I don’t know if the spasm we are living through is more like the French Revolution, or Communist China’s Cultural Revolution, with our version being called (by the ever-edgy Christine Flowers), the Multi-Cultural Revolution.
You can’t swing a cat without hitting a celebrity or corporation crawling into a hairshirt to confess past sins, or to at least apologize (for something), promise to do better, and throw some money at the cause. And they better do it in language that resembles George Orwell’s Newspeak.
Racism is serious, but the orgy of self-flagellation is absurd. When everything — including COVID-19, because it favors nonwhite people, along with the aged — is described as racist, then what isn’t racist?
How about Starbucks? The preciously woke company that once arrogantly suggested its baristas should talk to customers about race, got the dunce cap for ordering employees to not wear anything supporting Black Lives Matter on the job. Starbucks got called out for hypocrisy, because it has allowed similar expressions in the past.
Starbucks promptly reversed course and ordered BLM T-shirts that employees could wear. Or must wear? Wouldn’t a worker not wearing it be perceived as accepting racism? When will Starbucks learn to stick to selling coffee, and not social justice Frappuccinos?
Cracker Barrel, somehow, got enmeshed in controversy. The word “cracker” is offensive to some white people? Could Honky Heaven be a replacement? No, probably not.
Across the land corporations lined up to support America’s racial reckoning. It was cathartic, but it sometimes didn’t work out well. Comcast’s pledge of $100 million to the anti-racist cause was promptly criticized for being cheap — $100 million ain’t enough — and for having too few minorities in its executive suite.
Out of nowhere, the country band Lady Antebellum changed its name to Lady A — which is what fans called it anyway — because Antebellum is taken to mean before the American Civil War, and that references an era of slavery and therefore approves of it? In its statement, the band did not say anyone had complained about the now-abandoned name, taken originally because it was the architectural style of a house they were photographed in front of.
Numerous corporations started writing checks and Tweeting out messages about equality (good), police brutality (bad) and the evils of racism.
The rolling bandwagon led to silliness.
ACCT Philly, the city animal shelter, posted a statement on its website saying it stands with those who demand change, OK so far, then jumped the shark: “We are aware that most animal sheltering and welfare organizations are predominantly white, something that must be acknowledged and addressed.”
Really? Why?
Is animal sheltering an expression of white supremacy? From now on, does this mean only nonwhite dogs will be rescued? ACCT Philly not only left its lane, but drove into a ditch.
At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we learned anew that some words cannot be spoken.
“At this historic moment of anger and protest . . . It is vitally important to reaffirm that every individual life matters,” Museum Director Timothy Rub and President Gail Harrity wrote in an email to employees. Some staff members were “enraged.”
Any suggestion that “all lives matter” is branded as tone deaf, minimizing black anguish, and inherently racist. And a denial of racism became proof of racism in some intellectual circles.
You have to say what they want you to say, and how they want you to say it — or else you will be drowned in a torrent of rage from the Twitterverse, the sewer of moral outrage.
A question: Weren’t the corporations and nonprofits aware of racism last month? But then they were Tweeting about how much money they were spending to keep their staff safe from COVID-19.
So maybe George Floyd lit the light bulb in their heads, I can’t shake the thought that some of the corporations are motivated by guilt, while others may be responding to the fear of being targeted if they did not shell out.
Some will call this column racist. They will say I don’t get it. But I do. They just want me to go along. But I won’t. I didn’t obey my parents without question, so I sure won’t be quietly accepting their rules.
I do get it. When they say it, they mean Black Lives Matter, Too. But what many whites hear is “Only Black Lives Matter,” so they counter with “All Lives Matter.” It is not an attempt to diminish, it is an attempt to encompass black lives and give them the equality they seek and deserve.
When it comes to racial justice, a majority of Americans are speaking with a united voice. They don’t all need to use the same words.
Speaking of large corporations, I’d love to be a fly on the wall at the next corporate board meeting of Wendy’s. I’ll bet the suits will be scrambling and spit-balling P.R. ideas: “How can we fix this?” “What do we do?” “How can we separate our name from that story?”
I wonder if they will blame the employee for calling the police?
Excellently put.
I agree and always have said all lives matter. My concern is that in the halls of justice some lives matter less than others. Hopefully we Americans will get on the right track regarding equality.
HAPPY MONDAY !!!
Well Stu, I see that you and Christine are on the same way length again. She concentrating on the Rizzo mural, while you go after the bigger, larger than life recurring issue.
Apparently, there has always been racial issues here in America. Possibly, there will be racial issues for a long time still. We grew up with it. Yea, in my world, it was fading for all of the Europeans that came here before, during and after WW II. But with the economic boon, came the realization of Racial and Ethnicity are often times very similar. If you weren’t white, you didn’t make the money. If you were Italian, you didn’t make the money. Right down the line. So that all faded, but didn’t go away. Then, along comes the Asians. No slang meant. The Japs were never apologized to, and not really repatriated. Then the Chinese came. Koreans next. Vietnamese fits in there somewhere. Don’t forget Africa and South America ! Most of these immigrants came with skills and still were not welcomed. And on, and on.
The point to this history lesson, is that we don’t really welcome immigrants. We open our borders, but not our hearts. We, as Americans, must somehow think that we are better than them. Bulls**t! They certainly look different than us, but that doesn’t make them less human. For some reason, I always try to talk to people from other countries. The Sikhs, Indians, Asians that own the convenience stores all have a story to tell. It’s always interesting to stand there and compare our lives. The same goes for our other newly minted Americans. They had a life ( existence ) somewhere, but came here seeking a better life. Don’t we do the same thing? Are we jealous of them ? Hope not. Do we treat them as equals? I doubt it . Yet, if you go one on one, you will find similarities. Heck. Maybe they’ll even like you ?!?
