According to Joe, then "he ain't black."

Damnit FotoPhinish! I hate to see someone post an entertaining comment with a humorous / unique take like yours, and then see that their imgflip ID has been deleted.

You a Cornel West fan?

Is that question directed at me?

Yea

Okay, I think it's a fair question. Not particularly relevant, but still fair.

You'll have to forgive me if it seems like I'm slipping into 'Bill Clinton mode' with my answer, because it's not a simple, nor a concise yes / no answer, imo.

I disagree with Dr. West on many political issues. But that wasn't your question. Some insight into my personality would reveal to you that I respect anyone, and of course their opinion(s) as well, if I know they've arrived at them through intellect and reason.

The people I don't respect, nor even like, are those who employ what I call 'black box thinking', with black box referring to a scientific / technological object used for testing that reveals only input and output. These are individuals who when they hear an issue or are asked a question, automatically regurgitate an opinion or answer. They would not for the life of them be able to explain why they believe what they believe.

We see a lot of that here on imgflip, imo. These are people, imo, that have generally been told what to think, probably for their entire lives, sometimes even by the media. They do not have the intellectual integrity, let alone intellectual curiosity, to question why they believe what they believe.

Dr. West is clearly not one of those types of people. So depending on what your definition of a "fan" is, some would say I am a fan, although I don't consider myself one. To be fair, I'm not prone to falling into 'fan-mode', so I'm not a fan of many, if any. However, when I think about him as an intellectual, and even as a possible debate opponent (sure, that's just a silly fantasy, because it certainly would never happen!), I know he would be formidable, and if I'm being honest, he would likely wipe the floor with me. If that doesn't make me admire someone, nothing will. He's intelligent, knowledgeable, passionate in the opinions and beliefs he holds. He is absolutely an outstanding representative for those opinions and beliefs. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him on all levels. The fact that I disagree with him politically on many issues is irrelevant when it comes to my overall opinion of him. So maybe that does make me a fan. What do you think?

Woah, that's a long response. I've been only a casual listener to Cornel West, but he has very good viewpoints on certain subjects and is a refreshing left wing voice. He also has a pretty calm and composed demeanor too which I appreciate, even though it might not be as entertaining. Considering you're probably right wing, I'm pleasantly surprised.

Sorry, but I tried to warn you about the tl;dr aspect of my reply! (fair warning, this may be another...)

I've seen Dr. West on TeeVee many times and was impressed enough to spend some of what I consider to be my valuable time, and check him out on YouTube. Politically speaking, I like to know what the opposition thinks, and why.

So, while politically I would consider him an opponent, that view has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not I respect him, and to use your term, would maybe be a fan. Although fan is not quite the word that I would use.

About your perception of me as right wing, I understand, particularly given a person's ability to understand what I'm about through the limited lens of imgflip. I understand that I share enough positions with conservatives and right wingers to fuel that perception. But I also share enough positions with those on the left, that I feel it's not accurate to be boxed in like that.

So would it be accurate for me to describe you as a centrist then?

Maybe. Before the Democrat party lost its collective minds when Trump won, I always considered myself a moderate, because like I mentioned, I hold views that are also held by both wings, right and left. Hell, I've probably voted for as many Democrats as I have Republicans.

However, given that AOC seems to have taken over the party, and turned Nervous Nancy into her bitch, I sure get the feeling that I fall a bit more to the right on the political spectrum that I used to.

Well said, my turn came from the refusal to defend free speech, encourage censorship, and the attacks on our history and founders as well as religion. My parents Democratic Party is gone. It no longer exists. The working man has been driven to the right because the left holds them in contempt and actually thinks they don’t need them. The Marxist don’t like the middle class because they make it harder to overthrow the upper class.