To much condemnation by "Black Twitter" and other social media, CNN's Don Lemon said that black people could improve their lot in life by following his suggestions and guidelines about their personal comportment and behavior.
Given that the context and prompt for his advice was the murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, Lemon's suggestions are especially noxious because they proceed from an assumption that Trayvon was somehow responsible for his own murder.
As an African-American, Lemon is recycling the politics of "black respectability", what is a very old tradition in black life and social thought. He is dead center in the centuries-long tradition of black political thought.
But, he has no appreciation for its nuances.
Lemon's argument, that black folks should pick up litter, pull up their pants, and stop making babies everywhere out of wedlock, reveals a piss poor understanding of the relationship between life chances, institutional racism, political economy, and race in post civil rights America. Lemon is also factually challenged.
Not all of us are properly trained social scientists. That does not render one mute in speaking about issues of American politics, society, and public/private life.
But, given his national and high-profile position, I would expect a bit more from Don Lemon. Maybe he should read a few books and articles by serious people such as William Julius Wilson, Sudhir Venkatesh, Cathy Cohen, Mary Patillo, John Jackson, Joseph Stiglitz, Michelle Alexander, Elijah Anderson, Mario Small, and others before offering up his half-processed folksy wisdom from the barbershop tailor made for public (white) consumption about black poverty, race, and upward mobility? I dare to dream.
Alas, Don Lemon is part of a long tradition of public scolding by African-Americans against "deviants" in their own community, one which recycles white racism under the guise of "black tough love". History suggests that Don Lemon has much good company in this very profitable public performance: a book is no doubt forthcoming; there will be a speaking tour too.
Don Lemon proudly proclaimed that he is going to be an Uncle Tom. Who am I to interfere with a man's dreams? As a practical matter, and after hearing his suggestions about how to fix the black community and its problems through a national program against sagging pants and littering, I was left wondering how to apply Don Lemon's wisdom in a practical way that could help uplift the urban denizen's he cares so much about, while also providing some talking points and wisdom for the African-American community at large.
Politics is popular culture. Popular culture is politics.
By implication, I love the show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. There are few shows as insightful and witty in the Age of Obama and the Great Recession. Perhaps, it could be a guide for translating Don Lemon's wisdom into a set of practical tools and guidelines for the "urban black?"
In one of its best episodes, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia offered up a guide for creating emotional vulnerability in women as a means of seducing them. Appropriately called the "D.E.N.N.I.S. SYSTEM", this model offers up a nice platform going forward for Don Lemon's ideas and political philosophy in practice.
Thus, what could the "L.E.M.O.N. SYSTEM" potentially look like? I suggest the following:
L--legitimate a belief that black people are defective
E--engage and support white conservatives in helping you
M--marginalize the majority of black people doing the right thing
O--obfuscate and excuse-make for institutional racism
N--never talk about white privilege
What is your version of the L.E.M.O.N. system for helping the unwashed, unkempt, ghetto underclass, Negro masses to improve themselves?