West And Torgovnick Essays - Discrimination, Racism,

West And Torgovnick West and Torgovnick: Manichean Ideologies Both Cornel West and Marianna De Marco Torgovnick discuss the idea of supremacy, Manichean theologies, and authoritarian behavior in their essays. However, they deal with these ideas differently and for different reasons. In West's essay, ?Malcolm X and Black Rage?, he explains Mal? colm X's views on how to transfer black rage in such a way that it would reject supremacy. In Torgovnick's essay, ?On Being White, Female, and Born in Bensonhurst?, she writes how her hometown held supremacist ideas and how this af? fected her. West is still pursuing the goal of black free? dom by looking into the past, especially Malcolm X's writ? ings. Whereas, Torgovnick kind of runs away from things and refers to living in Bensonhurst as having ?simultaneously choking and nutritive power. This difference is mainly due because West wants to try to make things better, while Torgovnick leaves her hometown feeling that she needs to start things over. Torgovnick writes about supremacist ideas in her cul? tural background. For example, she says, ?Italian Americans in Bensonhurst are notable for their cohesiveness and pro? vinciality; the slightest pressure turns those qualities into prejudice and racism? (Torgovnick 123). In other words there is a lot of racism and prejudice, especially towards Hawash 2 blacks, in Bensonhurst. Torgovnick's father also held supremacist ideas. Her father reacted with indifference to the death of a black man in Bensonhurst. As Torgovnick writes, ? ?Oh, no,' my father says when he hears the news about the shooting...He has no trouble acknowledging the wrongness of the death...The explanation is right before him but, ?Yeah,' he says, still shaking his head, ?yeah, but what were they doing there? (Torgovnick 125). Even though, he recognizes the wrongness of the death, he says the blacks weren't supposed to be there. His reason for his death holds supremacist ideas, because here he is being a racist. To say that blacks don't belong in a cer? tain neighborhood, is just like saying that they aren't good enough. Thus, Torgovnick father is being a racist. Torgovnick's hometown also holds Manichean ideologies, which means to see things only as black and white, right and wrong. In other words people who hold Manichean ideologies usually don't see things in between. She writes, ?Bensonhurst is a neighborhood dedicated to believing that its values are the only values; it tends to towards certain forms of inertia? (Torgovnick 124). Thus, the people of Bensonhurst believe that any other values are wrong, and their values are right. Here you can see how Torgovnick's hometown held Manichean ideologies because the people feel Hawash 3 that there values are the only right values. Any other values would be viewed as unacceptable to the people of Bensonhurst. Authoritarian behavior also exists in Bensonhurst. For example, when she was entering high school, her parents and counselor recommended a secretarial track despite her high scores. Torgovnick writes, ?Although my scores are superb, the guidance counselor has recommend the secretarial track...My mother's preference is clear: the secretarial track...My father also prefers the secretarial track? (Torgovnick 128). This is authoritarian behavior because rather that asking Torgovnick which track she wanted to follow, they wanted to choose it for her. Just because she is a girl, they wanted to put her in a track that is below her standards. Cornel West uses Malcolm X's writings to explain su? premacy, Manichean ideologies, and authoritarian behavior. West agrees with most of Malcolm X's ideas, however he disagrees with Malcolm X's rejection of black church and music. West argues by using the metaphor of jazz that, ?an improvisational mode of protean, fluid, and flexible dispo? sitions toward reality suspicious of ?either/or' viewpoints, dogmatic pronouncements, or supremacist ideologies? (West 119). In other words, to West the black church and black music represents freedom, something that Malcolm X does not realize. Hawash 4 In order to explain Manichean ideologies and authori? tarian behavior, one must look at Malcolm X's fear of cul? tural hybridity. West writes, ?Malcolm X's fear of cultural hybridity rests upon two political concerns: that cultural hybridity downplayed the vicious character of white supremacy and that cultural hybridity intimately linked the destinies of black and white people such that the possibility of black freedom was far-fetched? (West 117). Meaning that if blacks and whites are to share things (cultural hybridity) whites will always have the advantage. Therefore, blacks will never achieve total freedom. Malcolm X saw this as a weakness, which does seem understandable. However, Malcolm X fails to realize that if blacks are to go off on their own, this would lead to supremacy and Manichean ideologies. West says, ?Furthermore, the cultural hybrid character of black