VA Gov - College Year book pics - black face

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa


I am not seeing the level vitriol directed toward Northam that was directed at the teenagers from Covington.

Personally, I don't care whether he resigns or not; but I do think he should lose his medical license.
Why should he lose his medical license for this? I could see how doing some racist things in the past may make you politically defunct but it doesn't seem to make him a bad doctor all the sudden.
 

seebell

Hall of Fame
Mar 12, 2012
11,919
5,105
187
Gurley, Al
I think they are referring to Northam's comments about abortion.

https://www.vox.com/2019/2/1/18205428/virginia-abortion-bill-kathy-tran-ralph-northam

Gov. Northam, a Democrat, was asked about the bill in a radio interview on Wednesday, and his response only added to the controversy. Appearing to discuss what would happen if a child was born after a failed attempt at abortion, he said, “the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

Some took Northam’s comments as an endorsement of infanticide. “In just a few years pro-abortion zealots went from ‘safe, legal, and rare’ to ‘keep the newborns comfortable while the doctor debates infanticide,
 

Its On A Slab

All-SEC
Apr 18, 2018
1,290
1,721
182
Pyongyang, Democratic Republic of Korea
While what he did 30-something years ago was reprehensible, I know that a lot of us have done stupid things in our youth and early 20s that they wished they could take back.

Sen. Robert Byrd was a member of the Klan, and he repudiated that. He may have been asked to resign(I don't know), but he never resigned, and served honorably in Congress for decades.

As far as I know, the Gov. didn't break any laws. Certainly, there was no rapey accusations that were covered up by partisan politics as in Judge Kavanaugh's case.

When I was in college, the Kappa Alphas used to dress up in Confederate uniforms and ride horses thru campus, toting a Confederate flag. I am pretty sure blackface factored into their Old South celebrations. I guess any one of those guys would face similar retribution today.
 

Displaced Bama Fan

Hall of Fame
Jun 5, 2000
23,344
39
167
Shiner, TX
I took a wild guess as to who would start a thread about this mess. If I was right, I decided to have a deluxe breakfast to start the day. :smile: After checking this morning, I'm headed to get a custom made omelette with all the extras.

The GOP spin on his views on abortion don't bother me, but the KKK/blackface stuff is disqualifying.
 

4Q Basket Case

FB|BB Moderator
Staff member
Nov 8, 2004
9,569
12,865
237
Tuscaloosa
I took a wild guess as to who would start a thread about this mess. If I was right, I decided to have a deluxe breakfast to start the day. :smile: After checking this morning, I'm headed to get a custom made omelette with all the extras.

The GOP spin on his views on abortion don't bother me, but the KKK/blackface stuff is disqualifying.
Look, I don’t like Northam’s politics, and can come up with any number of reasons not to support him. But this picture isn’t on the list.

If the blackface / KKK thing were an accurate reflection of his true views, I would agree that it’s disqualifying. But there is no reason whatsoever to believe that.

A long time ago, in his youth, he did something stupid. Is there anybody who didn’t?

Jeez, guys, if we disqualify from public office everybody who did a really dumb thing somewhere between the ages of 15 and 25, we’ll have no government at all.

Northam didn’t hurt anybody in any way. He didn’t steal. He didn’t cheat on his taxes. He didn’t sell illegal drugs. He didn’t destroy property. He didn’t even break the law. Hell, if he had, he’d be getting better treatment.

But to today’s mob sensibilities, he did something much worse....35 years ago, he did something that was, at the time, moderately offensive. Compounding the original act, he had the misfortune that, as society has evolved, we find now find his sin to be highly offensive. Further compounding the whole thing, there’s a photographic record.

Even though I’d never support most of his political positions, I actually feel sorry for the poor schmuck.
 
Last edited:

Tidewater

Hall of Fame
Mar 15, 2003
22,401
13,177
287
Hooterville, Vir.
Look, I don’t like Northam’s politics, and can come up with any number of reasons not to support him. But this picture isn’t on the list.

If the blackface / KKK thing were an accurate reflection of his true views, I would agree that it’s disqualifying. But there is no reason whatsoever to believe that.

A long time ago, in his youth, he did something stupid. Is there anybody who didn’t?

Jeez, guys, if we disqualify from public office everybody who did a really dumb thing somewhere between the ages of 15 and 25, we’ll have no government at all.

Northam didn’t hurt anybody in any way. He didn’t steal. He didn’t cheat on his taxes. He didn’t sell illegal drugs. He didn’t destroy property. He didn’t even break the law. Hell, if he had, he’d be getting better treatment.

But to today’s mob sensibilities, he did something much worse....35 years ago, he did something that was, at the time, moderately offensive. Compounding the original act, he had the misfortune that, as society has evolved, we find now find his sin to be highly offensive. Further compounding the whole thing, there’s a photographic record.

Even though I’d never support most of his political positions, I actually feel sorry for the poor schmuck.
When I was an undergrad, I heard about a DKE chapter at the University of Cincinnati (I think it was UC) who held a, wait for it, "James Earl Ray Day Party" on April 4th. You could only get into the party if you had a box of fried chicken, a cancelled welfare check or a radio bigger than you head. That one got the DKE's invited to move off campus. (Anyone reading this with access to a UC yearbook is racing to the bookshelves right now).
Stupid. Insensitive. Not something I'm sure they are proud of now. But college students have been doing stupid, insensitive things they later regret, for probably as long as there have been college students. It probably has something to do with exponentially increased freedom and an underdeveloped sense of propriety. Heck, in the 1980s that was considered "edgy."
Students at Oxford University probably had a "The Catholic Church is full of crap" party in 1204 just to show Oxford girls how fashionably counter-cultural they were.
 

