In support of Northam

[Fletch]

It's inexcusable, period. I hope other cons take up your cause...

"Maybe the Repubs should try to recruit him, he'll find many more folks willing to excuse and overlook this..."

That was stupid the first time. It doesnt improve with repetition. And I dont have a 'cause' here.

 

[Perotista]

While I do kind of get a kick out of all the media and politicians squirming in their seats over this guy and the picture I do want to be fair to him, as I'd hope others would be fair in different circumstances.

This picture was taken in 1984. That's 35 years ago and, frankly, a lifetime ago from a sociological perspective. Back then it wasn't uncommon to look at issues of race from a sarcastic perspective. We often made fun of racial issues as a way of pointing out the silliness of ever having had any real hatred. TV shows such as The Jeffersons, Benson, Different Strokes and The Cosby Show, among others, poked fun at racists. This episode of Saturday Night Live features Billy Crystal in blackface talking to Joe Piscopo. Does anyone really think Billy Crystal was doing that because he was a racist?

Times change. People change. Things we thought were funny or "cool" in one generation are often looked at with scorn in subsequent generations. It's just the way things go. It's also rather unfair to expect someone to look 35 years in the future and envision an act which is seen as relevant and provocative in the current time to be offensive in the later time.

There is plenty of reason to dislike Northam. His support of a vile "abortion" bill is enough. But the "racism" bit is, in my opinion, very much overblown. Unless the guy has a history of disenfranchising blacks it's rather unfair to use one picture from a generation ago to judge him today.

I agree. But in the political world we live in today, this is the norm. I grew up in the 1950's and the norms were quite different then. Many of the things we took as normal, as humor, as entertainment are probably looked back on as being racist. I remember watching Amos and Andy, Rochester of the Jack Benny show, laughing my butt off.

Now times had changed quite a lot from the 1950's to the mid 1980's. A lot of thing that were viewed as normal back then had become abhorrent by the mid 1980's. Things has changed even more so from the 80's to today. I wouldn't hold a young college kid responsible for something that he did 35 years ago. But I would look at the intervening time to see what his actions were and how he lived his life. Everyone of us makes mistakes.

The problem today is we view those past mistakes through the prisms of today, in the context of today and not as it was back in the 1980's or 1950's or with youthful indiscretions. But that is the nature of today's political beast.

 

[trixare4kids]

Agreed. I was correcting a false statement. You bet he remembers.

He's now denying he's in that photo.
Wow, I'm getting dizzy from all this flip-flopping and all within 24hrs.

 

[Rexedgar]

Northam, in live remarks, says he never bought the yearbook or saw it until the other day...........dog don’t hunt!


He doesn’t survive the week.......imo.

Don’t think he is a terrible person, but this is the times we live in....

 

[apdst]

He's now denying he's in that photo.
Wow, I'm getting dizzy from all this flip-flopping and all within 24hrs.

He should have used the denial tactic from the git-go...lol

 

[Fishking]

I was an adult in the 80s. We would have been horrified then to see anyone associate themselves with the KKK and clearly recognized the use of blackface as offensive.

So IMO your OP is singularly your opinion in an attempt to justify something not criminal, but absolutely indicative of racism.

I have to agree the whole full on KKK thing is something hard to pass off as "just another time".

 

[Acadia]

It's all a moot point. Northum was not one of the people in that photo, never submitted the photo, never bought his yearbook, never saw his own page.

That's his story.

 

[Fletch]

Northam, in live remarks, says he never bought the yearbook or saw it until the other day...........dog don’t hunt!


He doesn’t survive the week.......imo.

Don’t think he is a terrible person, but this is the times we live in....

I thought he did the right thing yesterday when he took responsibility, but now he seems to be trying to slither out of it and is looking less sympathetic. I think its unfair and unfortunate that one dumb move in high school or college or one dumb tweet or facebook posting should destroy your entire life, but that is where we are today.

 

[Rexedgar]

“Shoe-polish is hard to get off your face....”

