ABSTRACT
The Reverend Al Sharpton's most vocal critics have painted him not only as an opportunist, ambulance chaser, and a media hound, but as a political radical who is to blame, in part, for the deterioration of race relations and for the raw exploitation of New York City's African-American communities. Newspaper columnist and social critic Jim Sleeper contends that Sharpton and other black militants ignore the economic hardships faced by African-Americans and excuse crimes committed by black criminals. Instead, he plays the “race card” and thrives on a politics of racial division. According to Sleeper, the dishonesty of local black leaders such as Sharpton, who lie about white attitudes and are supported by guilt-ridden white liberals who defend the lies, is the major cause of racial tension in New York.
