Both Cornel West and Marianna De Marco Torgovnick discuss the idea of supremacy,
Manichean theologies, and authoritarian behavior in their essays. However, they
deal with these ideas differently and for different reasons. In West s essay,
Malcolm X and Black Rage , he explains Mal colm X s views on how to transfer
black rage in such a way that it would reject supremacy. In Torgovnick s essay,
On Being White, Female, and Born in Bensonhurst , she writes how her hometown
held supremacist ideas and how this af fected her. West is still pursuing the
goal of black free dom by looking into the past, especially Malcolm X s writ
ings. Whereas, Torgovnick kind of runs away from things and refers to living in
Bensonhurst as having simultaneously choking and nutritive power. This
difference is mainly due because West wants to try to make things better, while
Torgovnick leaves her hometown feeling that she needs to start things over.
Torgovnick writes about supremacist ideas in her cul tural background. For
example, she says, Italian Americans in Bensonhurst are notable for their
cohesiveness and pro vinciality; the slightest pressure turns those qualities
into prejudice and racism (Torgovnick 123). In other words there is a lot of
racism and prejudice, especially towards Hawash 2 blacks, in Bensonhurst.
Torgovnick s father also held supremacist ideas. Her father reacted with
indifference to the death of a black man in Bensonhurst. As Torgovnick writes,
Oh, no, my father says when he hears the news about the shooting...He has no
trouble acknowledging the wrongness of the death...The explanation is right
before him but, Yeah, he says, still shaking his head, yeah, but what were they
doing there (Torgovnick 125). Even though, he recognizes the wrongness of the
death, he says the blacks weren t supposed to be there. His reason for his death
holds supremacist ideas, because here he is being a racist. To say that blacks
don t belong in a cer tain neighborhood, is just like saying that they aren t
good enough. Thus, Torgovnick father is being a racist. Torgovnick s hometown
also holds Manichean ideologies, which means to see things only as black and
white, right and wrong. In other words people who hold Manichean ideologies
usually don t see things in between. She writes, Bensonhurst is a neighborhood
dedicated to believing that its values are the only values; it tends to towards
certain forms of inertia (Torgovnick 124). Thus, the people of Bensonhurst
believe that any other values are wrong, and their values are right. Here you
can see how Torgovnick s hometown held Manichean ideologies because the people
feel Hawash 3 that there values are the only right values. Any other values
would be viewed as unacceptable to the people of Bensonhurst. Authoritarian
behavior also exists in Bensonhurst. For example, when she was entering high
school, her parents and counselor recommended a secretarial track despite her
high scores. Torgovnick writes, Although my scores are superb, the guidance
counselor has recommend the secretarial track...My mother s preference is clear:
the secretarial track...My father also prefers the secretarial track (Torgovnick
128). This is authoritarian behavior because rather that asking Torgovnick which
track she wanted to follow, they wanted to choose it for her. Just because she
is a girl, they wanted to put her in a track that is below her standards. Cornel
West uses Malcolm X s writings to explain su premacy, Manichean ideologies, and
authoritarian behavior. West agrees with most of Malcolm X s ideas, however he
disagrees with Malcolm X s rejection of black church and music. West argues by
using the metaphor of jazz that, an improvisational mode of protean, fluid, and
flexible dispo sitions toward reality suspicious of either/or viewpoints,
dogmatic pronouncements, or supremacist ideologies (West 119). In other words,
to West the black church and black music represents freedom, something that
Malcolm X does not realize. Hawash 4 In order to explain Manichean ideologies
and authori tarian behavior, one must look at Malcolm X s fear of cul tural
hybridity. West writes, Malcolm X s fear of cultural hybridity rests upon two
political concerns: that cultural hybridity downplayed the vicious character of
white supremacy and that cultural hybridity intimately linked the destinies of
black and white people such that the possibility of black freedom was
far-fetched (West 117). Meaning that if blacks and whites are to share things
(cultural hybridity) whites will always have the advantage. Therefore, blacks
will never achieve total freedom. Malcolm X saw this as a weakness, which does
seem understandable. However, Malcolm X fails to realize that if blacks are to
go off on their own, this would lead to supremacy and Manichean ideologies. West
says, Furthermore, the cultural hybrid character of black life leads us to
highlight a metaphor alien to Malcolm X s perspective... (West 119). If blacks
are to go off on their own, this would lead to Manichean ideologies; blacks
against whites. As a result, there will be no change in terms of racist views by
whites and suprema cist behavior as each group begins to fight for control. One
can see how some of Malcolm X s views can lead to su premacy, and Manichean
ideologies. West feels that Malcolm X s best view is his notion of psychic
conversion. He writes, ...we must preserve and Hawash 5 expand his notion of
psychic conversion ...These spaces...-beyond the best of black music and black
religion- reject Manichean ideologies and authoritarian... (West 119). West
explains that Malcolm X s notion of psychic conversion will channel black rage
to black humanity and love. Both West and Torgovnick deal with supremacy,
Manichean ideologies, and authoritarian behavior. However, they have different
ways of dealing with things. Cornal West uses Malcolm X s writings to deal with
these ideologies, while Marianna De Marco Torgovnick does so by referring to her
hometown of Bensonhurst.