 

[Rogue Valley]

For the sake of clarity, he said he doesn't recall posing for that picture.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/02/politics/northam-racist-yearbook-photo/index.html

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam did not resign during a news conference Saturday, saying he does not believe he is either person in the racist photo that appeared in his 1984 yearbook. Northam based his belief that he was not in the yearbook photo by recalling that he had separately darkened his face to resemble Michael Jackson in 1984 during a dance contest in San Antonio. "I believe now and then that I am not either of the people in this photo," Northam said. Asked about whether he had ever worn a KKK uniform as was seen in the photo, he answered, "I am not the person in that uniform, and I am not the person to the right."

No waffling there. Northam states that he was neither individual in the controversial photo.

 

[ttwtt78640]

While I do kind of get a kick out of all the media and politicians squirming in their seats over this guy and the picture I do want to be fair to him, as I'd hope others would be fair in different circumstances.

This picture was taken in 1984. That's 35 years ago and, frankly, a lifetime ago from a sociological perspective. Back then it wasn't uncommon to look at issues of race from a sarcastic perspective. We often made fun of racial issues as a way of pointing out the silliness of ever having had any real hatred. TV shows such as The Jeffersons, Benson, Different Strokes and The Cosby Show, among others, poked fun at racists. This episode of Saturday Night Live features Billy Crystal in blackface talking to Joe Piscopo. Does anyone really think Billy Crystal was doing that because he was a racist?

Times change. People change. Things we thought were funny or "cool" in one generation are often looked at with scorn in subsequent generations. It's just the way things go. It's also rather unfair to expect someone to look 35 years in the future and envision an act which is seen as relevant and provocative in the current time to be offensive in the later time.

There is plenty of reason to dislike Northam. His support of a vile "abortion" bill is enough. But the "racism" bit is, in my opinion, very much overblown. Unless the guy has a history of disenfranchising blacks it's rather unfair to use one picture from a generation ago to judge him today.

Ralph Northam is now on television taking full responsibility for not being responsible for the content of his yearbook page. His theory is (now, after much careful thought and reflection) that photo (which he is sure that he is not in) was mistakenly placed (by unnamed persons) on his yearbook page.

 

[Puigb]

Ralph Northam is now on television taking full responsibility for not being responsible for the content of his yearbook page. His theory is (now, after much careful thought and reflection) that photo (which he is sure that he is not in) was mistakenly placed (by unnamed persons) on his yearbook page.

He's taking a page out of the Roy MooRe/Donald Trump playbook. Interesting.

 

[ttwtt78640]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/02/politics/northam-racist-yearbook-photo/index.html


No waffling there. Northam states that he was neither individual in the controversial photo.

Yet he is taking full responsibility for not being responsible for that photo appearing on his yearbook page. It must have been placed there by another, as yet unknown, person or persons.

 

[Cardinal]

“Shoe-polish is hard to get off your face....”

This guy just needs to go already. We're all adults here. We all know he's going to resign within the week...maybe even by the end of the day. He's rapidly jumping from one foothold to the next in the hopes that one of them won't crumble under his feet, and he's going to be informed by one of his aides or family members after that press conference that no such footholds exist.

 

[ttwtt78640]

He's taking a page out of the Roy MooRe/Donald Trump playbook. Interesting.

Yep, he is taking full responsibility for not being responsible - that, of course, is the only responsible thing to do.

 

[Rexedgar]

Yet he is taking full responsibility for not being responsible for that photo appearing on his yearbook page. It must have been placed there by another, as yet unknown, person or persons.

The governor better pray that no one comes forward with a yearbook autographed by himself.

There was a shock-jock who used to broadcast in the DC area long ago; one of his catch-phrases was “UFB!”

 

[Puigb]

This guy just needs to go already. We're all adults here. We all know he's going to resign within the week...maybe even by the end of the day. He's rapidly jumping from one foothold to the next in the hopes that one of them won't crumble under his feet, and he's going to be informed by one of his aides or family members after that press conference that no such footholds exist.

