That’s also basically true. Demographics are changing and the GOP is confined to a dying demographic. That will be good for some people, bad for others, and will certainly be different.
That is the current view, I get it.
As for this guy, regardless of what’s right or wrong, he’s probably doomed. No Democrat is going to win an election in Virginia without a very significant amount of non-white voters.
The future of the Democratic Party is leaders like Stacey Abrams, AOC, Tlaib. The past of the Democratic Party is people like this guy, Feinstein, Biden, etc.
It is the correct view. It is the justice and fairness that all people should have, should now, and should for all time live by.
Racism and the support of it isn’t just someone’s opinion, man.
What election? Are you still residing in 2017? People are calling for his resignation.
I get it. But it’s not always that simple. I once had to call the police about some situation. The dispatcher asked the race of the guy I was talking about. What should I say? “Ma’am, race is a social construct so I can’t answer that”? When I’m filling in an application for something (certain government opportunities) where being non-white would be quite advantageous for me, what can I do, check whatever box I want because race is a social construct? Of course not. I don’t know how to reconcile all this. I have no idea. In such situations I just answer the questions honestly to my best understanding.
I mean, whatever his next election is. This situation can’t force him out of office but I don’t see how he could overcome this baggage in an election, whenever that’s going to be. I assume his political career is dead at this point.
Joe Biden might be sunk by similar situations, where he defended segregation and opposed bussing years ago, because his white constituents wanted white schools. Again, I’m pretty sure the future of the Democrats is more like KH and AOC than Biden.
Don’t move the goalposts. You were making a point about whether the photo is morally transgressive (which it is), which you reduced to merely “tasteless” “within the context of 1980’s in Virginia”, and reducing racism to a matter of personal opinion.
As to your expanded thoughts, it would be better if law enforcement dropped “race” as an identifier, and went with something like “complexion” which is more inclusive, and acknowledges that identifiers such as African-American can vary as wide as human skin tones and facial features can exist. But even this method can be abused by a corrupt system, as shown by Apartheid South Africa.
More likely a dare. Doing it just because you weren’t supposed to. Others try drugs, shoplift, even steal a car. Young men often aren’t the most responsible creatures.
The relevant question IMHO is “Was anyone hurt?” As no one was hurt, it can be forgiven. Or democrats can continue tearing each others to shreds over the slightest infraction while the Republicans stand on the sidelines and laugh.
Why let that ‘someone’ decide your reaction? He won’t really need an excuse anyway. On blogs like this there seems to be no difference if someone shoot an unarmed black person or dressed up in a stupid way, the outrage machine go to 11 in both cases.
But you are welcome to your future republican overlords, when it turns out that no candidate will be pure enough for you while the republicans vote for anyone.
The only way you get, “Thirty years ago this behavior was fine.” is if you dismiss the constantly disapproving views of, for example, all Black Americans from thirty years ago.
Saying we should consider it harmless tomfoolery at that time, is to say, “The people of 2019 should consider the opinions of 1984 black people to be of no importance. Instead, how did other white people view this? That’s what’s important. That will tell us if something was thought tasteless or not.”
Commenters like @JimJim are inviting us to center the feeling and attitudes of white people, when considering either era.
It’s a nice trick, but it functionally props up the idea that history should be filtered through what white people said or did. (I’m sure no one meant to be racist)
On blogs like this there seems to be no difference if someone shoot an unarmed black person or dressed up in a stupid way, the outrage machine go to 11 in both cases.
The consistent factor in both of those: racism.
For you, racism ain’t no big deal apparently. Especially if it was done years ago, and despite the fact they tried to hide it (or at least failed to ever mention it, though he had to know this photo existed). We all do shit we’re embarrassed by, but trust me when I say I’m going to bring up my arrests for “theft of lawn ornaments” at 18 publicly if I ever run and we’ll all have a good laugh about what a horribly bad criminal I was. I feel no need to hide that youthful stunt.
There’s a reason you hide your racist activities. You know it’s wrong and you are shamed by then. He had the opportunity when he first ran for office to bring this up, tell the world about his youthful stupidity, and use it as a learning lesson of how he’s grown and changed. Yeah, maybe he would have lost. But he wouldn’t have to be dealing with this now, outed as a racist, and worse as a man who hid his racist actions from the world until someone found out. You don’t forget that shit, he simply assumed it would never come up.
But you are welcome to your future republican overlords, when it turns out that no candidate will be pure enough for you while the republicans vote for anyone.
You go ahead and sell your values to excuse racism. I won’t. That’s one place I draw the line. I won’t accept it from Republican shit birds like Stephen King, and I won’t accept it from Democrats like the governor of Virginia. It’s vile, disgusting, deplorable shit. And if you’ve really grown from it, you wouldn’t hide it, then give a weak-kneed, tepid apology that doesn’t get to the heart of what you did.
The outrage comes from the fact that both cases are forms of systemic, racist oppression. Until that shit is eliminated, the ones who see it for what it is are always going to be outraged, so get used to it.
It sure would be nice to actually have a candidate that actually cares about the welfare of all people, but it’s evident it would be foolish to heed your advice.
This cuts all ways. There are plenty of Blue Dog Democrats who would happily lose to Republicans if it meant a loss for people who want to make things fairer “too quickly”.
If “not racist” polls better than “slightly racist”, then they should also find a way to set aside their misgivings and support it, “for the good of the party and the nation”.
I see a difference between actions that hurt others and actions that only hurt yourself.
Nor do I think that anyone should have to publicly declare every stupid shit they may have done during their lifetimes.That’s the kind of stuff you hear about from communist states and cults.
If he knows what he did was wrong, why is it so impossible to forgive him? Or maybe he hides it because he knows that people won’t forgive, unlike your crime of stealing lawn ornaments that is easy to reveal because you know everyone will just laugh.
But if you are elected to represent the population of Virginia, no matter what color, religion, or ethnicity, shit like this is pretty fucking important.
I’m guilty on that count, I just find it weird, and you know what, I think that is a good thing. It’s the people who obsess about race that worry me. As someone wrote above, race is a social construct anyway. Most people in USA are some kind of mix of all kinds of “races”. Wouldn’t it be ironic if a DNA test would show that Northam had some black ancestry, and thus according to the absurd “one drop rule” is himself black?
5-4-3-2-1-0:
“It was a Halloween Party…”
“We were drunk!”
“We didn’t mean to offend anybody…”
Hello Darkness, my old Fiend
I’ve come to ridicule ya’gain
Because a vision starkly creeping
Left its hood while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Remains 'til today
Within the sights of Darkness.
Your bet was making the (weak) excuse that “he went to segregated schools, so he didn’t know any better” and hoping that no-one would check. It took me literally 30 seconds (time you couldn’t spare when making your claim) to find out that was false. And now you have no excuses to make for him.
Good for an immigrant nation, as it’s been for hundreds of years – diversity and newcomers have been keys to the U.S.'s prosperity and success.
Bad for the white bigots (or ones who believe they’d be considered white by other bigots) who think the country should aspire to be an ethnostate or collection of them.
I’m also curious what non-current view you take on the matter (assuming you disagree with the current view).
