General Discussion

sheshe2

(83,793 posts) Wed Sep 19, 2018, 06:14 PM Sep 2018

WHAT IF ANITA HILL WERE WHITE?

Interesting....hmm.

……………………………………...
Charles Blow considers a hypothetical:

Link to tweet

Jemele Hill is thinking along the same lines:

Link to tweet

Would it? I'm not sure. I'm not denying the existence of white racism, especially on the subject of black men and white women. But Republicans at that moment were very determined to seat Clarence Thomas, who they knew was likely to be a reliable ideologue on the Court for decades. They also wanted to be seen as a party of inclusion -- without, of course, changing any of the policies that alienated non-white voters. These goals were agreed upon throughout the party -- recall that Strom Thurmond, the old segregationist, escorted Thomas and his wife, who is white, into the hearing room on the first day.

They might have played it another way, using the conservative press to suggest that Thomas's white accuser had an healthy obsession with black men. Then-conservative hatchetman David Brock called Anita Hill "a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty"; I think a white woman claiming that a black conservative committed sexual offenses might have been accused of imagining them for racial reasons. Of course, they'd have the opportunity to call her a racist, something conservatives love to do these days whenever liberals criticize a black person on the right.

Maybe I'm being a naive, oblivious white guy. But I recall the right treating the Thomas confirmation process as a must-win. I'm not saying Republicans aren't racist. But this was when the GOP was becoming a fully ideological culture-war party. Thomas was a right-wing zealot. Republicans argued even then that black people would be better off abandoning the Democrats; they pointed to Thomas as proof of concept. They wanted a victory. I don't think they would have let even a white female accuser stand in their way.

Read More: http://nomoremister.blogspot.com/

9 replies

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Highlight:

WHAT IF ANITA HILL WERE WHITE? (Original Post) sheshe2 Sep 2018 OP

Charles fails to see that she's a woman that they hate. dem4decades Sep 2018 #1

What's being done to Dr. Ford is pretty much the same thing mcar Sep 2018 #2

I don't think it would have mattered. leftyladyfrommo Sep 2018 #3

Republicans are nasty bastards walkingman Sep 2018 #4

Recommended. guillaumeb Sep 2018 #5

I suppose we'll see Docreed2003 Sep 2018 #6

Hillary Clinton reference is noted and saidsimplesimon Sep 2018 #7

Paula Jones mikeysnot Sep 2018 #8

Nothing would be different... nt Raine Sep 2018 #9

dem4decades

(11,297 posts)

1. Charles fails to see that she's a woman that they hate.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Wed Sep 19, 2018, 06:18 PM

Sep 2018

Black or white, the Republicans have no respect for women.

mcar

(42,334 posts)

2. What's being done to Dr. Ford is pretty much the same thing

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Wed Sep 19, 2018, 06:27 PM

Sep 2018

leftyladyfrommo

(18,869 posts)

3. I don't think it would have mattered.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Wed Sep 19, 2018, 06:30 PM

Sep 2018

She was a woman. That is what mattered.

walkingman

(7,630 posts)

4. Republicans are nasty bastards

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Wed Sep 19, 2018, 06:35 PM

Sep 2018

guillaumeb

(42,641 posts)

5. Recommended.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Wed Sep 19, 2018, 06:36 PM

Sep 2018

A very interesting bit of speculation.

My own view is that if Anita Hill had been white, the old familiar narrative would have taken over and Clarence Thomas would be an obscure Appellate Judge with nothing to distinguish him whatsoever.

Docreed2003

(16,865 posts)

6. I suppose we'll see

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Wed Sep 19, 2018, 06:38 PM

Sep 2018

Personally, I think the ingrained misogyny is as powerful, if not more than racism. That's not to separate the two or place more weight on one over the other, I personally think that both are deeply ingrained in the conscience of many in this country.

We're already seeing the misogyny play out full force. "well this happened years ago, should we really ruin THIS MAN's career over youthful indiscretion???" It's disgusting and disheartening.

The only positive in all this for me personally has been to recognize times that I don't live up to my own ideals in the realm of feminism. For example, because I'm a white male father of two daughters, my gut reaction response would be to add a qualifier to this situation: "As a father of two girls...". It doesn't matter what I say after that statement, I'm implying that I needed to have daughters before I could see the inherent unfairness of the situation....I was a feminist before my daughters were dreamt of, so I don't need to add that qualifier, but I tend to do that all the time. I've learned that I don't need to, but that's the only positive I can think of from this mess so far.