We have evolved to see stereotyping as racism, and so black face is a stereotype and anyone who stereotypes ipso facto is a racist.
Like depicting native Americans as war like brutal savages in our own nation's capital would be completely out of bounds as it would be a stereotype and therefore - racism, and completely intolerable. Like it would be inconceivable that there would ever be an NFL team called the "Washington Redskins". That would be like an NFL Team called the "Alabama N-Words". And, any fan or supporter of such a team would also be considered a racist as well.
2
“...and I am Javert!”
Well said.
6
"If Northam had burned crosses on people's lawns 35 years ago, he would have been guilty of a racist crime that could never be overlooked. But it isn't clear that his behavior at that time had anything to do with racism."
Of course not! Who could possibly think that a photo of a caricatured minstrel in blackface, standing next to someone wearing a pointy-capped KKK robe, was "racist?" Perish the thought.
8
I constantly audit my behavior, known in the Catholic church I grew up in in the '50s & '60s as examining my conscious. I am not casting a stone, but to parallel a thoughtless, ignorant quote of a politician who is famous for such gaffes with wearing blackface next to a pal dressed in KKK garb is a false equivalence. He was not a child, he was soon to be practicing medicine. Think about it: blackface and a Klansman side by side. In the 80's this wasn't funny! The other issue here is that he is a representative of his state and his party. If they want him to go, he should.
6
Always great to see a white conservative columnist setting us all straight on racism.
6
Were he alive today, Abraham Lincoln would be disqualified as a political candidate or pressured to resign if he were an office holder. During the famed Lincoln-Douglas Debates in 1958, Lincoln declared, “I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office…there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will for ever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.” Not even having signed the Emancipation Proclamation would save him.
17
Suspend Obama's pension because he was once against gay marriage?
13
He’s a friend to civil rights as his public record shows. Don’t be stupid and sacrifice one of your own to prove a point. That’s ego getting in the way of progress.
14
Don’t know which is more shocking...learning that blackface was ever not a big deal... or that so many jump to defend it now. Not a big deal, equivalent to laughing at a racist joke or using the b word? Wow.
1
From what little I know, I generally agree with Bret Stephens. The problem is the "third rail" (named for the highly electrified rail on subway systems--touch it and you die). There are issues that simply cannot be judged on reasonable grounds because they are so highly politically charged. Number one is the "N-word"-- we can't even say it. Had Northam been accused of using it, it would be game over and we wouldn't even be having this discussion. The problem is that we are rapidly adding third rail issues to our society. The #metoo movement, however well justified, now means that any female accuser cannot be questioned without grave political risk--hence the Kavanaugh circus. In Chicago we've got an investigation into an assault accusation that is massively complicated by the fact that the victim is black and gay. Today's NYT has an article about VA's lieutenant governor and rape allegations. Race vs gender-- it's enough to make your head explode. Yes, we must absolutely move forward by rejecting bias in all forms. But we don't help ourselves by letting the pendulum swing to excess on the other side.
3
Doing something racially insensitive does not make one a racist.
12
During the famed Lincoln-Douglas Debates in 1958, Lincoln Abraham Lincoln declared, “I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office…there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will for ever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.” Should he have been acceptable as a presidential candidate on 1860 because he was an anti-slavery advocate?
2
Democrats are becoming puritanical. All past transgressions are damnable and unforgivable, all sex is scary and should be treated with caution, and making an off-color joke is worthy of permanent professional ostracism (and not just for elected officials).
I hate being a voter determined not to waste my vote. My options are either a) literal fascists or b) humorless Puritans.
11
Stephens makes some valid points though I wonder if his reaction would have been the same if one of the guys in the picture was dressed as an orthodox rabbi and the other in a nazi uniform. Prince harry is a different case -the expectations for decent behavior of the British royal family are pretty low. The people who should have the deciding vote on this are those that have been insulted by the behavior-the members of the black caucus in the Virginia legislature and other representatives of the black community
2
Northam selected the photo of a white guy dressed as a clown and wearing black face next to a guy in KKK-style robes for his yearbook page. Instead of owning up to being in this racist picture or admitting making the selection, he has tried to absolve himself. His press statements were the words of a middle-age man not a youth. By contrast, the attorney general admitted his black-face gambit and asked for forgiveness. Northam can still save himself by contrition. A man worthy of his office would.
4
I'll buy this argument when Bret Stephens stops holding all Palestinians guilty for all time for the crimes of some. He just published another editorial yesterday in which he accused several supporters of the Palestinian cause (including two congresswomen) of anti-Semitism and condemned the left for being too forgiving of their alleged transgressions!
But if a white guy does something racist of course we must forgive him. How about this Bret: write the same argument forgiving Ilhan Omar for a tweet she made six years ago condemning our indifference as Israel dropped bombs on Gaza killing over a 100 people and then we can talk.
1
The Gov was a product of the culture that he lived in at the time.
White people didn't know any better!
That's the result of trying to keep African Americans (and Native Americans) down and segregated in America for the past 400 years... the lies used to achieve that "control" have often actually kept the white populace and their children ignorant (and sometimes mean?).
1
May I remind the republicans who are calling for Northam's head of who they voted for and continue to support in the White House.
If republican politicians resigned every time something like this came to light there wouldn't be any left.
4
Sorry Bret. This guy doesn’t get a pass because it occurred in the 80s. I’m white and this man like his fellow bigots should have known better. But for technology catching up to these white men no one would’ve known and I’m a democrat. A shame that his stupidity takes him down but no exceptions whether blue or red.
3
"I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."
-Steve Bannon
Attention Liberals .. you are playing right into Bannon's hand..
106
I was once racist. I do not think I am a racist now. However, much of the commentary I have seen this week on the Governor of Virginia has me wondering if I am perhaps wrong. I was taught to be racist towards Blacks and Jews by my father and the society I grew up in. During my middle teens, when I started suffering the pains of sexual, religious, and class discrimination, I started questioning what my father had taught me. I don’t know when, but one day I stopped being a racist. Through empathy, education, and exposure, I came to know and believe that what I was taught regarding Blacks and Jews is wrong.
I accept that I was a racist, and even though I may never have discriminated against Black or Jewish persons, I helped perpetuate belief systems that ruined people’s lives and even resulted in deaths. As a former racist, should I be punished. If yes, how severely and for how long? How can a judgement like this be made when it’s impossible to calculate the extent of the harm I caused and to what degree I am responsible? Can I make reparations? If you can’t calculate the harm, how can you determine reparations?
So, if I was once a racist, am I always a racist and should be treated as such even if I have tried to make reparations by taking a stand against prejudices of my kind, even if lived most of my life in a manner that shows I am not a racist, even if I am sorry down to the core of my being and whole-heartedly remorseful for any harm my beliefs have caused?
546
John 7:53-8:11: And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? ... he lifted up himself, and said unto them, he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. . . . And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one ... and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. . . . he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
280
Would it not be progressive to celebrate a life that went from participating in Jim Crow to one that fought against it?Or would it be better to demand some kind of ideological purity ? Democrats seem to form a circle when ever they need a firing squad. This independent thinks that path is foolish. Just a thought.
77
I'm sorry but I fail to see why he should be GOVERNOR. He can be a doctor. He can be a lot of things. But he apparently decided to memorialize what he thought was funny at AGE 25. This was not a joke he laughed at, a boy playing cowboys and Indians, or an insult hurled at someone different. I fail to see how his life is ruined. Eric "I can't breathe" Gardner had his life ruined indeed ended for much less. I a whte Democrat have no sympathy for the ol boy wink wink governor. He should have admitted to it, said he was profoundly embarrassed by the stupidity of such behavior which was NOT acceptable in 1984 anywhere.
15
The instance in this article and in these comments to label Governor Northam's behavior as anything but racist is shocking and deeply upsetting. It was not "dumb and ugly", "immature", or "insensitive". It was was racist and a painful example of the Northam's complicity in white supremacy. The fact that Bret Stephens has also engaged in racist behavior, or that any number of us have, does not excuse the governor's actions. He dressed in blackface and posed next to a peer dressed as a member of the KKK, a white supremacist terrorist group responsible for the violent and racist murder and terrorization of thousands of Black Americans, many of them in Virginia. The fact that he was complicit in this representation in the past and not the present is not relevant, as it does not change the fact that it happened. Every day, Black men and boys are penalized for their entire lives for actions they took as teenagers and young adults. I see no reason why Northam or anyone else so unapologetically complicit in white supremacy-- even if the evidence is 30 years old and came from his young adulthood-- should be given the power of the governorship. Northam should resign.
14
This photo was taken long before cell phone cameras and video recorders became ubiquitous. Therefore, we can anticipate that the current generation of young politicians will frequently become ensnared in similar scandals in the future. Are we going to give them political death sentences every time compromising photos or videos of them emerge? The fact is, young people often experiment with stupid behavior, even in their 20s. It is very easy to get swept up with stupid things your peers are doing. It is the nature of youth. I would rather be represented by someone who has made youthful mistakes and learned from them, and redeemed themselves, then be represented by someone who has lived their entire life as an ascetic.
34
If in the future people judge the people of today by the morality of tomorrow, everyone will be condemned.
What are you doing now that will be immoral in a decade or two or three?
Eating meat?
Using any animal products?
Using petroleum products?
Not supervising your children enough?
Supervising them too much?
Not being tolerant of those from other civilizations?
Being too tolerant of them?
Flying in airplanes?
Going as a tourist to Antarctica or the Galapagos?
Going as a tourist anywhere more than 50 miles from your home?
Being religious?
Being irreligious?
People love righteous indignation, but that truth is that most of us are doing something daily that others will eventually find contemptible.
That's moral progress. But we don't have to be stupid about it.
87
As long as Trump waits in the White House with many accusations against him of sexual harassment of women and a long history of racist comments and deeds, Northam and the rest should sit in the Virginia Governor’s mansion. Apply the same standard to all. Whoever is asking for Northam’s resignation and thatof his VP and Attorney General should demand Trump’s resignation, too!
32
Northam must resign. Northam was not a wild eyed teenager when this photo was prominently displayed on his yearbook page. He had just completed medical school! Whether he is in the photo or not is immaterial because he choose to display symbols of racial hate, violence and white supremacy just below his name. Then he tried to evade responsibility with numerous lame excuses. Bruce Allen the former Governor of Virginia torpedoed his chance for a U.S. Senate run by using a pejorative to describe a journalist. Northam's offense is so much worse because he is appealing to the racism at the core of the American soul. In Maryland our Republican Governor, Larry Hogan, voiced his opposition to Donald Trump long before Donald was even the nominee. The electorate must be concerned with the man and not the party.
The accusations against Lieutenant Governor Fairfax are another strange coincidence surrounding this affair. Why did these accusations surface just when the Lieutenant Governor was mentioned as the successor to Governor Northam?
3
I'd like those who have no understanding of human foibles and youthful indiscretions molded by a culture of the 1980's in a then deeply conservative racist state to reflect on the words of our first and only President of color.
In his 2008 speech in Philadelphia which the media chose to call the "Rev. Wright" speech, Mr. Obama called for people of all races and ethnicity to unite. Unite around common challenges, and common action to move in the same direction.
He took particular note of his white maternal grandmother who helped raise him. A woman from Kansas for whom he had great affection. Yet said Mr. Obama she more than once uttered racial stereotypes about black people and told him she was sometimes afraid of black men. Mr. Obama never disowned her and his point is we are all victims of America's original sin.
Then view the eulogy the Gray Lady called one of the most moving speeches ever following the A.M.E. church massacre in Charleston S.C. The President took particular notice of the fact that these African-American people of deep faith sought justice but not revenge. Forgiveness and redemption, not eternal shunning or anathema. We could learn some lessons. The Governor elected by his voters should stay.
45
"It is hard enough for ordinary, decent people, aware of their shortcomings and capable of shame, to contemplate a career in politics; .....why would they ever do so if the statute of limitations on past indiscretions never expires? .... And if they won’t run, aren’t they just ceding the field to those with no shame?"
Exactly!! If one has to be "pure" from cradle to grave then no one can qualify to run for office.
25
Jesus once said, Mathew 7:5
"Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
I'll leave by saying we have the power to forgive, learn from our mistakes embrace respect and look for ways to love.
14
You have missed an important consequence of Mr. Northam's youthful indiscretion. His actions as a college student may be seen as acceptable by others who will see that they can also indulge their racism or other immature traits with the expectation of their being forgiven as normal college age behavior. They will be "good" people later but right now they can show what may be an underlying and enduring bias and be forgiven.
4
Perfect, sharp, honest column, even if we learn that there is more under the rug. The faux and shallow prevailing moralism, conveniently whipped up by the press, is shockingly simplistic or nauseating.
19
Some of Richard Pryor's funniest material was based on racial stereotypes and might well be considered unfortunate by today's standards.
Did that make Pryor a racist?
I say no... Just a black guy gifted with a wicked sense of humor that could go places white comedians couldn't. He had timing and a stand up routine that satired racism well enough to attract an audience and maybe that was part of his success... That his humor fit 70's and 80's racial culture so well.
If Gov Northam is guilty of anything it's poor judgement and the insensitivity of youth. I'm amazed the photo passed editorial muster, and maybe that's another reminder of how different racial perception was in that time and place.
In a perfect world he'd apologize for any offense taken, assure the voters he's learned from the experience and be judged primarily on his performance since taking office. If that doesn't satisfy the issue, let the voters send him home with the next election.
16
Mr. Stephens calls attention to a fact that in politics, it is accepted that a raciest and bigot can absolutely call his opponent a raciest and bigot. It is also allowed for a political party to pile praise, adoration, and power on an ex KKK officer, Senator Robert Byrd, who filibustered and voted against the Civil Rights Bill and called Martin Luther King a " Self-seeking rabble rouser." For me, the I did it part of I did I didn't response, indicates that whether he did or didn't, he thought he could have. Should someone resign because they said or did something stupid when they were in that age bracket of doing or saying something stupid? No but he is going to live under this for the next few years. On the other hand, he may find a really good publicist who well paint him a victim of an oppressive evil opponent and have him run for U.S. Senator. At the same time making sure to sweep under the rug that the main voices calling for his resignation, are in his own party. But they are more concerned about loss of votes than racism.
3
If Northam is lying to the public about not being in the photo, how is he taking responsibility for his past racist behavior? I have a hard time believing this photo is being taken out of context.
7
I think what Mr. Stephens says makes much sense. People evolve and no doubt many have embarrassing elements of their past. As a contemporary of the governor in age, I can say that I never wore black face or attended parties with those who did. But then again I went a private college and public law school, and this was not the norm then or now. Was this stupidity, that the governor and the attorney general joined in, a hazard of the backwards south - it would seem sadly to be the case. Time to get in step with this century.
4
I rarely agree with Bret, but I do in this case. There is no crime in what Northam did, just stupid and inexcusable behavior. He should move forward with a serious focus on improving race relations, and with a sincere apology.
19
President Donald Trump is not a racist and neither is Gov. Northam. Calling either a racist is far worse than anything Mr. Trump did and similar to Mr. Northam attacking his Republican opponent as racist. Racial politics seems to be the new McCarthyism run by the misguided Democrats.
The no tolerance, no forgiveness, no need to weigh the evidence, mentality might be politically necessary to set the stage for Trump’s reelection impeachment campaign. Hundreds of minor offenses and omissions may add up to high crimes if your side is desperate and that is the only way your side (i.e. any Democratic presidential candidate) can win.
Megan Kelly did not think blackface was so bad at Halloween even if her employer did. “Blackface minstrelsy was the first theatrical form that was distinctly American.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show Those judging Gov. Northam don’t acknowledge the good that came about with the self-deprecating humor that gradually enabled many blacks to get ahead on a voluntary basis long before the Civil Rights laws. See Stepin Fetchit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepin_Fetchit
February is Black History Month and it is a good time to learn about Radical Republicans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_Republican It is also good to understand that blackface entertainment incorporated the self-deprecating humor that turned slaves into humans and eventually into equals. We all truly need to learn to take a joke as our forefathers did.
6
Ralph Northam's racist behavior in posting a photo with two of the most disgraceful images of the Jim Crow era when he was graduating not from high school, not from college, but from medical school has only been matched by his shameful unwillingness to act like an adult and to take responsibility for his actions by confessing, offering repentance and restoration. He has done none of that. He's clearly demonstrated that he lacks the character to continue in office and must resign!
3
I think Stephens is correct. But Northam should still resign, not because of the yearbook stuff, but because of the damage he'll do to his party in Virginia if he doesn't. If he doesn't resign, and pretty quickly, he's handing political offices in Virginia to Republicans. Too many Virginia voters won't buy Stephens' arguments, or will even be aware of them.
4
Some parts of our citizenry are wandering into a world of "1 strike you're out," regardless of what that strike was or when it took place. EVERYONE has done something in their past, and even their present, that they aren't proud of or that was in fact, wrong; some are more serious than others of course, but all must be interpreted in the light of the era in which it took place. Northam, like Robert Byrd, Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington (NOT saying he's in their league, BTW) are products of their era. TR, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington transcended their eras in almost every--but not every--way. That is to say that they are great--but not perfect--Americans. If we can't acknowledge that we are all human, who make mistakes of omission and commission, then we are denying our own humanity in the search of the elusive perfect--which we will never find. And our politics, our country, and our relationships will be the poorer for it.
11
I agree, with everything in this essay and I AM a Democrat and don’t often agree with Brett Stephens.
While there are no pictures or public displays of black-face in my past, there are things I said or laughed that I am ashamed of and would not say or do today. Let’s be proud that our sensibilities have changed.
Governor Northam should acknowledge what happens and use this as a ‘teachable’ moment.
19
Good column; very good column.
