Tavis Smiley, Cornel West, and The Rauschmonstrum

This interview is originally included in my book Interviews With the Rauschmonstrum

The Rauschmonstrum was a guest on Tavis Smiley’s PBS program in May of 2011, along with Professor Cornell West. They discussed the Rauschmonstrum’s new book Helping Africa; Eliminating Poverty, and the Rauschmonstrum’s questionable role in the history of American slavery.

Smiley: The Rauschmonstrum is…well you know who the Rauschmonstrum is. During the last 50 years, he has upended religious beliefs around the world. According to the last Gallup poll, less than 2% of all Americans under the age of 60 hold faith in a deity. He is the founder of RauschSoft and RauschSearch, which are the two biggest companies in the world, and is the author of many books, including the best-selling book of all time Jesus & Me. He now has a new book out called Helping Africa; Eliminating Poverty, which details his philanthropic efforts to wipeout disease, and lift people out of poverty in Africa. He has donated a whopping fifty billion dollars of his own personal fortune in order to achieve these goals, and he’s here to discuss them with us. Thanks for joining us Mr. Rausch.

Rausch: My pleasure Tavis. You run quite the program here. It’s splendid television.

Smiley: Thank you. Also joining us is a man who has been on this show many times before. He is a professor of African-American studies at Princeton University, and is the author of a number of influential books including Race Matters and Democracy Matters. He is of course Dr. Cornel West, and it is a pleasure to have him here as well.

West: Thank you Tavis. It’s great to be in this chair once again brother.

Smiley: Starting with Mr. Rausch, do you really expect to fully wipeout poverty in Africa over the next ten years the way you seem to in your book?

Rausch: I don’t know if it’ll ever be done fully. America is the most advanced country on Earth, and yet we still have poor people. The bible says “the poor will always be with us,” and that line is actually true. Regardless, I am confident that within ten years, extreme poverty will be wiped out worldwide, and will no longer be something Africa has to deal with.

Smiley: I’ve read through this book pretty closely and you obviously did an extraordinary amount of analysis into the empirical data of these problems, and acquired a massive amount of first-hand knowledge you got through visiting Africa.

Rausch: Yes. First of all, I’ve spent a lot of time in Africa over the years and so I had a good grasp of the problems they’ve been dealing with for a long time as it is. However, ashamedly I hadn’t gone there for quite some time, pretty much since I released my first book and became a public figure. However, I was having a talk with my friend Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway, along with Bill Gates one of my co-founders of RauschSoft, both of whom dedicate much of their time and money to philanthropy. After many long talks with them on the subject, I decided it was about time that I engage in philanthropic efforts.

Smiley: And what specific things did you concentrate on to help Africa?

Rausch: Mainly vaccinations, food and water, tools for agriculture, and educating people over there on how to put the agricultural tools to use. I also can’t discount the investment in new forms of energy. I’ve started a new company, RauschSolar, to help fill that need.

Cornel: I admire your work here brother.

Smiley: As do I. There’s something I’d like to ask you, and I’m a bit embarrassed to even say it. However, since everyone knows how you made enough bread and fish for Jesus to feed thousands of people, couldn’t you just make all the food Africa needs forever?

Rausch: I can do things like that in the short term, but once all the food I create is eaten and gone, they would need my help again, and again, and again. What I’m doing is making for long term positive change.

Smiley: The whole ‘teach a man to fish’ thing?

Rausch: Exactly.

West: Brother Rauschmonstrum, I like what I’m hearing about the work you’re doing in Africa, a continent that has endured so much hurt over the years. I visit there as much as I can, to do the work within my capabilities so that I may help the needy. However, considering your great wealth, power, and influence, I must chide you for not doing any work of this type up to this point. I don’t just mean over there in Africa. You’ve shown neglect for the poor and disfranchised here as well. You had been completely lacking in your charitable endeavors up until now.

Rausch: You’re right. I really have no excuse.

