Review of Shelby Steele, THE CONTENT OF OUR CHARACTER (St. Martin's, 1990)
Reviewed by: Heather D Wileaver
Illinois State University
February 9, 1995

Innocence, according to Shelby Steele, equals power. The less you are to blame for your situation, the more power you will have. This, among other reasons, is why blacks continue to cling to their victimization. To be a victim, to be innocent, is to be powerful. Black oppression has not only given blacks power, but has also engrained in their minds a sense of inferiority. They have been told for so long that they are failures that they are now afraid to even try. Steele says that blacks use racism as a crutch. He recalls an instance where a black insurance salesman blamed his lack of success on his color. White people, he claimed, would not buy insurance from a black man. However, when two new black people joined the office they did twice as much business as he did. It was not his race or racism that kept him from succeeding. It could have been that he did not try as hard as the others, or perhaps he went into a situation believing that he would fail and gave up before he even tried.
Steele does not deny that racism exists. He says that racism is not the obstacle blacks make it to be. However, he does say that blacks must stop letting themselves fall back on racism and discrimination as excuses not to try or to quit. He calls for blacks to overcome the insecurities that have been brought about by racism ans strive to get ahead. "Hard work, education, individual initiative, stable family life, and property ownership" are the values blacks must embrace, as other ethnic groups have, to get ahead in America. He describes some blacks as whining race-holders who complain of discrimination to maintain a victim status. As a victim, blacks are not to blame for their condition. It is Reagan's fault that black male college enrollment declined after he cut scholarship money. How, Steele asks, do they explain the slight increase in female enrollment? Instead of taking respondsiblity for their condition, blacks fall back on their victimization to keep from trying; to keep from having to face failure. It is not whites' fault that blacks are not succeeding, it is their own. Steele writes "the quality of your life will reflect the quality of your effort." Blacks should only ask that the rules be fair and, Steele says, from this fairness blacks will retain their personal responsiblity and thus gain power.
Blacks, Steele says, should work to achieve power through their triumphs, not from being a victim. Oppression, Steele says, has led blacks to be racially vulnerable. It has led to an inferiority anxiety. Steele recalls an instance when he lashed out at a white woman who constantly corrected his grammer. In order to deny his racial shame and the fact that he felt inferior, he turned it around and accused the woman of being a racist who humiliated him in order to make herself feel better. In reality she was only trying to better his English so that he could do more than "sweat his life away in a mill somewhere." However, because of the vulnerablilty he felt he turned his shame and feelings of inadequacy into feelings of anger toward this woman. Vulnerability, Steele says, makes blacks afraid of critical voices. Instead of trying to deny these voices, blacks should seek out all the critical voices they can in order to overcome their impulse to deny and recompose positive criticism.
Steele is opposed to affirmative action, much to the anger of many blacks, not because it hurts whites, but because it hurts blacks. Steele says instead of developing programs that simply open the door to blacks, programs must be developed which help blacks get to the door. Programs need to be established that help blacks engage in the values that will help them succeed, such as staying in school or working hard. Values which many would refer to as white middle class values, although they work for everyone, not just whites. Blacks need to be reassured that they are not inferior and thus can do just as well, if not better, than anyone else. He admits that it will probably take quite a bit more effort for blacks than it does whites, but none the less these values will help blacks attain success.
Steele encourages blacks to embrace middle class values, however he does caution that even though these values and way of life will help you get ahead, blacks must brace themselves for the criticism that they will receive from other blacks. Expect to be accused, as Steele was, of betraying your race by blacks who continue to cling to their victim status and continue to fall behind. These blacks feel that by entering the middle class, you lose your blackness. Steele writes that many blacks feel it is impossible to retain your blackness when you become middle class.
I found that I agreed with the majority of Steele's ideas, however halfway through the book he seems to contradict himself. The first half of the book was written to appease whites. He seemed to take the blame away from whites and place it more on the shoulders of blacks. The first half of the book encourages black power and taking respondsiblity for one's life. He promotes a 'don't wait for someone else to do it for you, do it on your own' philosophy. However, in the next breath he calls for programs to help blacks achieve success. Suddenly blacks can't do it on their own, they need programs and the help of whites to be successful. Wasn't he just arguing that blacks feel inferior because thay have always relied on whites to get ahead? Won't blacks still feel as if they are inferior, and without special programs they can't get ahead? I agree with Steele that people should be hired because of their abilities and not their race. I also agree that if blacks embrace middle class values they will be more likely to succeed.

