A Strong Rebuke To Those Calling For Northam To Resign

[Angry Floof]

It's not just poor taste. The extremes exist because the substrate is made of non-extremes, you know, just "distasteful" stuff.

Blackface and KKK hoods are blatant, visible messages of hate no matter how much you want to downplay them. There are victims - every black person in America is harmed by this shit.

It's because tiny "distasteful" sexist behaviors are tolerated that predators find it so easy to brutalize women.

It's because tiny "distasteful" homophobic behaviors are tolerated that LGBTQ people are brutalized.

It's precisely because tiny "distasteful" things like black face and KKK costumes are tolerated that people of color are brutalized.

A highly visible stand taken by people in power to support the least powerful is a profound raising of the bar in what we will tolerate as a nation. This is one substantial way that meaningful cultural sea change begins to happen. We fucking mean it.

One powerful white man being held accountable on a front page, national level is a loud and clear statement. Northam's career is not the important part of this particular issue, and he himself should understand that.

And by the way, I am a citizen of Virginia.

 

[untermensche]

It may be more than bad taste but the yearbook editors ultimately made the choice to include it.

They saw nothing wrong with it in a medical school yearbook.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

It's not just poor taste. The extremes exist because the substrate is made of non-extremes, you know, just "distasteful" stuff.

Blackface and KKK hoods are blatant, visible messages of hate no matter how much you want to downplay them. There are victims - every black person in America is harmed by this shit.

It's because tiny "distasteful" sexist behaviors are tolerated that predators find it so easy to brutalize women.

It's because tiny "distasteful" homophobic behaviors are tolerated that LGBTQ people are brutalized.

It's precisely because tiny "distasteful" things like black face and KKK costumes are tolerated that people of color are brutalized.

This didn't happen yesterday. You are judging him on this idiotic humor from the mid 80s. Now, he might have nothing to show in his record indicating he gives a darn about such things, in which he can be judged further, but this isn't a recent "gaffe", a George Allen moment.

And by the way, I am a citizen of Virginia.

Okay, so that is 1 for Resign, 0 for stay. Good... we are making progress. ​Next!

 

[Angry Floof]

It's not just poor taste. The extremes exist because the substrate is made of non-extremes, you know, just "distasteful" stuff.

Blackface and KKK hoods are blatant, visible messages of hate no matter how much you want to downplay them. There are victims - every black person in America is harmed by this shit.

It's because tiny "distasteful" sexist behaviors are tolerated that predators find it so easy to brutalize women.

It's because tiny "distasteful" homophobic behaviors are tolerated that LGBTQ people are brutalized.

It's precisely because tiny "distasteful" things like black face and KKK costumes are tolerated that people of color are brutalized.

This didn't happen yesterday. You are judging him on this idiotic humor from the mid 80s. Now, he might have nothing to show in his record indicating he gives a darn about such things, in which he can be judged further, but this isn't a recent "gaffe", a George Allen moment.

And by the way, I am a citizen of Virginia.

Okay, so that is 1 for Resign, 0 for stay. Good... we are making progress. ​Next!

No, I'm not actually judging him personally. This is not a personal issue. I'm negatively judging our society for constantly and systematically maintaining a cultural substrate that brutalizes people of color. And I'm positively judging the people in power who are willing to make a meaningful stand from their place of power and privilege in calling for Northam to resign.

It's highly meaningful when the nation sees a powerful white man held accountable for perpetuating racism. It's the kind of action that speaks of justice to people who have been abused generation after generation, and it warns of real accountability, not easy lip service, to those who have the great luxury of not having to think too much about those generations of brutalized people as they demand that their personal career paths be valued above meaningful actions that affect all of society.

 

[repoman]

Was the yearbook an informal publication?

 

[Treedbear]

...
But we have to ‘get over it.’ We have got to accept the past and we have got to embrace that people —all people— are flawed, make mistakes, do things which they later regret, or see through different eyes. If you don’t accept that someone did something out of ignorance or insensitivity rather than malice, we leave no room for ourselves to ever err and grow and be forgiven.

It isn’t only that if we do not remember the past, we are condemned to repeat it. If we do not accept the part and grow and learn and forgive the past, we are condemned.

You should be telling Northam that. He's the one who wants to pretend it never happened. He's the one who hasn't made a compelling argument for why it was wrong. Until he does he hasn't shown he should be trusted, let alone forgiven. And it's probably too late for that.

 

[J842P]

This didn't happen yesterday. You are judging him on this idiotic humor from the mid 80s. Now, he might have nothing to show in his record indicating he gives a darn about such things, in which he can be judged further, but this isn't a recent "gaffe", a George Allen moment.

Okay, so that is 1 for Resign, 0 for stay. Good... we are making progress. ​Next!

