Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may have entered the last weekend of his re-election campaign in a neck-and-neck race with Canadian conservative party leaders, but his poll numbers weren&#8217;t the most shocking thing he encountered.
<a href="https://www.tmz.com/2019/10/18/justin-trudeau-blackface-protesters-campaign-reelection/">TMZ reports</a> that Trudeau was dogged, Saturday and Sunday, by a group of protesters clad in &#8220;blackface&#8221; reminding attendees of Trudeau&#8217;s final campaign events that the Prime Minister dressed in very inappropriate, clearly racist costumes as recently as the early 2000s.
<section id="cb-69f8cb29df355f6db71ffa67f89c86a2" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink ">&#8220;[Trudeau] was greeted by a group of protesters, at one of his stops, decked out in blackface while holding up the old blackface photos of Trudeau that threw him into a storm of controversy,&#8221; according to the entertainment news outlet. &#8220;The demonstrators also had signs reading, &#8216;We&#8217;re Aladdin Too! Orillia Blackface Club Welcomes Trudeau.'&#8221;
Justin Trudeau has been trying to make amends since photos surfaced, weeks ago, showing him in full blackface for an &#8220;Arabian Nights&#8221;-themed event in 2001. It eventually surfaced that Trudeau had donned inappropriate costumes several times in recent history, including for a video where he posed as singer Harry Belafonte for a performance of one of Belafonte&#8217;s signature songs.
At least two versions of the latter incident have surfaced, including a high-resolution video.
The famously woke Trudeau tried to downplay the incidents, claiming in a public apology, that he was too young to understand the ramefications of his behavior, though he was nearly thirty when he painted his arms, hands, and face brown for an Aladdin costume. He also tried to claim that he selected his costumes during a time when blackface was not considered as inappropriate, even though the earliest example of Trudeau&#8217;s racially inappropriate behavior was from 2001.
To pay penance, Trudeau even made an appearance on a Canadian kids show, where a pair of young black girls confronted him on the subject of blackface. Trudeau was, oddly, unable to fully explain why he thought the costumes were appropriate.
&#8220;Um, it was something I shouldn&#8217;t have done because it hurt people,&#8221; he told the twins. &#8220;It&#8217;s not something you should do and that is something that I learned. It&#8217;s something I didn&#8217;t know back then but I know it now. And I&#8217;m sorry I hurt people.&#8221;
Trudeau&#8217;s habit of employing blackface isn&#8217;t his only scandal, though. The self-proclaimed feminist is also accused of bullying out a female, indigenous minister in his government &#8212; an attorney general &#8212; after she refused to bow to his demand that the Attorney General&#8217;s office cease prosecuting an energy company with ties to Trudeau and some of his closest friends. That incident cost him a lot of support within his own party (even if they were quick to forgive the blackface incidents).
Canadians go to the polls to select their majority party this week, and Trudeau, who was once extremely popular in Canada, is now facing the possibility that he will not be re-elected. Trudeau&#8217;s Liberal Party is now running neck-and-neck with the country&#8217;s conservatives, and even if it pulls out a victory, will likely be forced to create a coalition government. That means that Trudeau won&#8217;t have quite the mandate &#8212; or quite the power &#8212; he now enjoys.
</section>

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Holds A Campaign Rally In Vaughan, Ontario

Justin Trudeau Faces Protesters In Blackface On Last Day Of Campaign

Canada

Justin Trudeau

Racism

If you need an accurate update on some of the madness at the nation&#8217;s institutions of higher learning, check out Minding the Campus, a nonprofit independent organization. John Leo, its editor in chief, says that <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yxww7gth">the organization&#8217;s</a> prime mission is dedicated to the revival of intellectual pluralism and the best traditions of liberal education at America&#8217;s colleges and universities. Leo&#8217;s most recent compilation of campus madness leaves one nearly breathless.
In a USA Today op-ed, Emily Walton, a sociology professor at Dartmouth University, said that all college students should take a mandatory course on black history and white privilege. She says that by taking her class, white students &#8220;come to understand that being a good person does not make them innocent but rather they, too, are implicated in a system of racial dominance.&#8221; Walton adds, &#8220;After spending their young lives in a condition of &#8216;white blindness,&#8217; that is, the inability to see their own racial privilege, they begin to awaken to the notion that racism has systematically kept others down while benefiting them and other white people.&#8221; This is inculcating guilt based on skin color. These young white kids had nothing to do with slavery, Jim Crow or other horrible racial discriminatory acts. If one believes in individual responsibility, he should find the indoctrination by Walton offensive. To top it off, she equates the meritocratic system of hard work with white discrimination against minorities.
If you thought integration was in, check out the University of Nevada. Based on a report in the College Fix, John Leo describes how integration on that campus is actively discouraged — and at taxpayer expense. The university provides separate dorms for different identities including Howell Town for black students, Stonewall Suites for LGBTQ students, the women-only housing of Tonopah community, the Healthy Living Floor for tofu and kale lovers and study-intensive floors for those who want to graduate.
According to a New York Post report, New York City school administrators have been taught that pillars of Western Civilization such as objectivity, individualism and belief in the written word all are examples of white supremacy. All school principals, district office administrators and superintendent teams were required to attend the anti-white supremacy training put on by the city Department of Education&#8217;s Office of Equity and Access. They learn that a belief in an &#8220;ultimate truth&#8221; (objectivity) leads to a dismissal of &#8220;alternate viewpoints or emotions&#8221; as &#8220;bad&#8221; and that an emphasis on the written word overlooks the &#8220;ability to relate to others&#8221; and leads to &#8220;teaching that there is only &#8216;one right way&#8217; to do something.&#8221; Administrators learn that other &#8220;hallmarks&#8221; of white supremacy include a &#8220;sense of urgency,&#8221; &#8220;quantity over quality&#8221; and &#8220;perfectionism.&#8221; Richard Carranza, New York City school superintendent, says the workshops are just about &#8220;what are our biases and how we work with them.&#8221;
Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor, says that political rage and increasingly polarized discourse are endangering our nation. Americans used to move forward productively after elections regardless of which side won. Now, we seem paralyzed by absolute schism and intolerance. Bloomberg pointed to colleges as a prime example of a rising level of intolerance for different ideas and free speech. Steven Gerrard, a professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, serves as an example of campus intolerance. Students declared Gerrard &#8220;an enemy of the people&#8221; after he suggested that Williams College join other schools in signing onto what&#8217;s called <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y7hxrgf9">the Chicago Principles</a>. The statement, published by the Committee of Freedom of Expression at the University of Chicago, calls for free speech to be central to college and university culture. Williams college students said free speech is a part of a right-wing agenda as a &#8220;cover for racism, xenophobia, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and classism.&#8221; Bloomberg pointed out that fewer than 70 of America&#8217;s 4,000 colleges and universities have endorsed or adopted the Chicago statement.
State governors and legislators can learn something from their Alaskan counterparts, who slashed public spending on the University of Alaska by 41%. There&#8217;s nothing better than the sounds of pocketbooks snapping shut to bring a bit of sanity to college administrators.
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Graduation cap.

WILLIAMS: Intolerance In Academia

Education

Free Speech

Hillary Clinton decided to weigh in on controvery surrounding the United Kingdom&#8217;s Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, taking the duchess&#8217;s side against members of the media and suggesting that UK tabloids keep close tabs on the biracial royal because they are racist.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Clinton and her daughter Chelsea, who are promoting their children&#8217;s book about &#8220;gutsy women&#8221; agreed that Markle is, indeed, a &#8220;gutsy woman,&#8221; even if she didn&#8217;t make the cut, <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/10/hillary-and-chelsea-clinton-defend-meghan-markle">according to Vanity Fair</a>.
“I’m a huge fan of Meghan Markle,” Hillary Clinton told the Times, gushing over the newly minted royal who has made it her mission to use her office to spread social justice across the globe.
Markle has been pushing a progressive agenda as part of her travels as a member of the royal family and most recently found herself in the midst of controversy over her and her husband, Prince Harry&#8217;s, views on climate change. Just days after the prince expressed a desire to limit his family to two children and criticized average UK citizens for over-utilizing commercial air travel, the pair and their young son boarded a private plane to a private European resort, one of several carbon-spewing private flights they took over the summer.
Markle and Prince Harry have also recently found themselves involved in a lawsuit against members of the press who published what she claims were private letters exchanged between her and her father ahead of her royal wedding. Prince Harry even took the unusual step, recently, of lashing out directly at the press, accusing them of treating his new wife like they treated his late mother, who was famously killed in a car crash with press photographers.
Clinton, who has regularly claimed that her 2016 loss to now-President Donald Trump was motivated largely by prejudice (including both sexism and racism on the part of American voters), told the Sunday Times she believes the UK tabloids, and certain members of the media, targeted Markle for embarrassment because of racism.
“I do want to say that the way she’s been treated is inexplicable,&#8221; Clinton offered. When asked if she believed Meghan&#8217;s race played into her treatment at the hands of the press, Clinton was quick to agree: “It’s certainly part of it. If the explanation is that she’s biracial, then shame on everybody.”
Chelsea Clinton then seemed to compare Markle&#8217;s plight to her own mother&#8217;s.
&#8220;It’s because she proudly had a career first and has a voice that she thankfully continues to use,” Chelsea Clinton said. “Anyone who has the temerity to break the mould of what has previously been established and expected often, unfortunately, receives criticism and bile that I don’t understand. We’ve seen this pattern repeatedly.&#8221;
Chelsea added, &#8220;I don’t know her, but as someone who respects her, I’m so grateful that she persists, and is unbowed, and is doing work she feels called to do. And also isn’t willing to be bullied.”
Clinton and her daughter Chelsea are in the middle of a media blitz at the moment, promoting their jointly authored children&#8217;s book about &#8220;gutsy women&#8221; and raising speculation that Clinton may jump into the 2020 Democratic primary at the last minute if no clear front-runner emerges from the 15-person race.

