The Young Turks has introduced a new segment in their show, “Is It Racist?” And I think their premiere segment is great because it brings up a really important issue. Minnesota State Representative Pat Garofalo tweeted out the following:
Let's be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in streetcrime
— Rep. Pat Garofalo (@PatGarofalo) March 9, 2014
And the question is, of course, “Is it racist?” This one isn’t even close: it’s racist. As Cenk says in the following video, “It’s a dog whistle I can hear.” Indeed it is!
Garofalo has defended his tweet by saying that he was not talking about blacks (that make three-quarters of the NBA), but rather the athletes who feel they are above the law, blah, blah, blah. That’s to be expected. That’s the point of a dog whistle: you can always say, “I didn’t mean that! You are the racist for thinking I did!” It’s just perfect for the hateful. It’s what allows Ann Coulter to say things designed to offend and then pretend to be offended when others don’t find her humorous.
What really bothered me was what Democratic Representative Dan Schoen said, “It was the wrong thing to tweet. Do I think Pat is a racist? No I don’t think that.” This is one of the problems with our modern thinking on racism. Schoen thinks that Garofalo isn’t a racist because he’s well spoken, wears a suit, and doesn’t use the N-word. But Garofalo not only is a racist—he’s the face of modern racism. His tweet is how its done by sophisticated racists.
See what the Turks have to say about it. It’s good and I look forward to more segments.
Proof once again, were any needed, that affluent suburban neighborhoods generate pnly the sweetest of political representatives. Where’s a plague of SUV-eating locusts when you need one?