While there weren’t the same underclass problems, there was a strong drift from down south and racial tensions still existed though perhaps less raw – thats how my parents and their friends tell it. Immigrants were still immigrants and people still have stakes in land and neighborhoods and things that they perceive as their own. While perhaps not the most prior motivation like in the states, race was a factor that could be easily be lumped onto an already biased opinion, and the climate was one wherein that could and often was tolerated.

The climate is much different now, especially with all of the new waves of immigration that have hit the city since the one that brought my parents and that whole generation here. The settlement patterns are also very different, but they actually seem to be “riffing off of” those of my parents. A more detailed version of this story is actually in the Canadian edition of Who’s Your City for anyone who’s interested.

As for the escaped slaves through the underground railroad, peep this 20 min doc on Africville, Canada’s oldest historical black community in Nova Scotia made up of some of those escaped slaves. They had a community established there since 1750 but were displaced by the city in 1950’s to make a dump that is now a dog park. True Story.

I too love De La Soul. Anybody who samples Steely Dan is alright by me.

Just out of curiousity, could you explain your background? Obviously, Canada doesn’t have the black underclass that we do, the historical remnant of slavery and Jim Crow. My impression from spending lots of time in Toronto is that blacks there are generally Jamacian, or perhaps from some other British Commonwealth. But whatever happened to the escaped slaves that made it through the underground railroad? Was it that they didn’t stay, or that few actually made it through?

“Uncaring discipline” shows up a number of times. i.e. “Strict father”.

The funny thing is, the strict father really does care.

You know, I recommend Lakoff’s book, “Moral Politics”, but you don’t need to read very much of it. Most of the book is analysis of social science showing that children do better with a “nurturing mother” philosophy rather than a “strict father”.

I think that it is very telling that Lakoff, a liberal, equates voters with children.

And yo Buzz, peace to Long Island! A lot of greats out of Nassau county, no doubt. De La Soul, one of my favorites (Often heard on Backspin 65 – also one of my favorites), shares boroughs with you as well. I’ll check out that Lakoff and see if I can better make a guess about where the average rapper or African American sits on the spectrum. I know where at least one non-average rapper sits: 50 Cent’s a Republican.

Micheal – Thanks for jumping in. Your observations are always interesting/welcome. You make a great point about there being a lack of good models of black conservatism in the states. Armstrong Williams seems to have made a good impression on the CBC, but I don’t know enough about him to hail him as “the solution” one way or the other. Jim H offered another good example. If only Colin Powell hadn’t been so embarrassed by the Bush Administration…

Thanks for the succinct summary. While I would argue with your interpretation of most of this, it’s a clear and relatively polemic-free description of the Republican view of the last 3 decades.

I’ve got a new XM radio receiver. My old one only had 10 presets, the new one’s got 30. That’s more presets than I can actually use.

I just added their “old school rap” channel. Doug E Fresh was just on. Man that’s crap. Beasties are on now. Now THAT is good stuff.

My cube mates can’t figure out my musical tastes: “Classic” alternative, ’90s alternative, electronica, dance… and now old school rap.

But, over time, Republicans have been extremely successful on these issues. Taxes were drastically lowered. Crime has been brought under control. The cold war is over. Welfare got reformed. The cultural revolution is not an issue anymore (although I wouldn’t say that it was turned back in any way, shape, or form, we’ve just gotten used to a certain level of degradation).

Democrats have one governing philosophy: “got a problem, get a program”. The government is the answer to everything. This is actually a huge advantage in terms of evolving as a party. You can reinvent yourself to address new “problems”, even when the problems are of your own making. And you can appeal to new groups as well. Hell, that’s how Democrats “stole” African-Americans from Republicans back in the ’30s. They just became another cog in the Roosevelt New Deal machine.

That broke down in the ’70s, when it was quite clear that government did not solve problems. But we’ve seem to have forgotten that lesson, especially among the younger generation.

I just hope that it doesn’t take another “lost decade” like the 1970’s were to relearn that valuable lesson.

There’s a t-shirt you can buy on the ‘net that has a picture of Obama in a leasure suit with the phrase “Welcome Back Carter” on it. That’s going to seem very prophetic in a few years.

Would that it were so simple. Today’s Republicans are more the “crazy uncle” philosophy.

I actually think a responsible and reasonable opposition party would be good for America. Let’s hope the GOP can work its way back to the “strict father”.

I think you have a point, in theory. Colin Powell has a lot in common with Eisenhower. Unfortunately he was pretty much evicted from the party. Instead we have Steele who seems a loose cannon and Clarence Thomas who’s a far-right ideologue as Republican models for Black conservatives. There’s a long way to go.