Trooping The Colour 2019

Hillary Clinton Claims Tabloids Follow Meghan Markle Because They&#8217;re &#8216;Racist&#8217;

Chelsea Clinton

Hillary Clinton

Meghan Markle

Prince Harry

As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graphic-video-of-president-trump-shooting-media-plays-at-trump-resort-white-house-condemns">reported</a> this morning, outrage has erupted over a meme played at a pro-Trump conference in Miami over the weekend. The parody video shows Trump shooting a bunch of media logos and media members. Few people at the conference saw the clip, as it apparently played in an <a href="https://twitter.com/cjciaramella/status/1182679455459893248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1182679455459893248&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fgraphic-video-of-president-trump-shooting-media-plays-at-trump-resort-white-house-condemns">empty side room</a> somewhere in the Trump resort where the event was held. Trump himself obviously had nothing to do with the video and the event organizers claim (credibly, I think) that they didn&#8217;t know about it and didn&#8217;t approve it.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graphic-video-of-president-trump-shooting-media-plays-at-trump-resort-white-house-condemns">notes</a> that the controversial meme has been on the internet for a year without much notice. Only now, because of the media, do we all get a chance to see the thing that the media says might inspire violence against the media. If they were really concerned about the mystical powers of memes to inspire mass shootings, you&#8217;d think they would have just ignored this one and let it remain in obscurity.
But this controversy is interesting for a different reason. The meme makes use of a scene from the film “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” released back in 2015. In the original scene, Colin Firth&#8217;s character murders an entire church full of people in the Deep South. He shoots a woman in the face at point blank range, guns down dozens of other churchgoers, cuts someone&#8217;s head off, lights another guy on fire, and impales someone with a stake. But this is supposed to be alright, I guess, because everyone has been driven insane by a toxic gas. Plus, the church is a Westboro Baptist-stlye collection of crazy racists and homophobes.
Still, if a jokey meme showing Trump shooting news logos is &#8220;problematic&#8221; and even &#8220;dangerous,&#8221; then isn&#8217;t the original jokey scene showing a guy murdering churchgoers also problematic and dangerous? Yet, unsurprisingly, the media had little to say about the fictional bloodbath when it was first filmed. In fact, what little they did say was outright celebratory. The Washington Post, which labeled the Trump meme &#8220;vile and horrific,&#8221; used very different words to describe the scene on which it&#8217;s based. In a 2015 review of the film, Washington Post writer Michael O&#8217;Sullivan was positively <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/kingsman-the-secret-service-james-bond-meets-jack-bauer/2015/02/11/c22facf2-b203-11e4-854b-a38d13486ba1_story.html">rapturous</a>, calling the cartoonish carnage &#8220;balletic&#8221; and a &#8220;masterclass.&#8221; A more recent article in The Ringer <a href="https://www.theringer.com/movies/2017/9/22/16346680/kingsman-church-scene-kill-spree-ranked">says</a> the church massacre is the most &#8220;well regarded&#8221; moment in the film. The site concurs that the scene is indeed a &#8220;masterclass.&#8221; We should also note that the movie received generally positive reviews at the time of its release, <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kingsman_the_secret_service">earning</a> a very respectable 74 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Personally, I don&#8217;t care much about the original scene or the meme. Both are probably in poor taste, but they&#8217;re too over the top and absurdly gratuitous to have any sort of profound impact on the viewer. I doubt that anyone will be inspired to shoot up a church because of &#8220;Kingsman,&#8221; just as I doubt that anyone will be inspired to kill media members because of this meme or any meme. But if you take the position that the meme is awful, vile, evil, and dangerous, then you must say the same about the scene that made the meme possible. If you claim that the meme encourages violence against the media, then you must claim that the original scene encourages violence against Christians. There is just no way to separate the two.
The situation for the original scene is not improved much by the fact that the victims are all Westboro racists. First of all, that&#8217;s how Hollywood sees all Christians. For Hollywood, there really is no difference between a Westboro church and any other church. Especially in the south. Second, making them bigots was obviously a cheap narrative trick designed to give the viewer permission to take delight in their mass execution. In reality, we would hopefully all agree that it is not okay to randomly mow down racists at church. Or maybe we can&#8217;t agree about that. Either way, there is no reason to panic over the meme if you didn&#8217;t panic when the movie came out four years ago.

&#8220;Kingsman: The Secret Service&#8221; New York Premiere

WALSH: Media Outraged By Meme Of Trump Shooting Media Members. Here’s How They Reacted To The Same Scene When It Was Churchgoers Being Killed.

Hollywood

Religion

Violence

Westboro Baptist

The Canadian media may not be interested in asking tough questions of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but there are still some people willing to grill Trudeau over his recently surfaced blackface photos.
Last week, Trudeau truned up on the Canadian Facebook Watch program, &#8220;New Mom, Who Dis?&#8221; where the host occasionally invites groups of children for question and answer periods with famous guests. The guest appearance was promoted as a no-holds-barred discussion with Trudeau, who is running for a second term: “Nothing is off the table as [Host Jessica] Cruickshank and the PM sit down for a funny and honest discussion about family life, raising kids, and the impact his policies have on families and children.&#8221;
The interview, a promotional email trumpeted, &#8220;captures the Prime Minister like never seen before — sharing light-hearted family stories but also answering hard-hitting policy questions and taking real questions from real kids.”
They weren&#8217;t kidding.
Seated in a tiny chair and surrounded by kids, Trudeau clearly thought he&#8217;d be able to hit all his campaign talking points &#8212; and field softball questions from a group of Kindergartners assembled for the occasion. But a teaser clip of the show released Wednesday shows him backed into a corner over blackface by adorable twin girls.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Heartbreaking to hear these kids ask this. <a href="https://t.co/u3Vuj8TGEq">pic.twitter.com/u3Vuj8TGEq</a>
&mdash; Stephen Taylor (@stephen_taylor) <a href="https://twitter.com/stephen_taylor/status/1181772148928593920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The two girls, who are black, confronted Trudeau over a series of photos and videos that surfaced late last month showing Trudeau in blackface. The photos, which Trudeau wrote off as from a &#8220;different time&#8221; and evidence of his less-woke youth, were from the early 2000s, when Trudeau clearly should have known better.
&#8220;I want you to ask Mr. Prime Minister anything you want, and he has to answer honestly because what kind of a monster lies to a child?&#8221; the host prompts.
Why did you paint your face brown?&#8221; a the tiny pair ask Trudeau.
&#8220;It was something I shouldn’t have done, cause it hurt people,&#8221; Trudeau asnwered, clearly flustered by the question. &#8220;It’s not something that you, you should do. And, that is something that I learned. I didn’t know it back then, but I know it now. And I’m sorry I hurt people.&#8221;
The answer wasn&#8217;t good enough for the twins, who pressed on: &#8220;But did you paint your nose and your hands brown?&#8221;
&#8220;Mmmhmm, yeah. And it was the wrong thing to do. And I had a good conversation with my kids around taking responsibility for mistakes, and making sure that we’re always sticking up for each other, and not teasing each other, and being respectful towards each other,&#8221; Trudeau stammered.
&#8220;And I’m sorry that I hurt you as well. I’m sorry that I hurt kids, who, you know, get face teasing and discrimination because, because of the color of their skin. That’s just not right in this country, or anywhere around the world, and we all have to work together to make sure that that doesn’t happen, ok?&#8221;
The two girls nodded at this last part and sat down.
Trudeau is facing an uphill battle to re-election. Before the blackface photos surfaced, Trudeau was having difficulty explaining away a controversy within his government, which saw him and several of his top aides accused of bullying a female, indigenous attorney general who dared to open an investigation into an oil company with ties to Trudeau and his friends.

Justin Trudeau Canada

WATCH: Canadian Schoolchildren DESTROY Justin Trudeau Over Blackface Photos

A group of minority rights activists are challenging the anti-climate change movement&#8217;s unquestioning embrace of sixteen year old Greta Thunberg and calling support for Thunberg over &#8220;woker&#8221; eco-spokespeople &#8220;racism,&#8221; and evidence of &#8220;white supremacy.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2019/10/supporting-greta-thunberg-is-evidence-of-white-supremacy-activists-claim.html">A New Zealand news outlet</a> reports that activists who push for greater rights for indigenous peoples &#8212; some of the very same activists who are at the forefront of the global anti-climate change movement &#8212; are concerned that putting a young, white teenager at the helm of a movement that largely affects the third world sends the wrong message, especially since indigineous people have been pressing the same message for decades.
The activists took to social media to express their distaste in light of Thunberg&#8217;s recent appearance in front of the United Nations.
&#8220;Y&#8217;all need to ask yourselves why you find it so much easier to hear from white people, regardless of age, when it comes to the violence they have caused across the world,&#8221; one tweeted. &#8220;Our GOBAL climate is in CRISIS. We need EVERYONE to care about this &amp; take action. With that said, it is high time that the very people who have caused such problems STOP getting praised &amp; recognized for finally doing the RIGHT THING.&#8221;
&#8220;It is a SYMPTOM of global white supremacy that certain people are HEARD &amp; given a platform, certain people have access to the RESOURCES to be the HEROES that the world will pay attention to,&#8221; said another.
&#8220;Greta should have grabbed some children from Flint or NJ and took them to the UN. They are impacted right now by environmental terrorism caused by racism, White Supremacy, and racialzed governance. Greta at the UN was the epitome of White Privilege/White power= Save white kids!&#8221; tweeted another.
Across the board, these activist say that Thunberg is benefitting from a global system of &#8220;white supremacy,&#8221; and that decisions made based on  Thunberg&#8217;s speeches will undoubtedly benefit white people over minorities and residents of developing nations.
Others say the widespread embrace of Thunberg&#8217;s message is evidence of colonialism and white people making decisions for others on the theory that they simply know better: &#8220;We need to question why Greta &#8212; in one year &#8212; has got attention from the whole world while indigenous/first nations &#8212; who have been protecting and sustaining Mother Earth &#8212; have been ignored and killed for centuries. <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/colonialism?src=hash" rel="tag" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag">#colonialism</a> <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/whitesupremacy?src=hash" rel="tag" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag">#whitesupremacy</a>&#8221;
Thunberg is, of course, expected to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her work spreading the message that the Earth has only precious few years to go before the damage caused by climate change is irreversable and humanity heads for an unavoidable extinction, often in those exact, apocalyptic words. Most recently, Thunberg traveled to the United States by boat in a show of solidarity against carbon-spewing airplanes (even though the boat had a backup diesel engine), and delivered a fiery speech to members of the U.N., opening chastizing them for &#8220;ruining&#8221; the planet for her generation.
Although the activists criticizing Greta Thunberg are definitely operating off a &#8220;woker than thou&#8221; mentality, they aren&#8217;t necessarily wrong about the global anti-climate change movement. A worldwide ban on fossil fuels and a near-total disruption of technological advancement would undoubtedly harm developing nations who would be forced to forgo the survival of their own populations in the name of preserving the planet.
The global anti-climate change movement is also very much an anti-capitalist movement, despite evidence that Communist and socialist societies are far more industrialized &#8212; meaning that, historically, they produce far more pollution.

