Tom Cotton, the GOP Senator from Arkansas, proposing a bill that would penalize schools that adopt the 1619 Project, which places slavery at the center of discourse in American history teaching:
“The entire premise of the New York Times’ factually, historically flawed 1619 Project … is that America is at root, a systemically racist country to the core and irredeemable. I reject that root and branch. America is a great and noble country founded on the proposition that all mankind is created equal. We have always struggled to live up to that promise, but no country has ever done more to achieve it. I have no problem with people debating that in a constructive, reasoned, deliberate fashion. What I can’t tolerate, what I think no one should tolerate, are angry mobs tearing down statues of anyone. We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we can’t understand our country,. As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction.”
The one phrase that sticks out to me the most is “America is a great and noble country founded on the proposition that all mankind is created equal.” If that were true why did we enslave people; treat them as property; abuse, rape or murder them if they ‘disobeyed’ their white owners? If “all mankind is created equal” why were Blacks legislatively described as three-fifths of a person—or three-fifths of a US citizen? Why were they not counted as all other men who were created equal counted?
Take a seat, racist.
|
(Trevor Noah)
ReplyDeleteI've always loved Trevor Noah's stand up comedy. He is sharp, to the point and very charming. He makes you think.
ReplyDeleteIf all men were created equal why weren't women equalised too? Even now far too many women and people of colour, or all the other ways that people are penalised by very rich white males, are NOT equal. Look at the way that right-wing pundits claim that Kamala Harris isn't properly black, that her family has no roots in the slavery suffered by black Americans. If these twazzocks had done their homework they'd realise that black people in Jamaica were slaves too on the sugar cane estates owned by rich white British men. Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Africans, torn from their families by Arab slavers (somehow no-one demands apologies from their descendants) and sold to the white slavers, died in the swamps of Caribbean islands. They were the lucky ones, the unlucky ones lived.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteBob, snap to you, too, my brother.
This is possibly one of my favorite posts you've made yet.
Full of so much information I didn't know - from ex wife of Bezos to Tom COTTON. Rock on, Bob!!
Keep me woke.
A great post. Noah's comeback to the Senator was priceless.
ReplyDeleteI saw the Bill Maher eulogy and it was absolutely brilliant!
ReplyDeleteActually, the Union wasn't built on slavery, the Confederacy was, and the Union kicked its ass.
ReplyDelete@TDM
ReplyDeleteMe, too.
@Deedles
And I love how a comic is such a force for change.
@Helen
They mean all WHITE men.
@Sheila
Nice that the ex-Mrs. Bezos is putting her money to use while her es is using the pandemic to make himself even more money.
@Michael
If you get a chance see if you can find Noah's commentary on black men and the police; it's absolute perfection.
@Treaders
Since he won't go to the funeral,. it's nice he got to say it now.
@Dave
By 'union' Cotton means America before the Confederacy.
Cotton is calling all white supremacists. And he’s dog whistling for Cheeto. A disgrace. Glad Trevor called his bullshit.
ReplyDeleteI love it when uncle joe lets Cheeto have it. Love it.
MacKenzie is cool. Bezos really fucked up, no?
Bill Maher is a grating little prick. But he does have good moments when he comes for Twitler. Hahahahaha
XoXo
"even if his name is Cotton" -- good jab!
ReplyDelete