Dr. Ben Carson is learning the perils of rising in the polls in a presidential election. This week, the National Enquirer produced an article detailing what it says is a pattern of malpractice by Carson, including leaving a sponge in the head of a patient. Some of the harshest commentary however have come from liberal African Americans. Much like some of the criticism faced by Clarence Thomas, Carson has been attacked as being a type of traitor to the black community despite the fact that he is a hugely successful doctor and mentor for many. University of Pennsylvania Professor Anthea Butler however took that criticism to a new low in calling Carson a “coon.” While such a racial slur would normally be followed by demands for terminations from a white professor, the response to the slur has been at best muted.
The Butler incident raises again the question of a double standard in controversies at the University of California and Boston University, where there have been criticism of a double standard, even in the face of criminal conduct. Just yesterday we discussed a case at the University of London involving Bahar Mustafa.
Butler said that Ben Carson should win the “coon of the year” after the 2016 hopeful supported allowing Confederate flags at NASCAR events. Carson had stated a principled position in favor of free speech despite his own obvious dislike for the imagery. Many free rights advocates, including myself, have argued for the right to display such symbols. Carson said “Swastikas are a symbol of hate for some people too … and yet they still exist in our museums and places like that . . . If it’s a majority of people in that area who want it to fly, I certainly wouldn’t take it down.”
There are strong arguments for protecting this right, but Professor Butler by writing “If only there was a ‘coon of the year’ award …”
The response from the head of her department indicates that this is not going to be viewed as an issue for her colleagues or the school. Professor Justin McDaniel told the Washington Examiner that “She is a valued colleague and faculty member, but I have no comment on the tweet, because I have not seen it nor know the context of the comment.” Fair enough. However, there is a legitimate question of how the school would have responded to a white professor calling a leading African-American a “coon” or other slur. Would that public comment be treated as a private affair? Indeed, racially insensitive comments on social commentary by a Duke University professor led to calls for his termination.
McDaniel is not the only one defending Butler. Over at Mediaite, they are insisting that Butler never actually referred to Carson as a “coon.” While I have added “reportedly” to the title, the defense seems to go nowhere beyond suggesting that people are racists if they interpret a tweet on Carson as receiving an award of “Coon of the Year” as referring to Carson as “Coon of the Year.”
“Now, if you want to interpret Professor Butler’s tweet that way, you’re welcome to do so, but to state that interpretation as fact is just plain wrong. In fact, maybe you’re the racist for reading that tweet and assuming that she meant Ben Carson is a “coon.” There’s another much more relevant interpretation to be made.”
However, Tommy Christopher never gets around to actually explaining the misinterpretations by presumptive racists. It is simply noted that the tweet was in response to Ben Carson’s remarks on NASCAR and the Confederate flag — as has been widely reported. Christopher then goes into an aside on an actual Coon of the Year competition in Maine. Others have suggested that Butler was referring to how “whites” would refer to him. I fail to see how that is a defense. She would still be saying that Carson qualifies as a “coon”, which was obviously slur created for whites for blacks. It is saying that he meets that definition. You end up in the same place. It is like saying that a black leader is an Uncle Tom or “house n****r” — the point is that he qualifies as the type of subservient slave-like character referenced by racist whites. For those who have long been critical of the increasing list of “microaggressions” being sanctioned on campuses, this would seem a macroaggression under the prevailing logic.
This is not the first controversy for Butler who is also a regular on MSNBC as a commentator. In 2013, she tweeted in commentary on the Zimmerman case that
God ain’t good all of the time. In fact, sometimes, God is not for us. As a black woman in a nation that has taken too many pains to remind me that I am not a white man, and am not capable of taking care of my reproductive rights, or my voting rights, I know that this American god ain’t my god. As a matter of fact, I think he’s a white racist god with a problem. More importantly, he is carrying a gun and stalking young black men.
Once again, I have long maintained that academics, including Professor Butler, deserve free speech and academic protections for expressing controversial thoughts. The problem is not that there is a clearly undefined and unevenly applied standard for academics with regard to racially sensitive or controversial comments.
As for Carson, I find the backlash against successful African-Americans like him or Clarence Thomas to be astonishing. One can easily disagree with Thomas’ opinions, but he has one of the most genuine and moving life stories of anyone in Washington. If he were liberal, his rise from abject poverty to the highest court would be celebrated as the triumph of true American values. The same can be said about Carson who has achieved a remarkable amount in his lifetime. African Americans should be celebrated regardless of their political views by the black community and society at large. The harsh and intolerant response to conservative blacks on campuses in not just unfair it is distinctly anti-intellectual. Yet, this intolerance is becoming a badge of pride for some who believe that they have license to insult and degrade those who dare hold views different from their own. Carson’s comment about the confederate flag shows considerable principle in overcoming the powerfully negative imagery for his community. It is Professor Butler who reduced this substantive debate to the level of racial slurs and personal insults.
Martin Luther King said “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Carson stood for free speech rights. It is not clear what Professor Butler stands for in casting racial slurs in response.