West: You’ve suffered from idle hands far more than anyone else I’ve ever heard of. For shame Rauschmonstrum. Since we’re here I’d like to ask you a question which I don’t believe you’ve covered in your body of work, or in any of your many public appearances. How could you allow for the enslavement and subjugation of the African people in the Americas?

Rausch: Oh…I supposed I should finally talk about that particular subject. Prominent black intellectuals have been bringing that up for roughly twenty years, including yourself, and I have yet to give a real answer.

West: We’ve been mentioning it for a lot longer than twenty years. Brothers Malcolm and Stokely gave speeches about it in the ‘60s.

Rausch: Really? I wasn’t aware.

West: I hope you don’t try to pull that “I wasn’t aware” line as to why you allowed for the slave trade to go on.

Rausch: Here’s the truth. At the time the slave trade was starting it was just the Portuguese doing it, and they were doing so little of it I wasn’t willing to intervene. Then of course came the colonies in the Americas and the slave trade increased. Yet, I thought “huh, it’ll be interesting to see how these colonies develop.” Now, I knew it was wrong, but my curiosity got the best of me.

West: That is grossly immoral.

Rausch: I am what I am. As you know, I’ve done things worse than that. I have a high tolerance for human cruelty and suffering. I’ve seen so much of it, after all.

West: Am I wrong for being suspicious that part of the reason you are were fine sitting idly by is that it was people with dark skin who were suffering?

Rausch: I don’t blame you for your skepticism, but if I told you you’re wrong, would you believe me?

West: Not completely.

Rausch: I’m a shapeshifting monster, matters of race mean nothing to me.

West: I’d hope so.

Smiley: I have to agree with Professor West’s skepticism, but if I may bring up some good Mr. Rausch has done on the issue, I recall you once saying you aided the Union during the Civil War.

Rausch: That’s right, I did. During General Grant’s drinking binges, I would appear to him in hallucinations and gave him winning strategies. I did this for the battles of Vicksburg and Chattanooga.

West: I’m glad you helped in that war even if it was a very roundabout way of doing so, but if you had killed the slave trade in its cradle, none of that would have been necessary, and it doesn’t absolve you of any responsibility.

Rausch: It’s true.

West: I’d also like to ask you about the genocide of the Native Americans perpetrated by the settlers upon their arrival to the continent. You mentioned before how you cared so much about the colonists you could overlook slavery. Can you say the same for the mass murder of indigenous peoples?

[The Rauschmonstrum pauses to think]

Rausch: …I wasn’t around for that. I believe I was in Europe while the worst of the atrocities committed against the indigenous American population was going on.

Smiley: But the Atlantic slave trade and the massacring of the Natives were going on at the same time.

West: Yes, they were.

Rausch: That’s the only answer I have.

West: I am very disappointed in you, brother. Your answer is an evasion.

Rausch: I’m sorry you feel that way.

West: There’s one last question I have as I ponder what type of being you are. Do you consider yourself supreme over humanity as a result of your power, wealth, and influence?

Rausch: It would be hard for me to say no, considering I could destroy mankind at will, and have always been able to manipulate you all so easily. I’ve thought about it, and I feel that comparing a human, even the most accomplished human, to myself is like comparing a bike to a truck.

West: But my brother, there are flaws in your analogy. Bikes may be smaller than trucks, and can’t go as fast, but they are better for the environment and allow their users a good type of exercise.

Rausch: That’s a good point Professor West. I had never looked at things that way. Perhaps humans do have the edge in certain regards. I’ll give that some more thought.

West: That’s my finest gift, the ability to shape perspective.

Smiley: This sure is some consequential dialogue you’ve engaged in today. Unfortunately, though we’re out of time.

West: Thank you Tavis for having us, and hopefully I’ve shed some light on the flaws of this colossus before us so that he may better understand his past failures and use it as fuel in his quest to better the globe and himself, and perhaps the folks at home can learn something from his example as well.

Rausch: Thanks for having us Tavis, and it was a pleasure to meet you Dr. West.

Smiley: My thanks to the Rauschmonstrum and Cornel West. See you next time, I’m Tavis Smiley.

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