Greta Thunberg

UH OH: Supporting Greta Thunberg Now Evidence Of &#8216;White Privilege,&#8217; &#8216;Racism&#8217; Activists Say

Climate Change

White Supremacy

During my student days at a UCLA economics department faculty/graduate student coffee hour in the 1960s, I was chatting with Professor Armen Alchian, probably the greatest microeconomic theory economist of the 20th century. I was trying to impress Alchian with my knowledge of statistical type I and type II errors. I explained that unlike my wife, who assumed that everyone was her friend until they prove differently, my assumption was everyone was an enemy until they proved otherwise. The result: My wife&#8217;s vision maximized the number of her friends but maximized her chances of betrayal. My vision minimized my chances of betrayal at a cost of minimizing the number of my friends.
Alchian, donning a mischievous smile asked, &#8220;Williams, have you considered a third alternative, namely, that people don&#8217;t give a damn about you one way or another?&#8221; Initially, I felt a bit insulted, and our conversation didn&#8217;t go much further, but that was typical of Alchian — saying something profound, perhaps controversial, without much comment and letting you think it out.
Years later, I gave Alchian&#8217;s third alternative considerable thought and concluded that he was right. The most reliable assumption, in terms of the conduct of one&#8217;s life, is to assume that people don&#8217;t care about you one way or another. It&#8217;s an error to generalize that people are friends or enemies, or that people are out to either help you or hurt you. To put it more crudely, as Alchian did, people don&#8217;t give a damn about you one way or another.
Let&#8217;s apply this argument to issues of race. Listening to some people, one might think that white people are engaged in an ongoing secret conspiracy to undermine the achievement and well-being of black people. Their evidence is low black academic achievement and high rates of black poverty, unemployment and incarceration. For some, racism is the root cause of most black problems including the unprecedentedly high black illegitimacy rate and family breakdown.
Are white people obsessed with and engaged in a conspiracy against black people? Here&#8217;s an experiment. Walk up to the average white person and ask, &#8220;How many minutes today have you been thinking about black people?&#8221; If the person isn&#8217;t a Klansman or a gushing do-gooder liberal, his answer would probably be zero minutes. If you asked him whether he&#8217;s a part of a conspiracy to undermine the achievement and well-being of black people, he&#8217;d probably look at you as if you were crazy. By the same token, if a person asked me: &#8220;Williams, how many minutes today have you been thinking about white people?&#8221; My answer would probably be, &#8220;Not even a nanosecond.&#8221; Because people don&#8217;t care about you one way or another doesn&#8217;t mean they wish you good will, ill will or no will. They just don&#8217;t give a damn.
What are the implications of the people-don&#8217;t-care vision of how the world works? A major implication is that one&#8217;s destiny, for the most part, is in one&#8217;s hands. How you make it in this world depends more on what you do as opposed to whether people like or dislike you. Black politicians, civil rights leaders and white liberals have peddled victimhood to black people, teaching them that racism is pervasive and no amount of individual effort can overcome racist barriers. Peddling victimhood is not new. Booker T. Washington said: &#8220;There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.&#8221; In an 1865 speech to the Anti-Slavery Society in Boston, abolitionist Frederick Douglass said that people ask: &#8220;&#8216;What shall we do with the Negro?&#8217; I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us!&#8221; Or as Patrick Moynihan urged a century later in a 1970 memo to President Richard Nixon, &#8220;The time may have come when the issue of race could benefit from a period of &#8216;benign neglect.'&#8221;
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com .

Question mark sculpture.

WILLIAMS: Who Cares About You?

Progressivism

Race

Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida has fired an actor whom they say made a &#8220;racist&#8221; hand gesture in a photo with a visiting family.
The actor, who played one of the park&#8217;s costume characters &#8212; Gru, from the Despicable Me films &#8212; allegedly made the hand gesture in a series of photos taken with a multi-racial, autistic child and her family.
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/universal-orlando-actor-fired-for-making-symbol-associated-with-white-supremacy">Fox News reports</a> that the family posed for photos with the actor as part of a costumed character meet and greet at one of Universal&#8217;s hotels, the Loews Royal Pacific Resort. During the shoot, the actor placed his hand on the 7-year-old child&#8217;s shoulder, making an upside-down &#8220;OK&#8221; symbol. The family didn&#8217;t see the actor make the gesture at the time, but spotted it in a series of digital photos and in a 30-second video, which they say shows the actor actually curling his fingers into the &#8220;OK&#8221; gesture while posing with their kids.
The parents claim the &#8220;OK&#8221; symbol is associated with &#8220;white supremacy&#8221; and that the actor was making a statement about the family&#8217;s race. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-defamation-league-cedes-ok-hand-gesture-to-white-supremacists">As the Daily Wire&#8217;s Ashe Schow reported</a> last week, leading watchdog groups have now completely ceded the once-harmless gesture to white supremacist and racist groups, and everyone from the Anti-Defamation League to the Southern Poverty Law Center now claims the hand signal is code for white supremacy.
The family complained to Universal, which responded, it seems, by firing the actor.
&#8220;We just wanted to take them to see the Minions,&#8221; Tiffiney Zinger, the child&#8217;s mother, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/01/universal-orlando-resort-fires-despicable-me-actor-after-ok-symbol/3791483002/?fbclid=IwAR2C4tAGKK6S6CCOMDT0ivfYXx599661p0P9SW3y_fIMkChsI5k5Vl9izko">told USA Today</a>. &#8220;Do something special for our family. And this person ruined that special warm feeling.&#8221;
“It’s more than the ‘OK’ sign,” Richard Zinger, the child&#8217;s father, added. “A lot of people don’t understand what that sign means.”
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been emotionally distraught about it. I&#8217;m still pretty upset that someone felt they needed to do this to children,&#8221; Tiffiney Zinger said. &#8220;It can cause emotional stress on my child and her development.&#8221;
The pair say that they reached out to Universal to report the incident but didn&#8217;t hear back immediately. They checked with the park again, at which point Universal offered them some financial compensation and free tickets. The family told USA Today that they retained a lawyer once they heard directly from Universal, though they did not comment on whether they plan to sue the theme park.
They do say that they want to &#8220;cause change.&#8221;
The park released a statement to USA Today confirming that they&#8217;ve parted ways with the offending employee and that they are in ongoing discussions with the family.
&#8220;We never want our guests to experience what this family did. This is not acceptable and we are sorry &#8212; and we are taking steps to make sure nothing like this happens again,&#8221; Universal Studios said in their comments. &#8220;We can’t discuss specifics about this incident, but we can confirm that the actor no longer works here. We remain in contact with the family and will work with them privately to make this right.&#8221;
There is clearly some controversy over whether the upside-down &#8220;OK&#8221; hand gesture really does represent white supremacy. As Schow reported last week, &#8220;the OK hand gesture and its link to white nationalism began as a hoax cooked up by users of the website 4chan, who falsely linked it to white supremacy.&#8221; Eventually, groups like the ADL and SPLC claim, white supremacists simply adopted the signal, making it officially a code for racism.
Social media users regularly point out that the &#8220;OK&#8221; gesture is also part of a juvenile &#8220;circle game,&#8221; where players try to trick others into seeing them make the hand signal in photos and in real life. The SPLC recently claimed that the &#8220;circle game&#8221; is also racist, and that the only people who play it are white supremacists seeking to covertly spread their message of hate.
&#8220;It’s a game for them to slip their hate symbols in contexts that don&#8217;t belong,&#8221; a spokeswoman for the SPLC told USA Today in the context of the Universal Studios report.

minions universal studios

Universal Studios Fires Actor For Making &#8216;Racist&#8217; Hand Symbol In Fan Photo

