They chose Democrat.
They chose poorly.
Let it draaaaaaaaag out, the longer the better.
I don’t think he should resign, except for my political expediency...
Damn, I didn’t realize that link was going to take me to Sharpton. I need to go take a shower now.
You should give a “scumbag warning” that the video is with Al Sharpton. I never would have clicked!
Perhaps they should develop a deeper understanding of the way life works.
Even if Northam is one of the people in that photo (he has denied that he is), there is such a thing as gallows humor.
Is it insensitive? Yep. That's the point of it.
Does gallows humor hurt some people some times? Yes, reality hurts.
But humor is a balm that helps people face with and deal with reality.
If reality is not explored, it will be repeated (it will most likely be repeated anyway, but it is still better if it is explored).
Kids in Black face and KKK suits might just look like they are being silly, but what they are doing goes much deeper. They are reminding themselves and all those who see them that, in this case, the KKK was a reality.
Everyone knows what the KKK did to the Black man.
Having a kid appear in a KKK uniform doesn't convey the approval of the KKK. It is a statement of fact.
The KKK did exist in Virginia. It was a part of the darker past in Virginia. It was a stain on Virginia.
What is accomplish by this theatrical display of kids at a party?
It may funny and simultaneously painful on the surface, that's what gallows humor is. But it is also a deeper, darker reminder and exploration of historical crimes that these young men realize they are a part of.
Oddly enough, it is an admission of guilt and a way to face that guilt.
This is what sensitive young Black men and women need to understand about his incident.
We cannot ban the truth (no matter how dark), we cannot ban reality (no matter how painful).
It is what it is and we better be damn well ready to deal with it...because it will be repeated again...and again.
Here are a few excerpts from an interesting article on the subject. They may not be directly applicable to the situation at hand but they touch on the value of humor in exploring painful situations.
Humor As Weapon, Shield and Psychological SalveHumor has long been recognized as more than mere fun and games. It presents an alternative means of expressing criticism about injustices, arrogance, pretentions or hypocrisies that can’t socially (or legally) be expressed otherwise.
...
Gallows humor often is viewed as an expression of resilience and hope that has the power to soothe suffering. When the minority has few tools to combat an oppressive majority, gallows humor can be used as a sort of secret, subversive weapon. The danger that ridicule poses to those in power is captured by the Italian phrase Una risata vi seppellirà, which translates to “It will be a laugh that buries you.”
The fear of the weapon of humor was alive and well in Nazi Germany, and it was dangerous business. The legal code of the time reflected Joseph Goebbels’ interpretation of the political joke as “a remnant of liberalism” that threatened the Nazi state. Not only was joke-telling made illegal, but those who told jokes were labeled “asocial” – a segment of society frequently sent to concentration camps. Hitler’s second-in-command, Hermann Goering, referred to anti-Nazi humor as “an act against the will of the Fuehrer… and against the State and the Nazi Government,” and the crime was punishable by death. Article III, section 2 of the 1941 code (the Reichsgesetzblatt I) stated: “In cases where it is not specifically provided for, the death penalty will be imposed whenever the crime reveals an unusually low mentality or is especially serious for other reasons; in such cases the death penalty may also be imposed against juvenile criminals.” Since Nazi informants could be within earshot at any given moment, it was important to hold one’s tongue and suppress any witty desires. A Nazi prosecutor revealed that he determined the severity of punishment for a joke based on the following theory: “The better the joke, the more dangerous its effect, therefore, the greater punishment.”
In 1943, SS Commander Heinrich Himmler went even further in the fight against comical assaults on the Nazi authority when he issued an order making it a criminal act to name domesticated animals “Adolf.” Whereas all citizens living under Nazi rule were subject to these anti-humor laws, Jews were more likely to be sentenced to death while non-Jews typically received only brief prison terms or fines.
Resign? Heavens no. I want this guy to stay till after the 2020 elections. ;)
Shaming a duly elected official from office without due process is stupid. Impeach him OR take him out at the ballot box.
This is America. Don’t forget that.
The longer Northam stays in office, the more lukely that the Democrat Party in Virginia will be
damaged beyond repair.
Pics in a 35-year-old college yearbook don’t concern me nearly as much as recent statements supporting infanticide.
Considering the creep that would replace him (Justin Fairfax), I’d rather Northam stay on and the dems twist in the wind through November’s elections.
I think he should resign because he is a baby killing democrat not for this BS.
Resign!? He should be the (D) nominee in 2020!
He should resign, not because of a stupid school picture, but because he is a Democrat and thinks infanticide is a wonderful thing.
I think it behooves us to look to the next level and see who the replacement is.
Anyone know who is in the wings.
I suspect someone really bad and leftist, because the Deep State and the Dems are going after him.
Face it usually this sort of Dem mishap gets buried. They have someone else in mind. Press is complicit here.
He should stay right where he’s at as the face of the racist, baby-killing Democratic Party.
Depends. From our perspective, no. We should enjoy this dumpster fire from the sidelines for the next 3 years, or at least as long as possible.
From the Democrats' perspective, they must hope and pray (if they believe in a Supreme Being or beings) that he will resign ASAP to allow this whole episode to be swept into the Memory Hole and forgotten.
A bigger problem is if he's impeached for, essentially, a "thought crime" that occurred in 1984 (!). The Virginia Republicans should not cooperate with the Virginia Democrats to do this.
(Polish expression, "not my circus, not my monkeys" He's the Democrat's problem.)