When first hearing of this *sudden horror* a week ago, two weeks ago... I forget now how long this's been going on, I was actually impressed by Gov. Northam's apology and mea culpa as genuine and sincere. He apologized! He apologized for something he did as a very young man over 35 years ago. What else is he supposed to do?
This won't get much support but I'm gonna say it anyway. Over 18 years ago my former US Senator and Representative, Robert Toricelli, was forced to resign over something... and in his resignation address he asked: "Since when have we become such an unforgiving nation?" Personally, I think Watergate and the introduction to Newt Gingrich politics has most to do with it. Compound that with FoxNews and th 24/7 news cycles we all live with now, where there's always some time to be filled with destroying THE political enemy of th moment. Right Newt?
To ere is human, to forgive..?
15
"And if they won’t run, aren’t they just ceding the field to those with no shame?"
Best thing in whole piece.
12
I am one, among a host of other people who have thought or spoken of ideas I now abhor as a result of maturing. However, we are not running for public office.
Do you see the difference? It should be obvious even to those of us of the most basic level of intelligence.
3
Great opinion piece. A real breath of fresh air, all the more so since you are on the other political side. Bless you.
10
“But how about a corollary to the right: A reasonable expectation of receding relevance, at least for non-criminal acts?”
A criminal act can never be forgiven or forgotten?
There is is something defective with that morality.
Matthew 26:28 KJV
[28] For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
No qualifications listed here for what can be of receding relevance and what can not.
If we truly believe in penance, forgiveness, redemption, and change then it has to be true for all.
2
Thank you Brett Stephens for this article. We should all do some self reflection. You expressed my thoughts and feelings about the unthoughtful conduct of a person some 30 years ago. Many of us did, said, and thought things we would never do today. This incident should be used as a learning opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss how actions and words can be hurtful to others in the moment or many years in the future.
10
I'm not bothered at all by Northam's later claim that he wasn't in the photo:
"The only issue I have with Northam is his lack of candor about the photo. I felt the same way about Kavanaugh ...."
Northam initially said he was in the photo (though he never said which guy he was), but later said he wasn't either guy. I can accept his mistake, since the important point isn't whether he was in the photo: the important point is that he (presumably) APPROVED the photo for "his" yearbook page, not whether he was in it.
More important, Northam should be forgiven. My only point is that forgiveness shouldn't be reserved for those with political beliefs that match those of the forgiver.
Nor, however, should a politician (or a Supreme Court nominee) be forgiven for PRESENT misconduct -- notably including a PRESENT denial of a past incident. Northam never denied the incident happened; he just said that was a long time ago and he's changed since then. Kavanaugh could have said the same thing, but he didn't. Instead, Kavanaugh denied -- PRESENTLY -- that the incident happened at all. Who knows? Maybe it never did happen, and Kavanaugh was certain of that, but his admitted "blacking out" called for him to express a lack of certainty, and yet he didn't. To me, that makes Kavanaugh much different from Northam; that's PRESENT misconduct, not some "youthful indiscretion."
3
In high school, I was the only black in my graduating class of 500. In this suburb of well educated and prosperous people, I found words like "Kill all N---------" or "KKK Forever" scrawled across my locker or on signs in our home's front yard. Twenty years later, I moved to this suburb without a problem. A place can change and people can change.
We can point to the late Robert Byrd, as others have done, as a KKK recruiter who later supported Pres. Obama or George Wallace who changed. More recently, we can find examples of younger Neo-Nazis, tattooed with swastikas who changed and honored minorities.
Northam made an awkward apology for a bad action of, 35 years ago, even as I can cringe at my own flawed actions. But there are black citizens of Virginia who acknowledge his flaw but then say he has done a fine job in practical matters: expanding Medicaid and voting rights. These are real, not politically correct concerns.
It is frustrating to see liberal pundits, many of them black, traffic in outrage and a rush to judgment, that would, if we eliminate the now scandalized lieutenant governor and the next in line, who also admits to black face, would fulfill the Republican agenda: if these three are eliminated, they get a Republican governor. A little more restraint and wisdom is warranted, especially since none seem to be calling for the president's ouster, based on many racist comments in his brief tenure, not 35 years ago.
495
@Joan exactly. It's the (R) MO, for the next 2 years. Attack, personal destruction. Don't fall for it.
21
Sad that so few African American comments are here. I would love to see more from our perspective on this. Especially when one involved is an African American. I personally think they all should resign or the Democrats will be permanently known as the Hypocrats.
21
He should not resign. It is apparent that this was common behavior for well off young white men in Virginia in the 1980s. And apparently the Republican speaker of the Virginia house, who would be handed the Governorship if the current leaders resign, did the same thing. And being a Republican, he would laugh at the idea of resigning over it.
6
Wow, one of the rare times I am in complete agreement with Bret Stephens! Very clearly and cogently argued. I would add one thing: We need to weigh more heavily what people do and who they BECOME over time, rather than use a period in life (especially long ago, when one was young and dumb, and/or the norms were different), when judging people today. Trump has shown patterns of terrible behavior over his lifetime, and has become a monster. For him, no pass, as his bigotry never went away. For Northam and others, they clearly changed and did much good after their dumb period. That should be the bar.
8
I do not think Govenor Northam should resign. No human can meet the standards which people are judged by today. Everyone has done things they regret. We should judge him by his current behavior.
11
If I could write as well as Bret, my position on this issue would be almost identical to his, and I'm a liberal. People, all people, do many ugly little things and think many ugly thoughts. If everyone is to be judged only by their transgressions, no one will be deemed fit for office. I doubt if many of our past presidents could have cleared this bar, if all of their little sins, never mind some of their big ones, were known. Al Franken was needlessly sacrificed on this cross of moral purity, and we lost a good senator.
What I really don't understand is how the current president gets a pass for his current behavior, never mind his past.
9
I sent in a comment earlier that was approved, which consisted of questions and questions only. Then I thought and read your opinion again! Personally is was one of the best opinions I have read in the New York Times of late. Mr. Stephens, we are of different opinions political, but I agree with your opinion pertaining to Governor Northam's predicament. Yes we are all imperfect and as you explained we all did dumb or embarrassing things when younger. As I re-read your article I kept saying yes, yes and yes! I did that and thank goodness and I hope that I am not the same person when I did those stupid or hurtful things. Many thanks for your insightful piece, making me rethink my position and becoming more understanding. As you ended, "Ralph Nortman needs to clear up who's in that photo, so Virginians won't think he's lying."
3
There is a lot of irony in the way this is playing out. Right after the photo from the governor’s med school year book surfaced - “exposed” by an anti-abortion trolling site- the Democrats pounced on the bait. So-called “progressives” competed to denounce Gov Northam. His thirty-five years of exemplary public service since medical school meant zero to them, not compared to the opportunity for political posturing . I listened to MSNBC’s Joy Reid (she of the homophobic and anti-semitic blog -cf the NYTimes April - July 2018 -for which she has apparently been forgiven) giddily celebrate the fact the an African Aamerican will become governor when Northam resigns. Of course she had no way of knowing that Mr. Fairfax would soon have far more serious problems than Northam.
I thank Mr. Stephens for this reasoned column. The comments seem to reflect a desire for more humanity and less self-righteousness. Let us hope the Democrats listen and stop competing for the most “purity,” particularly when the loudest among them have their own problems with ageism, racial bigotry (anti-white) and anti-semitism.
8
I fear that we have gone so far down the rabbithole that we have somehow subsitituted enlightenment for perfection. Of which there is none.
7
People ought to take a look at the Supreme Court justice Hugo Black.He was once an actual member of the KKK.When this was disclosed, he went on radio and denounced the Klan.He apologized for his past mistake.Black went on to become one of the most liberal of justices.He supported Brown vs Board of Education.He voted to overturn a lower court ruling freeing murderous Klan members from prosecution.They were later convicted and went to jail.We seem to have ignored the fact that people can change when they move into adulthood.
When I was growing up in the Niagara Falls - Buffalo area it was polish jokes. I never really believed that area residents whose relatives immigrated from Poland were in any way inferior.But, I laughed at the jokes even though my girlfriend, at the time, had Polish speaking grandparents.The new joke is ....how many Democratic progressives does it take to change a light bulb?The answer: three...one to hold the bulb and two to turn the stepladder. Will I forever be banished from being a progressive for laughing?And...I don't think the whole issue is a laughing matter either but come on folks let's grow up.
6
Yes, we are not politically programmed robots. Stupidity runs in all our youth, it is how we move forward in life.
The most important part that people do not discuss is learned behavior, socially accepted behavior at a particular time, and group behavior.
Words are offensive, however depending on social environments, and time period, they are accepted. Television even picks up on them and echos them too. This makes those words even more acceptable to the minds of people.
I agree, look at the person’s life forward and how they lived it. Do not be defined by a stupid act.
The governor has one thing and one thing to address, the picture in the yearbook.
Is he in it?
Why was it in his yearbook?
Did he select it or was it an accident?
How could he have never saw it?
Why was he not outraged if it was not his?
These are the questions reporters do not ask. Instead, you have a reporter asking the stupid question of does he know how to moonwalk.
WTHeck???
The issue for me is the governor is guilty of acting like an idiot today based on not having the ability to handle a crisis.
Who does one have confidence in this individual for not addressing the issue with clarity.
I totally concur with Mr. Stephens' analysis and conclusions, and am grateful someone articulated so well the thoughts and opinions forming in my mind.
Taking nothing away from the ugliness and inappropriateness of Gov. Northam's behavior, but putting into context that a) it was 35 years ago, b) his life since has been anything but racist, stating well the question if we have the opportunity for redemption from beliefs and attitudes or stupid indiscretions of our youth.
As a gay man I have certainly suffered insensitive and threatening words and behaviors, within the last 18 months, let alone 35 years.
I say to raise some parallel; wondering if people who have made homophobic comments (Joy Reid) are to be forgiven or trusted?
And, more importantly, does anyone demanding Gov. Northam's resignation have a 'sin' of hateful comments or harassing behavior in their background? Are these folks free from sin, and would their lives stand up to scrutiny to evolving mores 35 years later?
Let the one without sin cast the first stone.
7
I am a Virginian and I don't want Dr. Northam to leave office. I believe him when he says he's not in the picture. I think there are multiple other explanations. Reasons for Ralph Northam NOT to say who IS in that photo:
* The two people who ARE in that photo will likely experience repercussions. People who have a racists past have been doxxed and have lost jobs, their family, and have even been prosecuted for crimes. It's a dangerous thing to be outed as a racist.
* It would be throwing those people under the bus to save himself.
* He may not know who they are.
* He's said this isn't him. It doesn't matter who it is.
1
If the guy had just come out and said I'm sorry, I was young and stupid..... I'd agree, but he came out with several stories.
And whose idea is it to have these poor women standing beside the folly they married!!!???
This judging people on what they did when they we young seems counter productive and ridiculous, which explains why Man likes it so much.
But at bottom, like everything else, these social warrior movements are just Nietzsche's "will to power".
“life”- all life -“the world… is will to power, and nothing besides”
Nietzsche
At the end of the day, it's all about some group or some individual trying to gain hegemony for their group or themself. Nietzsche followed and found this all the way down into pity, were a person gives a beggar money, deep down the giver receives power and the beggar shame.
“Failure seemed to me to be the only virtue. Every suspicion of self-advancement, even to ‘succeed’ in life to the extent of making a few hundred a year, seemed to me spiritually ugly, a species of bullying”.
Orwell
The world ought not to be.
1
No white person is born a racist. No white person wants to become a racist . But all white people and I do mean all of us, get exposed to racism in some form--from subtle to overt. We never asked for it but we all got dipped in it. Some of stay stuck with it. Some of us spread it around and some of us ( the lucky ones) become aware of it and work to heal from it. It is a process and a struggle --a good struggle that all white people have. Governor Northam has struggled with his racism and has worked to overcome it. He should be forgiven for his display of racism done thirty five years ago. Forgiving and moving on is what just and humane society does. This is not ignoring racism but is acknowledging it and our ability to resolve it given the opportunity
5
Cui Bono? This all seems too contrived at just the right time.
1
Too much latitude is given to past racism because it was a norm in the past. Even when it was satirized it was not really ok. We are living in a time when our children are marrying persons of another race who they love. We are also living in a time when our President was openly and continuously attacked for his race by Republicans under the cover of “political” license. We are living in a time when unarmed Black men are killed by police with no consequences. We need a remedy that acknowledges institutional racism. Examine yearbooks for evidence of racism. Based on results, outlaw racist photos and language. After the holocaust, Germany outlawed anti semitism. We have never remedied the inhumanity of slavery.
1
Bravo, if everyone was judged solely on stupid behaviors in their youth we might as well call it quits right now.
6
Here is a thought for all those casting stones which there are many, does forgiveness ever play in any of this? It is an easy human emotion to be righteous and condemning, it is much
More difficult to forgive. I do not want to see any man White, Black, Hispanic or Asian taken down for a transgression committed 35 years ago especially since so much good has transpired in that person’s life since.
Try forgiveness, I know it’s hard but it is more than Woke!
4
I find it amazing the rationalization of a newly minted physician choosing to include a minstrel character and a member of the KKK in his yearbook page. The denigration of propping up a black face character is bad enough but to include the KKK-- a terrorist organization responsible for the death and torture of hundreds, if not thousands, of American citizens! And this was placed by a 26 year-old, presumably educated, man whose undergraduate yearbook nickname was "Coonman."
Finally, the idea that someone who held these values and has never demonstrated remorse or contrition until being being caught can just stay on as the governor of Virginia because... "well, it was in the past and who hasn't espoused racist and terrorist views in their early adulthood."
He should be allowed and encouraged to seek redemption but I see no reason that he should do so while being the chief executive of Virginia.
How many times do African American parents have to explain to their kids that our lives, our culture, our values, our history and our pain must take a back seat.
3
I'm kind of over the 'blackface'. Dumb kids do what dumb kids do, If we were all prosecuted for the dumb things we did as a dumb kid, there would be very few of us unbloodied. And those would be the ones you'd have to look out for. But this 'honesty' business. First, the guy says he did. Then he says he didn't. Makes me question his sincerity.
5
He chose four pictures to encapsulate his personal brand at the time; four year book pictures by which people should remember him.
In his suit, he is an aspiring college graduate, bound for success.
Reclining next to his Corvette he epitomizes cool and rich.
Duded up in his cowboy hat he shows his rugged, outdoorsy side.
Then we come to the fourth picture.
His brand was an aspiring, rich, cool, dude that hates Black people.
Has he changed? Who knows.
1
The problem here isn’t Ralph Northam. Put it in perspective: A Republican operative surfaces an old photograph with the aim of discrediting a Democratic Governor. The Democratic Establishment falls all over itself in its rush to condemn. “Woke”, apparently, but not quite “woke” enough to know when they’re being maneuvered, somewhat like the Trump supporters who consistently vote against own interests.
Governor Northam has a unique opportunity here to show some leadership. And so do the Democrats, if only to show that they’re competent to govern at all.
4
By disqualifying for office anyone who has ever said or done anything stupid or offensive, no matter how long ago, we are ensuring that only narcissistic, power-hungry, unreflective people who can never see personal flaws (never mind admit them) will go into office. And we will deserve them as our "leaders" because of our current insistence on almost fascist-like personal purity.
4
The ONLY reason Democrats are attempting to drive Northam out of office is to avoid accusations of hypocrisy in their past and future labeling of virtually every Republican as a racist.
3
I wholeheartedly agree with you on this one. If the statute of limitations on past indiscretions never runs out—especially past mistakes that have been atoned for—then we are indeed headed toward a supremely dark place. Who among us can pass such a draconian litmus test? Who?
The governor certainly has more explaining to do, with greater clarity and even honesty. But for the 35 years—35 years!—since his shameful blackface incident, he has apparently lived an exemplary, you might even say redeeming, life.
While in this case it is certainly proper to highlight the nature of the “sin,” we would do just as well to empathize with the “sinner,” by remembering that we might very well have a beam sticking out of our own eye while we’re focusing on the toothpick in the governor’s. This is emphatically NOT to minimize the wrongfulness of his past behavior. It is rather simply to remind us that a good look in the mirror is called for, especially to preclude a destiny to what Bret calls a dark place. Legislation ultimately can’t help us with this one.
2
I agree with Stephens that Northam should not be forced to resign because of something silly he did decades ago. However, Stephens then goes on to refer to similar actions by other Democrats as grave compromises. He clearly can’t get past his role as a professional member of the Republican Commentariat. He ignores the fact that his party is making dumb and ugly behavior acceptable again, at least for Republicans. He lists the bad acting in the past only by those on the Left, not one mention of equal or worse behavior by his fellow Republicans. And, of course, no mention of his Republican President whose daily ugly behavior is a embarrassment to all decent Americans. In my opinion, his blatant blindered partisanship in this commentary constitutes dumb and ugly behavior.
2
Shame on Bret for reminding us that Prince Harry once dressed as a Nazi.
Just as we had comfortably forgotten, we are now reminded that the monarchy is not quite as irrelevant as we had hoped.
1
Absolutely, if we dig on anyone’s youth, few if any would be found to be virginally clean. There has to be a limit to this. And certainly how one has evolved and mended those ignorant or idiotic acts of the past should count for something more. Do not resign.
Virginia Democrats are calling for Justin Fairfax to resign or face impeachment but not Ralph Northam, who now has the support of Mr. Stephens based on this op-ed. What a double standard! I guess racism is not as bad as sexual assault. Racist behavior, according to Mr. Stephens, is a youthful transgression which must be overlooked over time. If so, then why are men who committed racist acts 50+ years ago still being sought as if they were Nazi prison camp guards? As far as I am concerned the call to impeach Justin Whitaker is motivated by racism, especially the stereotype of the over-sexed African American male. The call for Mr. Fairfax to go also reflects the camaraderie of Virginia Democrats, white Virginia Democrats, to protect their own. Their actions demonstrate that Virginia politics has not advanced much since the days when Richmond was the capital of the CSA and reinforces the negative view the rest of the nation has of Southerners. Thank you.
