The Great White Bigot by Larry Elder

Creator's Syndicate | January 19, 2001

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FOLLOW the bouncing double standards.

President George Bush nominates to the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas, a black man, formerly the head of the Equal Opportunity Commission. Because of Thomas' presumed opposition to affirmative action and abortion on demand, liberals like Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) oppose his nomination.

President-elect George W. Bush nominates Sen. John Ashcroft, D-Mo., for attorney general. Ashcroft's critics oppose the nomination, some calling Ashcroft racist for opposing the judicial nomination of Ronny White, a black nominee.

Moral to the story? Someone like Kennedy can, for ideological reasons, oppose the judicial nomination of a black. No one calls this bigotry. If, however, a conservative opposes a black jurist -- even for ideological reasons -- he metamorphoses into a Great White Bigot.

Next, pro-abortion forces attack Ashcroft for his "extremist views." That is, Ashcroft opposes abortion even in the cases of rape and incest. This is extremism? Assuming one adopts the pro-life position, why does it follow that compassion demands exceptions for rape or incest? Most pro-lifers believe in the supremacy of human life "whether born or unborn." After all, the fetus neither raped nor committed incest and thus remains, say pro-lifers, "innocent." Object to this view if you will, but "extremist" or "unreasonable"? Please.

Ashcroft's opponents say he cannot be trusted to uphold laws with which he personally disagrees. But before assuming office, Attorney General Janet Reno spoke out against the death penalty, dismissing it as an instrument for "vengeance." Yet, as attorney general, Janet Reno enforced the government's pro-death-penalty position. Apparently, only liberals possess enough integrity to enforce laws with which they disagree.

Ashcroft's critics also feel uncomfortable about his religiosity. How do we know that Ashcroft's faith does not dictate policy? But apparently the same crowd found no problem with democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman's religiosity: "We need to reaffirm our faith and review the dedication of our nation and ourselves to G-d and G-d's purposes. ... So let us break through some of the inhibitions that have existed to talk together across the flimsy line of separation of faith: to talk together, to study together, to pray together and ultimately to sing together his holy name." Lieberman even based his support for prescription drugs for seniors on scripture, "Isn't Medicare coverage of prescription drugs really about the values of the Fifth Commandment -- 'Honor your father and your mother'?"

Where were the racism abolitionists during the confirmation hearings of former California State Sen. Dianne Watson, whom Clinton nominated for ambassador to Micronesia? Watson, a black woman, attacked Ward Connerly, a black man, and the moving force behind California Proposition 209, the successful ballot initiative to abolish race- and gender-based preferences in the public sector.

Connerly, who happens to be married to a white woman, received this verbal love-note from Watson: "He's married a white woman. He wants to be white. He wants a colorless society. He has no ethnic pride. He doesn't want to be black."

Foes attack Ashcroft for his opposition to affirmative action. Since when did opposition to affirmative action become synonymous with a charter membership in the Klan? In 1962, President John Kennedy addressed the question of preferential treatment for blacks.

"The Negro community," Kennedy said, "did not want job quotas to compensate for past discrimination. What I think they would like is to see their children well educated, so that they could hold jobs ... and have themselves accepted as equal members of the community. ... I don't think we can undo the past. In fact, the past is going to be with us for a good many years in uneducated men and women who missed their chance for a decent education. We have to do the best we can now. That is what we are trying to do."

Ashcroft appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court of Missouri and appointed the first black judge to serve on the Missouri court of appeals covering St. Louis. Of the 27 black judicial nominations considered by Sen. Ashcroft, he approved all but one. Double standards.

"What can George W. Bush do to woo the black vote?" scream television pundits, newspaper articles and magazine features. After all, Bush received a smaller percentage of the black vote than did Bob Dole! But why don't we talk about what the Democratic Party's lack of "white vote" support? After all, not since 1964 has the Democratic candidate for president captured the "white vote."

In the 2000 presidential election, Republicans enjoyed a 24-point spread among white male voters and a 12-point margin among all white voters. One headline in a front-page story in a major city newspaper read, "Bush Has His Work Cut Out in Mending Ties With Blacks." So where's the article, "Dems Have Work Cut Out in Mending Ties With Whites"?

New year, new president, same old double standards.

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Larry Elder is the author of the newly-released The Ten Things You Can’t Say in America. He is a black libertarian talk show host, on the air from 3-7 pm Pacific time, on KABC Talkradio in Los Angeles. For more information, visit LarryElder.com.

© Copyright 2001 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), January 20, 2001

Answers

I enjoy Larry. Wish he was dumb enough to run for office so I could vote for him. No wait, he's a "black" man and I'm a conservative. Nevermind.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), January 20, 2001.