Math, in case you didn’t already know, is racist.
That appears to be the contention of Seattle Public Schools, which has offered a course for K-12 students titled “<a href="https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/socialstudies/pubdocs/Math%20SDS%20ES%20Framework.pdf">Math Ethnic Studies</a>.” The framework for the class lists multiple themes, what students will learn from those themes, and important questions to be asked.
Origins, Identity, and Agency
The first theme, “Origins, Identity, and Agency,” is defined as “the ways in which we view ourselves as mathematicians and members of broader mathematical communities.”
“Mathematical theory and application is rooted in the ancient histories of people and empires of color. All human endeavors include mathematical thinking; from humanities to the arts to the sciences,” the framework continues.
The “learning targets” for this theme start off without a hitch, suggesting students taking the class will be able to “identify ancient mathematicians and their contributions to mathematics” and “know the continents and countries that were and are at the core of the development of mathematics.” Math history doesn’t seem so bad.
But then the course starts to go off the rails. Under “essential questions” students are asked the following questions, among others:
<blockquote>“What is my mathematical identity”
“How does it feel to be a Mathematician”
“What other mathematicians are in my learning community?”
“Is there an authority for math knowledge?”
“What stories are important to your cultural connection to mathematics?”
“What does it mean to do math?”
“How important is it to be Right? What is Right? Says Who?”</blockquote>
Power and Oppression
Yes, Seattle has determined that such terms exist in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The theme is defined as “the ways in which individuals and groups define mathematical knowledge so as to see ‘Western’ mathematics as the only legitimate expression of mathematical identity and intelligence.”
“This definition of legitimacy is then used to disenfranchise people and communities of color. This erases the historical contributions of people and communities of color,” the framework continues.
The “learning targets” for this themes state that students will be able to “analyze the ways in which ancient mathematical knowledge has been appropriated by Western culture” and to identify and explain how math and other sciences have been “used to oppress and marginalize people and communities of color.”
Further, students will be able to “critique systems of power that deny access to mathematical knowledge to people and communities of color,” “identify the inherent inequities of the standardized testing system used to oppress and marginalize people and communities of color,” “explain how math has been used to exploit natural resources,” and “explain how math dictates economic oppression.”
A lengthy list of “essential questions” for this theme include the following:
<blockquote>“Who holds power in a mathematical classroom?”
“Is there a place for power and authority in the math classroom?”
“Who gets to say if an answer is right?”
“Who is Smart? Who is not Smart?”
“Can you recognize and name oppressive mathematical practices in your experience?”
“Why/how does data-driven processes prevent liberation?”
“How is math manipulated to allow inequality and oppression to persist?”</blockquote>
History of Resistance and Liberation
Keep in mind, all of these themes are “defined by ethnic studies” and applied to numbers and formulas. This theme is defined as: “the stories, places, and people who helped liberate people and communities of color using math, engineering, and technology. Access to mathematical knowledge itself is an act of liberation.”
Not so bad, teaching that math and technology has helped build up civilizations. If only it weren’t couched in a class claiming that same “liberation” is also racist.
This theme states that students will be able to “identify individuals and organizations that have reclaimed mathematical identity and agency.” It also includes praise for higher graduation rates of people of color, which should obviously be celebrated and is one of the few bright spots of the framework.
But again, the framework diverges from what could be an interesting class about the history of math and how technology has helped the world to using math in order to aid racial activism. From the list of essential questions:
<blockquote>“How/why do mathematical processes demand collective thinking?
“How can we change mathematics from individualistic to collectivist thinking?”
“How can we reframe our views of people/communities of color in mathematics?”</blockquote>
Reflection and Action
Ah yes, what “[Blank] Studies” program wouldn’t include a call for activism from minors? This theme is defined as “fostering a sense of advocacy, empowerment, and action in the students that creates internal motivation to engage in and contribute to their identities as mathematicians.”
“Students will be confident in their ability to construct &amp; decode mathematical knowledge, truth, and beauty so they can contribute to their experiences and the experiences of people in their community,” the framework continues.
Learning targets for this section include students valuing “their mathematical identity” and the “potential that math can have on their freedom.”
Essential questions for this theme include:
<blockquote>“What validates (y)our mathematical thinking?”
“Can you advocate against oppressive mathematical practices?”
“How can our stories be valued as data points to impact change?”
“Can I use mathematics to comprehend my everyday life?”</blockquote>
Dori Monson, a Seattle-based radio host, penned <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/1537267/dori-math-ethnic-studies-framework/">an op-ed</a> about the framework, calling it “absolute insanity.”
“This is what happens when you allow radicals to take control of the schools. You start seeing problems where they cannot exist — like in the objective world of mathematics,” Monson wrote. “We’re now reducing math to a divisive sociological issue — and that’s the kind of reduction and division we don’t want to be teaching.”
Radio host Jason Rantz added in his <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/1537348/rantz-seattle-schools-document-say-math-is-oppressive-us-government-racist/">own op-ed</a> that educators aren’t stopping at injecting math with social justice themes. History classes have also been revised to insist “the United States government was founded on racist intellectual premises and economic practices that institutionalized oppression of people of color that continues to the present day.”
Rantz included a statement from Kate Payne, Director of Communications for the Superintendent’s Office.
“In creating a state-level framework and recommended resources, we hope to provide guidance to districts implementing Ethnic Studies as part of their class offerings. Again, the Committee has not yet created any documents, nor have they made any recommendations,” Payne said. “They are in the process of gathering information about current practices and deciding on the best course of action to ensure our students and educators receive appropriate support. This is an elective class offering, and there are no requirements that school districts offer Elective Studies courses at this time.”

Math

Seattle Public Schools Teaching ‘Math Ethnic Studies,’ Asks, ‘Who Gets To Say If An Answer Is Right?’

Social Justice

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is back in the headlines Sunday for a &#8220;blackface&#8221; costume he wore in high school to perform a version of Harry Belafonte&#8217;s famous &#8220;Banana Boat&#8221; song &#8212; and it might be the worst example of Trudeau&#8217;s bizarre costuming habit to date.
Trudeau has been under fire recently over his penchant for dressing up in &#8220;brownface,&#8221; including for a full &#8220;Aladdin&#8221; costume he donned in 2001 for an &#8220;Arabian Nights&#8221;-themed fundraiser at the school where he taught before entering politics. In addition to faux Arab dress, Trudeau is shown, in photos, with a dark brown-painted face and hands.
Trudeau has shrugged off the criticism, explaining that in 2001, black- and brown-face wasn&#8217;t considered racist (it definitely was), and that he simply enjoys committing to themes, especially when that commitment involves costumes. Trudeau says he&#8217;s &#8220;grown&#8221; since his &#8220;youth&#8221; (he was in his mid-20s at the time) and his opinion on matters of cultural sensitivity has changed.
But, it seems, Trudeau didn&#8217;t reserve his political incorrectness just for his Arabian Nights costume. Since that photo emerged, Canadian media has found a handful of other examples of Trudeau in black- and brown-face, usually for parties or events.
In high school, for example, Trudeau dressed as Belafonte for a school show, and, according to the new video, he really committed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A new high quality video of <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustinTrudeau</a> dancing in blackface
Read more: <a href="https://t.co/Ytarj5Heih">https://t.co/Ytarj5Heih</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cdnpoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/elxn43?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#elxn43</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrudeauBlackface?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrudeauBlackface</a> <a href="https://t.co/vyrIiJpHdO">pic.twitter.com/vyrIiJpHdO</a>
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1178027994285260800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
For his costume, Trudeau didn&#8217;t just paint his face. It seems he painted his whole body. He also stuffed socks in his pants to &#8220;enhance his crotch,&#8221; as one Twitter user put it, and ripped his jeans so that his blacked out knees were visible through a series of holes. He added an afro wig for good measure.
He&#8217;s also shown dancing with other students in the video, apparently as part of a class project. Trudeau is the only one among his friends to be in full blackface.
The Toronto Star found the video, which is a better version of another film located by Canada&#8217;s Globe &amp; Mail newspaper. <a href="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/why-did-the-toronto-star-just-remove-a-high-quality-trudeau-blackface-video/">The Post Millennial</a>, a Canadian political site, grabbed the video from the Star and posted it to social media. The Star eventually removed the video from its site, but has yet to explain why.
The Post Millennial reports that the video emerged as part of the Toronto Star&#8217;s effort to &#8220;explain&#8221; Trudeau&#8217;s blackface moments, and was supposed to refute critics who charged that Trudeau was wearing a banana-themed shirt for his performance (turns out, he was actually wearing a shirt with a toucan on it). But by trying to help Trudeau out, they may have made his situation worse.
Certainly, the video shows Trudeau from his high school years, when he may actually have been too young and green to fully understand the implications of his cultrually appropriative and fully racist costume. But the point Trudeau&#8217;s critics are trying to drive home is that Trudeau never actually learned from his mistakes, and his &#8220;super woke&#8221; turn as Canada&#8217;s Prime Minister &#8212; he once lashed out at someone for using the term &#8220;mankind&#8221; because it was gender specific, for example &#8212; covers up a myriad of sins.
Trudeau has apologized for the incidents, but it may be too little too late. The Prime Minister is facing an uphill re-election battle and the black- and brown-face controversies are only the latest in a string of missteps. Trudeau also faces allegations that he tried to force friendly legislators to validate his feminist bona fides and he and others in his government may have forced out a female, indigenous attorney general because she planned on investigating a company to which Trudeau and his friends had ties.

UH OH: New Hi-Res Video Shows Justin Trudeau In Full Brownface Costume

While the decidedly progressive notion of uncritically believing all women continues to be pilloried by <a href="https://quillette.com/2018/11/06/how-the-metoo-movement-helped-create-a-script-for-false-accusers/">endless evidence</a>, it remains very much in vogue among the Left. The most recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walsh-latest-allegation-against-brett-kavanaugh-matt-walsh">spurious allegations</a> against Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh demonstrate this to a fatiguing degree. Due process has been thrown out of the proverbial window when it comes to accusations of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/khan-moral-musical-chairs-metoo-movement-continues-sharif-khan">sexual misconduct toward men</a> with little hope of change in the foreseeable future, particularly in the increasingly progressive court of public opinion.
What these zealots fail to recognize in their uncritical witch-hunts is just how hard we, as Americans, fought to eradicate such false accusations. For reference, the most telling example in our recent history is that of Emmett Till and Carolyn Bryant.
In 1955, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till">Emmett Till</a> was a mere 14-year-old boy when 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant accused him of sexually assaulting her. A kangaroo court ensued. Till was murdered by a small mob, his body mutilated and dumped in the Tallahatchie River.
Historian Timothy Tyson states that in a 2007 interview Carolyn Bryant admitted to <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/how-author-timothy-tyson-found-the-woman-at-the-center-of-the-emmett-till-case">fabricating her accusations</a> against Emmett Till. While historians can debate the details, what simply cannot be denied is that a young teenage boy was denied due process and brutally killed over an accusation.
While public figures often steal the headlines, countless men continue to face outright ruin over false claims of sexual misconduct as well. In 2010, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-11676804">Paul Joseph</a>, an IT consultant from the UK, was accused of rape by his then-girlfriend. Though she was punished with three years in prison for the false allegation, it still destroyed Joseph’s life in the process.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Banks_(American_football)">Brian Banks</a> was once a top football prospect out of high school on his way to attend USC. Instead, a false rape claim forced him to serve six years in prison. He was finally exonerated in 2012, but his dreams of playing pro ball were long dashed upon the rocks.
A <a href="https://torontosun.com/news/world/mean-girls-face-lawsuit-over-false-sex-allegations-against-teen">Canadian teenage boy</a> was falsely accused of sexual assault simply because he was disliked by a group of teenage girls. He was forced out of his job, had to be homeschooled for the remainder of high school, and suffered extensive psychological damage as a result.
<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2019/02/14/moses-el-exonerated-compensation/">Clarence Moses-EL</a> was imprisoned for 28 years because his accuser dreamt he raped her. Though awarded a settlement, no amount of money can give back nearly three decades of his life lost behind bars.
The tragic story of Emmett Till needs to haunt the hashtag of #believewomen. The cruel, regressive irony of the murdered young boy amid the shrill, uncritical demand of progressives results in a suffocating kind of disbelief. Due process, the hallmark of American justice, remains under constant attack as progressives recklessly wield their hashtags with ineptitude and a complete disregard for actual principles. In doing so, they resurrect old ghosts from our past we once thought banished to the halls of history.
More from Sharif Khan:
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/khan-moral-musical-chairs-metoo-movement-continues-sharif-khan">KHAN: The Moral Musical Chairs Of The #MeToo Movement Continues</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/khan-brief-view-streets-addiction-epidemic-sharif-khan">KHAN: A Brief View From The Streets Of The Addiction Epidemic In California</a>
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Emmett Till&#8217;s Grave