You know …..Lincoln wasn’t really all that he is presented in the history books. People conveniently forget that just like almost everyone at that time in history…Lincoln was what we would consider a racist.
http://afrospear.com/2008/02/18/quotations-from-abraham-lincoln/
“I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races. I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people. And I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will ever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. … And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.” – Abraham Lincoln in his fourth debate with Stephen Douglas in the campaign for the United States Senate on September 18th of 1858.
“Negro equality! Fudge! How long, in the government of a god, great enough to make and maintain this universe, shall there continue to be knaves to vend, and fools to gulp, so low a piece of demagogue-ism as this?” – Abraham Lincoln in notes for speeches in September of 1859.
Lincoln was also a big proponent of sending slaves and freed slaves back to Africa.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8319858/Abraham-Lincoln-wanted-to-deport-slaves-to-new-colonies.html
So Lincoln was a racist. You have to judge people by the time period in which they live, not in our own.
Professor Butler is a racist according to our time period.
dbq, Washington was also a staunch slave owner at the start of the Revolution and died as an abolitionist and freed and gave pensions to all his slaves at the end of his life. People CHANGE, especially in time of war. So to use quotes from early pre-war Lincoln is simply dishonest. The Continental Army of Washington was an integrated force with about 25% of the troops being black. Contrast that with his insistence when he took command in Boston that black troops be sent away. He quickly realized his error and let them stay. The same is true of Lincoln. Their greatness lies in their ability to recognize reality and CHANGE their views to correspond to real events rather than ideology. That is why the GOP is dangerous and disloyal.
Karen,
That is terrible and of course predictable. Unfortunately, your reasoned and logical comment won’t have any impact because that would require an objective mind read the comment.
Oh, and another anti-patient development of Obamacare is the growing monopoly of health insurance. Since Obamacare passed, most health insurance companies have fled the state of CA, which has an Exchange.
We are now reduced to just a few providers.
People overwhelmingly supported increasing competition among insurers to drive down costs and drive up quality. But, as per usual when government “helps”, we the people get the opposite of what we wanted for ourselves.
Our government, insulated from the effects of Obamacare itself, decided what would be best for us. But Congress fought against submitting to Obamacare for its employees, stating that there would be a brain drain among their staff.
And what about all those exemptions for their union cronies? If the law was so wonderful, who would need an exemption?
Who’s the true believer now, Randyjet? Those who figure out that Obamacare was a mess and harmful, or those who still blindly support it, in direct contradiction to every scrap of evidence brought forward?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/04/25/congress-fearing-brain-drain-seeks-to-opt-out-of-participating-in-obamacares-exchanges/
Annie,
At least black model Tyra Banks tells the truth and talks about her hair. By the way, she dates white guys.
randyjet:
“They hate Obama for doing good for them, by bringing the economy back and getting them health care.”
Well, let’s talk about that racist opposition to Obamacare, which has done so much “good.”
I had someone steal my identity and try to fraudulently use my credit card. My bank blocked the charges. (Yeah bank!) But they blocked ALL charges, including my auto-pay health insurance premium (stupid bank!) I got a termination letter from my health insurance. I thought this could be easily cleared up, so I sent them a letter from my bank confirming that I was the victim of criminal fraud. Unfortunately, Obamacare mandates that those who are subsidized have 90 days to pay their bill, and those who are not, me, have 30 days, regardless of the reason.
Now, until a few years ago, if an insurance company was unreasonable, I would shop elsewhere, but because of Obamacare I can’t . Obamacare mandated Open Enrollment, as a gift to insurance companies. I cannot buy a new policy until Open Enrollment. I cannot be added to my husband’s grandfathered policy because of Open Enrollment. I do not qualify for special enrollment, because not paying my premium for any reason disqualifies me. So I would have a gap in my insurance and a fine.
I have asthma, which gets dangerously exacerbated during cold season. Like now. My little boy was on my policy.
Luckily, my relative is an executive of a company and I got a part time job for the health insurance. Since I live in a rural area, that company is 1 1/2 hours away. Again, luckily, I can telecommute most days or I would actually lose money with the price of gas here in CA.
Now let’s talk about the other “benefits” of Obamacare. I’ve stated this before, that my premiums doubled, my deductible increased 1100%, most doctors do not accept it because it’s a 30% pay cut, they slashed the drug formulary and now if it’s not on formulary, you pay out of pocket and it does not count towards your deductible or max out of pocket caps.
Now, let’s talk about the subsidized people that this monstrosity was supposed to “help.” I have two friends on Obamacare. Both of them crowed at first about how much they loved it. One didn’t used to have insurance at all, and the other barely afforded it.
The one who hadn’t been insured hates it now. All of the doctors she’s used for her son were horrible. They put him into speech therapy and only how figured out they should have done a hearing test, and he has hearing problems. He’s wasted a year in speech therapy when he just couldn’t hear! Her policy doesn’t pay for most of his medications, and she has no money to pay out of pocket. She says it’s garbage insurance.
The other person hates Obamacare because none of her doctors accept it. She has to struggle to pay out of pocket to see a doctor. Most of their medications are not covered, and her cost does not count towards her huge deductible. She pays far and away more than she did before Obamacare.
Meanwhile, I do the I-told-you-so interpretive dance.
