Dr Cornel West and Tavis Smiley have let me down.

Cornel West and Tavis Smiley are undoubtedly two of the most important figures in black intellectualism and political action in my lifetime. West is probably the most important voice to have helped shaped African-American identity in recent years, and his Race Matters is one of the most necessary books in American history. As for Smiley, his unflinching news coverage and calls for political action were always measured and effective, especially in light of other, wannabe celebrity activists looking for their next book or endorsement deal.

That is why it pains me to say that Smiley and West have let me down. Sure, I'm not really anyone important to them, but I represent a generation of African-American men who looked up to West and Smiley – only to see them damage their legacies by engaging in embarrassing public roasts of President Obama.

I've looked up to Smiley and West since I was a teenager, gathering an appreciation for race relations and my own personal understanding my place in this country. I've always dreamed of having even a fraction of their respective impacts on American discourse. So I can't help but be disappointed when I see these two men relegated to bickering, insult-tossing self-parodies, especially when it comes to discussing the president.

West has called Obama a "Rockefeller Republican in blackface" and both recently criticized Al Sharpton's support of the president as an example of him being "on the Obama's plantation". These inflammatory remarks only discredit whatever valid criticisms Smiley and West may have about how President Obama has conducted himself over the past five years. And that's a shame because the two men would otherwise have so much to offer the country as true intellectuals.

The banner from Smiley and West's PRI radio talkshow

Smiley and West were supposed to be two of the thinkers helping to place Obama's eight years in office in a wider context. They ought to have been our moral barometers, men who would advocate for the change Obama promised in 2008. With the spotlight on an African-American president and the state of race relations in this country, it was only natural that Smiley and West would shine, becoming iconic leaders their previous work seemed to prepare them for. So, for people like myself who grew up on the example they set, the spectacle of Smiley and West engaging in crude Obama-bashing is more embarrassing than inspiring.

This is not to say that President Obama has been or should be above reproach. Count me in as one of the millions disappointed with the payoff of the "change" rhetoric from Obama's campaign. He and his administration have earned as much criticism as any other president before him. But he has also had triumphs, and that goes for his handling of race relations, as well.

The truth about President Obama's effectiveness as a president lies objectively in the wide middle ground, up for debate between verdicts of total failure or flawless world-changer. Smiley and West, however, have only chosen to focus on the negatives of the president's actions, reaching for the lowest insults when they're not nearly called for. There's definitely a space to criticize the president, but potshots only neuter Smiley and West's ability to effectively point out Obama's flaws.

Last week, President Obama delivered a landmark speech in reaction to the George Zimmerman verdict. In his 17-minute speech, he broke down the problems facing black men in this country and articulated many of the vexed issues that explain why the Zimmerman verdict hit close to home for Americans like myself. The speech was widely celebrated in the black community and, from a personal aspect, was one of those pivotal moments I'll never forget.

Smiley and West didn't see it that way. West responded by pointing out how drone strikes make Obama a "global George Zimmerman", while Smiley said the speech was "weak as pre-sweetened Kool-Aid" (whatever that means).

These comments are made only more disappointing because they seem to come from a place of personal disdain, more than any desire to push an intelligent discussion. West has gone on record saying his initial rift with President Obama came from the fact that he couldn't get tickets for his family to go to the inauguration. Smiley threw a tantrum in 2008 when President Obama couldn't make his State of the Black Union event (also saying "no thanks" to a proposal to have Michelle Obama come in his place).

These two shots at the Smiley and West egos inform their rhetoric about the president, thrusting their "criticism" into the territory of "bashing". Seriously, one of the foremost philosophers of our time has been insulting the leader of the free world because he didn't get a "hook-up"? Is that what's really important here?

The shame is that Smiley and West would have been in prime position to make legitimate criticisms of the president, calling for more action and amplifying the public's cries for the change we've been promised. Instead, to coin a phrase from my age group's vernacular, Smiley and West are just "haters".

When I was in college, I wanted to grow up to be Cornel West or Tavis Smiley. They had that sort of influence on me and millions of other young black Americans. Now, I see the way they're conducting themselves and I just feel sad about the opportunities they've wasted by letting pettiness and pride overshadow their desire to effect actual change.

Perhaps, Smiley and West can look at the recent backlash aimed in their direction and try to scale back the personal attacks. Perhaps, they can really lead deeper discussions about Obama's presidency and what it means for black America. But until that happens, they'll still be letting us down.