Supremacy Idea By West And Torgovnick Essay, Research Paper

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 life leads us to

highlight a metaphor alien to Malcolm X s perspective… (West 119). If blacks

are to go off on their own, this would lead to Manichean ideologies; blacks

against whites. As a result, there will be no change in terms of racist views by

whites and suprema cist behavior as each group begins to fight for control. One

can see how some of Malcolm X s views can lead to su premacy, and Manichean

ideologies. West feels that Malcolm X s best view is his notion of psychic

conversion. He writes, …we must preserve and Hawash 5 expand his notion of

psychic conversion …These spaces…-beyond the best of black music and black

religion- reject Manichean ideologies and authoritarian… (West 119). West

explains that Malcolm X s notion of psychic conversion will channel black rage

to black humanity and love. Both West and Torgovnick deal with supremacy,

Manichean ideologies, and authoritarian behavior. However, they have different

ways of dealing with things. Cornal West uses Malcolm X s writings to deal with

these ideologies, while Marianna De Marco Torgovnick does so by referring to her

hometown of Bensonhurst.