Summary of Shelby Steele's Shame
(eBook)

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 I recently gave a speech at the Aspen Institute in which I argued that white guilt has damaged the self-esteem, if not the souls, of minorities more than white racism ever did. #2 I was used to being provocative, but my comments about race being rooted in classic Jeffersonian liberalism rather than white guilt was absolutely unpalatable to many. #3 I had the same reaction when I saw a young white man rush to the stage to confront me after my panel discussion on race and politics. He mimed his points with theatrical flair, and then looked at me as if to shudder at an unspeakable menace. #4 I had spoken at a conference in Aspen, and during my speech I had implied that post-1960s liberalism was the new enemy of minorities. The audience had largely agreed with me, but my young nemesis had come to represent me as an untouchable, someone from a dark realm of ideas who was both seductive and evil.