Should Ralph Shearer Northam resign as governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia?

[Rookie Yinzer]

He should resign, he isn't owed the Governorship. This image is hurtful and trivializes what was America's worst terrorist group. A group who's sole purpose and function was to destroy Black progress in business, politics, and equality.

This. The white men in this thread pontificating about people changing and this “not being a crime” is SICKENING.

[Rookie Yinzer]

He should resign, he isn't owed the Governorship. This image is hurtful and trivializes what was America's worst terrorist group. A group who's sole purpose and function was to destroy Black progress in business, politics, and equality.

This. The white men in this thread pontificating about people changing and this “not being a crime” is SICKENING.

Uh how is this a crime?

lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_v._Ohio

I didn’t say it was. 

[Rookie Yinzer]

I was initially of the opinion that he should as that's the more practical option, but now I'm not so sure. Assuming this was only some stupid edgy joke, as I suspect it was, it should not constitute the grounds for resignation. I would go as far as saying that many of the calls for his resignation are simply virtue signaling and nothing more. And someone in the Democratic Party has to stand their ground against this. Forcing a premature end to someone's political career because of a tasteless joke when they were a young idiot is not acceptable.

Expecting the party that relies on the votes of black people to win elections to defend someone who either dressed up as a horrific racist caricature or as a member of a terrorist group that killed, raped, and maimed their ancestors is literally white privilege.

Anyway, he can not effectively govern from this point forward. The GOP won't let him live this down and there is no way that black legislators can work with him without this incident hanging over like a dark cloud. He's useless.

Most definitely. But not because of the blackface thing, because honestly, who cares

Are you serious? Blackface was and has been used to reduce the identities of black people to nothing more as theatrical characters for white amusement. It is obscenely racist and disqualifying for anybody wanting to serve as a public leader.

[Rookie Yinzer]

I think he should have resigned for wanting to kill BABIES. This? Are we really going to go back 25 years and destroy someones life for being stupid??? How many of you can say that you never said anything offensive 25 years ago or did something stupid.

Ask yourself if this is a good idea to do this to this man for this reason.

He dressed up as a Klan member. The Ku Klux Klan used to lynch pregnant black women, rip babies from their wombs, and stomp them to death. But I doubt you knew or cared.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Most definitely. But not because of the blackface thing, because honestly, who cares

Are you serious? Blackface was and has been used to reduce the identities of black people to nothing more as theatrical characters for white amusement. It is obscenely racist and disqualifying for anybody wanting to serve as a public leader.

Yes I'm absolutely serious, and the fake moral outrage displayed by the liberals on the forum is hilarious. I don't care how blackface "was and has been used" in a historical sense, and something is only racist if done with hostile intent, and this was obviously done for humour. Who cares? Liberals remind me of puritans these days, I swear

There's nothing fake about my outrage. I am black and those images spurred a visceral response in me. Reducing the oppression of an entire race of people into a joke is racist. Racism is not just about burning crosses and committing violent acts. There is nothing remotely funny about the dehumanization of black people. Those images and the stereotypes they portray have had real life and sometimes fatal consequences for black communities. There is nothing about dressing up as a Klan member that was obviously done for humor. You are painstakingly ignorant and tone-deaf.

[Rookie Yinzer]

There's nothing fake about my outrage. I am black and those images spurred a visceral response in me. Reducing the oppression of an entire race of people into a joke is racist. Racism is not just about burning crosses and committing violent acts. There is nothing remotely funny about the dehumanization of black people. Those images and the stereotypes they portray have had real life and sometimes fatal consequences for black communities. There is nothing about dressing up as a Klan member that was obviously done for humor. You are painstakingly ignorant and tone-deaf.

Keep in mind I wasn't only talking about you. And yes, I understand the humour was dark, but there is a lot of humour to be found in suffering, and going around being the "joke police" isn't going to get you anywhere in life. You have obviously found his joke to be in poor taste - that's fine, but it doesn't disqualify him from office or even warrant an apology. Can you explain to me how this image in any way has "real life and sometimes fatal consequences for black communities", other than proving offensive to some?

There is nothing humorous about the Ku Klux Klan and it absolutely did warrant an apology. He was possibly dressed up as a member of a terrorist group that murdered black people for 100 years without consequence. What public leader can hold office and not be held accountable for that?

As for an explanation--- For decades many whites only saw images of black people through white minstrel show performances of blackface. This was one of the most popular forms of entertainments for generations. When you have images of black people as shiftless, criminal, lazy, promiscuous, deviant, and morally bankrupt you don't think that shapes the way the dominant white society interacts with black people? How many black people have been killed or harassed because someone white was suspicious of their behavior? These stereotypes pervaded our society through minstrel shows. It's not funny and I'm not here for it.

There is no way this man could continue to govern this state with any legitimacy.

[Rookie Yinzer]

There's nothing fake about my outrage. I am black and those images spurred a visceral response in me. Reducing the oppression of an entire race of people into a joke is racist. Racism is not just about burning crosses and committing violent acts. There is nothing remotely funny about the dehumanization of black people. Those images and the stereotypes they portray have had real life and sometimes fatal consequences for black communities. There is nothing about dressing up as a Klan member that was obviously done for humor. You are painstakingly ignorant and tone-deaf.

Keep in mind I wasn't only talking about you. And yes, I understand the humour was dark, but there is a lot of humour to be found in suffering, and going around being the "joke police" isn't going to get you anywhere in life. You have obviously found his joke to be in poor taste - that's fine, but it doesn't disqualify him from office or even warrant an apology. Can you explain to me how this image in any way has "real life and sometimes fatal consequences for black communities", other than proving offensive to some?

Ideally policies should matter more than anything I don't recall Northam doing harm to black communities in his time as a public servant. That should matter more than anything he did 35 years ago, there are politicians who may not have a racist photo of them but are enacting racist policies. Voter suppression being chiefly one of them while Northam continued the policy of re-enfranchsing felons and made the brave call to remove Confederate statues.

Expanding Medicaid and not undoing McAuliffe's voter enfranchisement policy should warrant absolution from being a racist prick who won't even own up to whether he was dressed as the blackface guy or the Klan member? Got it.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Frankly speaking - i don't care about what happened 35 years ago. Another time, another man, no violation of law. So - strictly neutral.

I'm glad I don't understand how one can be so flippant about someone dressing up as a member of a terrorist organization that killed thousands of black Americans with impunity for over a century.