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.
Somebody up there said that it is not correct to use the word “lesbian” to describe a gay woman. How about “bent bitch”?
Professor Butler is providing an educational service, demonstrating the vile and degrading hypocrisy of identity politics. Let her talk.
The same people day in and out just trash threads w/ middle school horseshit.
bam, DBQ, and Karen, you are not old, honky women. We know who they are.
Nick
“I just peed a little bit in my pants laughing.”
= = =
Depends
Mike
Like I said… Secret Muslim gay hugging Sharia loving Kenyan.
That’s a lot O’baggage to carry for a President.
I just peed a little bit in my pants laughing. All of these old, honky, women talking about black womens hair are talking out of their asses! Watch Chris Rock’s flick. It’s funny and informative.
Dearest Sandi
Planes are supposed to be a gun free zone … Cuts down on hijacking attempts.
Mike
You were the one who mentioned the topic. Numerous people have written on the subject and their opinions are found in multiple sources; however, you, alone, in your great wisdom, have determined that since you personally know Hillary so well, that all those who have written about this subject matter are lying. Her sexuality is inconsequential, yet you seem to be riveted by it. Perhaps you have consulted your own psychics for the truth.
Have to admire bam bam’s source for the Gennifer Flower’s piece.
Christopher Agee is one big fat right wing nobody.
I guess that passes for Republican intellectual integrity.
If an airplane was hijacked today, passengers wouldn’t just sit there expecting to land safely. The brave would overpower the hijackers. If you declare a “gun-free zone” you have taken self-defense away. Security, armed, should be required. Did everyone in the classroom just watch one man shooting? I wish Black people would recognize the use of disgusting words just reduces respect for themselves. If you use those words in a meeting, etc., I would leave the room. After SNL we all know Hillary can’t sing and a tad awkward with cue cards. The reminder of Bill around women will follow her throughout her campaign. Just a few of my thoughts.
bam bam worries about a president being effective without having to struggle with additional (lesbian) baggage?
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Obama has done damn well with the biggest baggage of all – black skin.
Other than being a Democrat, of course.
Other than those drawbacks, the Republicans are sure to treat any Democratic president with the greatest respect.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
bam bam
oh please.
Gennifer Flowers?
mistress, sex columnist?
Do you also consult psychics?
Is the Daily Mail a must read?
Are avocados a cure for cancer?
Pathetic.
Growing up in Canada we heard and told a lot of racist based jokes featuring blacks as they were in the 60s. The jokes illustrated the place, a place where blacks could not speak in certain ways. Whites could design the language and blacks had better be careful how they used that language. It is somewhat fitting that now blacks are pulling the same stuff. A black can speak freely using the word nigger and it illustrates a certain bravado that comes with ownership, ownership that was paid for dearly. A white using the word nigger, is a racist no matter the context and in fact this post will probably not make it.
This professor is simply having her day, acting like and speaking like one in authority over others, those that are allowed to use the words nigger and coon and those that are not. It is kind of a rubbing your face in it sort of thing more than having any great other meaning.
Lenny Bruce used to get arrested for his word choice.
issac – I never used those words and when I am told they are bad for some people and not for others the egalitarian comes out in me. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Should’ve been, but since you DID, not DO.
Ben Carson believes evolution is Satanic.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/09/24/ben_carson_anti_science.html
Yep. Science ought to thrive in a Carson administration.
Mike, it’s not just Nick. The media is full of reports about Hillary’s sexual orientation. Not sure why you chose to mention the topic on this thread, but since you do, please note that Bill Clinton’s former long-time mistress, Jennifer Flowers, along with many others, have spoken and written about this subject. It’s not just Nick’s imagination. I seriously doubt that you know more about Hillary than the woman intimately involved for years with Bill Clinton.
From Western Jouranlism:
____________________________________________________________________________________
Gennifer Flowers confirms Hillary Clinton’s homosexuality
B. Christopher Agee September 20, 2013 at 10:09am
Hillary Clinton SC
Former mistress and current sex advice columnist Gennifer Flowers recently sat down for an interview during which she revealed many insights into the Clinton clan. In addition to recounting her affair with a pre-presidential Bill Clinton, she candidly offered knowledge of Hillary’s sexuality.
Though rumors have long swirled regarding the 2016 presidential hopeful’s homosexuality, Flowers said her former lover confirmed those suspicions.
Saying she “never considered theirs a traditional marriage,” Flowers explained that Bill Clinton offered a characteristically unrefined critique of his wife’s extramarital exploits.
“He said Hillary had eaten more p***y than he had,” she recalled.
According to Flowers, rumors of a romantic relationship between Hillary and Huma Abedin was not surprising. Married to disgraced politician Anthony Weiner, Abedin also stood by her husband throughout a prolonged sex scandal.
Flowers said she could offer only speculation into that issue, though, and based her comments only on direct conversations with Bill Clinton.
“I don’t know Huma or the Weiners,” she said. “I just know what Bill told me and that was that he was aware that Hillary was bisexual and he didn’t care.”
Flowers said she applauds Hillary for standing by her man despite his public infidelity, though she concluded that her faithfulness was due in large part to her own political aspirations.
“Absolutely that was her reason for sticking by him,” she added, “and he’s going to stick by her because he owes her that.”
Recalling her own relationship with the former president, Flowers said she feels the two would have eventually ended up together had it not been for the arrival of the Clintons’ only child.
He was “able to have it all” prior to 1980, she said, noting that “when they had Chelsea and he became governor, the stakes became higher.”
Hillary’s political supporters will surely argue that, even if true, the secretive nature of illicit sexual activity has no bearing on how an individual can govern. Considering the implosion caused during the last half of Bill Clinton’s second term due to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, however, one can certainly make the argument that a president is more effective without the additional baggage.
Lots of talk about hypocrisy around here so how about this example:
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) didn’t want any federal funds spent on relief in NJ after the hurricane.
Guess who wants federal funds for relief after storms flooded SC?
Lisa N. Feel up to making a guess? How about you, bam bam?
Mike – couple of things 1) NJ did not have a 1000 year flood 2) it would not bother me if Lindsay Graham came right out and declared he was a Democrat.
Mike,
You hear about Burger King’s black, aka Halloween, Whopper?
… It turns your poop green.
And of course Lias N, since the black republicans (as you put it) overthrew the Voting Rights Act, Alabama’s reduction of DMV’s down to only four in a State that requires State issued ID to vote and seeing that in every county that has a population of 75% or more blacks has seen their DMV closed… I’m sure you’ll be able to explain this one, too. YES?