1
But Megan Kelly should lose her job and Joy Behar should lose her job. This socialist democrat, Northam, has ended his career. Another one down. He is a LIAR and knew exactly who and what was in the yearbook as he was in charge period. His ego is wrong and people would not have elected this unethical liar. With others (such as Trump) we KNEW what we got and still preferred over HRC.
2
Finally, some common sense! Thank you!
3
I suppose that being judged on your worst moment depends on what your worst moment is.
I had some trouble with Brett Kavanaugh, because his worst moment appears to have been to sexually assault a classmate while stupendously drunk. And his second worst moment was to deny it, instead of apologizing for being so drunk and such a waste of protoplasm as a teen that he can't remember ruining another person's sense of security. I'd have supported a person who said the latter.
Northam had my support when he apologized and said he was a better person now, and lost it when he backpedaled.
I can easily forgive people who change for needing to change. My own views have changed radically, on issues such as gay rights and the need for my Church to stop persecuting them; on casual slurs I used to say thoughtlessly like "going off the reservation." On all sorts of things. Growing older should be an experience in which we seek to grow better.
But... you don't get a pass from me, if you deny what is obviously true. Own it. Demonstrate the actions that make it clear you grew into a better person. Ask forgiveness for your youthful idiocy. Northam could have admitted that the reason to trust him now is that he knows now how wrong being casually racist is.
Northam? Fess up or resign.
“Judged by the decency of our intentions”?? No, I don’t care one bit about other people’s intentions, look at all the destruction caused by the Leftist Democrat party, I’m sure most of those folks “intend” well. All I and anyone else should care about is other people’s actions and what results from them. That’s it.
1
The founder of christian doctrine once said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Think about that if you will, holders of many stones.
2
Northrup is not ready to be forgiven for his past indiscretions because he has not come clean and admitted his errors. He is LYING about this and everyone knows it.
He now claims that it is not him in the photo, he has never seen his yearbook page, and he has no idea how it got there. But he did dress as Michael Jackson. Puh-lease. That is ridiculous.
To me, it would be different had he responded like the AG did. Apologize for what he did, explain that social norms have changed and that back then in his circle it was acceptable behavior and tell us he has grown since etc. etc. But instead he is blatantly lying about this in Trumpian fashion.
If you want us to look past your "youthful indiscretions" you must first admit to the truth.
One final point, the (ridiculous) idea that it is not him in the photo is not really all that relevant. If you post a photo of a Klansman on your page, obviously this is something that defines you, or something you care about. It doesn't matter if the photo is of you or one of your friends.
2
The worst purveyors of racism are those who call others racist. It's a disgusting industry that will do absolutely nothing to end racism. It might even perpetuate it, to keep the industry growing like the cancer it is.
Insofar as Norton's subversive costume is concerned, it was intended for a small audience, not the world. This doesn't excuse it, but regardless, it very likely hurt no one -- and even now -- anyone who claims to be harmed by it is an opportunist. Yes, it's tacky and taboo -- just as smearing white men ought to be, too.
Stop. Calling. People. Racist. This is the lowest form of media entertainment I can think of. Enough is enough.
3
This is the (R) MO for the next 2 years. Watch.
Which (D) candidate, politician, will be next?
What should be examined is the messenger: that previously unknown right wing website responsible also for the accusations against his Lt Governor.
The right knows that liberals, progressives, democrats, will react, will buy into it, for the mere suggestion, the appearance of imperfection. Don't fall for it.
Who's that criminal racist, sex offender, Russian asset in the WH?
4
Reading the comments here makes me unsure of whether to laugh or cry. The NYT's move to the right since 2014 is riddled with hypocricies and contradictions.
Basically this is the Kashoggi murder defense. That is, he is one of ours therefor we shall see no evil, hear no evil and do nothing about it. While we nevertheless will condemn and convict others for those very things if they do it.
When the murder happened everyone claimed, this will not stand but more than that they attacked Trump for saying 'so what! the strategic relationship with Egypt is so important we will not damage it over this' The media, that is the NYT and everyone else condemned him but as I told my disbelieving mother, everyone actually agrees with him but they will use this moment to condemn him for being honest which is why Assange was set up on false rape charges while everyone here and at the UK Guardian called him 'the rapist' even though to anyone who looked into it the conclusions of the later EU and UN courts that he was the victim of injustice, was clear enough but he is guilty of 'Weaponized truths' in chilling Orwellian manner by the NYT.
I see no concern or acknowledgement of this or the lack of UN guidance in the Wests now penchant for overturning democracies like Egypt's, Honduras, Ukraine or now Venezuela. What I see are a lot of liberal white men complaining about being judged FOR WHAT THEY DID, while the paper printing this has no concern for EQUAL justice UNDER THE LAW for others.
2
I couldn’t disagree with you more. If there are no consequences to past actions, then we will continue to let ourselves off the hook for casual cruelties and acceptance of racist and sexist actions. This is doubly true for politicians, otherwise we are doomed to an endless stream of Donald Trumps.
At the minimum, Northam should have stood up before his election and admitted that this was on his ledger. Then the mitigation of his adult live would really have some meaning. Without that, he just another pol covering up or an idiot that thinks such things can be glossed over in 21st century America.
Forgive, yes. Forget, no. That’s when you end up with holocaust deniers. Please resign Mr Northam. Go forth and teach the masses about all the consequences of ones behavior.
1
Thank you!!!! A voice in the wilderness. If people started pointing their finger inward it would be a better world. Great writing. God bless.
1
Some things should be forgotten, others shouldn't. Following racist behavior patterns that are endemic to your upbringing 35 years ago is forgivable. Attempted Rape, no matter how long ago, is not.
3
There is no question this is a difficult issue. Still... I went to high school in the 80s, too. What you decide to put on your personal yearbook page is a big deal. It is meant to be a reflection of you and how you wish to be remembered. Northam chose a picture of two guys, one in blackface, one dressed as a Klan member. To me it hardly matters whether one is him. It’s the KKK guy, more even than the blackface guy, who haunts. Yes, at some age or other we’ve all likely laughed at offensive jokes, and maybe if white did not realize the implications of, say, dressing as Michael Jackson for Halloween. But a much, much smaller number of people would have, in the 80s, decided the best representation of their high school years and identity was to put a guy in a Klan outfit on their yearbook page.
Does this mean Northam should resign? That’s still not clear to me. But he should speak about what he chose to do in a way that shows he grasps the specific seriousness of what has been revealed here.
1
It sounds as though Mr. Stephens has just called the governor a liar. The governor insists that he did not dress in black face nor did he dress in a Klan outfit. But Mr. Stephens assumes he's lying and thus has forgiven him for both the lie and costume. He doesn't explain himself.
I recall when Prince Harry dressed as a Nazi for a party. He apologized and many made the excuse that he was too young to understand what he had done. I think this was right. But a white man growing up in the south would be intimately aware of the offense given in dressing in black face and having his picture taken next to a Klansman. This cannot be excused. More to the point, can the governor govern after this? I doubt it.
1
Why do we assume he’s in blackface and not the KKK outfit? Blackface could possibly be excused given the history of what was thought entertainment in USA, but posting the KKK photo can’t be passed over so lightly as a dumb mistake of youth. Placing both photos on the page made a statement that should not be reduced to only a young person in blackface after a week of news reports. . The terror created by the KKK in our nation’s past should not be so quickly swept under the rug, or hidden from critical reflection at such a juncture. In fact, the KKK photo on the yearbook page is likely more of an indictment of the Governor if the truth is to be fully told here. Nevertheless, that particular photo seems to have been erased from the headlines. One Is left to wonder why the KKK photo hasn’t received greater scrutiny and why victims of racial discrimination are asked to overlook the implied hatred reflected by its inclusion on the yearbook page.
2
The commenters and this columnist don’t understand the links between government-sponsored dehumanizing and demeaning of African-Americans (including through blackface), the terrorist acts of white supremacists (including the KKK) and public policy that continues to violate the human rights of so many US citizens. We need a US Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Racism.
One of the uglier - and certainly more hypocritical - traits of chrisitianist America is its lack of forgiveness. We are not a forgiving culture. We are skilled at forgetting but we never forgive.
2
Simple test: ask Dr Northam’s black patients over the decades of serving them about how he treated them and their children. That should provide the insight you need into his evolved humanity.
3
If we can tolerate a Supreme Court Justice accused of sexual assault, not to mention a president not just accused of sexual assault (and recorded saying horribly degrading things about women) but one who also called African countries "--- holes" and was sued early in his career for refusing to rent to minorities (need I go on?), surely we can allow Northam to serve out his term as Governor. The hypocrisy is disgraceful; why are Democrats held to such a different standard than Republicans?
5
Now the DNC turns the corner onto its own "robespierre moment"....
Having whipped the unthinking masses into a blood-lust with "Me-Too" and "I see racism everywhere".....the DNC Political Machine has marched so many off to the guilotine, they've darn near run out of appropriate fodder for that guilotine.
The Crowd screams out for more Social Justice!! We must have Social Justice! More Blood they cry!!
I suspect in some way, Ralph Northam has subtlely failed to support DNC Party Line....and is now suspect of being an Enemy of the State.
Thus it is necessary to eliminate him for betraying DNC Party five year objectives.
2
Amen. I have yet to read or hear about Northam's record as a legislator with respect to minority rights. Heck, George Wallace never appeared in black face - does that mean that he should get a pass.
BTW- self reflection is a commodity in short supply.
1
I agree. Balance that youthful stupid picture with: how many children--including black children--has Northam helped to keep healthy or even saved their lives? And in the last 30 years has he published any bad photos? Compare with our president--good grief. And what about lying and calling people names? Get rid of Trump!
1
I’d feel a lot more comfortable if it were someone who actually has felt the pain of racism who said what Bret Stephens did in this opinion piece.
It is entirely too easy for us who have not felt the sting personally to say, “Well, it’s enough to apologize and say one has learned from past mistakes.”
1
Well said, Bret Stephens, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," or something like that, huh?
If we are willing to forgive Northam (I think he deserves it), then I suggest we have a national letter writing campaign of apologies to another Bret - Bret Kavanaugh. A different case to be sure, but the number of people willing to mob up and rush to judgment in his case for something which may or may not have happened, was appalling.
I forget the author who said, "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." Our modern habit of viewing everything in the past through the lens of today's exquisite sensitivities is to be honest, narcissistic. We don't have all the answers for other times, and a little more modesty and forgiveness is in order.
In the US, if you commit a crime you get rigorous due process, along with a punishment proportional to the crime. No death penalty for jaywalking, for example. Not so in our social sphere. All transgressions, even occult, no matter how remote in time, or how trivial, warrant the death penalty. Enough.
6
Commenters:
Would you feel the same if Ralph Northam was a Conservative or a Republican?
Tell the truth!
62
Yes. I find Bret Kavanaugh to be ideologically odious and opposed his nomination on policy grounds, but I also felt he was railroaded and unjustly smeared over a (possible?) moment of teen boorishness.
11
Only speaking for myself, yes I would! However, as has been pointed out, Northam's actions since then also come into play which carries considerable weight for those defending him. Although that may be generalizing, republicans tend to have a contrary track record so it's a shorter leap to assume that past actions may be indicative of who they actually are.
13
@vacciniumovatum absolutely. I'm calling for him to resign, as well as Fairfax. Not Herring. Nuances matter. Rape is an agregious crime. Committed twice,
Racism in youth in the company of a bunch of young white dudes in an obviously racist society, is one thing. How one handles it today is another. Northam goes. Herring stays.
2
I think the fact that Northam is a medical doctor needs to be considered. I grew up in a white homogenous conservative community in the 1970s, and I had a pretty narrow world view entering medical school in 1990. Medical school quickly opens a young person’s eyes to the humanity of people that you would never have met in your prior life. Gov. Northam provided care for black patients, took their histories, touched their bodies and saw with his own eyes that their internal organs look just like his. The fact that he did something morally wrong 30 yrs ago does not disturb me, but the fact that a physician-in-training hadn’t learned his most important lesson by graduation is very alarming.
5
Northam says it was neither, and I believe him:
"... has it actually been determined whether Northam was the one in blackface or the KKK outfit?"
The important point is that Northam (presumably) approved the photo for "his" yearbook page, not whether Northam was in the photo.
The even more important point is that Northam should be forgiven. Though I'd never have appeared in, or approved, such a photo, maybe it was different in the South. Even if it wasn't different, I'd forgive Northam and move on. My only point is that that the political beliefs of the accused shouldn't be what matters. Either BOTH Northam and Kavanaugh should be punished, or neither of them should.
On the other hand, Kavanaugh WAS different because he (Kavanaugh) claimed -- in the PRESENT -- that he never did what Christine Blasey Ford claimed. If K had said, instead, that he doesn't remember ever doing anything like that and it would have been out of character for him, I'd have accepted that. But Kavanaugh denied the incident even happened (even though he admitted to drinking so much beer in high school that he sometimes blacked out). The INCIDENT may (or may not) have occurred long ago, but K's DENIAL happened presently. In contrast, Northam didn't deny doing racist things when he was in medical school. It bothers me that he did, and later attacked his electoral opponent for being a "racist," but at least he never denied his earlier racist behavior. Kavanaugh did.
My judicial career went down for less. It should not have. Politics sucks.
3
It's not that you don't make a decent point, Bret, but I do want to point out that EVERYONE has not made racist, homophobic, etc. comments in their past. I was raised in a working-class Irish Catholic family in the 1950s, and although bias existed all around me, my parents taught me to respect all people. -- No snowflakienss, political correctness, or other Liberal fanatacism run amock -- they just believed that each person should be evaluated on their own merit and that we kids should not group individuals into labeled groups.
1
You've never laughed at someone else's off color joke, or enjoyed a movie or TV show with content that would not be produced in our current cultural moment? Either you're actually better than everyone else on the planet, or you're delusional.
When will the Democrats stop eating their young? All that will be accomplished by hounding Northam, Fairfax and Herring out of office is to hand Virginia to Republicans who currently embrace Trump. How does that improve the state's racial outlook? If no one is ever allowed to recover, learn, and grow from a past mistake, the Democrats will be a very small party indeed -- especially in Virginia, where the Dixiecrats became Reagan Republicans only around 1980. The state's racial ills run deep. But what I'm hearing from Democratic leadership now sounds more like Cotton Mather than Martin Luther King Jr. Democrats howling for scalps should take a deep breath and remember the Biblical injunction about casting the first stone.
4
Bret Stephens hits the nail on the head! Cast the first stone indeed. The things he describes are things we have ALL said, or thought at some point in our lives.
It reminds me of a survey in which 90% of all people admit that they masturbate, while 10% lie in answer to the question.
1
What do we mean by "racist" or "sexist"? I am surprised to see the claim that "bitch" is sexist. I would have thought it is a term for someone who is (1) unpleasant, and (2) female. Wikipedia defines it as "a person—usually a woman—who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, a control freak, rudely intrusive or aggressive." It is possible to think that there are such people without having a negative view of the whole class of women, or to describe an individual as such without tarring the whole class with the same brush.
I am also surprised to see the claim that "gypped" is an ethnic slur. It does have a certain etymology, but I don't think it functions that way in language.
Some comments have already made the obvious connection with McCarthy and his investigation into “un-American activities”, i.e. Communism. For those who would argue that donning blackface is worse than supporting the USSR, let me remind you that while witch-hunts were going on the US House of Representatives, millions were rotting in the Soviet Gulags. MacCarthy was on the side of the good, yet his name is forever tainted by association with political paranoia, purges and persecution. This is not about racism, no more than MacCarthy was about freedom. This is about insufferable self-righteousness and ideological purity. And if the governor is forced to resign while Fairfax who is accused of a crime is not, Democrats can forget about the suburban women voters who brought them the victory in the midterms.
I don't often agree with Bret Stephens, but I do here. Perhaps it is because I am around Northam's age and can see this thing literally becoming a political lynching of a man who did something really stupid 34 years ago while he was in school. While heinous, it was not illegal, nor was anyone physically hurt, nor did anyone know about it until a devious political operative exposed it.
I hear most of the politicians on the right and left preach religious liberty and the preachers around the Country are constantly preaching forgiveness to their flocks. Where are their voices standing up for him? While Northam has been ham fisted defending himself, he is in a pickle that noe one can understand unless you have been there yourself. His youthful stupidty stands in the face of everything we know about him as an adult. Frankly, in this situation he should be given a break.
If America is going to hold politicians to this sort of standard, the government offices in Washington D.C. and statehouses throughout the Country will be empty.....yes females do stupid things in college as well. I could pull some great photos of women I went to college with doing stupid things as well. The point is, judge people on their adult lives and careers, not one stupid moment while they were in school many decades ago.
2
Mr. Stephens, we get your basic argument. However, when someone's most shameful moment is abhorrent, it's a different matter!
You mistakenly try to excuse blackface as if it were acceptable in the 1980s. It wasn't. Its racist nature has been recognized for a century. You were flat out wrong when you wrote:
“He may have done something ugly and dumb many years ago, when he was a young man and prevailing notions of socially permissible behavior were uglier and dumber than they are today.”
It wasn't acceptable then; it was abhorrent and clearly racist.
There's a much deeper issue. What policies people are supporting TODAY?! William Barber put this well in the Washington Post.
”At the same time, we cannot allow political enemies of Virginia’s governor to call for his resignation over a photo when they continue themselves to vote for the policies of white supremacy.
If anyone wants to call for the governor’s resignation, they should also call for the resignation of anyone who has supported racist voter suppression or policies that have a disparate impact on communities of color.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-ralph-northam-and-others-can-repent-of-americas-original-sin/2019/02/07/9aef18ec-2b0f-11e9-b011-d8500644dc98_story.html?utm_term=.9d97b38ce0bd
Trump, McConnell, the Republican leadership, Republicans in many states (especially those behind voter suppression), Gov. Kemp of Georgia, Gov. DeSantis of Florida, etc. all need to resign.
