George Takei: Justice Thomas 'a clown in blackface'

[Victorian Gray]

He's saying straight up Thomas is not a real black man. True black men don't behave the way Thomas does.

If you have an issue with what he said then you should write him a letter and tell him.

 

[glenn1]

As to the actual content of the rant, it would be interesting to learn more about Thomas's views, it's a different perspective, for sure. I don't believe Thomas is arguing that slavery was right, or that the detainment of Japanese-Americans was right.

dig·ni·ty
ˈdiɡnədē/
noun
noun: dignity

the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.
- a composed or serious manner or style.
- a sense of pride in oneself; self-respect.


It's what one believes the proper definition of "dignity" is. I would think Thomas is arguing everyone is inherently worthy of honor or respect, and that is a god-given right, government cannot take that away.

Then it's a completely separate issue of whether government is treating people with honor & respect. I do absolutely believe Thomas would say slaves & Japanese-Americans during WWII were not treated respectfully by the government, government did not live up to its obligations.

I try to be fair about people when their honestly-held beliefs differ from mine, but the idea that Thomas voted against same-sex marriage because he was somehow trying to protect gays from "not being treated respectfully from the government who wasn't living up to its obligations" is patently ridiculous on its face. There are really only two honorable positions to take on same-sex marriage - either you support it, or you say marriage is none of the government's business and should only document marriages after the fact. Neither of those involve the end state of the government actively disallowing gays to marry, and there's no way it could where you could say the government was treating them with "honor and respect."

 

[ivwshane]

I think the black face comment was made to reflect Thomas's total lack of awareness of black history in this country.

Was it called for or could it have been worded differently? Probably but that's what happens when you say stuff out of anger.

 

[RY62]

Is that for real?! Holy shit!

No. This is the official portrait. But it's easier to make fun of his ethnicity with the other one.

 

[cubby1223]

I try to be fair about people when their honestly-held beliefs differ from mine, but the idea that Thomas voted against same-sex marriage because he was somehow trying to protect gays from "not being treated respectfully from the government who wasn't living up to its obligations" is patently ridiculous on its face. There are really only two honorable positions to take on same-sex marriage - either you support it, or you say marriage is none of the government's business and should only document marriages after the fact. Neither of those involve the end state of the government actively disallowing gays to marry, and there's no way it could where you could say the government was treating them with "honor and respect."

I didn't read Thomas's full comments, and it certainly wasn't provided in the article. I'm going on what's available to me.

The main issue of this thread is the "dignity" section.

To me, Thomas was speaking his views based on one valid interpretation of the concept of "dignity", while Takei was ranting based on a different, but also valid, interpretation of the concept of "dignity".

But that Takei ended by making a very racist and demeaning remark to "win" his argument, and that the tolerant liberals here are loving it, is what's quite interesting

And simultaneously quite sad.



It took me all of about five minutes to piece together what this shit-fest was actually about. That no one else took the time, is quite telling of how pathetically unwilling we are at getting along with each other in this country.

 

[ivwshane]

Actually most just ignored the comment and looked at the whole point George was making.


That's the problem when you let anger get in the way of a rational point, people focus on the irrevellent comment instead of the point being made.

I didn't read Thomas's full comments, and it certainly wasn't provided in the article. I'm going on what's available to me.

The main issue of this thread is the "dignity" section.

To me, Thomas was speaking his views based on one valid interpretation of the concept of "dignity", while Takei was ranting based on a different, but also valid, interpretation of the concept of "dignity".

But that Takei ended by making a very racist and demeaning remark to "win" his argument, and that the tolerant liberals here are loving it, is what's quite interesting

And simultaneously quite sad.



It took me all of about five minutes to piece together what this shit-fest was actually about. That no one else took the time, is quite telling of how pathetically unwilling we are at getting along with each other in this country.

 

[crashtech]

"To say that the government does not bestow or grant dignity does not mean it cannot succeed in stripping it away through the imposition of unequal laws and deprivation of due process. At the very least, the government must treat all its subjects with equal human dignity," he wrote.

Do we really consider ourselves subjects? I hold our freedoms more dear than to use that term.

At any rate, I believe the retention of dignity under duress should have no influence upon lawmaking, since law has to do with rights and privileges; dignity is a state of mind, not a legal status.

 

[IronWing]

I didn't read Thomas's full comments, and it certainly wasn't provided in the article. I'm going on what's available to me.

The main issue of this thread is the "dignity" section.

To me, Thomas was speaking his views based on one valid interpretation of the concept of "dignity", while Takei was ranting based on a different, but also valid, interpretation of the concept of "dignity".

But that Takei ended by making a very racist and demeaning remark to "win" his argument, and that the tolerant liberals here are loving it, is what's quite interesting

And simultaneously quite sad.



It took me all of about five minutes to piece together what this shit-fest was actually about. That no one else took the time, is quite telling of how pathetically unwilling we are at getting along with each other in this country.

