I’ve refrained from making bad Star Trek puns or references because I think this is a serious issue deserving of serious contemplation. However, the wonderful Ben Chapman posted this image in response to Takei’s statements today.
In any event, George Takei posted a response to the “few fans” who have taken umbrage with his “blackface” remark. Here are Takei’s comments in toto:
A few fans have written wondering whether I intended to utter a racist remark by referring to Justice Thomas as a “clown in blackface.”
“Blackface” is a lesser known theatrical term for a white actor who blackens his face to play a black buffoon. In traditional theater lingo, and in my view and intent, that is not racist. It is instead part of a racist history in this country.
I feel Justice Thomas has abdicated and abandoned his African American heritage by claiming slavery did not strip dignity from human beings. He made a similar remark about the Japanese American internment, of which I am a survivor. A sitting Justice of the Supreme Court ought to know better.
I have expressed my full thoughts on the matter here.
Takei then links to this article in which he addresses absolutely none of the issue. In my article from earlier, I linked to two sources giving a general overview of what “blackface” is.
Takei’s justifications are barely a hand waive at what is clearly a racist attack on an extremely accomplished jurist who happens to be African American; if Justice Thomas were white, the “blackface” comment, obviously, wouldn’t have happened – thus, it is merely a race-based ad hominem.
Takei has not articulated a single rational response to Justice Thomas’ dissenting opinion in Obergefell, he is unable to create such a rational response and instead lashes out against Justice Thomas because of his race. Such an ad hominem attack should not be passed over merely because Takei is a famous leader in the LBGT community. Rather, he should be held to higher standards and he should apologize for his obviously racist attack.
I remember when Don Imus attacked a women’s basketball team with racial slurs – the media ignited and tore him apart. Takei’s remarks were vastly worse. His justification and hand waiving since his comments are doubly so. Why does he get to determine who has abandoned his African American heritage? Is Justice Thomas bound to the will of other African Americans? Who determines what that “will” or “heritage” is? Why can’t Justice Thomas have free will to believe what he independently believes?
So Takei’s defense of his racist rant is that he was not attempting be racist by his reference to the racist history of a white person putting out blackface to act like a black buffoon. Parsing Takei’s explanation, it appears that he believes Justice Thomas is a white person acting like a stereotypical caricature of a black person and somehow his reference is not racist.
If Takei had instead used the n-word, would it have been racist? One could hand waive the use of the n-word in the same way that Takei used it, “oh, it is instead part of a racist history in this country, but I did not use it in a racist way.”
Such excuse would not be accepted and it should not be accepted for his “blackface” remark, either.