Well Bret, you've convinced me.
My original thought was that the only way out of Virginia's terrible mess was a series of rock-paper-scissor contests between every white politician found guilty of dressing up as a black person, but then I realized that -- the numbers being what they are -- this might take us weeks if not months to accomplish.
https://www.wimp.com/behold-the-epic-finale-of-a-japanese-rock-paper-scissors-competition/
1
"What should we do with Ralph Northam" to "Why Ralph Northam should not resign"
Nice title change. I guess this has nothing to do with the call for Fairfax impeachment by fellow Dems. Anything to keep a democrat in office.
I have lived my whole life in the North, and I am about to enter my eighth decade. The only time that I have ever seen blackface were in old movies from the 1930’s on television. At first, I did not give the Governor a pass on the blackface picture in his yearbook. Just in the last few days it seems that the Attorney General of Virginia and the Speaker of the Virginia Assembly have revealed that they had their own black face moments in college, which leads me to believe that the practice of blackface is or was embedded in Southern White culture on college campuses. Are we to purge a whole generation of southern whites from public office for doing blackface in their youth? I have revised my opinion of the Governor. His actions as Governor and in his private life appear to be non-racist, and he should remain as Governor. However, this has been a warning and an educational moment for everyone that blackface is racist to the core and is never acceptable
1
Bret,
Harvard Univerisity Project Implicit assesses social cognition and hidden biases. A regular check up attunes oneself to what is under the hood.
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
1
I whole heartedly agree with this column. If individuals and leaders are not acknowledged for maturing and changing sides for the better then how is mutual reconciliation and group contrition possible? Think Serbia and Ireland or the middle east? Troubemakers world over are always casting past aspersions, that what someone said decades before will always be what they are. After World War2 did the victorious allies only deal with those Germans/Japanese etc. who were not Nazis? No. Northam has had an examplary career in medicine and politics and done personal and professional good incl. the less fortunate.
Some have referred to Robert Byrd's actual KKK past. But in 1930s FDR nominated a one-time KKK nominee from Alabama to the Supremem Court, Hugo Black, who in a long career was greatest advocate for civil liberties.
If one asks a Democrat official how is your day the default answer seems to be "I am sorry I apoplogize". For what? I don't know but I am sorry. Continue that and looks like the shameless non apologizer will get re-elected.
1
Northam was not a teenager when he did this. He was in his 20's and attended medical school with black students. It never occurred to him that appearing in blackface would offend them? Or were they not invited to the party? He was certainly clueless.
It's a convenient time for the Democrats to take a relaxed stance towards racism since these blatant racial acts involve two of their own. Fair enough, but then the question has to be asked to the keepers of the racial boundary; Where exactly does it lie today and up to what age are acts of bigotry looked upon as merely youthful indiscretions? Is the line drawn before or after cross burning? Are repentant white supremacists allowed to cross back across the boundary separating bigots from polite society?
As an Exalted Cyclops of the Klu-Klux-Klan, Robert Byrd was responsible for establishing a chapter and recruiting hundreds of his friends and associates. When he decided to run for office he withdrew from the KKK. The senator went on to serve 51 years in Congress ascending to the Senate Majority Leader. He was a Democrat and his statue still resides in the US Captiol.
Lyndon Baines Johnson, a Jim Crow Democrat from Texas, went on to become America's 36th President. He also went on to head significant civil rights legislature during his Presidency.
"“This has been one of the most difficult political weeks of my life,” said Donna Brazile, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. “There’s no playbook for this.”" Of course there is Ms. Brazile. Either the Democratic Party denounces all forms of racism or it doesn't. The line they draw in the sand is the standard by which they not only judge others but themselves as well.
It has not been proved that Governor Northam used any racist slurs, or that he was in the yearbook photo or knew about it. Heck, my high school yearbook had several photographs of me that I had not approved.
2
If you think Northam has an unblemished civil rights record, please read this statement from the people of Union Hill, Buckingham County, VA whom his actions have grievously harmed in just the past few months:
http://friendsofnelson.com/statement-from-union-hill-community/
Step back for a minute and think about what this says about Democratic presidential candidates - Many immediately called for Northam's resignation shortly after learning of transgressions, seemingly fairly minor and consistent with others in his group, when he was fairly young. Can you imagine how they would have dealt with George and his cherry tree, or Jesus and his treatment of money changers?
It seems nobody can change the GOP's signature theme, formerly evil, now insanity. But, please, for at least this one crucial cycle, could Democrats stop being the party of stupid?
1
The unforgiving wokeness of millenials and their uncompromising form of social justice war is taking us to a dark place, indeed.This movement is becoming a type of religion with its own Spanish Inquisition.
7
I find it naive at best to suggest the use of blackface and donninng KKK robes is simply a youthful bad choice. They are part of a long-lived systemic racism.
That doesn't mean Northam has to leave office. But if he does remain, part of his job will be calling that picture what it is.
1
Brett Stephens, as ever long on self-aggrandizement and superficiality, short on depth, spends his time entirely on the politically fashionable sin of racism, but writes not a word about the real sin of the pediatrician/governor Northam: his barbaric willingness, as a member of the healing arts, to countenance abortion of a child up to the moment of delivery ... and beyond.
That's because the Ambitious Mr. Stephens, with his eye ever on the main chance, lacks the guts to speak truth to his powerful overlords at the Times who control his alleged "career", and who themselves will not countenance any departure from the Planned Parenthood party line.
1
"Let those who are without sin..........". Find me someone who doesn't regret some stupid thing they did in their youth. Age makes us all a bit smarter, or at least it should.
He should not resign. It was 30 years ago. If his behavior was consistent throughout the years then yes he should resign. No it appears the he is a decent man everybody should move on. This is NYT's liberal guilt that is pushing the story in the front pages for many days now.
It is this simple. If he kept doing what the did 30 years ago then resign. Otherwise, continue.
1
Totally ashamed of the Dems behavior.
Talk about PC police!
Redemption anyone?
Look at the Gov’s record — exemplary!
How the right wing pulls the Dems chain!
3
You seem to suggest that if people have lived exemplary lives after committing youthful transgressions, they deserve a second chance. And I am not disagreeing with that. But Let’s consider another example. Several times over many years, former Nazi prison guards have been unmasked in the US while living ordinary lives perhaps even exemplary lives. Their egregious actions took place when they were young soldiers in Hitler’s armies. People change views over the years and perhaps some of the former Nazis have “repented.” Do we then overlook their youthful transgressions, and give them a second chance?
2
I agree with you, Bret Stephens. Let's stop digging into everyone's past and holding them responsible for antics of their youth. Gov. Northam's youthful behavior was not a crime. As an adult however, Gov. Northam has done great things for the state of Virginia, and we should let him continue his good work.
On the other hand, Virginia's Lt. Gov. Fairfax has two women saying he sexually assaulted them; that would be criminal behavior and should not be ignored.
Of course Northam should stay. The stupidity and carelessness of one's past should not negate the potential of what he can do presently as long as it was not criminal. In a strange way, and I truly hate to say this, Trump's incendiary, ribald and mendacious conduct (past, present and certainly in the future) apparently has not disqualified him either. It has not yet been deemed criminal (but we can always hope). Trump has simply doubled down, and Northam should do the same. Trouble might come from the continuing travails of his Lt. Governor, however. His alleged sexual misconduct is of a nature far more serious than Northam's incident, but will nonetheless be compared if he is forced to step down, while Northam remains.
At this point, it doesn't matter who resigns or who doesn't, the irreparable damage has already been done. There is no way to fix this or survive it.
1
Read William Barber's op-ed piece in yesterday's Washington Post. https://tinyurl.com/yy9dyek7
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@Jack From that WaPo article you cited:
"The Bible tells a story about Zacchaeus, a tax collector ... When he met Jesus, he repented of his wrongdoing by committing to pay back the people he had harmed."
I'm pretty sure none of Zacchaeus' descendants work for the IRS.
I don't usually agree with Stephens and his often convoluted logic. But I do agree with him this time that punishing Northam over a repugnant indiscretion, which characterized a profile of his community at that time, overlooking his laudable public service record, blocking any path for redemption, and calling for his immediate resignation shame political leaders, especially democratic and black leaders, who have undermined their own principle of open and fair minded treatment for all Americans. Shoot if you must. But make sure you aim and don't shoot someone, who has not received his due process. In such a rush to action, these leaders continue to give life to a spirit of a sad narrow-minded past and lose the opportunity to give life to someone to show that he can reform and champion a core American ideal that all men are created equal.
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We're not pure. I grew up in Detroit in the late 60s and 70s, and the common belief at that time was that whites feared blacks and blacks hated whites. I have my prejudices and I work to overcome them. Do I catch myself sometimes? Yes. But I'm not pure and don't think it's reasonable to presume that we all are, and as a result, cast the first stone against someone else.
Everyone should think about what their life would be like if someone (the Press, for example) went through their lives looking for every perceived bias. We have to forgive.
Contemplating a lot here in Seattle where we are snowed in.
5
I find myself in rare agreement with Bret Stephens. I do think the Gov. behaved very stupidly 35 years ago. At age 25, after about 20 years of the passage of the Civil Rights Act, he should have known better. Among some there seems to be no forgiveness and yet there exist Statute of Limitations that prevent prosecution of serious crimes after a relatively short period of time. There is a dichotomy here that needs to be addressed.
5
Yes. We have to dig into our inner selves before we sit in judgement of others. When we look in the mirror do we see an image of the person we are now or the bizarre image of our past? The person we have evolved into is what is relevant. Ralph Northam should continue to be Governor. Funny, this is coming from a hardcore conservative!
3
Kavanaugh gets to take a lifetime position guiding our moral and ethical attitudes as codified in the Law, when plenty of alternative candidates who have not been credibly accused of a violent act against a young woman could have been chosen, and while forcefully and angrily denying any involvement despite well remembered drinking binges and blackouts, essentially calling his accuser a liar and fraud despite his own lack of memory for uncomfortable episodes. Northam, it appears, as a young medical student, could possibly have been one of two people pictured in costumes that reflect racist tropes, though it has not and may not be able to be proven. So we reward one person with a great future, and try to take away and destroy the legacy of another already performing as a national leader, because - race trumps sex for purposes of shaming and delegitimizing people? Kudos to the movement to make blackface a mortal sin, but I thought actual, physical abuse of another real live individual might be a greater fault. I cannot put myself in the mental space of a person who has suffered the quiet racism of growing up in an “unwoke” society, though I am grateful that attitudes are changing as aggressions are called out and rightly vilified. However, many can identify with individuals who have personally been brutalized by a more powerful person who, because of status and money, suffers no remorse or consequences, and in fact is rewarded “hugely”.
3
As an African American, I agree with your completely Mr. Stephens. The way perceived issues on race is covered by CNN and the NY Times is disturbing. As if those who are calling for his resignation has never said or done something stupid with respect to race when they were young. Look at the totality of Mr. Northam's life, not just one picture before making a judgment on his character.
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Those calling for immediate resignations and thorough police investigations are not the Attorney General, Speaker, Lt Governor nor Governor. It is only appropriate to have stricter standards and a higher bar.
On the premise of "should we judge people by their worst moments", here's a quote from today:
"If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, okay, fine," Candace Owens told a London audience. "The real problem with his policies, is that he wanted, he had dreams outside of Germany." This by Candace Owens, a big Trump supporter in Europe. I think it's horrible, but it's a matter of intent.
Northam should go, period. I'm sure he's a fine and decent man. But three things stand out for me: one, Mr. Northam bungled his response to this controversy. Initially his response was to to apologize for the offending pictures without explaining which person in the photograph was him (the figure in blackface or the guy in the KKK costume). The next day he said he was not in the picture at all, but he did win first prize in a Michael Jackson contest while wearing blackface (?), so there's that. Second, he works and resides in Richmond, the capital of Virginia. Richmond served as the capital for the Confederacy States of America during the Civil War. It was a symbol of the Confederacy's fight to keep slavery (for the sake of brevity I'll put aside the Charlottesville episode but I think I've made my point). And third, the black voters of Virginia overwhelmingly want him out. The third reason is perhaps the most important. For most of our history people of color, women, and gays, have been abused and insulted. And when people inevitably protested and objected to such treatment they were ignored or ridiculed. "Can't you take a joke?" "Who hasn't said something stupid?" " "People need to relax." And now, "Aren't we going too far with this PC outrage?" Perhaps the only people who should determine Northam's fate are the black people who voted for him.
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Oklahoma born and raised, educated in segregated schools, I joined a sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, at Oklahoma State. There were no Jewish or African American girls in any sorority then.
Our summers were spent “rushing” new members whose profiles looked a lot like us. I recall one beautiful, smart girl who was dropped from the list because she had pierced ears. Conformity was enforced in the cruelest, most ladylike ways, and the question was always put like this: Is she Kappa material?
Governor Northam’s trials hit home for me. I gasped when I saw the picture in his yearbook, but then it all came rushing back to me: the way we thought, the way we lived, the ways we talked, the jokes we told, the songs we sang.
I have lived a life very different from the one I was living then. I am certain that I’m no longer Kappa material. Does that count? Am I forgiven? Will Governor Northam be forgiven? I don’t have any answers, but as the poet suggests, maybe we need to live the questions.
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Climate change, the American oligarchy, health care, immigration, voting rights, the undemocratic Electoral College and Republican corruption. All of these existential threats to life and liberty and the conversation is about Southern social norms of 30 years ago, the strident concern of liberal Democrats. Righteousness reigns while Rome burns. No question the behavior is repugnant and Northam did himself no favors in his response but this vicious outcry hurts not helps our progressive agenda. Democrats are chumps.
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Excellent article- kudos to you. Shame on the wannabe primary democratic candidates and other “ so called” leaders asked for Northam’s resignation. We have become a stupid party. Instead of focusing on our fundamental needs, the party thrive on gender politics, gun and abortion. People care for basic needs- air we breathe, water we drink, health care, job and education. The party gets trapped into wedge issues which Republicans love and we loss elections. Some of the con man’s followers are not racist or xenophobic. They support con man reluctantly because of the party’s involvement in the wedge issues. Look at the border wall issue. Democrats are not willing to give $5 billion for the wall despite the fact that the same party was willing to give $25 billion in December. Hmm, where is the logic? This is a trap set by con man which creates perception among some that the democrats want open border which is far from the truth. But, the stupid party strategists have no clue. Same thing is happening with Northam- it was not a moral issue- rather to foster identity politics. Northam is a decent man and he should not be punished for mistake in the past. God only knows how many skeletons the democratic leaders have in there closet.
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Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the internet in general has suddenly made us all instant judges of others behaviour in the moment. Look a everything in the full frame of Governors Northam's life not just one pixel.
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I agree with Bret Stephens here. If this becomes a case of the Democrats eating their own once again (read Al Franken), then we are in for a bumpy 2020 election. Just think of all of the stupid things - racist - things you might have done 35 years ago, but have led a stellar life since - even with actions that were specifically anti-racist. Much of the electorate out there is going to feel alienated from the Democratic party, if you can be brought down by something like this - it proves that there is no redemption out there.
4
Sorry but I believe most people know exactly what they are doing by wearing blackface or donning a KKK robe. Or making fun of Native Americans or not allowing their children to play with brown-skinned classmates. That they find others who think it’s OK does not mean it’s harmless. There are “rights” and “wrongs” in this world. Actions cannot always be judged in terms of “relativity” to age or situation. That just becomes a shield for bad behavior.
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I would not stand up to the standards we have put in place today. I’m pushing 60, grew up in the Deep South and saw segregation first hand. Black face is different than all these other slights. I would NEVER have considered that acceptable. Why do something that is so overt and so hurtful? Why do something that overtly hurts so many feelings? It shows total ignorance and insensitivity. Black face is unacceptable at any age in any era.
As a small town newspaper reporter I once covered the campaign of a former klansman who had renounced his racist past and was running for office. Everywhere he went he was hounded and shouted down. Finally during one speech he said something to the effect of: "At some point, people who want change have to take yes for an answer. I was wrong in the past. I see it now, and I apologize. I'm what you actually want the outcome to be - someone who recognizes their faults and changes."
I think he didn't get elected. I thought he had a point. But I also thought aren't there any good candidates who aren't former klansmen? The guy should be allowed to move on with his life. But he isn't owed a public office.
Maybe Northam's past horrible actions are forgiveable now. But he's a public servant, and he isn't serving the public right now.
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Usually I disagree with Bret Stephens, but he really nails it here. I hope my fellow Democrats are listening. I forgive the NYTimes for hiring him. Mark Shields, in his weekly Friday PBS talk with David Brooks, also rose to remind us of sanity. I have been scouring the web to see if there was at least one 2020 candidate sensible enough to say what is just common sense: this doesn't warrant removing a politician who has fought well for the rights of minorities. Disturbingly, none of the Democratic candidates is endowed with the sense of good judgment to let it go. I Googled, a searched. Where is the level-headed leadership that recognizes foolishness for what it is and won't reflexively say "should resign" just to avoid (possibly) losing a few votes. Sherrod? You were sensible enough to say no to Iraq. Warren? No luck. Bernie? Even straight talking Bernie chimes in with the same mindless "resign" tune. I thought we had at least one mensch. What are we to do?
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"I write this as someone who isn’t a Democrat..."
You're right on that. The Democrats have decided to hold their elected officials to a higher bar than the Republicans when it comes to racism, sexism and sexual harassment. I applaud this. The tolerance and forgiveness that Stephens asks for is one reason our country can't shake its culture of racism. I can agree that prejudices are part of the human condition. But I have no problem holding our elected officials to a higher standard. I'm two years older than Gov. Northam. It never occurred to me when I was in college or graduate school to wear black face or to stick around at a party where people are dressed members of the Klan. I knew that was racist. No one had to tell me.