KHAN: The Ghost Of Emmett Till And The Inherent Dangers Of #BelieveWomen

Constitution

Rape

Sexism

Sexual Assault

Making the “ok” hand symbol with your thumb and forefinger will now get you accused of racism.
CNN <a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/09/26/us/adl-new-hate-symbols/index.html">reported</a> Thursday that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has added the symbol to its list of slogans and symbols used by racists. The group concedes that not everyone uses the symbol in a racist fashion, but enough people have that it can be included in its database.
CNN and the ADL acknowledge that the hand symbol’s “racism” started as a hoax on 4chan:
<blockquote>The OK hand gesture and its link to white nationalism began as a hoax cooked up by users of the website 4chan, who falsely linked it to white supremacy, according to the ADL.
It was meant to bait the media or people with liberal ideals to overreact, ADL experts say, and therefore look ridiculous for condemning such an innocuous sign. But in 2019, the sign was adopted by some white nationalists.
&#8220;At least some white supremacists seem to have abandoned the ironic or satiric intent behind the original trolling campaign and used the symbol as a sincere expression of white supremacy,&#8221; the ADL posted in its report.</blockquote>
So, because some bad people took part in the hoax, the rest of us need to be careful when we use a common hand symbol.
“We believe law enforcement and the public needs to be fully informed about the meaning of these images, which can serve as a first warning sign to the presence of haters in a community or school,&#8221; ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.
Other new slogans and symbols added to the ADL’s database include Dylan Roof’s haircut, a caricature of a stereotypical Jewish man rubbing his hands together (this symbolizes greed), and a 1980’s McDonald’s commercial featuring “Moon Man.” CNN reported that white supremacists have been making videos with the character with racist rap lyrics.
Also, “Diversity = White Genocide” is now on the list.
Ceding common hand gestures like the “ok” symbol to white supremacists sends its own message. It gives the racists the power to co-opt ordinary behaviors and allows the media and politicians to label innocent people as racists. Just look at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chicago-cubs-ban-fan-who-made-racist-hand-gesture-emily-zanotti">what happened</a> when a Chicago Cubs fan made the “ok” hand gesture and was deemed racist, even though the position he held his hand was actually part of a common game played by young boys. The “circle game” involves players trying to get others to look at the symbol while making it below their waist. If someone looks, they get a punch in the arm and teasing. But because the media and places like the ADL have deemed the “ok” hand symbol as racist, this Cubs fan was banned for life and branded a racist.
The media also has tried to do this with the original American flag designed by Betsy Ross. In July, Buzzfeed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buzzfeed-tries-prove-betsy-ross-flag-has-been-ashe-schow">reported</a> that because that version of the flag was displayed in the home of someone who belonged to a white nationalist group and by students who also displayed a campaign flag for President Donald Trump (remember, the media treats all Trump merchandise as racist symbols), then the flag is a common racist symbol now.

OK sign

Anti-Defamation League Cedes &#8216;OK&#8217; Hand Gesture To White Supremacists

After law enforcement concluded that instead of being a victim of a racist, homophobic assault by Trump supporters on a freezing cold night in Chicago, actor Jussie Smollett had allegedly &#8220;orchestrated&#8221; a hate crime hoax against himself, &#8220;Empire&#8221; announced that he would not be returning for its final season.
On Tuesday, the first episode of the Fox show&#8217;s final season aired with one character conspicuously missing. So how did the show&#8217;s creators choose to write Smollett off the show? They literally gave his absence a dismissive &#8220;anyway.&#8221;
&#8220;The last time &#8216;Empire&#8217; fans saw Jussie Smollett on the show, he was getting married to the love of his life, looking jubilant in a white tuxedo and dancing with his new husband while family drama swirled around him,&#8221; writes <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/24/arts/television/jussie-smollett-empire.html">The New York Times&#8217;</a> Julia Jacobs. &#8220;At that point, Mr. Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, was the focal point of the show: Fans watched him fret over his vows and patch up a last-minute fight with his fiancé before they walked down the aisle.&#8221;
Cut to the Season 6 premiere in which the suddenly vanished Jamal is merely a passing reference. His glaring absence is only noted in one scene, in which his mother Cookie (played by Taraji Henson) and Jamal&#8217;s good friend Becky Williams (Gabourey Sidibe) briefly mention that he has simply decided to &#8220;[run] off to London.&#8221;
Cookie reveals the bizarre disappearance of Jamal in reference to Becky&#8217;s ultra-feminine PJs. When Becky remarks that she used to wear outfits like that to sleepovers with Jamal, Cookie quips, &#8220;No wonder that boy ran off to London.&#8221;
Why did he move to London? Becky offers another joking comment as a pseudo-explanation. &#8220;I thought he was running away from Lyon drama,&#8221; she says.
&#8220;I really miss him,&#8221; adds Becky, which prompts Cookie to reply, &#8220;Please don&#8217;t get me started; I miss him so much.&#8221;
With now just four lines dedicated to Jamal&#8217;s almost show-stopping disappearance — two throw-away jokes and two a little more serious but equally insincere — Cookie moves on with a big &#8220;anyway.&#8221;
&#8220;Anyway, why do we need to have this slumber party?&#8221; she ask.
And with that, Smollett&#8217;s central character is entirely dismissed from the formerly high-rated show.
As the controversy surrounding Smollett&#8217;s case continued following the abrupt dismissal of his long list of charges by much-criticized Cook County State&#8217;s Attorney Kim Foxx, and city officials filing a lawsuit against him to recoup the $130,000 they say was wasted on investigating his &#8220;false report,&#8221; &#8220;Empire&#8221; creator Lee Daniels announced in June that Smollett would not be returning to the show.
In August, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-special-prosecutor-appointed-jussie-ryan-saavedra">appointed</a> a special prosecutor, former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, to investigate the way Smollett&#8217;s case was handled by Foxx&#8217;s office — and was given the power to potentially reinstate the charges, or even add additional charges, against the actor. While Smollett and his lawyers maintain that &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51162/jussie-smollett-pr-team-every-iota-hate-crime-paul-bois">every iota</a>&#8221; of the police-disputed story he told authorities is true, their various motions to have the city&#8217;s lawsuit dismissed have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/smollett-lawyers-make-last-ditch-argument-try-get-james-barrett">failed</a>.
This week was an awkward one for &#8220;Empire&#8221; in more ways than one. Along with the &#8220;anyway&#8221; scene dismissing one of the show&#8217;s biggest stars, another one of the leads in the series, Terrence Howard, landed himself in headlines for his wild explanation for why he was leaving the acting business altogether.
&#8220;I’ve made some discoveries in my personal life with the science that Pythagoras was searching for,&#8221; Howard told a bewildered interviewer on the red carpet of the Emmys Sunday. &#8220;I was able to open up the flower of life and find the real wave conjugations that we’ve been looking for for 10,000 years.&#8221; He went on to claim that he was going to &#8220;build the Milky Way galaxy without gravity.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-empire-stars-viral-emmys-interview-im-going-james-barrett">WATCH: ‘Empire’ Star’s Viral Emmys Interview: I’m Going To ‘Build The Milky Way Galaxy Without Gravity’</a>

Jussie Smollett

‘Anyway’: Here’s How Jussie Smollett Was Written Off ‘Empire’

Hate Crime

Sexuality

Legendary drag performer RuPaul Charles took home his sixth Emmy on Sunday, winning Outstanding Competition Reality Show for his drag queen elimination challenge, &#8220;RuPaul&#8217;s Drag Race.&#8221;
RuPaul is, no doubt, a pioneer in building acceptance for alternative lifestyles and an LGBTQ icon. &#8220;RuPaul&#8217;s Drag Race,&#8221; which is now more than a decade old, is a universal favorite, and celebrates and mainstreams drag culture.
But even if RuPaul is a progressive trailblazer, he&#8217;s still not progressive enough, it seems, for today&#8217;s woke Left. On Sunday, as RuPaul celebrated his Emmy win with his cast and production team backstage, a reporter asked RuPaul why &#8220;RuPaul&#8217;s Drag Race&#8221; was so lacking in diversity, throwing the drag icon into a whirlwind of social justice trouble.
According to LGBTQ media site<a href="https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/09/23/rupaul-gets-called-out-for-lack-of-diversity-in-drag-race-following-historic-emmys-win/"> Pink News</a>, RuPaul was taking part in a traditional post-win press conference when a reporter from the African-American lifestyle magazine Essence confronted him over his mostly white production team.
“I have a question about the hot-button term diversity that always gets thrown around. We’re looking at your team and I don’t see a lot of diversity,&#8221; the reporter said to a shocked RuPaul. “I’m curious about how you feel, especially as someone who represents so strongly for the LGBT+ community… Do you feel like it’s important for that to be represented behind the scenes as well?”
RuPaul was clearly taken aback at the suggestion that he or his show was in any way backward thinking, even if his production team and crew do appear to be mostly white (though not necessarily homogenous, as RuPaul&#8217;s drag race counts several women and members of the LGBTQ community among its key staffers). He tried to make a joke about BLT sandwiches before sputtering in disgust.
&#8220;And the BLT community, I love myself from bacon, lettuce, tomato. First of all, the host of our show is black, gay and a drag queen, so check, check and check,&#8221; RuPaul replied. “But we’re pretty diverse, there are lots of different types of people here. But is it important? Absolutely.”
&#8220;When I grew up, I had to fight, like… I feel like I’m about to quote a movie right now… but it wasn’t easy,&#8221; RuPaul continued. “You know what I had to do? Some of the things, I’m not even going to repeat what I had to do!”
RuPaul clearly didn&#8217;t have an explanation for his mostly white staff, but like many old school progressives — particularly those who were involved in social justice movements in the early days — his version of &#8220;the fight&#8221; is somewhat outdated, and his cultural cache is now bordering on meaningless. If he doesn&#8217;t conform to the new, woke rules, he will see himself made a villain.
And the reporter for Essence has definitely cast RuPaul as a villain — or, at least, a hapless relic.
On Twitter, she doubled down on the drag legend.
“Let me be clear. I asked about diversity on @RuPaulsDragRace’s staff bc it honestly caught me off guard to see so many white men behind Ru in the press room,&#8221; she wrote. “His show centers diversity &amp; the staff seemingly doesn’t. As a journalist, I wanted to give him the space to address that.”
She then <a href="https://www.essence.com/videos/rupaul-drag-race-diversity-emmys/">penned a full article</a> taking him to task in her magazine.
RuPaul, for his part, doesn&#8217;t seem all that bothered. &#8220;RuPaul&#8217;s Drag Race&#8221; is sticking around for at least two more seasons, according to entertainment news reports.

