People in Hollywood make public statements all the time. The reactions to those statements, however, are more interesting than what the self absorbed media personalities have to say. Consider the reactions to two recent statements by TV personalities.'
George Takei who is known for his role 45 years ago on Star Trek said that the dissent by Clarence Thomas on the gay marriage case in the Supreme Court made him angry. As Takei put it, " He is a clown in blackface sitting on the Supreme Court."
Donald Trump who made billions in real estate but who is best known for his show The Apprentice said that he is running for president and talked about illegal immigrants coming from Mexico. His statement was this:
"When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Now you can parse these statements any way you want to, but one thing you can't deny is that Takei's statement is racist. If you doubt that imagine the reaction if some celebrity called president Obama "a clown in blackface" because of one of his positions. Trump, on the other hand, made a stupid statement. Certain things that he said are undeniably true. Mexicans are bringing drugs and crime into this country; that's why there are Mexican drug cartels that cause so much crime especially near the border. There's also a problem of rape of many of the women and girls crossing the border, a problem which was highlighted by the Obama administration itself. Trump's statement, however, was stupid because he made it sound like the vast majority of the illegal immigrants were engaged in these criminal behaviors. To that extent, it was racist too. So Trump's statement is racist because he is unclear in his speech that he is not referring to most Mexicans, something he has subsequently cleared up. Takei, on the other hand, intentionally makes an offensive and racist attack on Justice Thomas.
So what's the reaction? In the media and in pop culture, you would think that Trump had called for the return of Jim Crow and slavery. He has been denounced by people who don't even know what he said. On the other hand, Takei has been celebrated by many of the same people for "telling it like it is."
The sad thing is that when a racist like Takei says something so clearly improper and offensive, he ought be dealt with swiftly and severely. Selective acceptance of racist rants shows that charges of racism are nothing more than political tactics. Racism is too important for American to combat it only sometimes. The reality is that I would say George Takei's career ought to be over (except it already is.)
George Takei who is known for his role 45 years ago on Star Trek said that the dissent by Clarence Thomas on the gay marriage case in the Supreme Court made him angry. As Takei put it, " He is a clown in blackface sitting on the Supreme Court."
Donald Trump who made billions in real estate but who is best known for his show The Apprentice said that he is running for president and talked about illegal immigrants coming from Mexico. His statement was this:
"When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Now you can parse these statements any way you want to, but one thing you can't deny is that Takei's statement is racist. If you doubt that imagine the reaction if some celebrity called president Obama "a clown in blackface" because of one of his positions. Trump, on the other hand, made a stupid statement. Certain things that he said are undeniably true. Mexicans are bringing drugs and crime into this country; that's why there are Mexican drug cartels that cause so much crime especially near the border. There's also a problem of rape of many of the women and girls crossing the border, a problem which was highlighted by the Obama administration itself. Trump's statement, however, was stupid because he made it sound like the vast majority of the illegal immigrants were engaged in these criminal behaviors. To that extent, it was racist too. So Trump's statement is racist because he is unclear in his speech that he is not referring to most Mexicans, something he has subsequently cleared up. Takei, on the other hand, intentionally makes an offensive and racist attack on Justice Thomas.
So what's the reaction? In the media and in pop culture, you would think that Trump had called for the return of Jim Crow and slavery. He has been denounced by people who don't even know what he said. On the other hand, Takei has been celebrated by many of the same people for "telling it like it is."
The sad thing is that when a racist like Takei says something so clearly improper and offensive, he ought be dealt with swiftly and severely. Selective acceptance of racist rants shows that charges of racism are nothing more than political tactics. Racism is too important for American to combat it only sometimes. The reality is that I would say George Takei's career ought to be over (except it already is.)
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