Dr. Cornel West's essay Nihilism in Black America is a bold statement on the importance of love and hope to the improvement of the black condition in America. West's essay holds many points that are congruent to those discussed in his various lectures and interviews. West mainly focuses on the roots and reasons behind black nihilism and the self destruction that it is causing.
West opens his essay on discussing the popular liberal and conservative ideas on why black Americans are still unequal and downtrodden and then proposes his own thesis. Black inequality isn't caused by a lack of protestant work ethic or structural assistance, but by nihilism among black Americans. West describes this nihilism not as philosophic but indicative of a sweeping hopelessness and lovelessness. West continues to say that this nihilism has devalued human life in black culture and increased the drive towards materialism. West further explains the destructiveness of this nihilism when he writes "life without meaning, hope, and love breeds a coldhearted, mean-spirited outlook that destroys both the individual and others.” (40). At a speech given an APHA meeting West defines love as "a steadfast commitment to the well-being of others." Thus, West is expressing that the black community (and America as a whole) no longer seems to care about the wellness of others and has replaced this sentiment with nihilism and materialism. It is important to note here that West broadens his explanation to describe not only black Americans but all working class Americans (a theme that persists through many of his lectures). Dr. West believes that nihilism and apathy are a prevalent cause of black inequality and that love must be reinjected into the black psyche in order to succeed. This position raises the question "what is causing this nihilism?"
West explores black nihilism and offers what he believes to be the source of this problem. The two ideas he mostly explores in his essay are linked to personal and financial security. In his appearance on the Bill Maher show, West states that terrorist attacks on America have recently led many to a self-justified paranoia. He likens this to the black experience when he says "to be black in America for 400 years is to be unsafe, unprotected, subject to random violence, and hated." This is a powerful point in relation to his discussion of black nihilism. This hate and violence (both internal and external in its genesis) experienced by black Americans have led to the feeling of meaningless and hopelessness that West believes is central to black nihilism. West further explores this point again in his APHA lecture when he says that "everyday people feel more and more helpless and hopeless and hapless." This lack of personal security leads black Americans to hopeless which leads to nihilism. The other point discussed by West is how financial security is linked to nihilism. He writes in his essay that “The eclipse of hope and collapse of meaning in much of black America is linked to the structural dynamics of corporate market institutions that affect all Americans.” (42). West explores commodification in his essay and discusses it in his lecture. He believes that materialism and "the wall street oligarchy" has consistently led to hopelessness among black Americans and the working middle class. The root of nihilism is hopelessness and that hopelessness is subsisted by insecurity on many levels among black Americans.
West's exploration of black nihilism is refreshing in its frank discussion of the problems face black America. West makes few excuses in his assessments and clearly points out why and how nihilism became the prevailing sentiment in black America. The roots of nihilism is in hopelessness and West believes that "a love ethic must be at the center" of the conversion of black America off of nihilistic and materialistic lifestyles (43). Furthermore, Dr. West often expands his points to cover working class America as a whole so it is important to understand the points he is making and how they can be used to bolster equality and justice for people of all races in America.
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