OMAROSA: Sell Out or Buy-In?
- Johnnie Cordero
- Dec 24, 2017
- 4 min read
I am always interested in symbols that create teaching moments that we may learn from in our quest for the development of Critical Thinking in The Age of Trump. The appropriate symbols will lead to Total Black Empowerment in the 21st century and beyond.
It is my firm belief that we cannot attain power proportionality in America without clear thinking. Clichés aside - "a mind is a terrible thing to waste". Which brings me to today's teaching moment. Omarosé Manigault-Newman aka Omarosa - sell out or buy in?
Frankly, I am not interested in Omarosa's exploits and activities with Donald Trump for which she is now famous (infamous?). She got burned and she should have known it was coming. What is interesting to me is her journey and what it illustrates. Let's get the preliminaries out of the way. First question: What is a sell out?
A "sellout" is a person who betrays something to which she is said to owe allegiance. When used in a racial context among African Americans, "sellout" is a disparaging term that refers to blacks who knowingly or with gross negligence act against the interest of blacks as a whole. Randall Kennedy, Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal:
If the above definition is accepted it would require that a person who sells out "... acts against the interest of blacks as a whole." The possibility of any individual acting with such broad affect is realistically limited to very few people. Omarosa is certainly not one of them. Omarosa shamelessly pandered to Donald Trump for her own advantage. People do that every day. It can certainly be argued that anyone who in anyway involves themselves in the day to day operation of the system that oppresses us acts against the interests of black people as a whole.
Selling out has got to mean more. By my definition the sell out must, at very least, first publicly commit to the cause and then through some intentional action materially betray the cause to which he or she has committed. To my mind selling out is more like treason. It requires disloyalty or treachery. Omarosa was never committed to anyone other than herself. She never pretended to be part of our cause and therefore could not betray it.
So is Omarosa a sell out? I think not. But she is definitely a buy-in. The difference is significant. The person who is a buy-in is simply one who is duped (conned if you prefer) into thinking that he or she can actually be accepted on a level of parity in an endeavor to which he or she really contributes nothing of value. Omarosa actually believed that she was, in some meaningful way a part of the Trump vision for America and even the Trump Administration. But what could she possibly have thought she was bringing to the table that was of value to Trump. Surely Trump could not have seen her as either a liason to the black community or a spokesperson for it. In fact it appears that she is roundly disliked by the black community.
Omarosa's actual title was Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison. It is my understanding that the title was created for her, that is, it did not previously exist. It also seems that she actually had no defined duties and spent most of her time doing nothing. Of course she claims credit for Trump's HBCU Initiative. Can you say lead balloon?
Omarosa clearly bought into Trump's unique brand of bull but she did not sell out. What could she expect? She didn't make the cut on Trump's reality show. In fact, her "career' with Trump has resulted in her now being fired a total of four times. Some people never learn. Did she really think he was actually going to let her run something? Her stint on the Apprentice ended in her being fired. Likewise her stint in the White House ended with her being fired (she says she resigned) and being unceremoniously dragged from the White House. She says it didn't happen. I'm going to go with April Ryan, CNN’s White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief who says it did. She bought into the BS. She got what all marks get in the end - used.
"So whenever that house Negro identified himself, he always identified himself in the same sense that his master identified himself. When his master said, "We have good food," the house Negro would say, "Yes, we have plenty of good food." "We" have plenty of good food. When the master said that "we have a fine home here," the house Negro said, "Yes, we have a fine home here." When the master would be sick, the house Negro identified himself so much with his master he'd say, "What's the matter boss, we sick?"
"It's so great our enemies are making themselves clear so that when we get in to the White House, we know where we stand...."
Next blog we will look at a sellout worthy of the name.
_______________________________________________________
Johnnie Cordero holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Doctorate in Jurisprudence. He is the author of Total Black Empowerment: A Guide to Critical Thinking in the Age of Trump. His new book Theodicy and The Power of the African Will is now available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other on line book sellers. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter @JohnnieCordero.