I still maintain that Northam has a potential future with the GOP ran by Donald Trump and his goons.

 

[ecofarm]

But you still have to fight them, otherwise you are accepting the moniker.

Are you claiming he accepts the moniker?

 

[Cardinal]

Yep, he is taking full responsibility for not being responsible - that, of course, is the only responsible thing to do.

The odds that he could have gotten out of this in one piece were higher than zero before he went from apologizing for the photo to claiming he wasn't in the photo (which, really, isn't a measurable improvement over the initial idea that he was in the photo). Once he made that claim, he took his 3% probability of remaining Governor and brought it crashing down to zero.

 

[ecofarm]

Other than the abortion part, I agree.

I find this issue interesting. We now socially punish people for past acts that weren’t considered as socially unacceptable at the time they were committed as they are now. Black face and other racially insensitive acts are some examples but some of the non assault Metoo stuff come in that category as well. What used to be acceptable/tolerated behavior by society is now a career ender.

It makes me wonder what things we are all doing today that seems perfectly ok that will get us ridiculed and criticized decades from now.

What he did was not acceptable in the 80s. I dunno where you lived, but around here overt racism has been frowned upon since at least the 70s.

 

[ttwtt78640]

The odds that he could have gotten out of this in one piece were higher than zero before he went from apologizing for the photo to claiming he wasn't in the photo (which, really, isn't a measurable improvement over the initial idea that he was in the photo). Once he made that claim, he took his 3% probability of remaining Governor and brought it crashing down to zero.

He seems quite determined to try to get this over with ASAP. He is even going so far as trying to assert that this 'incident' makes him even more determined to fight racial injustice throughout the great state of VA. Politicians will play politics - let no crisis go to waste.

 

[Cardinal]

What he did was not acceptable in the 80s. I dunno where you lived, but around here overt racism has been frowned upon since at least the 70s.

When I was a kid in the 80's I watched Marx Brothers at the Circus, which came out in 1939, and during the black face scene I thought, "Well that's not something you could do today."

 

[PoS]

I tend to agree with that, but what was the context of that picture? Was it a Halloween party or something? It does seem to be an odd pic to add to your yearbook home page though. I think the term racist is thrown around waaaay too much and this is no different. The pic is certainly racially insensitive but I wouldnt call it racist. But that would also depend on the context as well.

I think that pic was definitely racist, but like luther, I kinda agree that people can change. Provided he hasnt done anything like it in recent memory then I would give him the benefit of the doubt, for now anyway.

 

[SoCal]

...The problem today is we view those past mistakes through the prisms of today, in the context of today and not as it was back in the 1980's or 1950's or with youthful indiscretions. But that is the nature of today's political beast.

Comparing the 50's to the 80's is ridiculous and this act was much worst in the 80's then in the 50's. Plus 25 years old, isn't youthful and plenty old enough to know why it was wrong.

...I think its unfair and unfortunate that one dumb move in high school or college or one dumb tweet or facebook posting should destroy your entire life, but that is where we are today.

I believe people can change, reexamine their lives and learn from past mistakes. But they don't have a right to be in public life or not held responsible for indiscretions, youthful or otherwise. There're far too many good people who never made anything close to a 'dumb move' like this, who can easily step in and continue the fight against racists in and out of government.

That was stupid the first time. It doesnt improve with repetition. And I dont have a 'cause' here.

In the end there'll be more Republicans defending this Democrat, than Democrats.

'Coonman' won't survive this...

 

[Cardinal]

He seems quite determined to try to get this over with ASAP. He is even going so far as trying to assert that this 'incident' makes him even more determined to fight racial injustice throughout the great state of VA. Politicians will play politics - let no crisis go to waste.

When I saw the photo I thought "Well I'll wait for his response, but I'm not sure how he's gonna make people okay with that." And after he apologized profusely, I found myself wavering and thinking that if his record stands in stark contrast to that photo that maybe we're all overreacting here. Then he changed his story and I thought, "Nope, never mind. Stick a fork in him."