I said it was worth several posts
Let me say a little about leaders and leadership in general before getting back to that Seattle Times op-ed.
We are social animals, and thus hierarchical. Over the years I've heard you humans discussing possible ways of organizing socially as though you had no body…as though your physical nature had no constraining power over your plans.
We will have leaders.
A while back (never mind how long ago; according to Perseus Development I'm older than over 98% of bloggers and that's all you need to know) I was asked just what I thought a leader was anyway. I said they come in three models: sparks, channels and flames. Sparks ignite folks into action. Channels, which I would call wayfinders now, are the first ones, the ones that carve a path to a new destination. Flames shine a new light on things, bringing new knowledge and hence new possibilities.
None of which deals with the central fact that a leader is just someone who gets followed. It was more an efforts to help decide what sort of thing your ought follow.
Meanwhile to the mainstream, "leader," or more specifically "Black leader" means "gatekeeper." And we will have those kinds of "leaders" too. More accurately the mainstream will have those kinds of "leaders," because they exist in the mainstream's social hierarchy (Rev. Jackson has the additional benefit of a position in ours). Messrs. Counts and Evans were very correct in this:
In conversations with black family members or friends, you will rarely hear anyone speak of our "leaders." It is usually the media that bestow that title
Providing more evidence of my incipient decrepitude, I remember discussions I had with white folks during the run up to the Million Man March. I was told we can't support the march because all it would do is "validate Farrakhan as your leader."
I told him it would only validate something in white folks' minds. We all knew Farrakhan and those that would follow him already did. We know the good stuff he says and we know the nonsense, but the march was a symbol to most and I approved of what it symbolized. Has nothing to do with the immediate topic at hand, I just didn't want to leave you hanging.
Next installment will be about the healing Messrs. Counts and Evans say is necessary.
