents, teachers, and administrators in particular, but also for anyone who is looking for a fresh take on the race debate.

A Book That Answers Questions About Black Americans!

Why do African-Americans perennially score lowest on SAT tests? Why can't Blacks climb out of their ghettos, when Vietnamese did so in two generations (and they couldn't even speak English)? Why does every Black criminal, no matter how red-handed he is caught, yell, "Racism"? How could Blacks acquit O.J. Simpson in the face of incontrovertible DNA evidence, when even they now say, "Sure he did it, but . . ." Why did Blacks fight so hard for integration, and then hang out only at the Black Student Union in colleges all over this land? And why, with all the billions of dollars this country has poured into special education for minorities, is it only African-Americans whose scores on all forms of educational tests have not closed the gap between Whites and Asians?Every five or ten years I read a book that changes my world view, in some important way. This book profoundly changed the way I view African-Americans. It gave me answers to questions like those posed above, and many more. It gave me principles which can be applied to future questions that will surely arise in race relations in this country.Professor John McWhorter's logical presentation and defense of each of his three theses is, in my opinion, unassailable. And lest you think that Prof. McWhorter is some racist red-neck, know that he is an African-American professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkley, one of the premier, liberal universities in this country.He posits that Blacks are "Losing the Race" because they have a built within their community a "cult of victimology". This has fostered a strong "cult of separatism" and perhaps most damaging, a "cult of anti-intellectualism". He tells of students who excel in school being abused with taunts of "going White" and being an "oreo". He concludes that Black Americans have the mental powers to succeed (contrary to the thesis of The Bell Curve) because Africans and Caribbean Blacks who emigrate to this country excel in academia, they not being inflicted with the Black American anti-intellectualism to stifle their pursuit of educational excellence.While Prof. McWhorter's logic is impeccable, his writing style leaves something to be desired, which was all the more distracting because he is, after all, a professor of linguistics; though perhaps I expected too much from such a language specialist. He needed a good editor to eliminate a number of glaring typos and incomplete sentences, which distract somewhat from the compelling ideas he presents.In a word, this was one of the best, most mind-changing books I have ever read. If African-Americans worked as hard to excel in school as they do on the athletic field, the occasional incident of racism would pale in comparison to the achievements of Blacks rich and poor. Were it within my power, I would send a copy to every Black journalist and African-American leader who thinks racism is the only thing that keeps Blacks down