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&#8216;RuPaul&#8217;s Drag Race&#8217; BLASTED Over Lack Of Diversity Following Emmy Win

Gay Rights

LGBT

Actress Michelle Williams took her time in the Emmy spotlight Sunday night to lecture the audience on &#8220;white privilege,&#8221; intersectionality, the so-called &#8220;wage gap,&#8221; and the plight of minority women in the entertainment industry.
The actress, who is a staple of the Hollywood progressive activism crowd, won her Best Actress award for portraying Gwen Verdon in the miniseries, &#8220;Fosse/Verdon,&#8221; about the relationship between the Broadway leading lady and the legendary stage choreographer, Bob Fosse.
In the spirit of Hollywood knowing what&#8217;s best for everyone else, Williams dedicated her award to all of the little people in Hollywood who aren&#8217;t landing multi-million dollar contracts for television projects, <a href="https://www.channel24.co.za/TV/News/michelle-williams-speech-at-the-emmys-touches-on-white-privilege-equality-and-more-20190923-2">according to entertainment media</a>.
&#8220;I see this as an acknowledgement of what is possible when a woman is trusted and feels safe enough to voice her needs and respected enough to be heard … my bosses never presumed to know better than I did about what I needed in order to do my job and honor Gwen Verdon,” she began.
&#8220;I want to thank FX and Fox Studios for supporting me completely and for paying me equally because they understood. They understood that when you put value into a person, it empowers that person to get in touch with their own inherent value. And where do they put that value?&#8221; Williams asked.
She continued, &#8220;And so the next time a woman, and especially a woman of color — because she stands to make 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white male counterpart — tells you what she needs in order to do her job, listen to her. Believe her.&#8221;
Williams is famous for her spat with costar Mark Wahlberg, who was paid more for his role in the film, &#8220;All the Money in the World,&#8221; a biopic about magnate J. Paul Getty, which was released into theaters last year. She reportedly made only $1,000 per day for a series of re-shoots, while Wahlberg commanded a whopping $1.5 million.
But like the so-called &#8220;gender wage gap&#8221; between men and women generally, Williams&#8217; pay disparity comes with an explanation: her agent simply wasn&#8217;t as good as Wahlberg&#8217;s at negotiating a deal. The film originally starred an aged Kevin Spacey as the multi-millionaire Getty, but much of the film had to be reshot after Spacey, the subject of several #MeToo complaints by young men, was fired.
Williams, it seems, agreed to participate in several days of reshoots with veteran actor Christopher Plummer, who replaced Spacey in the film — and she agreed to participate in those reshoots largely for free, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/01/10/the-cruel-reason-michelle-williams-was-paid-1500x-less-than-mark-wahlberg/#6310dc667d8b">at least according to industry insiders</a>. Walhberg did not.
After leaving the stage, Williams continued to lecture the Emmy audience and amassed members of the media on how difficult it is to be a highly paid celebrity entertainer. You see, that $1.5 million that she missed out on was the difference between saving for retirement and, presumably, having to rely on Social Security.
&#8220;No matter how many accolades I’d amassed, I couldn’t make that translate into retirement money,&#8221; she told a press conference backstage at the awards ceremony, adding that she continues having a difficult time &#8220;getting ahead.&#8221;
She then took it upon herself to admit that she is a &#8220;white woman of privilege,&#8221; but to add that if she doesn&#8217;t speak out for the downtrodden, who will?
“There really won’t be any satisfaction for me until the larger message is heard, and that’s what I wanted to point out tonight.” She then reiterated her talking points: “52 [cents] on the dollar is what a Hispanic woman will make compared to a male. The numbers aren’t out yet for Native women but they expect them to be worse.”
The gender wage gap has less to do with abject sexism than it does economic choices made by women — though there is, of course, some debate as to what drives those choices. Like Williams&#8217; decision not to negotiate a separate deal for &#8220;All the Money in the World&#8221; reshoots, women often select lower-paying careers, take time out of the workforce to care for children, and put in fewer hours, resulting in a lower average wage over the course of their working lifetimes.

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Michelle Williams Lectures About Privilege, &#8216;Wage Gap&#8217; In Emmy Acceptance Speech

Gender Wage Gap

Donald Trump Jr. slammed another editor for The New York Times on Sunday after a news report revealed that the editor had made numerous racist and anti-Semitic comments on Twitter.
Jazmine Hughes, an editor at The New York Times Magazine, made the remarks according to a <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2019/09/22/another-new-york-times-editor-made-racist-anti-semitic-comments/">report</a> from Breitbart News, which noted that Hughes&#8217; &#8220;most recent project for the Times&#8217; magazine was the 1619 Project, a comprehensive series of articles and essays arguing that slavery was the institution that fundamentally shaped the modern United States.&#8221;
Hughes made numerous condescending remarks about white people and promoted anti-Semitic tropes about Jewish people and money.
Trump Jr. tweeted: &#8220;I started to make a list of all the racist, anti-Semitic @NYTimes employees who&#8217;ve made cookie-cutter &#8216;apologies&#8217; and kept their jobs &#8230; But I quickly realized there just aren&#8217;t enough hours left in the day.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I started to make a list of all the racist, anti-Semitic <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYTimes</a> employees who’ve made cookie-cutter “apologies” and kept their jobs&#8230; But I quickly realized there just aren’t enough hours left in the day. <a href="https://t.co/LkA0RME4TI">https://t.co/LkA0RME4TI</a>
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1175942254265020419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
The uncovered tweets come less than a week after more bigoted tweets from New York Times fact-checker Gina Chérélus were unearthed, which Trump Jr. also called out on Twitter, writing: &#8220;Another day, another bigot exposed at the @nytimes. Are they ever going to do anything to address the rampant hatred at their paper?&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Another day, another bigot exposed at the <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nytimes</a>. Are they ever going to do anything to address the rampant hatred at their paper? <a href="https://t.co/FfFSrkjC7l">https://t.co/FfFSrkjC7l</a>
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1174108528728039424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
The tweets from Chérélus featured &#8220;homophobic and racial slurs as well as animus toward other racial groups dating back several years ago,&#8221; The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51906/trump-jr-blasts-new-york-times-after-more-bigoted-ryan-saavedra">reported</a>.
The bigoted tweets from Chérélus came after another New York Times editor, Tom Wright-Piersanti, had his old anti-Semitic tweets <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/08/22/exclusive-crappy-jew-year-new-york-times-editors-antisemitism-racism-exposed/">published</a> by Breitbart News late last month.
So far it does not appear that The New York Times has taken any action against any of their employees whose bigoted tweets have surfaced.
Ben Domenech, co-founder of The Federalist, wrote on Twitter: &#8220;Was anyone held accountable for the obvious NYT social media and opinion failures in the past week? Anyone?&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Was anyone held accountable for the obvious NYT social media and opinion failures in the past week? Anyone?
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) <a href="https://twitter.com/bdomenech/status/1175934541149679616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
&#8220;The New York Times had to face charges of racism against white people last year after they hired Sarah Jeong to be on their editorial board and numerous bigoted tweets from her were unearthed and instantly went viral,&#8221; The Daily Wire reported. &#8220;The New York Times has also has also faced recent scandals over <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46501/nyt-ripped-anti-semitic-cartoon-non-apology-ryan-saavedra">anti-Semitic</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46523/anti-semitic-new-york-times-runs-another-cartoon-hank-berrien">cartoons</a> it has published and over offensive tweets about <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/09/11/new-york-times-deletes-tweet-saying-airplanes-took-aim-at-towers-on-9-11/">9/11</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/new-york-times-deletes-tweet-calling-mao-zedong-one-of-historys-great-revolutionary-figures">Mao Zedong</a>, and <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/09/17/ny-times-reporter-who-co-wrote-kavanaugh-book-cops-to-writing-penis-tweet/">sexual assault</a>.&#8221;
The latest series of bigoted tweets to surface from New York Times employees comes after &#8220;Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the New York Times, said recently that, after the Mueller report, the paper has to shift the focus of its coverage from the Trump-Russia affair to the president&#8217;s alleged racism,&#8221; The Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/new-york-times-chief-outlines-coverage-shift-from-trump-russia-to-trump-racism">reported</a>.
The drama involving the Twitter accounts of the newspaper&#8217;s employees comes as the newspaper also has dealt with more than a week of fallout over its failed attempt to smear Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The allegation, contained in a new book, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51805/breaking-new-york-times-adds-correction-kavanaugh-ryan-saavedra">published</a> by The New York Times on Sunday: &#8220;We also uncovered a previously unreported story about Mr. Kavanaugh in his freshman year that echoes Ms. Ramirez&#8217;s allegation. A classmate, Max Stier, saw Mr. Kavanaugh with his pants down at a different drunken dorm party, where friends pushed his penis into the hand of a female student.&#8221;
The Federalists&#8217; Mollie Hemingway noted: &#8220;The book notes, quietly, that the woman Max Stier named as having been supposedly victimized by Kavanaugh and friends denies any memory of the alleged event. Seems, I don&#8217;t know, significant.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">The book notes, quietly, that the woman Max Stier named as having been supposedly victimized by Kavanaugh and friends denies any memory of the alleged event. Seems, I don’t know, significant.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) <a href="https://twitter.com/MZHemingway/status/1173203831397801984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
The New York Times was later forced to issue a correction to their reporting: &#8220;An earlier version of this article, which was adapted from a forthcoming book, did not include one element of the book&#8217;s account regarding an assertion by a Yale classmate that friends of Brett Kavanaugh pushed his penis into the hand of a female student at a drunken dorm party. The book reports that the female student declined to be interviewed and friends say that she does not recall the incident. That information has been added to the article.&#8221;
The reporters then went on a media tour where they deflected blame for the smear article onto their editors and were again caught spreading more lies, as noted by Hemingway.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NYT authors <a href="https://twitter.com/rpogrebin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rpogrebin</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/katekelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katekelly</a> conceded the lack of evidence for anti-Kavanaugh forces, but said that their &#8220;gut&#8221; told them to believe them. One &#8220;reason&#8221; they cited? Pro-Kavanaugh witnesses &#8220;kept mum.&#8221; That was yet another lie they spread. <a href="https://t.co/N5q3SJCrhB">https://t.co/N5q3SJCrhB</a>
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) <a href="https://twitter.com/MZHemingway/status/1174174388813467649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>

trump_jr

Trump Jr. Rips Another New York Times Editor Over ‘Racist,’ ‘Anti-Semitic’ Tweets