No, I'm not actually judging him personally. This is not a personal issue. I'm negatively judging our society for constantly and systematically maintaining a cultural substrate that brutalizes people of color. And I'm positively judging the people in power who are willing to make a meaningful stand from their place of power and privilege in calling for Northam to resign.

It's highly meaningful when the nation sees a powerful white man held accountable for perpetuating racism. It's the kind of action that speaks of justice to people who have been abused generation after generation, and it warns of real accountability, not easy lip service, to those who have the great luxury of not having to think too much about those generations of brutalized people as they demand that their personal career paths be valued above meaningful actions that affect all of society.

Saying this "brutalizes people of color" is hyperbole.

 

[Angry Floof]

This didn't happen yesterday. You are judging him on this idiotic humor from the mid 80s. Now, he might have nothing to show in his record indicating he gives a darn about such things, in which he can be judged further, but this isn't a recent "gaffe", a George Allen moment.

Okay, so that is 1 for Resign, 0 for stay. Good... we are making progress. ​Next!

No, I'm not actually judging him personally. This is not a personal issue. I'm negatively judging our society for constantly and systematically maintaining a cultural substrate that brutalizes people of color. And I'm positively judging the people in power who are willing to make a meaningful stand from their place of power and privilege in calling for Northam to resign.

It's highly meaningful when the nation sees a powerful white man held accountable for perpetuating racism. It's the kind of action that speaks of justice to people who have been abused generation after generation, and it warns of real accountability, not easy lip service, to those who have the great luxury of not having to think too much about those generations of brutalized people as they demand that their personal career paths be valued above meaningful actions that affect all of society.

Saying this "brutalizes people of color" is hyperbole.

Saying it doesn't is privilege. It's a great luxury to not have to think too much about the real effects of racism apologia.

 

[J842P]

Saying this "brutalizes people of color" is hyperbole.

Saying it doesn't is privilege. It's a great luxury to not have to think too much about the real effects of racism apologia.

What privilege is that exactly? The privilege of not using hyperbolic language?

 

[Angry Floof]

Saying this "brutalizes people of color" is hyperbole.

Saying it doesn't is privilege. It's a great luxury to not have to think too much about the real effects of racism apologia.

What privilege is that exactly? The privilege of not using hyperbolic language?

Excusing and downplaying the seemingly small cases of racist behavior is what makes our society a cozy, welcoming place for demonizing, marginalizing, incarcerating, and murdering black people.

Not everyone has the luxury of not being sufficiently affected by racism personally to think any further about it than to condemn only the most obvious and blatant acts of violence (that any moron would condemn) while ignoring the soil that grows the perpetrators of such acts.

 

[repoman]

Funny and dumb conspiracy theory is that this was to distract from the abortion topic bungling by Northram.

 

[Derec]

Let's be clear. There is not any evidence Northam was racist at the time, or his photo was the result of racial animus. His conduct was certainly racial insensitivity and he did not exercise the best judgment in his actions.

Indeed. It's amazing to me how much of an irrational trigger "blackface" is. Human beings love dressing up at people and things unlike themselves. That's the whole point of modern Halloween (although Halloween costumes are themselves under assault by SJWs). That's the point of comedic drag, from Monty Python to Robin Williams or Tyler Perry.
But this one thing is not only off limits forever, but tars and feathers someone for life. And of course, the condemnation works in one direction only. "Whiteface" is considered perfectly acceptable.

 

[Derec]

That's a fine principle for an adult, but a different standard exists for politicians. If this was Bob Northam who lived down the block from me, I'd agree that this wouldn't be worth giving a shit about. He is, however, a prominent member of a political party which is basing a decent portion of its platform on pointing out the racism of the opposing party, so a different standard applies to him. It undercuts every single argument every Democrat makes about the racist policies of the GOP if those arguments are rebutted by pointing out the Dem governor who thought it was cool to play KKK dress up.

Maybe as a society we need to deescalate the discussion over race, rather than escalate it. Encouraging berserk buttons like "blackface" is escalating the discussion.

 

[Derec]

I think it's becoming clearer now what is going on. Virginia Republicans are trying to stage a coup. Dig up dirt on the governor, make up dirt on the Lt. Governor. Get rid of them both and the Republican speaker of the house gets the seat.

Why do you think it's a coup? The Fairfax accuser, Vanessa Taylor is a fellow Democrat.
And why do say, a priori, that it is "made up"? What happened to the maxim that all women must be believed? Why are accusation from one female professor (Blasey Ford) taken at face value, but those by another (Vanessa Taylor) dismissed as some vast right wing conspiracy against the Lt. Gov.?

Kamala Harris called for Northam to resign. She also enjoyed grilling Kavenaugh during his hearings. Will she say anything about Fairfax I wonder?
And what about Kristen Gillibrand, who led the Senate mob into pressuring Al Franken to resign for the crime of joking around while a comedian? Will she make a comment?