So don’t tell me that racist people hate Obamacare.
I HATE Obamacare. Whoever was involved in writing it, passing it, or voting for it should be condemned to suffer an Obamacare individual health policy for the rest of their lives.
This law did great and lasting damage to the finances and health of millions of people. How do people sleep at night, hurting other people’s health care? What about all those people who would have been able to seek out the top experts in their cancer, but now are limited to local providers? Unless they happen to live near a top cancer center, I guess they just lose their chance at remission and die.
Pathetic.
Karen – 2 days ago Obamacare changed all the medical codes from 12000 to 16000. Anybody think this will save money?
People who use another person’s race as the point of their contention or as a factor into their opinion about that person are commonly called racists…
Wherein Max calls Professor Butler a racist! LOL.
Too funny.
Black people crapped on by Dem politicians= Slavery
Black voters 95% Dem = Slavery. Simple.
As for the contention that Lincoln would have been kinder and gentler to the die hard Confederates who destroyed Reconstruction, that is simply whistling in the dark. They tried that in Apr 1861 and it did not work, and I have no doubt, he would have pushed the Union Army to strictly enforce the US Constitution and kill or imprison those who would not. Those who like Gen Lee accepted the verdict of the war would have had no problem with that and would have been given encouragement to reign in the miscreants.
Nick – I really enjoyed Chris Rock’s movie “Good Hair” about all the toxic chemicals that go into relaxing or weaving hair, as well as the social cost of Indian wigs.
Good post Professor, keep them coming. I am certain Dr. Carson appreciates the free media attention. The double-standard alarm is useless. Someone upthread said he is an idiot savant (LOL!); I would take that savant over the idiots that have run this country into the ground.
If African Americans are prohibited from stating certain opinions, will be verbally or physically attacked if they claim they vote a certain way, then that is a form of forced servitude to a political party.
It should be anathema to a race that survived the great evil of slavery.
You would think that the most open minded people, tolerant of all political and idealogical differences among its members, would be the African American community. Because that is true freedom, something all of us should treasure.
Hundreds of thousands of people died to free the slaves. Our great president, Abraham Lincoln, was murdered, and who knows what racial heartaches could have been prevented. And yet, here we are, where African Americans face this intense pressure to toe the political line, or they will attack them with racist slurs, and sometimes even violence.
It sickens me.
The FACT is that the only people who ARE slaves to a political party are the southern whites. They vote in lockstep for the most racist party they can find. Most of the white folks I know here are of that kind with few exceptions, which is why the GOP is dominant in the south. They hate Obama for doing good for them, by bringing the economy back and getting them health care. Now THAT is true slavery when you vote against the guy who did you a favor and still hate the guy. At least black American voters are FAR more rational and vote for their interests as opposed to those whites. Carson is simply parroting the interests of HIS CLASS, and just happens to be black. A black millionaire is about as representative of blacks as I am.
VM, Chris Rock did a funny and poignant flick on black women’s hair.
If prof. Butler were not receiving a paycheck from a university it is hard to imagine any job for which she would be qualified. Oh I forgot, she must be smart…………she is a periodic guest on the intellectual program MSNBC. They also have Mika Brzinski (sp?) Enough said.
For many blacks, especially women, hair style like Bob Marley or Stevie Wonder is a necessity to identify as a liberal. No matter where they are they seem to be entitled to talk about any subject without knowing full well the whole context. Some intellectuals!
Randyjet:
The term I’ve most often heard is, “I ain’t been huntin’ in a coon’s age.” That stemmed from the folklore belief that raccoons lived a long time, because they are so clever. It has nothing to do with race.
Coonass means Cajun, and it can be either a slur or a badge of pride, kind of like Yankee or Armo. Armenians can and do call Glendale “Armoville” but it can have either a positive or negative connotation when non-Armenians use it.
Karen, We have people here who bought it hook, line and sinker when he said, “It depends what your meaning of ‘is’ is.” Liberals lie continuously. You would think they would get better @ it. I have investigated some real con men who were great liars. They make liberals look like minor league liars.
It’s good to have you bam and Lisa here on this thread.
Annie
Instead of citing articles claiming to interpret what this professor actually wrote, why not just quote exactly what she posted? Why do you, or anyone else, need to have an intermediary assess what was written by this person? This isn’t the first time that she has written incendiary remarks, and I suspect that it won’t be her last. Just read what she wrote. No need to have a third party translate her exact words. What? You don’t want to believe your lyin’ eyes? The spin doesn’t work. Her words speak for themselves. BTW, she has been quoted in the past as claiming that God is a white, racist, who guns down blacks. Google it. She also claims that she is free to say what she pleases because she is tenured. Google it. Read it for yourself.
“The Dem slaves don’t like it when a slave learns to read, becomes an honored surgeon, and leaves the reservation.”
Wow, now someone calls Dr. Carson a “slave” and a ‘Native American’? Straight out of 8th grade history class, no I take that back, even an eighth grader would know better.
Wait. Her tweet is above, “If only there was a coon of the year award.”
She can deny she did it all she wants, but the Internet is forever. Unless she can prove she was talking about a contest between furry little mammals.