Unk I am the original fucking great white bigot.

-- Manny (No@dip.com), January 20, 2001.

Before affirmative action a black person could be denied a job just because no blacks were wanted. It was not uncommon for them to be told not to bother applying, they wouldn't get it.
Affirmative action, and yes, quota's were introduced and at least some were allowed to work where they would not be allowed to before.

Three decades and the mentality that prevented the original segregation has been watered down, new generations of people who have grown up with and worked with blacks do not automatically assume the blacks do not belong. Not all, there are still those with the old inferiority complex that have to think themselves better than blacks to build up their pathetic little... ego's. But had quota's and affirmative not been forced upon the country.... would the opportunities been opened up for blacks? Ever? When? How? It didn't happen naturally. Same with women. Women were NOT allowed in the field I got into. Period. No if's and's or but's. Along came affirmative action. My field opened up. I was one of the first four women in the entire United States Military to be allowed to train for and work at my job. Full opposition all the way by many individuals. people who felt it was their right to let me know just how much they disapproved of of a woman being "allowed" to do my job. Years and years of one person after another treating me like shit because they didn't feel like I should be there. It did not matter that I did my job better then others, it did not matter what I did or did not do. I got constant crap at work from ego-impared people who made it a daily routine to do all they could to make my job miserable. This also happened to blacks who were finally "allowed" into jobs, schools etc. because of affirmative action and quota's.

If things were so perfect, if society was so fucking great before quota's and affirmative action then why were women and blacks denied the OPPORTUNITY to work in so many jobs? It didn't matter if they were qualified. That was the way people wanted it. They didn't want to work with blacks. They didn't want to work with women. So they didn't allow it.

Affirmative action and quota's were the only way that women and blacks could get in the fucking door to prove they could do the fucking jobs.

Now we have a bunch of idiots acting like affirmative action and quota's were wrong, like they were set up just to abuse the white male in some way. As if it was nothing but a scheme to abuse the poor white male. Get your heads out of your asses. It was the white males who were the ones who denied the blacks and women the chance to get those opportunities. So if you want to blame anyone, blame the white males who were so damn bigoted and sexist in the first fucking place.

But then it is white males who think all blacks are gangbanger middle school dropouts with welfare queen single mothers with 10 kids. Yes it is time to stop quota's. But only because a new generation of white males have grown up going to school with blacks kids and worked with blacks and women and think it is normal. They do not hive the mind set that brought the need for affirmative action and quota's in the first place. But don't try to say quota's and affirmative action were the wrong way to go, because they were not. They were needed and they have accomplished what they were set out to accomplish. Stop going backwards to the extremes of the bigots of the past, it looks ugly on you.

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), January 21, 2001.

I am a little unsure what your fucking point is. If we agree that quotas are no longer fucking needed, and that affirmative action has done it’s fucking job, and we agree that all people should be treated the same fucking way, then why the fuck is it bad to point out double fucking standards?

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), January 21, 2001.

Affirmitive action is still needed. We have to prevent what happened in the past to happen again. Double standards are not acceptable, but just because there are some, is no need to go back to the origional bad standards. Geeze..one extreme to the other. And Yea, I got fucking pissed. I lived this shit and I am not going to go through it again.

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), January 22, 2001.

Cherri,

I was just funnin ya a little, relax. I sometimes forget that the intention behind the written word (in this case a gentle ribbing) often is not clear. I can appreciate that you had a hard time in the military, I could see that you were pissed, I was just messing around since I don't recall you using such profanity before. It's very un- ladylike.<---(Another smartass remark meant in jest)

I firmly believe that people should be judged by their qualifications and actions, and should be hired, or fired, accordingly. You stated in your post that it is "time to stop quotas". I am curious, how does one enforce afirmative action without quotas?

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), January 22, 2001.

Affirmitive action=allowing all people to apply and accepting them according to their qualifications. Not disqulaifying a person due to race, sex, age etc. Monitoring and investigating the refusal of accepting qualified people based on race, sex etc, over a less qualified white male. In other words, if I am more qualified then other applicants and am not given the position, there should be some method to determine if the less qualified person was hired to prevent a female from joining the workforce. Like when I was working at Boeing. One of my co-workers had some applications in his hand and asked me if I thought a certain name was a "black" name. He said "we don't want to hire any N....rs, it's bad enough we had to hire you.

Quotas=requiring a percentage of applicants of a certain race, sex etc be given positions. Restricting "slots" to women, blacks etc only.

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), January 22, 2001.