 

[Derec]

Fuck what white people want.

Poll the Virginia black voters and do what the majority wants.

Spoken like a true identity politics leftist.

 

[Derec]

The problem with the "Judge him by his actions now" argument, is that the category includes his reaction to the yearbook photo being exposed. And his reaction leaves no doubt in my mind that he needs to step aside. If he had apologized, and then stood up for his record in government, the way Robert Byrd did in the 2000s, he might have been able to get through it.

Byrd was an actual klan member. Northam, at most,once wore an insensitive costume in an era not as insufferably politically correct as our own.
And yet Byrd got a pass. You should not compare these two things.

 

[Derec]

If by here, you mean TFT, then they aren't closeted.

 Thin film-transistor?

 

[Derec]

This isn't Kavanaugh. There is no crime being alleged.

Unlike Justin Fairfax, whose case is kinda like Kavanaugh's.

- - - Updated - - -

It's not just poor taste. The extremes exist because the substrate is made of non-extremes, you know, just "distasteful" stuff.

Blackface and KKK hoods are blatant, visible messages of hate no matter how much you want to downplay them. There are victims - every black person in America is harmed by this shit.

It's because tiny "distasteful" sexist behaviors are tolerated that predators find it so easy to brutalize women.

It's because tiny "distasteful" homophobic behaviors are tolerated that LGBTQ people are brutalized.

It's precisely because tiny "distasteful" things like black face and KKK costumes are tolerated that people of color are brutalized.

A highly visible stand taken by people in power to support the least powerful is a profound raising of the bar in what we will tolerate as a nation. This is one substantial way that meaningful cultural sea change begins to happen. We fucking mean it.

One powerful white man being held accountable on a front page, national level is a loud and clear statement. Northam's career is not the important part of this particular issue, and he himself should understand that.

And by the way, I am a citizen of Virginia.

Bring on the speech police. Any speech that could remotely be considered "offensive" toward a designated minority group will be suppressed!

 

[Angry Floof]

This isn't Kavanaugh. There is no crime being alleged.

Unlike Justin Fairfax, whose case is kinda like Kavanaugh's.

- - - Updated - - -

It's not just poor taste. The extremes exist because the substrate is made of non-extremes, you know, just "distasteful" stuff.

Blackface and KKK hoods are blatant, visible messages of hate no matter how much you want to downplay them. There are victims - every black person in America is harmed by this shit.

It's because tiny "distasteful" sexist behaviors are tolerated that predators find it so easy to brutalize women.

It's because tiny "distasteful" homophobic behaviors are tolerated that LGBTQ people are brutalized.

It's precisely because tiny "distasteful" things like black face and KKK costumes are tolerated that people of color are brutalized.

A highly visible stand taken by people in power to support the least powerful is a profound raising of the bar in what we will tolerate as a nation. This is one substantial way that meaningful cultural sea change begins to happen. We fucking mean it.

One powerful white man being held accountable on a front page, national level is a loud and clear statement. Northam's career is not the important part of this particular issue, and he himself should understand that.

And by the way, I am a citizen of Virginia.

Bring on the speech police. Any speech that could remotely be considered "offensive" toward a designated minority group will be suppressed!

Yeah, that's all that's going on. Nothing else to see here.

 

[Ford]

Also in the news today is Liam Neeson's confession that the rape of someone close to him led to racist thought and behavior on his part. He came at it from a different perspective, though. He recounted what happened in the context of "this was a long time ago, it was wrong, and I'm not proud of it."

At least that was my takeaway.

It's different from Northam in that he doesn't deny it.

That got me thinking..."I hope I never did anything like this" and then I remembered that I did. Not roaming around the mean streets of Dublin looking for someone to beat up, but participated in something that in retrospect was racially insensitive.

When I was in high school (82 or maybe early 83) I was in a class where we got to make some videos. Me and this other guy decided to do a parody of a Detroit car dealer's ad. The car dealer was black.

You can probably guess where this is going...

It wasn't done out of racism. We just didn't have any black kids in the school to play the part. Or in the town. The teacher signed off on it. Everyone thought it was funny. It didn't wind up in the yearbook, but if by chance someone saved a copy of that video tape, it might cause some consternation if anyone involved runs for governor.

What if that happened? I can't deny it. Can't say it wasn't me. I can say "I was a kid in a small town in Michigan who didn't know it was racist." I can say "it was a long time ago and I realize now that it was stupid." I could even trot out the fact that "I can't be racist because I dated a black girl" thing.

Would that be enough to save my hypothetical political career? Maybe. Maybe not.

Northam's problem (well, one of them) is that he seems unwilling to examine his past behaviors. Neeson seems willing to do so. I did. That's all I can do.