Anti-Semitism

Media

New York Times

The U.S. Department of Justice has recently sued the Baltimore County government alleging that its written test for police officer recruits was unfairly biased against black applicants. It turns out that black applicants failed the written test at a rate much greater than white applicants. That results in fewer blacks being trained and hired as police officers. John A. Olszewski Jr., Baltimore County Executive said: &#8220;A law enforcement agency should look like the community it serves. As I have said repeatedly since taking office, I am committed to increasing diversity in the county&#8217;s Police Department.&#8221;
Baltimore City uses Municipal Police Selection Test. You can examine some sample questions at its website. I&#8217;d like to know which of the questions are either unrelated to police work or racist. Many jurisdictions use The National Police Officer Selection Test. You can examine some of the sample questions at its website. Again, I&#8217;d like to know which of the questions are unrelated to police work or are racially biased questions. In addition, it has been found that MPST and POST are successful predictors of law enforcement training success and job performance.
Black performance on police exams is simply the tip of the iceberg of a truly tragic cruelty. That cruelty stands front and center when one examines the education that most blacks in Baltimore receive. Several years ago, Project Baltimore began an investigation of Baltimore&#8217;s school system. What they found was an utter disgrace. In 19 of Baltimore&#8217;s high schools, out of 3,804 students, only 14 of them, or less than 1%, were proficient in math. In 13 of Baltimore&#8217;s 39 high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math. In five Baltimore City high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math or reading. Despite these academic deficiencies, about 70% of the students graduate and are conferred a high school diploma. A high school diploma attests that the holder can read, write and compute at a 12th-grade level. Obviously, the diplomas conferred on students who have not mastered reading, writing and computing are fraudulent.
When a person who cannot read, write and compute very well takes a written employment exam, including that to become a police officer, he is going to encounter difficulties. His difficulties are not caused by any racially discriminatory aspect of the test. His difficulties are a result of not having acquired what he should have acquired by the time he finished high school. But that is not how such a person sees it. He sees that he has a high school diploma just as a white applicant has a high school diploma. To him, any difference in treatment and outcomes must be the result of racial discrimination. Thus, the U.S. Department of Justice sued, claiming that the written test for police officer recruits was unfairly biased against black applicants.
The conclusion that Baltimore County&#8217;s written test for police officer recruits was unfairly biased against black applicants is tragic. It allows Baltimore public schools to continue to produce fraudulent education. You say: &#8220;Hold it, Williams! You can&#8217;t blame everything on schools.&#8221; You&#8217;re right. One cannot blame schools and teachers for students who are hostile to the education process. One cannot blame schools and teachers for a rotten home environment or derelict parents. But there is one thing entirely within the control of educators. That&#8217;s their power to issue diplomas. When they confer high school diplomas on youngsters who cannot read, write and compute at or near a 12th-grade level, they are engaging in fraudulent conduct.
Dr. Thomas Sowell&#8217;s research in &#8220;Education: Assumptions Versus History&#8221; documents academic excellence at Baltimore&#8217;s Frederick Douglass High School and others. This academic excellence occurred during an era when blacks were much poorer and faced gross racial discrimination. It&#8217;s worthwhile reading for black people to learn the capabilities of other blacks facing so many challenging circumstances. I&#8217;m wondering when the black community will demand an end to an educational environment that condemns so many youngsters to mediocrity.
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Police Tape

WILLIAMS: Racist Exam Questions?

Baltimore

Department of Justice

Police

The revelation that Canadian prime minister and international leftist darling Justin Trudeau wore blackface on several occasions in the 1990s and early 2000s offers several opportunities for social growth. First, we may enjoy the absurdity of the costumes itself. As cancel culture attempts to abolish comedy, lily-white Justin Trudeau&#8217;s photos as an <a href="https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/2019/09/18/a-yearbook-photo-of-pm-justin-trudeau-appearing-in-brown-face-published-by-time-magazine/">Arabian prince</a> and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-4xyg4PU-U">King of Calypso</a> give us all a needed laugh. Second, we may savor the schadenfreude as the Left squirms to defend Trudeau&#8217;s repeated donning of blackface just one year after demanding Megyn Kelly&#8217;s head for merely discussing the propriety of the costume. And third, we might use Trudeau&#8217;s minstrel show to turn our society away from cancel culture and toward one marked by grace and civility.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Video resurfaces of Trudeau in third blackface incident <a href="https://t.co/46AkJWfTkh">https://t.co/46AkJWfTkh</a> <a href="https://t.co/HqGA0cw7M5">pic.twitter.com/HqGA0cw7M5</a>
&#8212; The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1174693142597165056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
No one actually cares about blackface. If they did, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wse5lgIDxM">Jimmy Kimmel</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvCFNWNvgjo">Jimmy Fallon</a>, <a href="https://www.apnews.com/59a857fd2b10063314283c524f8a851c">Ted Danson</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37781800">Joni Mitchell</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnzU1t04sxA">Billy Crystal</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFq4E9XTueY">Cyndi Lauper</a>, <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/ny-ent-saturday-night-live-blackface-doing-for-years-20190211-story.html">Fred Armisen</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RiHfEtOy6A">Howard Stern</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9eUnzGc_Kw">Robert Downey Jr.</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESm6QALbs-E">Sarah Silverman</a>, among others, would no longer have careers &#8212; much less continue to enjoy widespread popularity. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/01/us/politics/ralph-northam-yearbook-blackface.html">Ralph Northam</a> would no longer serve as governor of Virginia. All people of goodwill object to racial hatred. But no one cares that Billy Crystal darkened his skin to portray Sammy Davis Jr. No one thinks Justin Trudeau hates black people.
How could Trudeau have impersonated Harry Belafonte without darkening his skin, which is naturally white as the Canadian snow? How could the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeVkbNka9HM">Wayans brothers</a> have portrayed white chicks without wearing whiteface? Cynical ideologues defend a double standard. They say that the oppressed may imitate their oppressors, but the oppressors may not imitate the oppressed. So blacks may lighten their skin, but whites may not darken theirs. This rubric leaves much ambiguity. Where, for instance, do Americans of Italian descent fall in the hierarchy of victimhood? In 1891, a group of 11 Italian-Americans became the victims of the <a href="https://www.history.com/news/the-grisly-story-of-americas-largest-lynching">largest mass lynching</a> in American history. Who is permitted to dress like a cast member of &#8220;Jersey Shore?&#8221;
Even according to their own premises, the intersectional ideologues contradict themselves. If oppressors may not imitate the oppressed, how can anyone defend wearing drag? If men have oppressed women since time immemorial, as the ideologues insist, then transvestitism is simply blackface for the sexes. Yet the same leftist scolds who harangue their political opponents &#8212; and only their political opponents &#8212; for wearing blackface not only sanction but even <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/us/drag-queen-story-hour.html">encourage</a> men to dress as women.
The Left wields blackface as a political cudgel, feigning offense and making excuses according to political convenience. Conservatives need not embrace the same cynical and vindictive tactics. We would prefer to live in a society marked by grace and civility rather than one marked by petty opportunism and cancel culture. At the same time, we must not unilaterally disarm and let the Left ravage our cutlure without consequence. Fortunately, there is a third way.
If prominent leftists in the media and politics &#8212; the same hacks who demanded Megyn Kelly&#8217;s resignation and leap to accuse their opponents of bigotry at every turn &#8212; repent in print and on camera, conservatives ought to let Justin Trudeau&#8217;s photos slide. If the Left refuses to admit the error of its ways and accept conservatives&#8217; offer of reason, mercy, and grace, then conservatives must demand Trudeau&#8217;s resignation. One way or another, the Left must learn a lesson. Justin Trudeau&#8217;s ridiculous costumes have offered us all an opportunity for growth. The Left will likely squander it. Too bad. Either way, conservatives will enjoy the show.

