My impression of the book, and others like it (check out E. Franklin Frazier's much earlier, more academic critical piece, Black Bourgeoisie ), is that one's heritage (meaning, who your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were/are), where you went to summer camp, school, what organizations you joined, etc., were more important than actual money you possessed. I view this like I view European royals, who are oftentimes broke, but are still considered elite because of their lineage. Thus, people like Bill Cosby and others who didn't come from these kind of families will never be considered true elites, by those diehards. Others in these circles may accept them, because of their ties to black greek and social orgs. and/or commitment to black causes and institutions (like black colleges).
I really don't get upset by this, because in my view, it is human nature to self-segregate on the basis of many things-race, class (caste system in India), profession (the guilds of Europe, the secret societies of Africa, Masonry at its inception, etc.), interest-on and on. Why would blacks in this country be any different, even if they don't hold seats at the real table of power? This notion that we should always be united because of our skin color is a newer one, certainly not exhibited with any consistency in our mother continent, or anywhere else in the world.
Then there are those of us whose parents put themselves through school, (or went through on the backs of some steel mill, car factory, shoe-shining, "washing white folks floors", stockyard-working mamas and daddies), sent us to great schools and provided good homes, put us in orgs. like Jack and Jill, but whose heritage doesn't qualify for elite status. To continue the European class system analogy, I guess we're the "merchant class," (for those of you who remember that unit of Western European history!). But because our foreparents were sharecroppers, washerwomen, porters and the like, we'll never be quite there, no matter how much we acquire or what orgs. we join. Oh darn!!!!!
I got the overall feeling that while the author can claim significant black elite heritage, it's not quite enough to be considered such by all those in that crowd. Even his Boule membership doesn't do the trick. And he is really upset by that.
Interesting...
[This message has been edited by Discogoddess (edited December 05, 2000).]
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