Tony
I am surprised you do not know the Japanese DID get an apology — and reparations. The bill was signed by Pres. Reagan.
Pallie,
I am aware of THAT slap in the face. ! My fathers’ people got to go on a long walk from the east coast to Oklahoma. Guess where you can stick those apologies !
Tony
Your father’s side is Japanese? And you use Jap? And you said there was no apology, not an insufficient one. You are being dishonest and that is not like you.
I don’t know if you are using sarcasm or humor. You have heard of my ethnicity before. My father ( blanket ass, remember ) married an Italian girl ) . Because I don’t always make myself clear, I’ll take the high road on this one.
Reagan meant well with those empty words. Those people lost so much by being interred. American prisoners in America. The enemy Japs were considered monkeys and definitely on a lower level in the human specie.
The Cherokee were almost wiped out by the white man. The American Indian was considered a sub-specie to the whites. Just as the black back in those days. No apology will ever be meaningful for the atrocities committed by the whites, in the name of civilization !
None of this should come as a surprise to anyone who ever read history books. World wide, man conquered man. In so doing, he raped, burned, killed and destroyed the very existence of that conquered people.
(sic) GEE ! Why do we still have racial inequality
Tony
No sarcasm. You made some remark — which I can’t find because there are just TOO MANY of your comments,about your relatives being marched 1,000 miles to a camp.
I also can’t tell whether you feel the government apologies were sincere, or not enough, or were received with no gratitude from those who received them.
Please consider shorter comments.
Thanks. I just learned something.
LOL. Open up our hearts? What kind of maudlin tripe is that? No, every immigrant gets the same hard nosed, American brand welcome: Get to work and prove that you’re worthy to be here by contributing to something. Otherwise, it’s colonization, not immigration.
HAPPY TUESDAY !!!
rechill,
I probably didn’t make myself very clear ( as usual). Back in the day, we actually had neighborhoods. Everyone on that street was your family. Everyone looked after each other. Today’s immigrants don’t often find that welcome. True, they come here and prove themselves, just like many of our ancestors did. And along the way, they had a helping hand. ( not a hand out ). I wasn’t alluding to giving a free pass.
Tony
“We are aware that most professional basketball teams are predominantly black, something that must be acknowledged and addressed.”
LOL
If it wasn’t so pathetic, it would be amusing to see all these entities stumbling all over themselves to issue pandering statements and groveling to see which one can be the wokest of all. Mirror, mirror on the wall! Frankly, no amount of words is going to help racial inequities because they are empty in the absence of actions that improve the system of education and actual opportunities for disadvantaged people. (actually for all, but that’s a different topic) Despite all of the trillions of “correct” words uttered by politicians, schools and educational opportunities are pitifully inadequate for them, even with my paying the equivalent of a middle class yearly salary in Philadelphia school and property taxes. So I’m a cynic on what is said versus what is implemented. The former is too often disconnected from the latter.
As for the art museum statement, it was beyond tone deaf. Anyone who is sentient these days has to know that saying that all lives matter is inflammatory and perceived as dismissive to blacks. They do have black trustees and board members. Could they not have run the statement by them before issuing it? They just keep repeating their foot-in-mouth. Their responses to the me-too situation were equally as tone deaf.
You missed the most important factor. You need 2 parent households.
You are right about that and certainly the research bears that out. I stand corrected. But, mandating 2 parent households (thank goodness) is not yet in the purview of our government to fix. Better schools are, especially for what we pay in taxes.
I never said anything about government mandating 2 parent households/ Things can get done without government interference, People should depend on their family,not the government.For the most part local government is very useless.
Kenney Krasner Outlaw
School Choice
HAPPY MONDAY !!!
Charles,
I never could understand “school choice”, and here I am, a product of 12 years of parochial schools . Nobody used “school choice” back then.
I didn’t think much of ” no children left behind”, and I think less of charter schools. Not because they are so much better than almost any public school. It’s the opposite. Those that are in public schools get inferior education and is a drain on the the tax payer. In PA., the public school system is “supposed” to share all monies equally. That’s not the case, especially with our governor, who is anti charter.
The entire education system needs to taken apart and restructured, from the bottom up.
Tony
Tony
Back then the parochial schools were just about free(At least when I went.i may be a lot older than you}.
9th grade $22
12th grade $36
Now a lot of students need aid to go.I believe HS is about $8k
Charles,
No idea of the cost back then, but I was referring to a lack of education in today’s society. As you pointed out in an earlier blog. The colleges went down hill in the ’60s. I believe public ed fell in the ’70s. I bought my first house with education as a priority. N.J. was our choice. Bucks county was/is still good. The rest of the area needs the charter schools, sorry to say.
BTW: Chester County, on the whole is above average with H.S. graduation. Cost is $6 – 12 with my area at $10,000 per student.
Tony
Stu,
a follow up to your reply.
How can I give shorter comments, when not only do you need more details, but I’m long winded.
The “Trail of Tears” was the American version of the “Bataan death march”. History almost got it right. For what the white man has done for centuries, apologizes will never be enough. Ever been to Carlisle, PA ? One of many “Indian Schools”, were the white man destroyed the Indian in the young braves – or killed them – whatever was easier. And you want to apologize ? You of all people that should understand annihilation . And that’s just for starters………….
Tony