But the chorus of white people commenting on the Virginia Dumpster Fire of statewide elected Democrats is getting on my nerves…just a few points here:
1) The subject of white people wearing blackface actually does come up in the news fairly often...here’s an example...oh, here’s another one...and I could come up with many more stories in the news from the past few years than have nothing to do with Ralph Northam or Mark Herring.
Some white people...perhaps a lot of white people...still think that blackface is acceptable in present-day white American culture.
So...sure, among whites-only gatherings, this was more than acceptable in the early 1980’s...I’m not clutching my pearls about that.
Doesn’t mean that I like it, that I approve of it, that I am OK with it or anything...but I get it.
2) With regard to what has now been revealed about Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring.
Herring was 19 years old and Northam was 25...one was an undergraduate and the other was a student about to graduate from medical school. One published a sincere apology (although I think Mark Herring probably got a heads-up that this was to be published) and the other almost literally seems to want to moonwalk his way out of the situation.
I don’t like what Herring did...of course, but I don’t think for a moment that he should step down.
Northam’s revelation and his way of handling it was on a whole other level of awful. both with the contents of the picture and his reaction to it.
3) No, the backdrop on this, that a right-wing site, is not lost on me.
I have more to say about this, as I am thinking it through, still but...I am getting a little perturbed that some white people on this site, really think that it’s not big deal or that I don’t have the ability to show and demonstrate discernment about these situations.
Can this black man be a part of this situation and these discussions, too?
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 · 6:12:32 AM +00:00
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Chitown Kev
Off of work now...I will scan through the comments, reply to some, make a final update and then go to bed.
I do have to admit that I find the “not the white people that I hung around” comments to be funny.
It would probably not take me a ½ hour to find at least 20 or so links of contemporary stories (in the past 5-10 or so years) of white folks (usually college age) donning blackface.
It’s not as isolated as some of you think and I am not excusing it…
but...anyway...on through the comments
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 · 2:52:05 PM +00:00
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Chitown Kev
I see that this continues to be a robust debate…
One thing that bothers me...and I am speaking as one black man here...is that I am sick and tired of white folks always asking for and even expecting that black people forgive them for their stupid racist shit without paying some sort of consequence or penalty...which isn’t exactly how forgiveness is supposed to work...well, except with black folks, anyway...and for you white folks that are insisting that it was 35 years ago...blah, blah, blah,, it sounds to me as if that is what you are asking.