Discussion: 'Black Friend Defense' Largely Seen As Insulting, Flimsy Shield Against Being Called Racist

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'Black Friend Defense' Largely Seen As Insulting, Flimsy Shield Against Being Called Racist 'Black Friend Defense' Largely Seen As Insulting, Flimsy Shield Against Being Called Racist Back to article
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I submit “Tom Massie’s cheeks” as the newest Crayola color

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Funny how you never hear anyone say, “Why, some of my best friends are cross-burning neo-Nazis!”
Well, except Donald Trump when he talks about those “good people” on the “other side”.

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And tRump can’t be anti-semitic because his own son-in-law is a Jew and his evil sidekick, Stephen Miller is a self-hating Jew. Reminds me of what he’s said about how he picks an accountant too. This unconvincing defense has always been a way to explain away someone’s prejudice.

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It’s especially stupid when even Lindsay Graham called trump a
“racist xenophobic bigot.”
It’s especially stupid when you are a Birther.
It’s especially stupid when you consider the historical raping of black slaves by white men.
It’s especially stupid when your black friend is being paid or promoted by the racist in question.
It’s especially stupid when it has been shown she previously commented on his racism already.

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My grandfather was an eastern European immigrant. He had one Jewish friend. When his friend wasn’t around he would trash talk Jews and yell anti-Semitic comments at the TV when Jews came on.

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“Tyler Parry, an associate professor of African American Studies at California State University in Fullerton …”

… who regularly has to explain that he’s NOT the Madea guy.

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What does Omarosa have to say on this issue?

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Please reference a source on her commenting on his racism, I would like to use it in civil discussions.

Also, was she forced to come to the hearing? Why was she there?

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“‘Jew eat?’ ‘Jew?’ Not ‘Did you eat?’ but ‘Jew eat?’ ‘Jew?’”
— Alvy Singer in Annie Hall

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Taken together with the “send [insert American person of color’s name] back to [the country associated with their ethnicity]” racist meme that he used [Obama, Kenya] in his first campaign for Congress, leaves no doubt that Meadows is a racist despite his protests to the contrary. Refer to Lawrence O’Donnell’s piece-by-piece deconstruction of this version of dog whistle on 2/28.

Add to that the grade-school logic of the “calling me a racist makes you a racist” response that Meadows actually threw back at Rep, Tlaib, we’re done here.

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Reminds me of the story of the Jewish congregation in Philadelphia that did not have a synagogue, and met in a Quaker meeting house. The rabbi was said to observe, “Some of my best Jews are Friends.”

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You should have heard what the Jewish friend said about your grandfather’s people when HE wasn’t around!

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When I was in middle school in Europe kids my age would make merciless fun of the “black friend defense”. Not always about blacks, mind you. It was really the “black/asian/jewish/muslim/handicapped/poor/different/other friend defense”. Kids knew then that it was an “opposites day” statement, and our elementary humor would generate plenty of laughs, to the dismay of the jokester who never understood why he was being made fun of.

It is possible that Meadows did not get the joke, nor, it seems, his staff, because he earnestly believed that having a black friend proved that he was not racist towards black people. It is a sign of social progress, I think, that racist people feel that they have to justify themselves. Meadows should be encouraged to bring out more friends!

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This wasn’t even the “black friend defense” FFS. It was LITERALLY the “black servant defense.” This was more like one of Simon Legree’s white farm hands trotting out Uncle Tom to prove Simon’s not racist.

And is it me, or is Melania maybe Marie St. Claire?

That’s right…I’m NOT feeling charitable today haha

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You know what’s actually worse than the “black friend” defense? Meadows screaming about having nieces and nephews of color as if his sibling having children with a person of color is somehow something he had a part in. He actually tried to claim credit for someone else’s relationship as proof he’s not racist. And even the most virulently racist individuals still have the capacity to love individual people of color. People in this country just really don’t know what racism is or what it actually means.

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All I could think of when he said that was “right, and Tommy Jefferson wasn’t racist because he had black children.” Laughable.

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Another tipoff is that the people whose best friend are black/jewish/asian/whatever don’t just shrug off the accusation of racist behavior. They get all puffed up into “You’re the real racist” screaming mode.

Have to say, good on AP for doing this one and not including any experts who say “well, actually, having one black subordinate you don’t abuse too much entirely does absolve you of racism.”

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