SOC 1010

Black Rednecks and White Liberals is one of the Thomas Sowell brilliant books having written more than 30 books. This book is amongst many of his books that are based on history, education race economics. Sowell has acquired a quirky autobiography benefitting him. He has a passion for writing scholarly essays, reviews, and magazines. In fact, this book is a collection of essays. In the late 1970s, Sowell continually participated in the writing of newspaper columns. Sowell is a model of public intellectual.

Dr. Sowell receives a lot of recognition for his work wherever he is and all over the world. Currently, Sowell is a Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution, Stanford University (Sowell, 2006). He is a recipient of many prizes and awards, and samples of his books include The Quest for Cosmic Justice, A Conflict of Visions, Basic Economics and Ethnic America. Whenever invited for speaking engagements particularly in the media, Dr. Sowell easily avails himself.

Black Rednecks and White Liberals book brings lights to the long-existing assumptions about the Jews, Blacks, Slavery, Germans and education. The author powerfully reasons and plainly presents his arguments supported by a broad range of facts. Black Rednecks and White Liberals take on the historical interpreters and of the American life and trends of intellectuals during his time. In a composition of long essays, the book demonstrates a detailed analysis of the key reasoning behind the dangerous and misunderstood policies, actions and trends. Sowell provides valid insights to the growth and development of the ghetto culture that is seen as one of kind identity for the Blacks. White liberals who think of being friends to the Blacks perceive this culture as self-destructive for them.

The book presents six essays: Black Rednecks and White Liberals, Germans and History, Are Jews Generic? The Real History of Slavery, History versus Visions and Black Education: Achievements, Myths, and Tragedies. The Black Rednecks and White Liberals base the essay on a ghetto culture where he argues that the culture is thought to be a genuine Black culture which is truly a significant abnormal White Southern redneck culture that prevailed in the antebellum South era. Are Jews Generic? Essay Sowell provides a detailed explanation of the origin of anti-Semitism among people who harbored jealousy towards the Jews for the success both in entrepreneurship and financial sector. In The Real History of Slavery, the author discusses the practice of slavery particularly in the western culture. He highlights that the popular mini-series known as Roots by Alex Haley is more myth than a reality.

The Germans and History essay argues that the twelve year period of Adolf Hitler reign should not define Germany since Hitler had inconsistent views towards the unification of Germany. He strongly supports for Sudetenland annexation while stating that Hitler preferred Benito Mussolini as he ignored Tyrol. In the second last essay, Black Education: Achievements, Myths, and Tragedies, Sowell discusses his early schooling days at Dunbar High School in Washington D.C and the later deterioration into a prominent early Black education center which he argues was an eventual effect of the U. S. Supreme Court decision in the Brown versus Board of Education. Finally, History Versus Visions, the author criticizes the benefits of multiculturalism that it is supposed to replicate the society that it presents.

Through these essays in the book Black Rednecks and White Liberals, he brings the most enlightening results of his not less than two decades of groundbreaking and fearless research on cultural issues and racial discrimination. Sowell advocates for justice and fairness on races, economics, politics, education and culture. He believes that these fields play a significant role in the life of a human being and any misuse may be undermining the value of human life. Sowell is an advocate of spectrum issues profoundly supported by factual data to drive his ideas in particularly on racism and slavery.

In some ways, he courageously challenges racial orthodox that existed unchallenged from the 1960s involving media and academic elites. He explored the real history of slavery and challenged historians why they produced large volumes of Africans enslavement by the Whites. He also explored the world slavery historical and sociological fallout particularly in U.S while ignoring the fact that slavery was everywhere in the world including the Western Africa. He stroke parallels between the Jewish history tragedy and Armenians in the Ottoman Kingdom and other minorities.

Sowell applies critical theories that critique the society, systems of power, social culture and boosting egalitarian change. He also uses various theories socio-exchange theory, rational choice theory, and game theory to explain his ideas on the subject matter. He resolves societal problems by providing his point of view and what he believes the society should behave.

Sowell’s essays are a raft of facts, myth destruction and a cold bath of logic. He has priceless qualities of a scholar and a writer; he is fearless. His work presents him as a person who does not jockey and doesn’t care about popularity since they won’t affect his status. Sowell doesn’t care about reputation and talks what he finds is true and the damn consequences. He talks about what man people fear doing. The book exposes the blatant misconceptions poisoning race relations during the 19th century. In all these essays, he aims at unfolding the common myths especially those that discriminate the minorities. The essays summarize conclusions of more than two decades on cultural and racial issues.

Through his work, I see him as brutal but unflinching: self-indulgence, braggadocio, brawling and disregards the future. His work may sound like stereotypes, but he cares less as he forges ahead with logical ideas. He gets dismayed by the redneck culture or the cracker culture that equates Blacks identity. He finds the whites as liberally guilty since they abetted and aided perpetuation of self-destructive and counterproductive lifestyle amongst the Black people.

I am in agreement with almost all the premises presented in his work particularly when he straightforwardly explains that Western was unique in slavery opposition and its tremendous efforts against it. He doesn’t spare the most recent slavery practices in Africa. Concerning slavery, he states that it was an issue of the Western civilization against the world and what seemed peculiar of the western is that in didn’t participate in the trade but it denounced the practice later.

Sowell believed that all human beings despite their race or origin were equal before the law. He vigorously criticized the legal and racial discrimination in the southern states, and by the twentieth century, a good number of Blacks were slowly catching up with the whites regarding income, skills, and education. Sowell committed his work on economics through advocating for the establishment of stable economies throughout the world. He integrated his economic skills to a wide range of interdisciplinary studies that focus on politics, culture, and race. Through his work, he challenges and undermines most of the dominant ideological myths present today. Sowell’s work is quality and readable in any learning environment thought it requires a clear understanding for one to conquer with his views which are often presented with facts.

Sowell takes on all the issues that are difficult to handle. As both a scholar and writer he chews nails, and many people may not agree with him, but his work is reckoned. He pens every issue line after line and only him who could have written what he wrote. Sowell is one kind of writers who provide masses with alternatives for their failure and blaming other people for their success. Such people would hate themselves after reading Sowell’s work. Through this book, one can easily identify that the work is well researched with factual ideas to support his claims. I believe that over the past few decades, Sowell establishes himself as one of the few writers who present well though, insightful and brilliant conservative ideas in various fields in the U.S and globally.