Scott McLemee is unimpressed with Cornel West's new memoir: "If sketchy in other regards, Brother West is never anything but expansive on how Cornel West feels about Cornel West. He is deeply committed to his committed-ness, and passionately passionate about being full of passion. Various works of art, literature, music, and philosophy remind West of himself. He finds Augustinian humility to be deeply meaningful. This is mentioned in one sentence. His taste for three-piece suits is full of subtle implications that require a couple of substantial paragraphs to elucidate."
I don't think anyone, save perhaps for Bill Maher, is impressed with Cornel West.
I disagree. The man's a character. His mistake, though, was to submit his character to evaluations of pop culture.
I give him points for his style.
This may be the worst thing I've ever read. It makes me strangely at peace with my porn habit.
The basic problem with my love relationships with women is that my standards are so high — and they apply equally to both of us. I seek full-blast mutual intensity, fully fledged mutual acceptance, full-blown mutual flourishing, and fully felt peace and joy with each other. This requires a level of physical attraction, personal adoration, and moral admiration that is hard to find. And it shares a depth of trust and openness for a genuine soul-sharing with a mutual respect for a calling to each other and to others. Does such a woman exist for me? Only God knows and I eagerly await this divine unfolding. Like Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship in Emily Bronte’s remarkable novel Wuthering Heights or Franz Schubert’s tempestuous piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat (D.960) I will not let life or death stand in the way of this sublime and funky love that I crave!â€
How is "[not letting] life or death stand in the way of this sublime and funky love" like Wuthering Heights or that Schubert sonata? Strange.
I'm certainly glad he specified "Emily Bronte's remarkable novel Wuthering Heights," lest we think he meant the Kate Bush song.
Also, "remarkable"? Somehow, in a paragraph full of unfortunate word choices, that one stings.
Also, whither the dieresis on "Bronte"? A missed opportunity for pretension.
Ugh. Forget the bestsellers, how did this guy even get his dissertation accepted?
We need to set him up on a date with Christina Nehring.
heathcliff? heathcliff? heathcliff was a douche. you want to be a douche?
…oh.
Is anyone else not convinced that Cornell West is black? Everything he says and does sounds like an out of touch middle aged white dude trying to fool people into thinking he's black. The "Brother West", the afro, even the 'funky love' thing sounds like someone from the 70's thinking to themself 'Shit I haven't written anything black sounding in a while'
There is also the fact that he looks prospheticy, almost as if his alleged face was actually prosphetics. I think i'm going to try and snatch his 'face' at one of his lectures. Pages of history here I come
West rules, this book might not but… we all fall sometimes. Since when was the act of writing a memoir not 101% self involved, Just writing one puts a person dangerously close to Douchedom, Only the very few can pull it off without looking like a narcissistic Brain Bag and no one can pull it off without being at least somewhat self involved.