Unfortunately, it seems like Ta-Nehisi Coates does not respond well to positive motivation. After the genius grant and massive popular adulation, he lost his touch and started publishing incoherent, rambling pieces that make little sense.
First, there was an article that pretty much accused Bernie Sanders of being a white supremacist. Given that Sanders is a Jew, this is a needlessly offensive accusation that is unlikely to achieve anything useful.
Nobody seems to have understood what Coates was trying to say in this piece, but instead of letting the whole thing go, the writer decided to explain what he really meant, which is always a losing strategy.
In another disorganized piece, Coates informs readers that the European welfare state did not “banish racism” and hence the policies Bernie advocates will not “banish racism” either. Coates is not dumb. It is not possible that he actually believes in the capacity of any policy to “banish racism.” This must mean that his entire attack on Bernie is nothing but a vacuous attempt to remain relevant while riding on the coattails of Sanders’s popularity.
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