gettyimages-1169849062

KNOWLES: No One Actually Cares About Blackface

Conservatism

Leftism

Social justice activist and MSNBC host Al Sharpton testified on Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee as an &#8220;expert&#8221; witness on policing practices in the United States, but when a Republican congressman from Florida asked about a resolution submitted in 2000 by former Rep. Joe Scarborough, now one of Sharpton&#8217;s fellow MSNBC hosts, the hearing quickly unraveled.
When given a chance to asked Sharpton a few questions Thursday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) pulled out a copy of Scarborough&#8217;s House Concurrent Resolution 270 &#8220;Condemning the racist and anti-Semitic views of the Reverend Al Sharpton,&#8221; which Scarborough submitted to the Judiciary Committee back in March of 2000 (full text below).
&#8220;Mr. Scarborough&#8217;s resolution began by saying, &#8216;Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has referred to members of the Jewish faith as &#8220;bloodsucking [J]ews&#8221;, and &#8220;Jew bastards&#8221;,'&#8221; Gaetz read. &#8220;My question to you is does Mr. Scarborough&#8217;s assertion that you said these things, is that true or did you not say those things?&#8221;
&#8220;They are patently untrue,&#8221; said Sharpton, clearly agitated by the question.
As Sharpton and Gaetz begin to talk over each other, Committee Chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY) sided with Sharpton, saying since &#8220;aspersions&#8221; had been cast against him, he should be allowed to speak.
&#8220;No, I&#8217;m sorry, Mr. Chairman, aspersions weren&#8217;t cast,&#8221; countered Gaetz, noting that he was asking Sharpton if the claims in the resolution submitted by Scarborough were true.
Appearing to be increasingly annoyed, Nadler brought the gavel down again, this time with a little more force, and again gave the floor to Sharpton.
&#8220;The answer is no, that was not true,&#8221; said Sharpton of the infamous comments. He then noted that he and Scarborough are now colleagues at MSNBC.
But Gaetz wasn&#8217;t done. He then asked Sharpton about the resolution&#8217;s assertion that he &#8220;has referred to members of the Jewish faith as &#8216;white interlopers&#8221; and &#8216;diamond merchants,'&#8221; a reference to inflammatory rhetoric Sharpton made amid the ultimately deadly <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/why-is-al-sharpton-inciter-of-crown-heights-speaking-at-a-jewish-conference-in-washington">Crown Heights riots</a>.
&#8220;No, sir,&#8221; said Sharpton. &#8220;I referred to one [Jewish man] in Harlem, an individual, who I didn&#8217;t even know was Jewish, as an &#8216;interloper,&#8217; and said I never should have referred to his race.&#8221; He went on to explain why he cited &#8220;apartheid diamonds&#8221; in his famous comments at a funeral in Crown Heights.
Gaetz went on to ask Sharpton about more of his past statements documented in the resolution, eventually stating, &#8220;Reverend Sharpton has come before the House Judiciary Committee as a purported expert on policing. Yet his bigoted statements undermine the bipartisan work we should be doing to ensure that all citizens are able to come together and have safe communities.&#8221;
Sharpton swiped back at Gaetz, stating, &#8220;Yelling, and getting upset is beneath your office. You should calm down.&#8221;
At one point, Democratic Florida Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee interrupted to declare the questions an &#8220;outrage.&#8221; Nadler condemned Gaetz&#8217;s questions as &#8220;obnoxious,&#8221; but admitted that he had to allow him to ask his questions.
WATCH:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k3Zym-fkLCI" width="560"></iframe></div>
Below is the full text of Scarborough&#8217;s <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/270/text">House Concurrent Resolution 270</a> &#8220;Condemning the racist and anti-Semitic views of the Reverend Al Sharpton&#8221; submitted to the Judiciary Committee on March 8, 2000:
<blockquote>
Whereas the Congress strongly rejects the racist and incendiary actions of the Reverend Al Sharpton;
Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has referred to members of the Jewish faith as &#8220;bloodsucking [J]ews&#8221;, and &#8220;Jew bastards&#8221;;
Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has referred to members of the Jewish faith as &#8220;white interlopers&#8221; and &#8220;diamond merchants&#8221;;
Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton was found guilty of defamation by a jury in a New York court arising from the false accusation that former Assistant District Attorney Steven Pagones, who is white, raped and assaulted a fifteen year-old black girl;
Whereas, to this day, the Reverend Al Sharpton has refused to accept responsibility and expresses no regret for defaming Mr. Pagones;
Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton&#8217;s vicious verbal anti-Semitic attacks directed at members of the Jewish faith, and in particular, a Jewish landlord, arising from a simple landlord-tenant dispute with a black tenant, incited widespread violence, riots, and the murder of five innocent people;
Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton&#8217;s fierce demagoguery incited violence, riots, and murder in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York, following the accidental death of a black pedestrian child hit by the motorcade of Orthodox Rabbi Menachem Schneerson;
Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton led a protest in the Crown Heights neighborhood and marched next to a protester with a sign that read, &#8220;The White Man is the Devil&#8221;;
Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has insulted members of the Jewish faith by challenging Jews to violence and stating to Jews to &#8220;pin down&#8221; their yarmulkes; and
Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has practiced the politics of racial division and made inflammatory remarks against whites by characterizing the death of Amadou Diallo as a &#8220;racially motivated police &#8216;assassination&#8221;&#8217;:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress&#8211;
(1) condemns the practices of the Reverend Al Sharpton, which seek to divide Americans on the basis of race, ethnicity, and religion;
(2) expresses its outrage over the violence that has resulted due to the Reverend Al Sharpton&#8217;s incendiary words and actions; and
(3) fervently urges elected officials and public servants, who have condoned and legitimized the Reverend Al Sharpton&#8217;s incendiary words and actions, to publicly denounce and condemn such racist and anti-Semitic views.
</blockquote>

al_sharpton_gi

WATCH: Hearing Explodes When Republican Asks Sharpton About Past ‘Racist And Anti-Semitic’ Statements

Al Sharpton

Joe Scarborough

Just days after appointing her, the Women&#8217;s March, which has come under fire for the anti-Semitism of its past leaders, was forced to remove its newest board member, Zahra Billoo, for extreme statements she made on social media. Billoo responded by posting a lengthy thread on Twitter denouncing the group and blaming her removal on an &#8220;Islamophobic smear campaign.&#8221;
The ouster of Billoo came in response to a series of past statements the activist and former executive director at the controversy-riddled Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) made on social media about Israel.
As reported by <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/09/16/womens-march-board-us-military-isis/">The Daily Caller</a>, in 2017 posts on Facebook and Twitter, Billoo defended her decision to boycott &#8220;Wonder Woman&#8221; because it stars Gal Gadot, who once served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). &#8220;I similarly would not watch a movie where the lead actor or actress were proud of their participation in the US military, ISIS, or Al Qaeda,&#8221; Billoo explained. &#8220;Don&#8217;t guess, I&#8217;ll just tell you, I believe all of them are comparably evil.&#8221; She went on to call Gadot a &#8220;murderer&#8221; and to condemn &#8220;Apartheid Israel.&#8221;
In February 2018, Billoo posted on Facebook an account of her encounter with a Marine recruiter in which she compared American military to ISIS and Nazis. &#8220;He explained the promise of the educational benefits lured him in. He was otherwise not going to be able to go to school,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;I shared that financial benefits are often a recruiting tactic for groups like ISIS also. That was tricky for me. Gently comparing his experience to that of ISIS fighters. I refrained from comparing him to a Nazi cook, who though a cook, was still part of the Nazi operation. It took a lot to not say it.&#8221;
She also said in May 2018 that she doesn&#8217;t see &#8220;any difference between American youth leaving the country to join ISIS or the IDF,&#8221; declaring, &#8220;Both are murderous, war crime committing, terrorist entities.&#8221; (<a href="http://dailycaller.com/2019/09/16/womens-march-board-us-military-isis/">See the posts here</a>.)
The Women&#8217;s March, which has had to dismiss other high-profile leaders, Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, for their anti-Semitic rhetoric and actions, voted Billoo out just days after voting her in, <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2019/09/19/womens-march-leader-zahra-billoo-anti-semitism/">The Daily Caller</a> notes in a follow-up report.
In a 25-tweet thread posted late Wednesday night, Billoo unloaded on the Women&#8217;s March, which she decried as having caved to an &#8220;Islamophobic smear campaign&#8221; and which she denounced as &#8220;unable and unwilling to be an ally during challenging times.&#8221; She also made clear that she stands by her extreme statements that ultimately compelled the group to remove her.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Since this is going to be in your newsfeeds in the morning &#8211; here&#8217;s a thread about me being voted off the board of <a href="https://twitter.com/womensmarch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WomensMarch</a> tonight 1/
&#8212; Zahra Billoo (@ZahraBilloo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZahraBilloo/status/1174579933642756097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Below is the full text of her tweet thread (formatting adjusted):
<blockquote>
Since this is going to be in your newsfeeds in the morning &#8211; here&#8217;s a thread about me being voted off the board of @WomensMarch tonight.
A few hours ago, I was voted off the @WomensMarch national board. This followed an Islamophobic smear campaign led by the usual antagonists, who have long targeted me, my colleagues, and anyone else who dares speak out in support of Palestinian human rights and the right to self-determination.
The past 48 hours have been a spiral of bad news and smear efforts. Part of the smear campaign is motivated by opponents of the Women&#8217;s March, because the organization has traditionally challenged the status quo of power and white supremacy in our country.
However, much of the campaign is driven by people who oppose me and my work challenging the occupation of Palestine, our country&#8217;s perpetuation of unjust and endless wars, and law enforcement operations targeting the American Muslim community.
The Women&#8217;s March, Inc. is an organization I once held dear. I spoke at the first #WomensMarch, spoke at regional marches every year after, spoke at the #WomensConvention, participated in national actions including the original #Kavanaugh protests, and worked to mobilize Muslim women for their efforts.
During the past few years right-wingers, from the President&#8217;s son to the Anti-Defamation League and troll armies, have targeted the Women&#8217;s March, Inc. For so long, I&#8217;ve admired their resilience in speaking truth to power, in working together, and in never cowering.
Over and over again, the co-founders of Women&#8217;s March, Inc., @lsarsour, @msladyjustice1, @TamikaDMallory, and @bobblanddesign, put their lives on the line, winning power for all women in all of our diversity.
The Women&#8217;s March, Inc. that voted me off its board tonight is one that no longer demonstrates the strength that inspired millions of women across the country. To see and experience its new leaders caving to right-wing pressure, and casting aside a woman of color, a Muslim woman, a long-time advocate within the organization, without the willingness to make any efforts to learn and grow, breaks my heart.
This isn&#8217;t about a lost seat, there will be many seats. The Women&#8217;s March, Inc. has drawn a line in the sand, one that will exclude many with my lived experiences and critiques. It has effectively said, we will work on some women&#8217;s rights at the expense of others.
To be clear, anti-Semitism is indeed a growing and dangerous problem in our country, as is anti-Blackness, anti-immigrant sentiment, Islamophobia, ableism, sexism, and so much more. I condemn any form of bigotry unequivocally, but I also refuse to be silent as allegations of bigotry are weaponized against the most marginalized people, those who find sanctuary and hope in the articulation of truth.
In looking at the tweets in question, I acknowledge that I wrote passionately. While I may have phrased some of my content differently today, I stand by my words. I told the truth as my community and I have lived it, through the FBI&#8217;s targeting of my community, as I supported families who have lost loved ones because of US military actions, and as I learned from the horrific experiences of Palestinian life.
In attempting to heal and build in an expedited manner within Women&#8217;s March, Inc., I offered to meet with stakeholders to address their concerns, and to work with my sisters on the new board to learn, heal, and build together. These efforts were rejected. And in rejecting these efforts, the new Women&#8217;s March, Inc. board demonstrated that it lacks the courage to demonstrate allyship in the face of fire.
I came to Women&#8217;s March, Inc. to work. My body of work has included leading @CAIRSFBA a chapter of the nation&#8217;s largest Muslim civil rights organization for over a decade, growing it now more than six fold. I have led the team that forced Abercrombie to change its discriminatory policies, have been arrested advocating for DACA, partnered w/Jewish organizations including @jewishaction and @jvplive to protect our communities, and was one of the first lawyers to sue the President.
It is not my first time being the target of a smear campaign. The Women&#8217;s March, Inc., more than any place, is where I would have expected us to be able to have courageous conversations and dive deep into relationship building work. I am happy to have as many conversations as it takes to listen and learn and heal, but I will no longer be able to do that through Women&#8217;s March, Inc. This action today demonstrates that this new leadership is unable and unwilling to be an ally during challenging times.
My beliefs drive my work and I am not seeking accolades or positions of power. These past few days have been the greatest test of that. My integrity, my truth, and my strength comes from God and a place of deep conviction. I will continue my work as a civil rights lawyer and a faith based activist. You will find me speaking out against settler colonialism everywhere, challenging Islamophobia and all forms of racism and bigotry, and building with Muslims and our allies in our quest to be our most authentic and liberated selves. Onward, God willing.
</blockquote>

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Racism

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