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I'm not so sure Harry Bellafonte IS completely right. Powell is a POLITICIAN first and foremost (and an astute one at that), and will do whatever it takes to balance what he thinks is right (whatever that may be) against the desire to keep his job. Sure, there may be some truth to HB's statement, but he seems to be seeing the world in extremes where he thinks that Powell's race is what defines him and his (in)actions. This only serves to insult Colin Powell by reducing him to his skin colour and does not look at WHY Powell is doing what he does - political savvy.
Powell's statement recently that he will be leaving the State Dept. after his tenure shows that he is is own man and has had enough of giving his considered opinion on matters and being ignored by his boss.
Before anyone explodes at me (as I've seen happen in a few threads recently here), I do happen to think that Bush's regime is inherently racist, sexist, and pretty much everything nonWASP-ist. Powell is trying to do his best in an environemnt where he probably IS viewed (by his boss and most of the rest of the cabinet) as the 'token' black.
Having got back from the States recently, I have to say I was (pleasantly) suprised at the number of non-white people in positions of Mayor/Police Chief/Judge etc. etc. and, as there were elections for all of these (and more) posts going on at the time, I was struck by the state of racial issues like this in the UK. I had always viewed the US as incredibly racist (my own fault - judging a culture based on its television). It kind of puts the UK into perspsective where the Tory party is falling apart over the issue of positive discrimination over its candidate selection list.
Sticking with the UK for just a little longer (no wish to rot the thread), both Paul Boateng MP (Labour) and the black Tory peer whose name escapes me at the moment, both say that their race is one of the last things they use to define themselves and their standing in their respective parties.
Just my four pence worth. |
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