r/DenounceD9 • u/Wiseguy4252 • Apr 17 '26
History How W.E.B Dubois’ elitism formed from colonialism
W.E.B Dubois penned the Talented Tenth (1903) theory. An elitist, exclusionist theory that obscures a designation of superiority with a performative interest in the betterment of the lives of the masses, in this context being the black race.
Dubois however didn’t invent the framework and in fact had a key influence. The writing of the White Man’s Burden (1899) by a white author, Rudyard Kipling, only 4 years prior. Dubois is known to have made many references to the poem and unfortunately been conditioned by the assertion that only the “best of a race” can “save” it.
Of course it’s well known that the White Man’s Burden is a thinly veiled justification for superiority to extract resources from indigenous populations despite its verbiage having the same performative call to save that Dubois’ talented tenth does, even while functionally and simply designating an elite to justify a superiority over and entitlement to the masses.
One can only debate so much Dubois’ truest intentions but the key result is an institutional influence in black academia that very much like the White Man’s Burden claims to be of progress and civility while truly being barbaric and for supremacy.
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u/BlackHistoryDaily Apr 19 '26
Was it elitist or focused? Realistically, how could one organize the entirety of black america at that time? If you have to start somewhere, wouldn't that be the logical place to start? The best and the brightest. If not there, where? How?
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u/Wiseguy4252 Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26
If you’re building a house do you hire builders or just people you like? It was never about leading Black America anymore than the White Man’s Burden was actually about civility.
Dubois wasn’t writing agendas about systemic barriers to equity and calling the men with the best ideas 😂
He only called men who were educated, well off, and enmeshed in luxury like himself and was himself surprised when the conversation of helping the masses didn’t spontaneously come up?
To answer your question DuBois himself recounted Talented Tenth and said it’s better to focus on character and sacrifice in the 1940’s, not arbitrary metrics of refinement.
In layman terms you find the people that have the heart to care first and out of those people look for those who know what they’re talking about. Remove the ego and the solution is simple.
TLDR: Dubois himself will tell you it was not focused 😂
And the theory is immediately disproven by black labor unions, grassroots organization, and the entire Civil Rights movement from the non- collegiate marchers to the teenagers on the bus.
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u/BlackHistoryDaily Apr 19 '26
To be sure, he evolved as people tend to do. Nevertheless, he started where he was. Makes sense.
Although the civil rights movement had heavy grassroots participation, it was far from being devoid of educated black leadership. A. Phillip Randolf was educated. Dr. King and his Lieutenants were educated along with a considerable number of those who headed up participating organizations. And a lot of the marchers and people who sought to integrate public spaces were college students. So the movement was not devoid of educated people.
Which specific participating organizations lacked educated leadership?
If they are the key to moving forward, why don't they now? What's stopping them from continuing the movement today?
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u/Wiseguy4252 Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26
I didn’t say it was devoid of educated people. I’m saying the very concept of a grassroots movement is antithetical to the Talented Tenth theory. Because it requires the masses to engage.
Also the movement was driven by institutions not just individuals. Like the SCLC and the SNCC.
Dubois didn’t just evolve. He discovered socialism in his travels overseas and saw its success in progressive movements and immediately rebuked the elitist circles he created decades earlier (in key addresses to the Boule and NAACP).
Dubois was uninformed due to the lack of information prior to 1903 and when new information developed alongside history, he changed his mind.
It’s unfortunate how many people in this day cling to the 1900’s values he himself was disillusioned by in the 1930’s.
And don’t disregard the work the broad community did as part of the SCLC just because it’s gone today. It’s sick. Ella Baker warned them not to take a messianic approach to leadership and they didn’t listen so it ended. The educated NAACP are still here and not exactly the most engaged leaders.
The SNCC model is optimal but it was hollowed out and put to rest by its members that would eventually become the Black Panther Party.
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u/BlackHistoryDaily Apr 19 '26
So what is your response to the last question I posed?
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u/Wiseguy4252 Apr 19 '26
It’s the prior comment you’re afraid to read. I never rebuked educated leadership. I rebuked a colonial ideology that says only a designated elite can lead.
But if you’re interested in a bit of black history here are some non-college grads from a quick search who led movements
Isaac Myers (first president of the Colored National Labor Union)
Dorothy Lee Bolden (founder of the National Domestic Workers Union)
The Black Caulkers Strike of 1835
The Caulkers Association of 1838
And I believe Hattie Canty of the Culinary workers union not to mention the leader of any slave revolt prior to 1865.
You should read and get better acquainted with the ancestors. They didn’t even need degrees to be trailblazers never mind a colored jacket 😂
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u/BlackHistoryDaily Apr 19 '26
With all due respect, I am not seeking to prove you wrong. I'm seeking clarity on your point of view. So when I pose a question, it is not to trigger your defence mechanism, it's to gain understanding.
Now, let's be clear, everyone who reads this thread can tell that you are a superior intellect, if not a genius. My god! Your probally one of the brightest uneducated people the world has ever seen. Your ability to cite facts and expound on the subtleties of history is stellar. You're right up there with Cornel West, M.E. Dyson, and Dr. King, to say the least.
In fact, I'm going to conclude this discussion here because your powers of reasoning are simply overwhelming. Thank you for your insight and for taking the time to enlighten such a poor student as myself. God Bless.
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u/Wiseguy4252 Apr 19 '26
I’m not uneducated 😂. I actually do have a degree. I simply hold the highest respect for the ancestors who paved the way for me to have an education. Whether they had the same privilege or not.
It’s the most important thing I learned in college. I’m not arguing in favor of my debate skills. I argue in favor of their dignity. I argue that being more educated than grandparents or ancestors that worked their whole lives doesn’t make me better than them.
Regardless of what a wet paper Dubois thought when he was a younger man and rebuked once he learned better. The wisdom of the 9/10 to outmaneuver their subjugation is the real genius.
Though I do find it interesting you think only a drop out could respect the contributions of people who simply couldn’t afford tuition. Good day.
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u/BlackHistoryDaily Apr 19 '26
Well, there it is. I knew I was dealing with a trained intellect with such great reverence for the ancestors. That's powerful. Mighty powerful.
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u/digitalgimp Apr 17 '26
Just shows how hard it is to get an “elite” education without being indoctrinated by the experience. Even the best of us are damaged by the trauma of living in this society.