In its book review section of June 17, the N. Y. Times published an article by one Tim Sultan on “Last Call at Coogan’s,” a work memorializing the culture of a Manhattan bar which closed its doors in 2020. Sultan’s opening paragraph begins as follows: “A FRIEND TO ME has no race, no class and belongs to no minority,” said Frank Sinatra. “My friendships are formed out of affection, mutual respect and a feeling of having something in common. These are eternal values that cannot be classified.” While Sinatra’s comment would seem perfectly innocuous, it ironically undercuts the simplistic Leftist perspective which The Times itself most often thoughtlessly supports.
The criticisms which genuine “conservatives” direct at any given individual or group are based not on their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., but rather on their quality as intelligent, sensitive, self-aware Human Beings. I am perfectly entitled, for example, to be utterly uninterested in a Drag Queen who has reduced himself to a mere parody of a person by dressing and behaving outlandishly in a self-centered attempt to garner public attention. Should a talk show feature such an individual, I simply turn the channel. It has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. It has to do with his quality as a human being.
I never thought I would use a quote by Frank Sinatra to make a political point, but his simple statement, perhaps in reference to his relationship with Sammy Davis Jr., suggests the nature of most human relationships. Yes, there are racists, sexists and homophobes amongst us, but the political and cultural criticisms levelled by the vast majority of the “conservative” pundits I admire, are based not on the race, gender or sexual orientation of their subjects but on their qualities as intelligent/moral beings. The absurd superficiality of Identity Politics is that it utterly banishes such considerations from its narrative, accusing anyone who views others in a wider, Humanistic context as a “hater.”
I find most Rap “music” utterly repulsive for reasons both moral and aesthetic. Decades ago Black social commentator C. Delores Tucker railed against its pernicious impact on the attitudes of young Black Americans. Yet so poisoned is our contemporary culture, that should I give public expression to my views, I would be automatically condemned as just another White, racist jerk by most “sophisticated” mainstream media outlets. Such is the absurd impact of what is ironically called “progressivism.”