2
Sir, your common sense is totally rational. We have become a nation of over reaction, ready and willing to destroy a person's reputation for their immature, past actions. Now if all you report of Gov. Northrup's past college indescretion is true, I can understand his reluctance to resign. Can any of us say that during that era, we did not have a possible racist thought in our head?
1
What we are seeing is the Far-Left trying to 'clean house' because it is hard to defame a President who epitomizes everything which revolves around the triggers of today. All of this is pragmatic to a political end. They can't accuse Trump of being 'racist' if some Democrats have done anything that may be construed as insensitive.
And thus, the American Culture War begins and it won't just be political opponents questioning other's political purity. This will quickly trickle down into everyday society. As we saw in Maoist China, it won't work out so well.
Signed: - Liberal Democrat
5
Odd, that only examples of liberals digressions are mentioned, while criticizing a Republican of race baiting is wrong. This partisan bias ruined his thoughtful commentary again. I'm afraid Mr. Stephens just can't help himself when it comes to pointing out liberal bias, while ignoring the racist screeds of many Republican candidates and office holders. I agree with his conclusion, but his facts are a bit one sided as usual.
1
We are a country founded by people looking for a second chance. We give a second chance to everyone from dropouts to Bill Clinton. Outside of this childish but hatful incident he's led a good life. Why punish him because of the screams of advocacy groups. Their motivation is power over politicians. The voters run this country.
1
Recently I saw two articles that used the word welshed to describe being cheated. It was quite clear to me that they had no idea that it was an ethnic slur used to put down the Welsh nation. I did correct them in the memory of my Welsh father (who hated the term) and they had no idea but were suitably apologetic.
It’s so easy to use these slurs that have passed into the language. Didn’t Trump use the term “paddy wagon” somewhere? Did anyone correct him?
There is a Grand Canyon sized gap between phrases like those you mentioned and black face/offensive nicknames/the “n” word. As one with Irish ancestors two generations ago, I’ve been called Shanty Irish, a donkey and had the shacks of Broad Channel called the Irish Riviera to my face. So what?
Given the number and apparent variety of people who donned some variant of blackface a generation or two ago in a belief that they were being rebelliously transgressive and funny, only to see those actions now judged by 2019 standards, it is disturbing how many readers here don't seem to appreciate how their own current conduct might lead them to be treated as irredeemable pariahs in the future. That young people nowadays routinely photograph their lives and broadcast them to the world makes this issue even more urgent.
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I agree with Stephens that Northam deserves to be forgiven, that his racist indiscretion happened a long time ago, that since then his record on civil rights has been exemplary. But Stephens ignores the likely possibility that the scandal surrounding Northam's past racism may well cripple his ability to perform as governor and to lead the Democratic Party in Virginia. That reality may be reason enough for him to step down for the good of his party and his state.
One reason why there are statutes of limitations--requiring timely plaintiffs and prosecutors--is personality change.
A human being starts when a sperm cell fuses with an ovum--forming ONE diploid cell (zygote). Being human is a process--of mitosis (exact duplication) until 16 (a morula); then cellular differentiation starts until adulthood. 98% of human atoms are replaced annually.
The same body is not the same stuff; it's the same process.
So too with persons--beings with personalities--integrated systems of mental functioning--Cognition (sensation/belief inference), Emotion (reaction to sensation or reflection), Motivation (appetites/ambitions/aspirations).
These are also aspects of ideologies (value systems)--beliefs about reality, ideality and strategies to go from one toward the other. As ideologies change so do personalities. We say of macro changes "Born again"--not just about god stories--though they are ideologies too. Loss of consciousness and/or integration is loss of personhood (dementia etc).
Different person stages are of same person only if persons too are processes.
Holding very later stages liable for earlier can be like visiting sins of fathers on their children. It's a form of vicious vicarious liability. Later stages--of families or personalities--did not cause earlier ones--they did not "sin" nor let it happen.
"Sorry" is no proof of change. Nor is confession. But real
regret/contrition is; it deserves forgetting more than forgiving.
I agree with the basic idea of the article. The calls for his resignation were fueled by poor judgment when he was confronted with his imperfect, but not unforgivable past. Changing stories and his silly moonwalking display highlighted profound leadership flaws that justify calls for his resignation.
If you think this is bad, wait till the generation growing up with instagram and twitter and snapchat have to lead. Their digital footprint - and the truly dumb stuff that's out there - will disqualify anyone with a heartbeat.
2
Living in the present - as most of us almost certainly do - I am more concerned with what is happening now, and how any single politician behaves and thinks now, than I am in something that occurred decades ago and to no one's detriment. Politicians who jump on the bandwagon of intolerance toward any "unacceptable" past behavior scare me far more than the alleged misdeeds of someone's past. I hope those who seek to further the gains that the Democratic Party made in 2018 tread very carefully when it comes to the knee-jerk kind of response that we hear and see so much of today. The party's shameful treatment of Al Franken - boy do I miss him - is something that will not be forgotten by many of who would otherwise not hesitate to vote blue.
1
It is easy to agree with Mr. Stephens - if, the one who reads this column is not a person of color -
A person of color is still experiencing huge prejudices from White people everyday.
I say this as a little white person who grew up in the South - watching adult white people say the most hateful things - casually - nodding their heads - laughing - agreeing on how they would cross the street if a black person walked on the street --
Question: How many white people reading would still cross to the other side of the street - if, it was only themselves and a black person walking down the street?
What is occurring in Virginia - the home state of Robert E. Lee - is a huge teachable moment - and - call to reckoning for all of us - Americans - we have needed to have this honest candid conversation since the 1st African American was brought to - NEW YORK CITY - and BOSTON, MA to be sold as slaves for the wealthy land owners and leaders of the 1st USA government.
The East Coast Colonies / States - were in financial business collaboration with the Southern Plantation Land Owners / States - to mind blowing size $$$ Profit equivalent to the American Auto Industry's $$$ Profit began by Henry Ford --
People of color built the USA literally on their backs - We the people of the USA would not be the World Leader we are today - without the sweat, toil and literal torture of the African-American people of Color -
So - this teachable moment - needs to include - all of us.
1
He should stay. Are we going to demand our elected leaders resign over every mistake and unethical act as if their were are morally equivalent? If this is the norm all of us would spend a lot of time with red faces for the thoughts and stupid things we have said and done.
The first reaction is to deny - like Adam and Eve. Then play a blame game or extenuating circumstances.
He should have recalled what they taught him in Sunday School - make a sincere, honest and contrite confession; apologize sincerely; and show how he has since then changed and behaved as restitution and amendment of living.
One way how to do this can be found the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer the Liturgy of Ash Wednesday. Can be adjusted to circumstances such as this one re the VA governor.
It is important to discuss the context within which a behavior or act took place and the subsequent change in behavior as that context proved to be repugnant and immoral. One can wonder in the future how one of the most sexist, demeaning, and rationalized of our current behaviors - a woman’s name being throw away like garbage and her being branded with her husband’s name as his symbolic property (see Coverture and Norman femme covert history) - will be viewed and hopefully condemned while our children’s children sit amazed that such mass erasure of identity was ever tolerated, much less celebrated.
Slaveholders celebrated branding their slaves with their last names too.
What we see as normal or even good (putting others down, erasing them, making fun of them) often shocks us later on when those who were erased, demeaned, and mocked finally get a voice that is actually heard and, more importantly, respected as valid.
1
This is the perfect event to help the left break the case of ‘woke fever’ that has sickened it for the past several years (let’s be honest, since the invention of social media took off).
2
Stephens offers many reasonable points; few of us can claim an immaculate history. However, Northam seems to have gained office, in part, by decrying racist elements in his opponent's record. The hypocrisy is obvious.
I'm not ready to believe that potential political leaders who can be justifiably proud of their past do not exist. Perhaps the current state of affairs in the White House makes almost any politically ambitious person who has at least some ethics and communicating skills seem attractive.
No one is asking Northam to resign because of something he did when he was a youth. He was an adult in medical school in 1984. But far more importantly, instead of apologizing for being involved in such unprofessional behavior he simply denied that he was one of the people in the disturbing photograph. And his admission that he had gone to a costume party in blackface did not concern a sincere apology but an excuse for why he did it. So, it is not youthful transgressions that haunt Northam but his inability as an adult now to take full responsibility for past behavior. He should resign.
When Judgement Day comes and God unravels the tape of some of our most shameful moments will liberal Democrats (Northam most vocal critics) stop and think "Who was I to speak so loudly and quickly"
"many years ago, when he was a young man and prevailing notions of socially permissible behavior were uglier and dumber than they are today."
That's the part we should be having a discussion about.
Stephens misses the story.
Northam would never have been elected if the yearbook showed up before the election.
The Times should do a poll to ask the question of his voters.
I have a fairly strong bias against Trump loving Republicans of any color and nationality.
Thank you for writing this piece.
Good essay, adding that it is often times hard to willow out ignorance from ingrained bigotry. The college kids blackface is good example of both. The only way out of both is education and understanding. Let the learning begin with all of us.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Mr. Stephens, for this excellent column. I would never vote for a Republican, especially in these dire times. But sometimes my own Party makes me so mad I’d like to fire the lot of them. After the Al Franken debacle you’d think they would have learned to THINK before condemning one of their own - or anyone for that matter on such a silly charge. But no. This is their blind spot apparently. Shame on them.
1
In October of 2018, Linda Greenhouse wrote an opinion piece about how Hugo Black rose from his membership in the KKK to become one of the most distinguished of Supreme Court Justices. There maybe analogies here with Northam. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/opinion/editorials/kavanaugh-thomas-nomination-lesson.html
35 years ago. This is certainly an embarrassing time in this man's life, but it's not exactly as though George Wallace came back from the grave, is it? How many of us are the same as we were then, and how many of us ever did a foolish thing? (We probably all have moments we'd like to forget, don't we, Justice Thomas? Justice Kavanaugh? Maybe beer was involved.)
And doesn't this seem just a little bit like an overreaction? It's not like he killed anyone, is it? Nobody was raped, drugged, or otherwise assaulted, no children harmed, no lives rendered irrevocably asunder by this man's racially-insensitive action. It was boneheaded, but is that all it takes now to ruin someone's career a third of a century later? Let the man serve out his term, and either prove himself worthy of the office or let the voters turn him out when the time comes, or if they feel that strongly about it, they can start a recall campaign. Northam certainly could have handled this thing better. Until then, the president is forever going on about people being on witch hunts...let's be careful he isn't proven right.
Back in 1966 as a 20 year old junior at the University of Pittsburgh the dorm counselors in Tower A called a meeting in the towers. Three floors made up a group that could participate in intramural sporting activities like a fraternity. Our three floors, 8,9 and 10 happened to each have a floor counselor with the first name of Tom, so we called our three floors, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Several of the African Americans living on those three floors protested at the name and so a meeting was called to discuss our differences and vote if we should change the name. I voted to keep the name, since we won the all campus softball tournament with that name. I didn’t see the harm in the name. I was 20. Now I’m 74. I was wrong then I see the harm. Am I to be labeled as a racist?
I am a white male. I do not think Northam should resign, because I believe people can change and one bad choice caught on film shouldn't define who you are. But I do have to consider why the Black Caucus of Virginia is asking for his resignation even though they have admitted to truly liking the Governor. What is different?
Perhaps it is the injustice that is all to clear in their minds with regard to their race. Because of their race/color jobs can be difficult if not impossible to obtain in many parts of the country. With few options the young men and women of these communities resort to selling drugs or petty crimes. Are these also "bad decisions" made in the whirling haze of youth? Sure they are. But when society arrests these young people for their "bad decision" they are sent to prison for lengthy sentences that many times don't equal the crime. Don't you think they regret those decisions as the years roll by in prison? Don't you think they apologize to the parole board every year?
Maybe this is why the Black Caucus is throwing Northam under the bus. They see the continuing injustice of "forgiveness" and "understanding".
2
I do not agree with much of Mr. Northam's positions, but that is totally irrelevant to the discussions. He was elected by the voters of Virginia based on what they knew about him at the time. If new information changes their minds, they will not vote for him should he run for any further office. That, and only that, should be the result of discovering that he did stupid things in his past.
144
Agree with you, for once. He certainly will be more progressive in positive ways, discouraging voter supression and a more tolerant attitude toward minories than the VA House.
2
That thought occurred to me as well:
"A more important question to my mind is what kind of [medical] school would permit such a racist photo to be printed ... "
Not only printed, but in a school-sponsored yearbook.
Presumably the yearbook staff sent Northam the photo they were planning to publish on "his" yearbook page, and he said OK. It really doesn't matter whether he was in the photo or whether he later bought the yearbook; what matters (assuming it occurred) is that he approved the photo, even if it was of two strangers.
Even so, I'd forgive Northam, not ask that he resign, and move on. My only point is that that should be done REGARDLESS of his political beliefs. If we don't punish Northam, we shouldn't punish Kavanaugh.
If not now, when? I must disagree with you Brett. I too, am of the ‘70’s -80’s generation. I did many things that I’m not proud of and very ashamed of. I also remember “popular” kids in High School who would abuse other kids as “gay”, malign girls, and do stunts at parties like donning blackface. These kids were “good” they went to good colleges, medical and law school, one served in the House. But many of us knew they were wrong, that there was serious pain and perpetual wrong in their actions. We dare not stand up. They got their laughs, stayed popular and went on. I didn’t resent them, but couldn’t look up to them either. Now many followed the path set for them in leadership. They are not bad people. But that doesn’t make their actions excusable either. We cannot pass this time of national accountability to take responsibility for America’s history. All our history. We cannot turn a blind eye and continue to forget. We must own it for this and all future generations of Americans. A great country takes responsibility. Now is the time.
1
Though admittedly I do not stand with much of Mr. Stephens political views, I believe his opinion piece hit the nail on the head in respect to Gov. Northam's dilemma when he wrote:
"That we deserve to be judged by the decency of our intentions and the totality of our deeds. That we are entitled to a presumption of innocence, a measure of forgiveness, a sense for our times, and multiple opportunities for redemption."
Fine words that many here in America should adhere to instead of calling for punishment/resignations of past youthful transgressions. Nobody is perfect as most of us have made mistakes in our youth, and even yesterday. That we burn people at the stake so quickly based on a bad moment in their lives and forget who they really are having matured in their thoughts and deeds is unforgivable. The roasting of Al Franken brings this to mind.
I say bravo to Mr. Stephens on his views as most online and cable news networks have been railing for Mr. Northam's resignation. It's time for some serious thinking in America about what our real values are all about. If America cannot overcome this dark moment in our history then the whole concept of liberty, decent free speech, and rule of law will end up in the trash can of history.
5
I keep hearing that blackface has never been acceptable, but regrettably in many areas it has been. As a child I lived in both the Northeast and Southern California where it was extremely common for kids to take a burnt cork and blacken their faces on Halloween. In retrospect it was insensitive and in very poor taste, but unfortunately we didn't think so back then. I still don't know what to think about those of us who donned the large nose, spectacles and mustaches to go out as Groucho Marx-like characters.
By all accounts Governor Northam has become more racially sensitive over the years. He attends a church that is predominantly black. His policies are not racist. I would hope that he is telling the truth about not posing in a photo that involved the Ku Klux Klan, and if he is, he deserves that second chance.
I really wonder what our stance of not understanding mistakes and not allowing for retribution is doing to mental health in this country. It is usually the more thoughtful among us who have trouble forgiving ourselves, who can become stalled by guilt. Witnessing the public's inability to forgive past mistakes will surely lead to increased dysfunction. We lose so much by discouraging extremely talented, basically good human beings from running for office if in the past they made mistakes.
8
What is really unnerving for me as a long-time liberal Democrat is that what Mr. Stephens is saying is so obvious and yet it takes a conservative Republican to say it in today's climate. There is much to admire in today's "woke" movement, but the absolutism it too often entails can be self-defeating and simply wrong from a human perspective. All these people who have not sinned ready to throw their rocks....
9
"Ralph Northam needs to clear up just who’s in that photo, so Virginians won’t think he’s lying."
He's clearly lied by having it both ways, but we don't yet know which time. I'm waiting for the governor, LG and AG to lay it all out, answer all questions, and do so without comparison or context.
Then we can all decide.
1
@Paul Gallagher There is a difference between lying and being mistaken. Without telepathy, one can not determine which is the case here as there is not, and probably will never be, any evidence as to what Mr. Northam actually knew.
1
Really Bret? I saw the news conference, as the Southern colloquial goes he was nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. He did not know he was played on the moonwalk question. He was close to as time does as Whittaker
4
Northam could take this moment to have those conversations about race with the people of his state. He doesn't have to facilitate, or conduct the conversations, but better is that he participate and humbly listen.
The folks of Virginia can chart paths forward, out of racism, and into greater justice and therefore, greater prosperity, for all of the people of Virginia. It will be important that once a plan is made, an action is taken, that new gatherings are formed for reflection of the progress made, and what steps should be taken next.
Political correctness is going to devour the Democrats.
With 20 months of presidential campaigning ahead there is going to be a lot of time for skeletons a la Northam to be unearthed, be they from the 00s, the 90s, 80s, 70s - in Bernie Sanders' case maybe even from the 40s.
The candidates and prospective candidates are going to be tossing and turning for so many sleepless nights imagining all the scenarios where their unforgivable transgressions and trespasses will be hung out in full view for a woke nation to shout down. It's going to be fun.
4
I think Northam did wrong, but it is true that folks can change.
My dad grew up in Atlanta, born in 1910. His was a "gracious" racism - upper middle class, with black servants who were beloved but still blacks, who "had their place". It was not, on the surface, violent or hateful, it was "the Southern way of life".
