Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism [Mass Market Paperback]

Cornel West (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0143035835 | ISBN-13: 978-0143035831 | Publication Date: August 30, 2005

Praised by the New York Times for his “ferocious moral vision,” Cornel West returns to the analysis of what he calls the arrested development of democracy with a masterful diagnosis. Pointing to the rise of three antidemocratic dogmas that are rendering the energy of American democracy impotent—a callous free-market fundamentalism, an aggressive militarism, and an insidious authoritarianism—West argues that racism and imperial bullying have gone hand in hand in our country’s inexorable drive toward world dominance, including our current militaristic excesses. This impassioned and empowering call for the revitalization of America’s democracy, by one of our most distinctive and compelling social critics, will reshape the raging national debate about America’s role in today’s troubled world.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

n Democracy Matters, Cornel West's follow-up to 1993's Race Matters, the author's diagnosis of the state of modern American democracy is grim. The institution suffers, he says, from what he calls free market fundamentalism, aggressive militarism and escalating authoritarianism, forces that put a stranglehold on efforts to achieve better social and political results on a global scale. These systemic problems exist simultaneous to a pervading sense of nihilism throughout the American corridors of power, West contends, making lawmakers feel that they are inherently virtuous because they are so powerful and accepting a system they know to be unjust, while the press sacrifices truth and insight in pursuit of a sentimental story. Along the way, West makes extensive use of literary and historical parallels, employing Alexis de Tocqueville, Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Toni Morrison and others, with grea! t efficacy for the most part, to illustrate his points. West's prescription calls for a path toward a style of Christianity more in keeping with what he sees as true Christian ideals as well as a greater enfranchisement and understanding of young people and youth culture. West has a lot to say and the vast scope of West's arguments could be construed in at least a couple of ways: either he boldly takes on the enormity inherent to the topic of democracy, or he loses his way and attempts to touch on too wide a swath of topics while rarely going into sufficient detail on any of them. Besides being a provocative author, West is a highly respected professor and Democracy Matters reads something like a university lecture sounds: often insightful, occasionally disjointed, periodically obtuse, and sometimes brilliant. But in the ongoing effort to establish a better democracy, Professor West's perspective is highly instructive. --John Moe --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A sequel to 1993's Race Matters, West's latest aims to "look unflinchingly at the waning of democratic energies and practices in our present age of American empire." Such orotund language pervades the book, which expands philosophically on extant critiques but offers little practical or programmatic advice. American democracy, argues West, is threatened by free market fundamentalism, aggressive militarism and escalating authoritarianism. He criticizes Republicans as evangelical nihilists driven by delusions of American domination, Democrats (including John Kerry) as paternalistic nihilists accepting a corrupt system and most news organizations as sentimental nihilists sacrificing truth for distraction. With intermittent journeys through Tocqueville, Melville, King, Emerson, Twain and Morrison, among others, he lingers in the Middle East (supporting security for Israel and freedom for Palestinians), and calls fiercely for an American Christianity that evokes the Christian ideals of love and justice, and that advocates deeper engagement with youth culture—which leads to a nine-page account of how his outreach led to a clash with Harvard president Larry Summers and his departure for Princeton. Echoing his 1993 demand for improvisational "jazz freedom fighter[s]," West here invokes the blues, which "forge a mature hope that fortifies us on the slippery tightrope of Socratic questioning and prophetic witness in imperial America."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143035835
• ISBN-13: 978-0143035831
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Government     > Democracy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 116 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Re Ms Scout, October 22, 2004

By 

Bryan C. Bughman (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism (Hardcover)

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.

42 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Book, January 4, 2005

By 

R. Schwartz (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism (Hardcover)

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 our deep democratic traditions that fuel true democratic energies. However, we must recognize the schizophrenic nature of the American democratic experiment in peoples who rebelled from British imperialism in favor of American imperialism over the Native American Indians, doing so with African American slaves. So there was always this dual nature in the American democratic experiement. To acknowledge the past is needed and then to reject the imperialistic tendencies and to draw on the democratic energies of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Melville, Gertrude Stein, James Baldwin, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., Toni Morrison and others. In this, West lists three democratic energies, which are:

1. The Socratic inquiry to fully examine government domestically and foreign. To question and fight censorship and corporate profit driven media from slanting the truths. This is the polar opposite from the fundamentalist and absolutist that defines all actions according to their predetermined meanings and then attacks with full vengence.

2. The Judeo-Christian prophetic view. This is the great tradition of mercy and justice of the prophets and of Christ, that enable social programs and genuine concern for the poor, the needy and the working class, to put individuals above corporate profits, monetary interests and imperialistic conquests. Just as you find the prophetic discarded by the Christian fundamentalists control in the Bush administration, you can find this same parallel situation in Israel, where the Jewish fundamentalists, attacks the prophetic Jewish voices of equality and social justice. West believes that those voices of democratic moderation are found in Rabbi Michael Lerner and Abraham Joshua Heschel.

3. Tragicomic hope. This is the crucial ability to cease from revenge, hatred and despair, to retain strength and integrity towards democratic equality with inner strength, despite the attacking hatred and vengeance directed towards one. And this West points out, can be found in the African American's treatment as outcasts, hated as inferior, and yet ceasing to return revengeful hate and not falling into despair, expressing themselves in the music of the Blues, Jazz and original Hip Hop and some Rap. This is the way to deal with slanderous, attacks from the fundamentalists and their hate.

West goes into the concept of Muslim democracy apart from Western domination, the abuses of the Judeo-Christian religious fundamentalism and its sharp contrast with the Judeo-Christian prophetic views. West calls these two types, Constantinian Christianity, from the government of Constantine backed imperialistic injustice, and prophetic Christianity, that of social democratic justice and democratic values.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional read but sometimes it loses its focus., September 10, 2006

By 

BlackJack21 "BlackJack21" (Connecticut/USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism (Hardcover)

Democracy Matters is an exceptional read but sometimes it loses its focus.
In his latest book Cornel West tackles the issue of democracy decomposition. He brings to light many historical facts and opinions, which makes his case quite clear. However, at times, he has a tendency to lose focus on the subject matter and focuses more on the historical figures that he is quoting, which will leave the reader disenchanted. One must have a strong understanding of history to ascertain the complex subject matters discussed in this book.
The book is well written but you better understand the writings of Plato, be schooled on W.E.B. Dubois, and have an impeccable lexicon. Cornel's vocabulary is second to none. He never takes the easy way out and that's why his writings are so thought provoking. This book is a must read if you lean on the left side of politics. Cornel gives you a lot to contemplate.