Monday, July 29, 2019

Virtual "Blackface" and the Squad

I'm tired of the Democratic Party's race baiting.  The most recent example is the blatant lie that President Donald Trump's criticism of  the four female Representatives  on "The  Squad"  was racist.   Pardon my shouting, but REP. RASHIDA TLAIB AND  REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ ARE WHITE.   The complexions I see on my computer indicate they could have used a whites only restroom in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1955.

Tlaib is Palestinian and Palestinians, like other Middle East peoples,   belong to the so-called "white race".  It may come as a shock to those who call themselves "Aryans", but Aryans are Indo-Iranians.

AOC is among the 75% of Puerto Ricans who are white.  Light complexioned European ancestry Hispanics have long been considered "white", especially those from Puerto Rico, Cuba and Mexico.  My first 11 years I lived in segregated Wichita.  There were no black residents in my south Wichita neighborhood,  but my elementary school had a popular Mexican teacher.   I was allowed to invite the Mexican boy in my class to my birthday party and attended a party at his house.  The husband on  the popular "I Love Lucy" show was from Cuba.   On the "Cisco  Kid" two Mexican heroes helped capture Western outlaws.

A century ago some white comics would put on blackface makeup because they believed people would be more likely to  laugh at their jokes if they wore blackface.   Even the great Bob Hope used blackface early in his career.  Hope told Dick Cavett  in a television interview that he stopped using blackface after he arrived at the theater too late to put on the makeup.    The manager told him to do his act without makeup.  The audience reaction  convinced Hope he  didn't need the makeup. 

Tlaib and AOC,or perhaps Democratic Party leaders, are trying to use virtual blackface to get people to support their programs or to try to prevent criticism..  A century ago southern Democrats  would use racial allegations to con white voters and divert their attention from real issues.  Today Democrats falsely claim  that individuals or actions are racist to con black voters and divert their attention from issue positions that might benefit them.

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