I posted a link to Thomas' dissent in the thread that got locked. Here it is again.

 

[shira]

We already know that Thomas is dishonest. When he was questioned by Orin Hatch during his confirmation hearings, he said:

Senator, I would have preferred an assasin's bullet to this type of living hell that they have put me and my family through.

Think about that comment. It is not believable. He's telling us that if he had it to do over again, he would prefer death to the treatment he received at the hands of the left.

He's a liar.

If I had heard that comment, I would have told him: "Well, Judge Thomas, you're going to receive more of this abuse during this process. So I assume you're going to kill yourself rather than be subjected to even more abuse, since - as you informed us - the abuse is worse than death. So can we cancel the remainder of the hearings?"

 

[Ackmed]

Didn't read.

Judging by the title and OP, i'll file this one in the "Liberals telling people they're not black enough" bin.

:awe:

That and pink font, wtf.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Actually most just ignored the comment and looked at the whole point George was making.


That's the problem when you let anger get in the way of a rational point, people focus on the irrevellent comment instead of the point being made.

Except the left, when they think they smell the faintest inkling of racism from the right go on full finger pointing mode to the point of insanity. Yet in this case they shrug it off and claim the "whole" point is more important.

First of all, none of this really makes any difference. The SC already made the proper decision, regardless of the dissent from Thomas, which is in the minority.

Secondly, the appearance of "We'll excuse racism in this case because it aligns with our POV." just reeks of partisan BS.

You can't have it both ways folks. Make up your minds.

 

[soundforbjt]

No. This is the official portrait. But it's easier to make fun of his ethnicity with the other one.

That one is almost as bad, skin color is way off.

 

[ivwshane]

Except the left, when they think they smell the faintest inkling of racism from the right go on full finger pointing mode to the point of insanity. Yet in this case they shrug it off and claim the "whole" point is more important.

First of all, none of this really makes any difference. The SC already made the proper decision, regardless of the dissent from Thomas, which is in the minority.

Secondly, the appearance of "We'll excuse racism in this case because it aligns with our POV." just reeks of partisan BS.

You can't have it both ways folks. Make up your minds.

Your point was valid even with your own partisan bs

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Your point was valid even with your own partisan bs

Can Independents be partisan?

 

[Victorian Gray]

I didn't read Thomas's full comments, and it certainly wasn't provided in the article. I'm going on what's available to me.

You mean, what's available to you without your bothering to expend any energy actually looking for his dissent.

Here you go, the whole enchilada (took all of, maybe, 15 seconds)

Thomas dissent: p. 78-95.

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf

 

[mikeymikec]

I'm amazed that Justice Thomas has that kind of job with views like that. It doesn't take a genius to think of the effect on an enslaved person when they consider that their enslavement is condoned by the respective government and most of society, as opposed to a single and isolated criminal act. The latter obviously still has a massive detrimental effect on one's dignity, but the former must impose a complete sense of despair and complete loss of faith in humanity and probably a serious questioning of one's self-worth.

I don't agree with how far Takei's comments went but I understand and can sympathise with their sentiment.

 

[sportage]

You have to give Thomas a break.
For a sex pervert that thinks pubic hair on a pop can is amusing.

 

[nickqt]

You have to give Thomas a break.
For a sex pervert that thinks pubic hair on a pop can is amusing.

Pretty much this.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Justice Thomas 'a clown in blackface'

Funny how many are okay with a racist statement such as this. I guess it's not racist when it's a comment about a conservative black man.

 

[boomerang]

YAIT

 

[Newell Steamer]

Everything but the clown in black face comment is spot on.

There is no justification for calling Thomas that.

Understood that Takei was pissed off, but their is no excusing him.

 

[Moonbeam]

It doesn't matter that the government can't bestow or take away dignity. It is the job of the courts to insure that the interpretation of the laws the government enact comport with the highest standards of dignity the human mind is able to recognize. It is proper that government evolve to keep with the growth end evolution of human understanding.

We were due for a big one because the fault line of social evolution had been locked for centuries by the retrograde belief that negative comments in the Bible about gays were attributed to a supreme being and the evolution of science has shown all that imbecility to be nothing more that ancient human prejudice penned by bigoted men and taken by the mentally conditioned as absolute truth. In a world full of self hate and the inevitable putdowns of the different that will result, we use little gold stars on children's papers to remind them of a dignity that is so very easily destroyed. You can't truly destroy the value of a human being, but you can make him or her feel like shit.

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.

This is what the court did. This is what Kennedy did when he affirmed the highest expression of love. The backward practitioners of an ancient bigotry and all the indignity it sowed lost.

 

[CitizenKain]

That and pink font, wtf.

There were probably too many big words in there for you conservatives anyway.

 

[Moonbeam]

Can Independents be partisan?

Fanatically so as in your case. You have ego pride in your position. Naming oneself as an independent is a political statement. You want to be independent of being independent.

 

[kage69]

Vic has just summed up the thread with a single pic IMO. *applause*