He fought in WWII in the Pacific, on a carrier. Once when a battle was soon to start, the captain came on the horn and said "Anyone who wants to go to the chapel for Communion, go and get back to your station."
Dad found himself at the communion rail next to one of the black sailors from the boiler room, dirty and sweaty and smelly, and he saw the communion cup coming along toward him, the black sailor just before him.
"I looked at that man and i looked at the cup, and I realized that it just didn't matter."
He went on to a career in law, and had two terms in the Georgia legislature, where he was one of a handful of lawmakers who opposed a bill that would have the governor close the schools statewide if there were a court order to desegregate. That cost him his seat in the next election. There were threatening phone calls in the night.
He was a major player in the efforts to guide Atlanta to follow those court orders peacefully when they came. He had standing in the city's power structure, and used it to influence others with influence.
So I think of Dad when people say Northam has been a force for good, but still he should step down.
8
I am, although rare, in agreement with Bret. As a nation, we seem to have become less of a forgiving and more of a vengeful one, an occurrence that is acyclic in nature. We seem to get angry at those who may have committed minor sins, and feel helpless when it comes to those committing major ones. So, we focus our outrage at those we are able to shame and/or punish, and wring our hands at those with much larger sins but out of reach of shaming and/or punishement. May be it is our puritan leanings or may be we just want our pound of flesh irrespectively!
6
I think that on this issue we should remember to invoke the notion of "due process" before taking away the governor's job. Maybe we should pay attention to "rule of law" as well.
He doesn't seem to have broken any laws.
3
As a child of the south at about age 9, I will never forget telling my mother a joke I'd heard in school. I'll just say that it was denigrating to African Americans. I got my ears blistered and came close to getting another part blistered. The worst part was seeing her disappointment in me. I was so ashamed of myself and clearly understood how wrong, how low, how hurtful and how not funny the joke was. That has stayed with me and will 'til my last breath.
Northam was a young man, he should have known better and I make no excuse for him. That said, I also remember a Halloween in the early '80's when three girl friends of mine dressed up (their attire was tasteful) as the Pointer Sisters, a trio of African American singers very popular at the time. Yes they applied a little black face commonly found along with other colors for various characters/costumes. They didn't dress this way out of animus or disrespect, they loved the Pointer Sisters (so did I). But that was a different time.
The point is, we all make mistakes especially in our youth. We learn, we evolve, we grow. We find strength in asking for forgiveness and grace in giving it.
10
Actually, Mr. Stepens, I do know where I was 40 years ago and what I was doing then, including the regrettable stuff. The difference between me and Gov. Northam, and between the bad behavior of others that Mr. Stephens calls out and Gov. Notham's, is that I and they never denied it, never hid it. We cleaned up after ourselves, made amends, did what we could to repair the damage. There is a difference, a real one.
3
I live in Virginia and I voted for Northam and Fairfax. The Democratic Party in Virginia is on life support. Impeaching Fairfax or insisting he resign while Northam and Herring remain in office will kill the Party. Democrats must ask themselves if they believe in the right to due process and if they believe racial insults are acceptable. The Party’s answer to these questions will affect Local and national elections.
2
@Lynn in DC I respectfully disagree. I also live in Virginia and voted for Northam. There is a real difference in a criminal accusation, and a poor choice 30 yrs ago as this article quite rationally explains.
Mr. Stephens do you suggest that Mr. Fairfax should or should not resign? After all it is his word against his two accusers? What do you think of the outcome of Brett Kavanaugh situation?
1
I agree with Mr. Stephens. Period.
7
I can tell you my friends an i said some truly reprehensible things in the 80s when we were in college that we consider completely unacceptable now. These derisive words were tossed off in a mostly careless or thoughtless way without consideration or even understanding of the history and deeper meanings of what we were saying. Those young men and women in their 20s mostly do not exist anymore, the people we are now are significantly more evolved than our younger selves.
Maybe we should give more weight to people's recent patterns of behavior and not obsess over attitudes that have not been exposed in decades.
The ongoing support by some elected officials of such things as public display of the "stars and bars", or opposition to removal of monuments to confederate historical figures going on right now is more concerning than youthful indiscretion that has not been apparent for over 30 years.
5
As many other boomers have confessed, I too behaved in ways in the 80s that I now find reprehensible. I remember I thought myself not racist when, having been raised in an all white working class town, I was exactly that. The people I respect are those who consider themselves a work in progress and know, that for a white person, to be "woke" is not an event, but an on-going process. The fact that I do not see mentioned is that he did not do anything illegal, just something mean-spirited (which was not even deemed so at that time). Oprah says "when we know better, we do better," and by that yardstick, according to my (admittedly cursory) overview of his track record, has done better than most. Maybe we can all exercise a little humility and realize that we are more like him than we care to admit?
5
The most powerful thing Northam can do to rectify a 35-year-old transgression isn't to quit; it's to listen, learn, apologize sincerely and become an even stronger advocate of the causes he has advanced during his career in public service. The most powerful thing we can do is forgive him.
12
Standing ovation for this article. Mr. Stephens it is exactly how I have felt since this started. As a Dem living in Virginia I was appalled at the voracity in which almost every Democratic leader went after Gov. Northam. There was a movie called Ender's game produced in 1985 that I watched recently, there was a particular quote that the Dems could take a lesson from. Upon learning he was tricked into winning a war in less than an honorable way and told by his commander that it didn't matter the point was they won, Ender stated "It is the way in which you win that matters."
8
A few days ago, NAACP president Derrick Johnson came out in support of the resignations of both Ralph Northam and Virginia attorney general Mark Herring. Perhaps he was hoping Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax might become governor, but that possibility is looking increasingly problematic. Derrick Johnson likely personally leads a decent life as someone holding a prominent position, but if all three of the top Virginia leaders were to resign, does he believe that the lives of ordinary minority citizens of Virginia would be improved by the installation of the Republican Speaker of the House as governor? When prominent individuals stand rigidly on their high horses, does it really benefit those on whose behalf they claim to act? They should think about that. I don't usually agree with Brett Stephens, but I do agree with this column.
1
The farther left the Democrats go, the more they demand ideological purity and absolutism. They could look the other way for Clinton 20 years ago. They looked the other way when Obama was the Deporter-in-Chief and separated families without concern outside small immigrant rights groups. Just a couple of examples. But their hatred of Trump has not just given them moral clarity, they will now destroy their own to regain the moral ground they ceded when covering their own past sins (Robert Byrd comes to mind for some reason). Both sides look the other way for partisan reasons. But a mixture of extremism in point of view and the presence of Trump have driven the left to the point that they are figuratively guillotining their own. Vive la...?
5
Robespierre had his good points.
I'm black and a liberal and I agree with Stephens on this one (first time ever and probably last). The Eddie Murphy link was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time (from catfish to gefilte fish...)
7
I am 76. I have come to realize that we all reserve the right to get smarter.
16
Bret,
When you refer to “dumber” social norms are you pointing to aggressive acts of ‘casual’ racism that rely on the dehumanization of people of color? Let’s be a LOT more honest and careful when writing about institutionalized racism.
The fact that MANY Americans of European descent are STILL not actively engaging in ANTI-racism work (Bret, you appear to be among them) demonstrates that the unquestioned White privilege that allowed such “dumber” (understatement of the millennium) social norms to take root are still largely unchanged AND dangerously allowing individuals steeped in those norms to hold powerful positions in private and public institutions.
We as a society MUST engage in open, honest, and critical conversations to unpack the history of racism, racial violence and the stubborn ongoing disparities that continue to result from that history.
7
I agree that the governor should not resign.
Instead, he should embrace this moment and challenge the Virginia legislature to attack all vestiges of racism that exist in Virginia. He should challenge the legislature to eliminate racism in healthcare, education, the prison system, the voting system, and in every walk of life where it exists.
Forcefully and single-mindedly attacking those vestiges of racism should be his single unwavering mission.
13
I agree that we shouldn’t destroy a long life and career of doing good by one poorly considered act. But I still think that the people of Virginia must decide. It’s their pain that must be considered. And given that black men and women have often been silenced, I think it’s even more important that we stop and listen carefully to the black men and women of Virginia. I think it should be their call. Northam can go on to do good, no matter what his constituents decide.
4
We have a president who brags about attacking women! And after his election, the only people who talk about it are entertainers! And now that's old news!
Yeah, I care that people in recent history-- educated adults -- were using blackface and telling each other racist jokes. Yeah, that's part of who they are! It's long past time for that crap to be so horrifying that nobody would joke around with it.
If they can't show us that they figured out how bad their behavior was -- and Northam has shown us that he's clueless -- I say throw them all out.
5
Great piece
Thank you very much
5
What's been lost in this politically correct rush to totalitarianism, where one must be forever on guard lest we think, much less say anything someone would find "offensive" and bring you to the tribunal of social condemnation is our very humanity. Too many will gladly adorn a "victim" label, whether it's deserved or not and the push for outrage stokes the polarization already rampant in our culture today. We demand of people a level of purity with social consequences similar to how they determined if you were a witch or not. Put the accused underwater for some time then bring back up. If they're still alive they must be a witch, if they died, well, they weren't, were they?
Is Northam's "sin" more so than Fairfax's alleged sexual assaults? Northam's "racist" photo is an act of stupidity, though I think the intent was more to show the irony of a black person and Klansman having a good time together defying the expectation of mutual animosity, rather than attempting to be "racist" in the modern use. That being said, if Fairfax's alleged assaults, if true, are far more damaging. Cast the first stone indeed, but who among us wouldn't be on the receiving end for one thing or another?
6
You think Trump and Trumpists and Trumpism aren’t a “politically correct rush to totalitarianism?”
This article is exactly right. I am so incredibly disappointed in the Democratic leadership for calling for his resignation (and I am a liberal Democrat). I understood that some might do so but the near unanimity of the Democratic candidates on this point is appalling. Apparently, not one of them has a brain or a heart. Or, they are cowards, too afraid to be misperceived as a supporting racism or they are amoral opportunists scrambling to get votes from the "off with his head" crowd. I'm not sure it matters which. It stinks.
6
What's worse than what you write your or others' youthful indiscretions is that as an adult you continue to align yourself to a political party that blindly follows as its leader one of the most heinous individuals in American history. Wow!
Your president's actions are global and long-lasting and detrimental to people's lives and the life of our planet.
5
So wrong. Nothram has issued contradictory statements which lead me to believe he is hiding more. Plenty of good people who were not known as coonsman and who did not display KKK images on their yearbook page to be governor. If there was evidence of anti-semitism in his past would you be so forgiving? I hope so but from many of your columns I am not sure.
4
As long as Northam and the AG stay in office, they have to prop up Fairfax - now credibly accused of criminal acts. Getting rid of the one black man while keeping the 2 whites is such terrible optics it's bound to haunt Democrats way beyond Virginia for a long time to come.
Either all three go, and Cox, a Republican, becomes governor, or Fairfax will continue to act like a lynching victim allowed to slowly, slowly, twist in the wind. If I were a Democrat I would go for the first option, but as it is I hope the second one is chosen. The validity of the blackface charge is irrelevant.
1
What world do you live in that two accusations of sexual violence by highly respected women is the equivalent of a lynching?
It was fair to remain open minded when the first accuser came forward. But now Fairfax has been accused of two sexual crimes. In no world is that comparable to wearing a racist costume in college.
The media's overblown coverage of this 'story' is what is fueling this false outrage. I am disgusted by the easy solutions called for by mostly white people - have the person resign and all will be well, instead of demanding that actual policies change for blacks and minorities in our country. Get over this and start fighting for real change.
7
So Bret you say he might have done something dumb when he was a young man. Thank god his dumb thing was not medical malpractice in his diagnosis of Bret Stephens medical condition. I suppose that particular "dumb thing" would have had more meaning to conservative white man Bret Stephens. However, since were talking about a dumb thing that is injurious to those other people, we should let it slide. Besides Ralph doesn't still harbor those beliefs, right?
1
I used to tell Gay jokes when I was young, God has a sense of humor, and gave me a Gay son. I am today in the forefront of Gay Rights. Who among us has not done stupid things when we were young. Lets judge Gov.Northam Today, not what occurred in his youth, but what he stands for today. Our credibility as a Party is shaky. We wanted to hang Kavinaugh for a incident that he did as a teenager, & the Republicans kept the Senate,& the country voted him into the supreme Court.We must stand up to the Black caucus , or we will lose any chance of winning the White House in 2020. As it is, many Jewish voters are leaving the Party over the anti Semitism in our Party.
3
The reason that Brett Kavanaugh’s should not be a Supreme Court justice isn’t so much “what he did as a teenager” as heinous as that was. It was his behavior in front of the entire world during the hearing. He showed beyond a doubt that he has the temperament of a 5-year old. He reminds me of someone, someone named Donald...
1
Some wisdom here, but there is no defending the use of blackface and wearing Klan robes and hoods as the “prevailing notions of socially permissible behavior” in 1984. Or perhaps Reagan’s America was a much more frightening place than Stephens would like to admit.
6
The loudest voices in the Democratic party and the MSM, actually an arm of the Establishment, are not in a position to forgive Northam anything. He has committed a thoughtcreime and there must be consequences. The Democratic party is now powered by radical feminism and identity politics. This is the path they have chosen, and all presidential candidates will face the same scrutiny and smears. The MSM has already tried to smear Tulsi Gabbard for association with her father, a Christian minister who voiced the traditional view on homosexuality. There's so much smearing to do done. This is the usual course of a revolution, eating its own.
1
I've thought a lot about this and i agree with Stephens. As a life-long resident of Northern climes, I don't recall once seeing anyone in a black-face costume. Whenever I attended or watched a local costume event I was puzzled that a surprising majority of the men showed up with lipstick and boobs. Did they think it was cute? Funny? Or were they just laughing at ugly women?
No doubt Northam is sorry for his actions. What decent person wouldn't be? But no one alive would or should be banished from a job because of some stupid, youthful mistake. Not only would it be unfair, but we'd need a workforce of nothing but robots.
3
Really? There are no genuinely good, conscientiously decent, and capable people, who can get the job done?
Depends on the shameful moment and the context of judgment. I would not vote for him, given this knowledge and opportunity. I might get to know him socially and see where that went. Blackface in the 1980s shamelessly displayed in a yearbook at the graduate level? Please.
2
I am from the same generation as Gov. Northam. Born in Alabama and went to college in North Carolina. Most of my peers and I knew better than to dress up as a black person or in white robes for Halloween. We didn't want to insult our African American peers or treat KKK violence like a joke. However, I'm not proud that my friends and I wore "redneck" costumes for Halloween, mocking rural white people who did not have the social economic advantages that we enjoyed. I like to think that I've gained a greater appreciation of all my fellow Americans in the past 35 years. Let's give
Gov. Northam the benefit of the doubt.
3
Bret, The "problem" for me is not what he did, but how he responded. The "it wasn't me", "maybe it was me", "a little bit of shoe polish", "I did the moonwalk". OMG!! Are you kidding me? A simple "that was me - it was wrong - let me use this as a national teaching moment about our racial history.." would have worked for me, and helped me to support his staying in office. Instead, his approach of obfuscation, sent the message "its really not that big a deal", and that in and of itself is the "problem". He should resign.
4
I think Mr. Stephens is right about Nortam but it is also true that there are capable honest people who have never told a racist or sexist or homophobic or anti Semitic joke - let alone worn blackface or a klan robe even as a joke. Those people should be leaders
1
I think the author missed the point. CURRENT clamors for Northam's resignation are not the direct result of the racist yearbook page, they are the result of the following day's press conference when he showed himself to be utterly clueless. Fairfax needs to resign if there's a preponderance of evidence supporting the claims of the women who accuse him. There is some argument that the attorney general should stay. Going to a party in blackface as a rapper is stupid and disrespectful, but he WAS young and he was forthright in his admission and apology. This might be the place to draw a line that's difficult to draw.
4
As usual, this is all nothing new. Back in the 60s Lyndon Johnson reportedly said, “You know the difference between cannibals and liberals? Cannibals only eat their enemies.” It seems that while liberals believe in the basic goodness of people, they also adhere to an almost religious notion of purity which once defiled can never be restored. Conservatives in general have a lower opinion of human nature and so perhaps are not so shocked when these sorts of transgressions take place.
Consider: Should Shakespeare's canon, to be political correct, drop the Merchant of Venice and Othello? Should Anthony Hopkins and Laurence Olivier have all their movies pulled from libraries because they were in black face for Othello?
2
I think Bret makes great points here. The overlooked point, I think, is that part of this is that Democrats are overcompensating to some extent because Republican politicians completely refuse to police the sexist and racist behavior of their team (how long did it take them to do anything about Steve King and that's the only example I can think of). So Democrats feel they have to make the point that it's important to deal with this stuff. Do I think it's gone to the extreme and the world is a bit nuts right now? Yes I do.
1
This discussion shows the racial divide. If you are white, you are much tolerant of white people doing racist things. More willing to forgive and give a second chance. But if you are black, you are less inclined. These racist actions do not hurt or offend white people the way it hurts and offend black people.
Also, creating false equivalences Of black people's racists statements is not the same thing. White racism is institutionalized, where black racism is individual.
We are still do not know how to have a discussion on race in this country. We just point fingers as to who is more racist.
1
About time someone had the guts to say this, Bret. I been thinking what you say practically since the scandal broke. Why punish someone for something they did years ago and that was, at that time, acceptable behavior to the dominant culture, encouraged in many cases. We just sat an accused sex abuser on the Supreme Court, an accused man who seemed to have no remorse for his actions, and that crime seems to me to be a lot more physically terrible to the victims who may have suffered.
I've lived with racism and sexism all of my long life. Jerking Northam's governorship away so we can hide it from everyone and pretend it didn't happen won't solve a thing. We have to work on racism and sexism in schools and churches and family discussions. Let's not hide it. Display its ugliness for all to see.
