In re-watching a PBS special on William F. Buckley, I was reminded of his very interesting 1965 debate at Cambridge U. with Black author/literary critic James Baldwin. Buckley [1925-2008] was a brilliant, articulate political commentator generally deemed integral to the evolution of contemporary conservatism. Yet while I have always admired him as such, I was shocked to discover that one of his opinions in the debate was the product of an elitism utterly inconsistent with my conservative values!
In response to Mr. Baldwin’s expression of outrage that Blacks in various Southern States were still being denied their democratic rights, Buckley said it was a “very complicated” issue. White people, he said, were clearly “the advanced race” and giving equal voting rights to people of color might very well entail a decline in the cultural values upon which the country was founded! Now while I have no problem with the historically verifiable truth that European Culture, extending back to the Ancient Greeks, has always been eminently more “advanced” than the cultures of Blacks throughout the rest of the world, this fact says absolutely nothing about the intelligence and integrity of any given individual. No doubt assailed with charges of Racism for his comments, Buckley soon amended them, saying: “All states should disenfranchise the uneducated of all races.” But does one’s Educational Status necessarily say anything more valid than one’s Skin Color about one’s quality as a human being?
The Enlightenment Rationalists deemed every person to be endowed with certain inalienable rights. The U.S. Constitution reflects this fundamental belief. At its core was the assumption that Man’s capacity for Reason and Integrity must inevitably lead him to exercise his freedoms for the betterment of the species. The history of the last hundred years in the Western World has unequivocally proven this to be true, the Rights of Women, Blacks, Gays, etc., slowly but relentlessly being validated. At the heart of this process, of course, is Freedom of Speech!
But in 1965 William F. Buckley actually proposed disenfranchising those whom he deemed to be ignorant. As our academics ironically manifest almost daily, it is possible to be well-educated yet utterly simple-minded. As the many wonderful Black conservatives I admire prove unequivocally, one’s skin color does not define one. While I absolutely share Buckley’s esteem for Human Intelligence and its benefits, the opinions he expressed in his debate with James Baldwin truly shocked me. Ironically, this icon of conservatism seems to have shared the very same disdain for Free Speech as is presently being cultivated by the Fascist Left, which seems intent on “cancelling” anyone with whom it does not agree!