American Political Thought
Bitterness- To Be or Not To Be?
Over 100 years after the original publication of Up from Slavery, race still figures prominently in the national conscience. The term “bitterness” figures very strongly in the headlines, albeit probably for reasons beyond the scope of those living in 1901. And while “bitterness” has a lot to do with race and the nation's first African American Presidential nominee, Barack Obama, it extends beyond his now-famous comments about small-town conservatives and concerns Obama's pastor, Jeremiah Wright, who has also figured prominently in the news. The issue concerns recorded statements Rev. Wright made from the pulpit while Obama was a member, statements which condemn America for its treatment of black citizens. About black people, Wright has famously stated “The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people, God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human.”[1] Obama stated that Wright's perspective comes from a “lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one’s family... the reality in which Rev. Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up.” Ironically, Rev. Wright's background is a far cry from what one would expect for someone with such bitterness. Wright lived in a middle class neighborhood and attended an “elite” high school characterized as having “no racial friction”. Wright now lives in a house worth $1.6 million, with 10,340 square feet on the corner of a golf course of a country club [2]. Clearly, this bitterness is not directly a response to any socioeconomic opportunity, but rather a perceived condition which is not a reality to Wright. This begs the question- what is bitterness and why does it matter politically? How is it related to anger, and what kinds of actions does it motivate? ...