There are things that need to be said, conversations that need to take place between black, white, male, female. Some of them we don't want to hear, but we should hear them.
2
Interesting that you could only come up with past racist gaffes from Democrats, Bret.
Noble as this column is, you have sent some vibes to your peeps, I think.
You also disappointed at the end when you stated that Northam should identify who was in the photo.
Bret Kavanaugh seems to have been exonerated of all the drunken, obnoxious and probably abusive behavior from so many years ago. Of course, the Democrat can never escape the stunning hypocrisy of the GOP and many fellow Democrats, as well.
Voters saw something in Northam and he apparently deserves his office. Many black voters support him still because they know he has overcome alot as a son of Virginia and they are so accustomed to the weakness of whites.
The smear campaigns are with us now. The critics are so quick to attack and do not maintain any perspective anymore.
As always, the perfect remains the enemy of the good.
We are in such trouble.
Bret, I don't care what words you've used - to your shame - in the past. You're a scribbler of the conservative apologist variety, and I don't expect much from you beyond occasional clever word play and modest consistency in your columns.
The governor of a state holds actual responsibility, and acts that Northam committed while an adult in every meaningful sense of the word bear on his fitness for office. At 25, he knew, or should have known, that it is vile and racist to dress in black face, for whatever reason.
It's not that he did something bad, then lived an exemplary unsullied life untouched by that act until it was found out. He's been a (mild?) racist his entire life. It's part of him. Even as he tried to apologize and explain, Northam clearly didn't understand just how bad it was to smear shoe polish on his face - he was going to moonwalk at the podium, for goodness sake! And he thought one incident of blackface could actually be used to dismiss another.
Northam got away with something that should have disqualified him from the start of his political life. If it's any comfort to him, he can appreciate that he got a few decades in before his disqualifying acts were discovered. If Al Franken had to resign for NOT touching a woman, Northam has to go now.
2
So now we condemn people for having done something stupid when they were in college, 35 years ago, completely ignoring any accomplishments since then.
Would everyone who did something he or she regrets while in their teens or twenties please raise a hand? Wow! That's a lot of hands.
In the modern age, in America, does it make any sense at all to judge a person only by his or her most shameful moments?
Such a question can only arise at all in a truly superficial, petty, actor's, branded person age. Only a person dependent to great degree on image over substance would subscribe to judging a person by most shameful moments because such a person expects everybody to be as phony as him or herself or to be exposed as ugly as possible, to not be "beautiful and/or moral". The more substance a person has the more we can stand their shameful moments, but the superficial despise this fact above all because they know their image is as delicate as it is false and when they are not painting pretty portraits of themselves they are trying to expose as ugly other people around them.
Modern America is apparently an age of phoniness, actors, politicians, branded businessmen, and all deep people, great historical figures, writers, artists, you know--lasting people--are undermined as best as possible in name of "progress". We're not supposed to look deep in the modern age but rather apply makeup and accept everybody only on yet regardless of skin color and if anyone tries to dig deep, to base themselves on something more lasting, well then the dirt diggers come out because they know they have no substance to match, and know their only hope is to paint you as ugly as possible so you return to being as phony and made up as themselves...
It's no hero's age ours...
1
Well said. I was perfectly willing to give Northam a pass, based exactly on your reasoning. Then he decided to take a different course and started his tactic of bald-faced lying about it. That's what I think deserves condemnation and gives much more insight into his character, not 30 years ago, but today. Reminds me a lot of Kavanaugh. Thoughtless and stupid decades ago, but still a self-serving liar today.
1
Thank you for this. I agree completely. We've all been young and stupid. I'm much wiser now, but even at age 62 I no doubt still have pockets of ignorance in my human brain. We are all entitled to the gift of grace when the line of criminality has not been crossed.
To my black compatriots who desire Northam's head: The experience of being black has made you stronger and wiser, yet you too are not omniscient. Recognize a friend by the arc of his/her life, not by isolated incidents.
1
Yes he should not resign.
He is a good man who did something stupid but it was not a crime.
He did not assault anyone as have the current residents of both the White House and the Supreme Court.
I'm still wondering why democrats are forced to resign for the slightest transgression and Rrpublicans deny and move on.
3
When Dirac married the Schrodinger Equation to Special Relativity he came up with what came to be known as anti-matter. Northam’s anti-particle has caught up to him, his annihilation is required by physical law. Information cannot be destroyed and all that was, is and can be known is determined by a set of known variables. With 7 going on 10 billion humans on the planet, it’s time to let the laws of nature determine political outcomes. It could help save us all.
Only young millennials who believe that their (very) short period of awareness constitutes a lifetime of enlightenment or older folks who ignore lifetimes of modifications to societal norms choose righteousness over the more nuanced review of a persion’s True journey through life. This era of aggreievement is not only tiresome but ineffective. Given the same criteria that critics use to demand Northam’s removal, Barrack Obama should never have been President because of his cavorting with Loius Farrakhan and Al Sharpton should be removed from his lecturing position at MSNBC. If in fact, he has spent 30 years working to the good of his fellow man and woman, then this deserves to be counted
4
Yup. I've come around to thinking that Northam should hang in there. As you point out, most of us, if we're really being honest about it, aren't perfect on this score. If the other guy turns out to be a rapist and assaulter, that's a whole 'nother story, obviously. And the great Al Franken should be running for president, instead of the up-state opportunist who, being so clearly unfit to shine his shoes, threw him under the bus to get him out of her way. Man oh man, how I'd love to pull that lever for Al.
2
The slippery slope runs in both directions, methinks. Northman was not a child but training to be a physician. He also appears to have been engaged in this kind of behavior more then once. and most importantly, he can't seem to grasp the gravity of his choices. if anything, that's what should make him design, the lack of thorough understanding of personal accountability and responsibility. And let's not forget, this dumb white supremacist behavior persists to this day.
1
I see a difference between "degree" and "kind." The inappropriate comments you list from other political figures or that all of us have said or listened to quietly are of the degree type---yes, they are inappropriate, but in context, not the same kind of offense that wearing a blackface and standing next to a KKK outfit---you have crossed the name calling/joke boundary, into very different kind of offensive territory---a territory that affirms institutional racism and the systematic lynching of African Americans---at the time I am certain the Governor thought it a joke, but, at that same time, all African Americans could point to relatives and neighbors who paid a heavy price for that supposed joke.
I have gone to school with, partied with, and worked with African Americans and I believe the cohort in that population who might be reacting to Northam’s conduct is a much smaller percentage than that of the liberal whites who are getting worked up over it. Just an impression from an old white guy.
2
I agree with Bret Stephens. Everyone of us could have something unearthed that we said or did in our past lives. We are fallible human beings. We are not who we were then
Wait till there’s facial recognition of photos. You could stop to listen to a group on the street. 20 years ago that is now hard core unacceptable. Oh but you were there. So let’s vomit up your past now. It’s crude but it has to stop somewhere
2
The obvious lesson from these comments is that if a white conservative columnist wants to win the hearts of distrustful white liberal New York Times readers, the quickest way to do so is by offering them the catharsis of forgiveness for any youthful racist trangressions they may have committed at the expense of Black people.
The conceit of this column is that nobody has the courage to stand up for the Northams of the world, but the near unanimity of the comments here clearly demonstrate that a week of social media outrage notwithstanding, there remains a very large mass of white people strongly committed to mutually absolving each other.
Northam didn't just think a bad thought or tell a racist joke. He dressed up in blackface, likely more than once, and posed for a photo with a friend wearing KU KLUX KLAN robe. He then chose that photo to represent his memories of medical school on his yearbook page.
Admittedly this was decades ago. But when confronted with the fact of his misdeeds Northam made a boiler plate apology, reversed his admission of guilt the next day, nearly performed a Moon Walk, and has generally conducted himself like a fool.
Some of the arguments here seem to suggest that Northam's political record is much better than it actually has been. He is in fact a self-described "economic conservative" who has not especially distinguished himself as a fighter for the interests of poor people or communities of color.
1
If I’d had any doubt about whether Northam should resign, Bret Stephens has laid them to rest. Bret is unfailing wrong and is a GOP running dog.
Northam has to go.
Great article especially to all the PC liberals out there who read and comment in the NYT. As my old mum used to quote, "There's so much good in the worst of us; and so much bad in the best of us; that it little behooves any of us to talk about the rest of us." Amen and Q.E.D. for good measure.
1
Mr. Northam has said he did not include that photo in the medical school yearbook. A fellow classmate said he is not unusual for unauthorized photos and information to appear in that schools yearbooks. Mr. Northam admitted that many years ago he participated in a dance contest and used shoe polish to darken his face to do Michael Jackson's moon walk.
Mr. Northam was a doctor - not a polished politician - before he was elected governor. He hasn't learned to lie. The media is pouncing on him for his lack of "polish".
Frankly I find it refreshing to hear from someone who is obviously a kind person who is open and honest. WE THE PEOPLE need more like him.
The attacks against him started with an article by the people behind a hard-right hate-anger-fear website propaganda tool. It started right after he approved a woman's right to choose what she does with her own body.
Readers can read the article for themselves here:
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/A-tip-from-a-concerned-citizen-helps-a-reporter-13585192.php
2
The author says, “In the 35 years between those two points he has, by all appearances, lived an upstanding life without a hint of racial bias.” However no evidence is provided that this is in any way true. Implicit bias is dangerous, especially for a doctor like Northram. For example look at statistics for women of color dying during childbirth. Or rates of prescribing pain medication being lower for non-white patients. Sure, maybe there’s no more blackface kkk photos, but it is still important to recognize that perhaps those yearbook photos could be a marker for a lurking racism that causes much more harm than the photo itself.
1
While I don’t necessarily disagree, it’s really hard to read these words from a white person and feel that they are credible. I really don’t think you, Bret Stephens, gets to decide these things in this case. Of course if you were Northam’e constituent, it would be up to you to decide if these things disqualify him from getting your vote, but I don’t think you get to speak with authority on whether or not this issue should compell him to resign. Especially since he didn’t actually take responsibility. If he had come out and denied it strongly from the start, or come out and taken full responsibility without any caveats, I might agree with you. But given that he sort of took responosbility, and then took it back, the issue extends beyond just dumb youthful behavior.
2
Unfortunately, identity politics, outrage/victimhood/call-out culture, and illiberalism on the left will continue getting worse and worse. The left wing puritanical inquisition rampaging across the country won’t stop until everyone with any blemish is purged. We are in the midst of a budding cultural civil war that is tribal above all else. Each side simply becomes more entrenched with delusion, pride, and hatred for the “other”. I fear the most that freedom of speech and competent individuals will be destroyed in the process.
2
Reminds me of a story about the language of politics...
A newly hired political advisor is at a huge fundraiser with his new boss, the Governor. The Governor is rattling off snide remarks about various people in the room and the new guy is laughing at each dumb remark. An older lady and a middle-aged woman are spotted walking down the main stairway. The new guy says, "That is one ugly woman." The Governor says, "That sir is my wife!" The new advisor replies, "Not her, I was referring to the woman with her!" The Governor, having now turned a bright shade of red yells, "That is my daughter!" The new political advisor, almost without hesitation, says, "I didn't say it", and then moonwalks out of the room.
That's politics at it's best!
This is a reasonable commentary.
There is an aspect however lacking throughout this discussion. That is why people attempt humor and what is thought to be funny.
Sigmund Freud in his book " Jokes and their relation to the unconscious" stated that part of humor is a release - that it is the release that evokes an easing of tension.
One can slice and dice people who tell jokes about women, or heavy people or gay people, or red necks ad nauseum - but it is that letting off of steam in a humorous fashion that prevents full scale conflict.
The fact is that it is not a one way street. One has only to look at the crime statistics, the welfare rolls to understand why there might be resentment towards blacks. Sighting to 'gyp' someone has as its origins a reality that gypsy culture at some point probably condoned as acceptable gyping someone. (i'm no expert). Or to welch on a bet, or lying arab.
These are ways of putting into words and almost excusing the behavior of someone making it seem they do so because it is beyond their control.
I liked the Amos and Andy tv show. You can't find it on the air. It may have dealt in stereotypes but it sure wasn't mean spirited. Just like i like Abbot and Costello or the Three stooges.
Personally i think putting on black face was hurtful but at some level i think it was intended to ease the frictions that whites may feel towards blacks, by making light of differences.
Humor is a relief for resentment, not intended to increase it.
Agreed. Hang in there, sir. The duplicitous republicans have absolutely no standing in this matter. Wait until all the yearbooks are scrutinized.
2
Thank you Bret Stephens. All week I've asked - Where was the Medical School when this photo was published ? Why was it allowed in the yearbook ? Why did no one object to it ? Because this "permissible behavior" that Mr. Stephens speaks of, not only allowed it, but thought of it as humor, as many did. Perhaps especially in that region of the country. This is 35 years ago. I'm sure many still find this humorous. You probably wouldn't have to look any further than to our current congress.
As stated Mr. Northam's record since has been a good one. He should not step down. If any of our own sins of 35 years ago were exposed, would any of us survive scrutiny ?
2
"prevailing notions of socially permissible behavior were uglier and dumber than they are today"
That's one way of looking at it. Another way is that people in 1984 were a heck of a lot less uptight and tribal than we are in 2019. In many ways we are actually regressing. If tolerance is a virtue, where is the tolerance for the standards and values of another era? We seem to believe that we moderns have reached a state of moral perfection, giving us the right to trash every generation preceding our own. In 35 years, will we ourselves will be called crude and racist by yet another generation of scolds?
2
First time I 100% agree with you, Bret. Liberals have become hateful, spiteful and puritanical... or maybe I should say social media has enabled that. It's schadenfreude, and I'm sick of it. It's like the more liberals hate Trump, the more they act like him. And I say this as a life-long liberal.
4
Ralph Northam should resign only after Steve King resigns.
1
Democrats - you are bartering away moral ground for several decades to come.
This will come back to haunt you.
3
One of the takeaways from Bret Stephens' article - and a sad one - is that men (mostly men) who are capable of shame, and regret the insensitivities of their youthful selves, are self-selecting out of politics. No way they want to relive in public the embarrassing moments of their lives. This runs the danger of leaving the field to the brutal and shameless. Let's hope the women of America can continue to step up and fill the voids left by the reticence of otherwise kind and honest men who "just don't want to go back there". If they don't, we will get more and more Donald Trumps and his ilk who appear immune to either embarrassment or shame.
3
Outstanding. For several years now I've been touting these words attributed to Jesus (though I am not a Christian): "Let him among you who is without sin cast the first stone" (and yes, I realize that I have just committed a "microaggression" against (insert offended person/group here) by quoting "him" accurately).
Who among us would like to be permanently judged on the worst things we have ever said and done? Who among us would choose mob justice over mercy when it comes to our own transgressions?
I remain a liberal, but the insanity of up-is-down rhetoric that demands *everyone* accept "facts" that are not in evidence, and the lynch-mobism among social-media hordes have helped me understand, I think, why some Americans have turned away from liberal-progressive-Democratic factions.
Bravo, Bret Stephens.
1
I wonder how much of this “zero tolerance” fever is a desire to wipe slates clean of the entitlement and excesses of the boomer generation? Younger people seem to have had enough of us.
2
Thanks for the article. Stephens should now get his colleagues in the news media to join him in thinking reasonably about this latest "witchhunt", and many others like it lately (Al Franken's absurd banishment from the Senate, anyone?)--ALL of which are driven by a news media with a total lack of judgement or purpose. Most Americans do not want to crucify public officials over some stupid and insensitive, but non-criminal, mistake that occurred decades ago, but the media apparently sees ruining careers and running off otherwise decent folks as sport and just one more "story" to print/broadcast/yak about ad nauseum. This is how Trump got elected as well: the news media over-covered his campaign, salivating over his every guttural utterance from day one because they simply couldn't resist the shiny objects he dangled (and continues to dangle) in front of their ignorant, distracted, thoughtless noses.
2
Oh, goodie! I get to correct the Biden Myth again!
Go listen to the actual recording, He is talking to a reporter.
"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American ..."
"Yeah.
" ... who is articulate and bright and clean... etc"
Basically, insert a comma after mainstream African-American and you change the whole meaning.
"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American, who is articulate and bright and clean ... "
My dad used to say such a comma is like when someone says "What is that I see in the road ahead?" versus "What is that I see in the road, a head?" Totally different.
Biden was simply marveling that Obama was a real deal, not that Jesse Jackson wasnt worthy of respect. And, he's clean and articulate and all that. He was happy to see a real deal African American appear in American politics, and he said "That's a storybook, man!"
Really, go find the recording, it's online in lots of places. Listen to it, listen for the break in the sentence, and the inflection of the wording. It's all the difference in the world. Biden is not a stupid or insensitive man. He was admiring a man who was a rival of his at the time.
1
In this case I agree with the the author. There are crimes, and then there are stupid actions. Times have changed, the man appears to have changed, and an apology and repudiation of the attitudes that once made blackface acceptable should be enough let us get on with things. What's important is now: racial equality, opportunity for all, and attention to the coming challenges of the new economy and climate change. Enough distractions!
1
Dr. Northam should be denied the opportunity to host SNL.
Democrats need to develop a zero tolerance of knee jerk condemnations of actions done decades earlier, judge through the lens of 2019.
Dr. Northam reminds one of the late Russel Baker's books on his childhood experiences, rather than an individual who sexually assaulted women.
Being an Irish Catholic, my people love Catholic jokes and Irish jokes, despite the persecution my people face even today from the Evangelical preacher for Trump's VP and cabinet, who claim Catholicism is a false religion.