Crimson1967

Hall of Fame
Nov 22, 2011
18,734
9,919
187
If he was Peter King, with a history of making racist comments, that would be one thing.

But this was a long time ago. It is a bit unsettling he put a picture like that in a college yearbook, especially a medical school, where you would expect the students to be a bit more mature.

If we are to believe him, it wasn’t him in the picture and he only did blackface to portray Michael Jackson. Doing it to portray an individual person, to me, isn’t quite as bad as dressing up and dropping to a knee and singing “Suwannee, how I love ya”.

Unless he has a history of making racist or insensitive comments, he may be able to get through this.

Now that the Lt. Governor is facing an old rape accusation, things could really get interesting there. Do women believe a woman with the 15 year old charge with no proof that is just now being brought up as he is on the edge of attaining power?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Bodhisattva

Hall of Fame
Aug 22, 2001
21,596
2,241
287
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Is the impersonation of Michael Jackson more offensive due to racism or inaccuracy? Doing a blackface impersonation of a guy who spent his adult life in whiteface .... what's the official ruling on that?
 

seebell

Hall of Fame
Mar 12, 2012
11,919
5,105
187
Gurley, Al
Is the impersonation of Michael Jackson more offensive due to racism or inaccuracy? Doing a blackface impersonation of a guy who spent his adult life in whiteface .... what's the official ruling on that?
Your Vietnamese Privilege keeps you from understanding how ridiculous and racist that question even is!
 

Tidewater

Hall of Fame
Mar 15, 2003
22,401
13,177
287
Hooterville, Vir.
I just saw part of his press conference where he backtracked and I think the man actually has some kind of problem with his mind. If you don't understand go watch it.
This is my favorite part of the entire saga.
The dude was looking to see if he had enough room to moonwalk at the press conference.
Until his wife told him it would be inappropriate to the circumstance.
To all my friends in Alabama, you're welcome. The "Oh my gosh, look what the state politician just did" limelight is off Alabama state politicians for a while.
 
Last edited:

Crimson1967

Hall of Fame
Nov 22, 2011
18,734
9,919
187
The "Oh my gosh, look what the state politician just did" limelight is off Alabama state politicians for a while.
Jim Ziegler (who defended Roy Moore because Mary was underage when she was pregnant with Jesus) says hello. Here is his latest genius contribution.

https://www.wvtm13.com/article/alab...c-hangings-for-convicted-cop-killers/26136060

He is considering a run for the Senate. Doug Jones should be praying he gets the nomination.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,154
44,874
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
Is the impersonation of Michael Jackson more offensive due to racism or inaccuracy? Doing a blackface impersonation of a guy who spent his adult life in whiteface .... what's the official ruling on that?
i'm not sure. i think the '84/thriller timeframe was pre-whitening.
 

Tidewater

Hall of Fame
Mar 15, 2003
22,401
13,177
287
Hooterville, Vir.
I have to say, Ben Shapiro's take on this is probably most in line with my thinking.
Go to 34:25-46:00.
"If you watch Blazing Saddles today, no way in [the Infernal Regions] that film gets made today."
"There is a happy medium. People could not be jerks and we could all be a little bit less sensitive about things."
"Instead of attributing this to racial malice, like Ralph Northam was a Nightrider or something, maybe he's just an idiot, maybe he's just a racially insensitive idiot."
"How many times have you done something offensive in your life, and been confronted about it, and you just apologized because you had just offended somebody. ... How would you like it if nobody said anything for twenty years, and then they brought it up and said, 'Now we're going to take away your career from you," I think that's going make for a really ugly America."
Finally and most tellingly, there are three ways to deal with your transgressions.
1. Pre-emptively apologize for it. (Obama doing cocaine.)
2. Hope nobody noticed and you try to forget it and move beyond it and if somebody raises it, you apologize for it. (Northam in this case)
3. Somebody raises the issue and you double down on it. (If someone takes option 2, you get killed for not taking option 1 earlier, so what this leads to is a politics in which a politician's best characteristic as a politician is having no shame at all. You don't care about the bad stuff you've done in the past.") Guess who fits this bill?

I think Shapiro makes a lot of sense in this.
 
Last edited:

Tidewater

Hall of Fame
Mar 15, 2003
22,401
13,177
287
Hooterville, Vir.
The hits just keep on coming.

Virginia Attorney General Herring says he wore blackface in college
UVa grad.

I have to say Mark Herring is a pile of crap held together by human skin and nothing would make me happier for him to be unceremoniously ejected from public office so he could slither back under the rock from which he emerged, but I do not believe he adheres to white supremacy. He did something stupid and insensitive a long time ago, but his conduct since then does not seem to indicate a belief in white supremacy or a desire to ridicule African-Americans.

All I can say is that for the current generation of college students (at least students since the widespread deployment of the smart phone with an integral digital camera), we won't have to wait 30 years for their misdeeds to come to light.
 
Last edited:

Latest threads

TideFans.shop : 2024 Madness!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a>
<br />

<!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \-->
<p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.