This page was last updated on 10/9/97 by Nigel Drayton (ndrayton@wam.umd.edu)
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions should be directed to diversity@umail.umd.edu

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		Review of Shelby Steele, THE CONTENT OF OUR CHARACTER (St. Martin's, 1990) Reviewed by: Heather D Wileaver Illinois State University February 9, 1995 Innocence, according to Shelby Steele, equals power. The less you are to blame for your situation, the more power you will have. This, among other reasons, is why blacks continue to cling to their victimization. To be a victim, to be innocent, is to be powerful. Black oppression has not only given blacks power, but has also engrained in their minds a sense of inferiority. They have been told for so long that they are failures that they are now afraid to even try. Steele says that blacks use racism as a crutch. He recalls an instance where a black insurance salesman blamed his lack of success on his color. White people, he claimed, would not buy insurance from a black man. However, when two new black people joined the office they did twice as much business as he did. It was not his race or racism that kept him from succeeding. It could have been that he did not try as hard as the others, or perhaps he went into a situation believing that he would fail and gave up before he even tried. Steele does not deny that racism exists. He says that racism is not the obstacle blacks make it to be. However, he does say that blacks must stop letting themselves fall back on racism and discrimination as excuses not to try or to quit. He calls for blacks to overcome the insecurities that have been brought about by racism ans strive to get ahead. "Hard work, education, individual initiative, stable family life, and property ownership" are the values blacks must embrace, as other ethnic groups have, to get ahead in America. He describes some blacks as whining race-holders who complain of discrimination to maintain a victim status. As a victim, blacks are not to blame for their condition. It is Reagan's fault that black male college enrollment declined after he cut scholarship money. How, Steele asks, do they explain the slight increase in female enrollment? Instead of taking respondsiblity for their condition, blacks fall back on their victimization to keep from trying; to keep from having to face failure. It is not whites' fault that blacks are not succeeding, it is their own. Steele writes "the quality of your life will reflect the quality of your effort." Blacks should only ask that the rules be fair and, Steele says, from this fairness blacks will retain their personal responsiblity and thus gain power. Blacks, Steele says, should work to achieve power through their triumphs, not from being a victim. Oppression, Steele says, has led blacks to be racially vulnerable. It has led to an inferiority anxiety. Steele recalls an instance when he lashed out at a white woman who constantly corrected his grammer. In order to deny his racial shame and the fact that he felt inferior, he turned it around and accused the woman of being a racist who humiliated him in order to make herself feel better. In reality she was only trying to better his English so that he could do more than "sweat his life away in a mill somewhere." However, because of the vulnerablilty he felt he turned his shame and feelings of inadequacy into feelings of anger toward this woman. Vulnerability, Steele says, makes blacks afraid of critical voices. Instead of trying to deny these voices, blacks should seek out all the critical voices they can in order to overcome their impulse to deny and recompose positive criticism. Steele is opposed to affirmative action, much to the anger of many blacks, not because it hurts whites, but because it hurts blacks. Steele says instead of developing programs that simply open the door to blacks, programs must be developed which help blacks get to the door. Programs need to be established that help blacks engage in the values that will help them succeed, such as staying in school or working hard. Values which many would refer to as white middle class values, although they work for everyone, not just whites. Blacks need to be reassured that they are not inferior and thus can do just as well, if not better, than anyone else. He admits that it will probably take quite a bit more effort for blacks than it does whites, but none the less these values will help blacks attain success. Steele encourages blacks to embrace middle class values, however he does caution that even though these values and way of life will help you get ahead, blacks must brace themselves for the criticism that they will receive from other blacks. Expect to be accused, as Steele was, of betraying your race by blacks who continue to cling to their victim status and continue to fall behind. These blacks feel that by entering the middle class, you lose your blackness. Steele writes that many blacks feel it is impossible to retain your blackness when you become middle class. I found that I agreed with the majority of Steele's ideas, however halfway through the book he seems to contradict himself. The first half of the book was written to appease whites. He seemed to take the blame away from whites and place it more on the shoulders of blacks. The first half of the book encourages black power and taking respondsiblity for one's life. He promotes a 'don't wait for someone else to do it for you, do it on your own' philosophy. However, in the next breath he calls for programs to help blacks achieve success. Suddenly blacks can't do it on their own, they need programs and the help of whites to be successful. Wasn't he just arguing that blacks feel inferior because thay have always relied on whites to get ahead? Won't blacks still feel as if they are inferior, and without special programs they can't get ahead? I agree with Steele that people should be hired because of their abilities and not their race. I also agree that if blacks embrace middle class values they will be more likely to succeed. This page was last updated on 10/9/97 by Nigel Drayton (ndrayton@wam.umd.edu) Questions, comments, and/or suggestions should be directed to diversity@umail.umd.edu \| Search inforM \| UMD Homepage \| inforM Homepage \| inforM FAQ \| Directory \| Academics \| Administration \| Admissions \| Campus Calendars \| Computing \| Highlights \| Internet \| Maps \| MD & DC \| News \| Library Resources \| Student \| Testudo \| UMD Today \|

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