1
I agree with Mr. Stephens. The offense does not rise to the point where he should be fired, especially since he did it 35 years ago when he was in college. He didn't steal anything, he didn't assault anyone, he just wore a costume that was in poor taste. It was clearly OK with the school or they would not have allowed it into the yearbook. That speaks to the culture where he found himself.
If he did it today, it would rate firing. If he has a history of acting in a racist manner in office, that might also be a factor, but he doesn't.
Isn't there a statute of limitation on poor taste?
Have we no shame?
While the incidents described in Va. are reprehensible, it should be swept under the rug just as the GOP and Trump sweep all their dirt. They've lowered the bar for common decency these past 2.5 and it's disgusting.
2
I was wondering where all the op-eds on this topic are. Leave it to Bret Stephens to write one that is clear-eyed and circumspect. I agree with Bret that we, all of us, have done some appallingly insensitive and stupid things, knowingly and unknowingly. If you grew up in the 80's, you will remember a song with truly horrifying homophobic lyrics - a song that won a Grammy and was a #1 hit back then. In reading this op-ed, I am reminded that we do need to be nuanced in judging these long-ago misdeeds, view them in their context and intent. Repetence and forgiveness. And redemption.
2
Whether or not an individual has said or done something stupid, insensitive, or hurtful, particularly in the past, seems to me to be less mportant than how he/she deals with it when it is revealed. Lies, denials, blaming of others, distractions, counter-attacks, and other ways to avoid acknowledgement do not recommend that the person continue with his/her position of trust, influence and/or power.
1
Blackface is what people did back then. I recall my daddy donning
a black wig, blackface and a servants white jacket to serve his
party invitees in the late thirties. Even our "colored" servants, with whom I was very close, thought it funny in that age.
We need to focus on the now. Granted, Northam made a fool of
himself in his confession speeches. But compared to what?
He seems the best of a questionable lot; and, he seems to have behaved ok during his term. So, maybe we should move, and
focus on jobs, wage improvement, don con misbehavior, and
other needed problems.
2
Many of us have done stupid things in high school and college, myself included. A few years working in the 'real world' can have a clarifying effect, a time where some of us grow up and some do not. What we have seen with this governor is a rush to judgement, a knee jerk reflex that does not care to learn if he has changed from the time he was a young man in, let's face it, a traditionally racist environment.
For those who ask why Gov Northram did not bring his past actions up earlier in his career, it is precisely because so many people are so quick to presume his guilt that he did not come forward.
2
While I agree Northam now has the opportunity to lead us all to a better place, so far he's done a pathetic and perhaps inexcusable job of fulfilling that role. So far, he's shown only an ability to "say anything" to protect his own privilege.
Biden really said that? How is he still viable, oh wait his party affiliation. Nevermind.
1
Our excoriation of Northam for wearing blackface decades ago is fake atonement for our lackadaisical acceptance of the world-historical politically correct atrocities that are being perpetrated right now, including but not limited to the devastation of the natural world and the mass destruction of birds, insects, and species. It’s a way of flattering ourselves that we have moral substance. It’s a diversion.
1
Mob rule is getting out of hand.
Northam says it wasn’t him in the infamous yearbook photo, but that he did darken his face as part of a MJ costume for a dance contest.
Should we banish Robert Downey Jr for playing the role of a black man in “Tropic Thunder?”
How about the Wayans Brothers who don white face for their “White Chicks” routine?
If it hurts feelings, we shouldn’t do it. But should lives be ruined for bad behavior 40 years, ago?
Northam is guilty of a clumsy press conference. His crime seems to be a poor political response. Most say he has done good work as governor.
Let him stay.
Let the voters decide.
2
Unfortunately, the world is not on a forgiving mood these days. Identity politics, notwithstanding its positive aspects, has a very absolutist viewpoint on these matters - the guilty aren't just guilty of their particular transgressions, they become a symbol of "privilege", and are to blame for the entire spectrum of oppression visited on minorities.
Northam isn't just a white guy who did something dumb when he was younger. He is now White Man perpetuating a practice that historically has been used to ridicule African-Americans. Northam is Slavery. Northam is Segregation. It's as if a pickpocket isn't just a pickpocket, they're a Symbol of Crime and Lawlessness.
Another element of these outrages is that of vicarious revenge. Trump and his ilk get away with truly outrageous behaviour, but they're untouchable because they don't depend on a network of Liberal followers and friends. Since we can't touch Trump, we'll touch those on our own side for even the slightest transgression.
Yeah, it's a sign that the Left has become very dysfunctional. Perhaps not as dysfunctional as the Right, but we're getting there.
2
Northam’s most recent shameful behavior was not his wearing blackface in college. It was his management of his press conference about that long-ago behavior. He let that session become a joke. When asked by some enabling reporter if he had won the dance contest, the only good answer was to say “That’s irrelevant to the subject of this press conference, which is my awareness today of the inappropriateness of my behavior then.” But no. He only aggravated his original lapse.
All this faux outrage! I completely agree with this article. I'm so tired of these sanctimonious crybabies demanding forced apologies for every ancient insult, real or perceived. And when the ensuing apology doesn't meet with their criteria and the self abasement of their target is not sufficiently grovelling: Off with his head! Everybody needs to stop pretending that past behaviour should be judged by today's exaggerated sensibilities and get over it!
4
Well written... Now, reconciliation...
Has Bret Stephens ever written in defense of a minority group or people? I agree that what Virginia Governor did in the photo was racist, a common practice in the state of Virginia those days. What needs to be investigated is the Medical School which allowed such racist photos to be published as late as in 1984. Yes, we all do dumb things, but racism is not dumb; it’s an act of making the other Other, other than oneself, different, inferior, but mostly, sub-human and disgusting. Virginia Governor is guilty of all that, but he has also redeemed himself by doing good service to the African-American cause. He has governed without racial bias. But the columnist Stephens wants to give him a pass, because the Governor’s active racist behavior can be condoned by most white people as “dumb,” or “childish,” as George Will called it. No, it isn’t dumb or childish. It’s an act of violence that reduces the other human being’s existence to a mere type, a type that can be possessed and exploited. Mel Brooks and Eddy Murphy were not being racist when they made fun or satirized the racist tropes. Stephens conflates the issue of criticism with affirmation. Virginia Governor was actively affirming racism not only by blackening his face with shoe polish, but also standing as or next to a KKK man. This is not childish or dumb. But the Governor’s attitude has changed and he should accept his racist past first, before he wants to move on and be forgiven.
Absolutely right, Bret, which are not words I thought that I would ever be writing. I would add that I am much more concerned about someone in a greater position of power who has spent his entire adult life as a racist and has yet to pay a price for it. Is orange face a bad thing?
1
But...but, how will I feed my outrage then???
Must feed my outrage, then tweet about it. Must count the likes and retweets. Self-righteousness intensifies...
5
Serious question: why is it that Brett Kavanaugh, accused of sexual assault, was condemned and considered not fit for the Supreme Court by one side but excused by the other as youthful indiscretions he should not be judged by, yet when Northam is accused of blackface that side suddenly has no compassion for the recklessness and indiscretion of youth while the side that wanted to string up Kavanaugh suddenly thinks that things done 35 years ago shouldn’t be the benchmark by which we judge a man today? Is this all maybe just hypocritical partisan malarkey that we should ignore and move on to things that actually matter maybe?
1
Thank you for your insight. Should we feel the same about Brett Kavanaugh?
1
As an African American, I say leave him alone, don't let the republicans get this office by our total unwillingness to look at things in a rational way.
697
@Garphil
I never agree with stephens, but he finally got something right.
Thank you Garphil.
24
@Garphil
Well said. Your comment reminds me of the definition of politics: the job of trading one ill for another ill in order to retain a net good for the public. It is why I often state that politics is the most noble profession out there: even if you have the best principles and intentions, you must exchange one bad thing for another in order to make a net good for society.
15
Bret...some common sense is always good ...thanks
for the reminder.
2
To my Millennial daughter, my views on Governor Northam (which I share with Bret Stephens) are anathema. In her view, I'm not "woke" and have failed to grasp that "there is no room for compromise. Northam must resign." We've gone 10 rounds on this, and can articulate each other's positions, but I must say that neither of us "understands" the other. We're both liberal Democrats.
Northam acted stupidly and immaturely three decades ago. Subsequently his behavior has been exemplary, and he has been a strong force for good in Virginia politics.
I am sickened and appalled (but of course not surprised) to hear Republican politicians, almost all of whom have snapped to attention at Trump's racist dog whistles, casting sanctimonious aspersions on Northam.
Northam should stop apologizing and get on with his job of governing the Commonwealth of Virginia.
554
@ALB Isn't that a big part of the problem, that he can't even admit he did these things, let alone apologize? I know that passes for "leadership" right now, but should we tolerate it?
4
@ALB
Hey, ALB, your experience with your Millennial daughter demonstrates that, while her generation has some very important points to make about the elimination of prejudice, there is still room for the wisdom of the older generations.
38
@ALB Once your daughter feels the brunt of Republican policies (abortion illegal, for instance), she may get "woke" to reality.
33
The revelation that Virginia Republican Senator Tommy Norment edited a yearbook rife with bigotry and racism simply reinforces that these Virginia "elites" of all political persuasions, were immersed in a culture that didn't accept such behavior but rather expected it.
Any normal human being is guilty of one or more early transgressions which are regrettable but also stepping stones to maturity and understanding.
People are quoting Dr. King as if he would wish their destruction.
King always saw the long view and would instantly understand the situation.
I am confident that Dr. King would want them to be judged on their life's work, not actions borne of ignorance, fraternity and peer-pressure.
He would simply be fulfilling his view that we all have the capacity to change for the better.
Dr. King would see the power of redemption in their stories and the force for good it can be.
1
The only source that comments better on this situation than Mr. Stephens is Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". Let's realize that we are all imperfect, and, as Mr. Stephens suggests, stop judging each other, especially our politicians, based on their worst moments from 35 years ago.
Redemption is a wonderful thing. Even St. Paul evolved.
2
The only issue I have with Northam is his lack of candor about the photo. I felt the same way about Kavanaugh at his Senate hearing. It isn't about bad behavior from earlier in their lives, it is about spinning and lying about it to the public.
I do have to ask... has it actually been determined whether Northam was the one in blackface or the KKK outfit? I may be wrong, but I have this sneaking suspicion that he is the one in the KKK outfit, and THAT is what he doesn't really want to admit, because certainly that would be harder for the public to swallow than blackface.
87
@Michael M.
No it has not been determined which individual in the photo is Northam, if either.
I did see in some early reporting of a proposition to use facial recognition technology, but someone apparently (and thankfully) identified the obvious flaw in that approach, given the specifics of the photo.
I live in VA, and there has been a lot of local reporting on the apparent lack of any supervision of the medical school yearbook. It is possible that Northam is not in the photo and did not submit it to the yearbook editors to be included on his page. Which of course raises into question his initial response of taking responsibility for the photo.
If he is in the photo, as much as one can tell by the respective heights of the two individuals, I would favor that Northam is the individual in blackface. The eyeholes of the hooded individual, if accurately placed, would be of someone much shorter than Northam.
8
@Michael M.
Kavanaugh was not implicated in mere "bad behavior." He was credibly accused of attempted rape. Huge difference.
16
@Michael M. Has Northam explained why he chose this picture for his personal page in the yearbook? It shouldn’t be a mystery to him.
The essential argument of this article is well-taken. It's about time for someone to be sensible about these matters that are subject to so much hysteria.
But I would go one small step further. I don't think that there is an obligation on Mr Northam to track down and expose whoever is in that picture, unless he was responsible for it. He is not an investigator. Let the persons own up to it. But I'm sure there are a host of eager zealots on Twitter who can't wait to do the job anyway.
2
In the 1950's, the House Unamerican Activities Committee asked those it subpoenaed, "Are you now or have you ever been? ..." That kangaroo court destroyed careers, including that of Dalton Trumbo, perhaps America's most gifted screenwriter, and inspired Arthur Miller to write "The Crucible," which offers glimpses into the sacrifice of humanity to destructive dogma in 1692 Salem, Mass.
Just as in the 50's there were many patriotic Americans who had flirted with Communism during the labor-vs-management struggles of the 1920's and 1930's (see Clifford Odets' drama, "Awake and Sing"), today there are many Americans who drifted with the zeitgeist of their youths, acting in a way toward those of another race, sex, or sexuality that was sadly normal then but roundly condemned now.
As I have said before in these pages, I was as culpable as anyone. I liked getting laughs, and saying mean things about people of color and women were pretty surefire in my college dorm. We're not talking about an audience here made up of groundlings; no, the royalty in the boxes enjoyed a good laugh at someone else's expense, and don't let them tell you now that they didn't.
So, "Are you now or have you ever been?" should be shortened to, "Are you now?" Most religions understand humans' propensity toward error, and so they incorporate confession or some other process in which a person can admit meanness or stupidity and move on, hoping to sin no more.
Ralph, admit it and repent. You will be forgiven.
6
OK-looking at this in bottom-line strictly political terms, Northam should not resign because of the Fairfax situation. Two very credible accusers and Fairfax reduced to arguing that there is “...an organized smear campaign...” against him.
As long as Fairfax hangs on, s must Northam. Anyway, Northam can show remorse by how he runs the Commonwealth.
I am very heartened to see that the Readers Picks for this piece overwhelmingly show support for Mr. Stehen's very reasoned point of you. I can assure you most Virginians feel the same way - even this one who was born a Yankee. What is truly disappointing is the immediate reaction of opportunistic politicians and pundits who immediately called for Governor Northam's head - a reaction which also conveniently gave them the chance to strut their oh-so-superior morality in front of the rest of us. Particularly disappointing was the reaction of Senators Warner and Kaine. I used to have immense respect for these men but their instant willingness to throw Governor Northam - who they must know is a decent and honorable man - under the bus because of how they perceived the political winds were blowing last week is beyond shameful.
4
@John J. Well, I am a Virginian too, and I voted for Northam, but I've sent him a message urging him to resign. Because this is about politics, not present day morality. Democrats are just now beginning to get our heads above water in Virginia; the last thing we need is a bunch of tainted politicians pulling us down again.
Well said, perhaps we can begin to right the ship and stop the PC nonsense. We all owe a duty of civility to each other - something grossly out of vogue. However we are also humans with tempers, foibles etc. When they spill out inappropriately, they should be open for discussion/correction but not self-righteous condemnation. Unfortunately we are losing our interpersonal communication skills allowing us to discuss/correct; in my younger days when someone insulted you, you ignored it or you directly addressed it. Not today; today everyone has the thought police ready to condemn rather than to engage the other.
3
I agree with Bret Stephens and will go a little further as a Democrat voter. I will not support Democratic presidential candidates who calls for mr. Northam's resignation. The left-wing purity purges have already gone too far. For example, Al franken deserved an opportunity to defend himself before the politically motivated Democrats piled on. Even in pragmatic terms, how far has it gotten Democrats to prove their moral superiority to Donald Trump? Democrats talk about Republican evangelicals as hypocrites, and they are. But it is also hypocritical to preach forgiveness and not forgive Mister northam for immature behavior 30 plus years ago.
6
Blackface is a shameful practice when it is used to mock others. While the example allegedly depicting Northram does indeed fall into the offensive category, not all instances do. I am thinking of the admission of Attorney General Herring, who revealed that as a 19-year-old freshman he and a friend used blackface with the intent of honoring a rapper they liked. My point is that in discussing the practice, we need to be more nuanced. We should consider when the incident occurred and also what the intent of the person donning blackface. Stephens makes some excellent points about our need to be able to forgive and to place indiscretions in perspective.
5
The Democratic Party is coming close to its on version of the French "Reign of Terror" in its zeal for purity. There is no person who can be found without imperfection.
This zeal will not spread to the Republican Party. Past sins and indiscretions mean nothing to them, in fact, are almost a badge of honor.
2
Kavanaugh was elected to the Supreme Court because most people believe that what anybody does when young is not serious.
1
If we’re out to get everyone who’s done something shameful or criminal that adversely affects other people, then Northam should leave office only after we receive resignation letters from Trump, his staff, his cabinet and all Republican members of Congress.
4
As long as the "youthful indiscretion" excuse is available accountability will be delayed. We teach our children the consequences of actions and then excuse their delinquent behaviors. Ralph Northam was not a child when this event occurred, he was a senior in medical school for Gods sake (maybe 24 or 25). Contrast the Governor's situation with a teenaged African-American boy whose youthful indiscretion may have included drug use or truancy. Society in that case demands swift accountability because you know, consequences.
Northam could wear a powdered wig & knee length silk stockings to his next public apologetic appearance. Truly, this man is making great personal progress in social largesse and should be afforded every benefit of the doubt. Thespian talents have always been a large part of political life in America.
I am Northam's age. At no time have I considered blackface funny or in anyway entertaining. I have always been clear what it represented. In college, we used to remove lawn jockeys, so this cuts the other way, too. He clearly should have known better. By the 1980's, we had all the information about Jim Crow, the lead up to Brown and understanding the damage of segregation for 30 years after the decision, and we were 20 years past landmark civil rights legislation, and Dr. King's life and teachings were complete and well studied. Those who say it was a different time are excusing willful and culpable ignorance. Does that mean he should lose his job? I think so. But I think he should lose it for so blithely explaining post delivery killing, and knowing darn well that most late term pregnancy terminations have nothing to do with fetal deformity or health endangerment. He may have a past of stupidity that means he can't have my trust. But he has a present of duplicity that justifies barbarism. Exploiting tragedy to justify the destruction of healthy life shows me what kind of person he is.
2
Right!
Let's offer amnesty to any blackfacer who offended before 1984, or before attaining the age of responsibility, which is 24 for American males.
How many statesmen, politicians, and preachers would be left standing if we didn't recognize that intelligent and well-meaning people change with experience over time?
The blackface furor was initiated by right-wing Republicans pundits bent on discrediting those, like Northam, who were elected because of their commitment to defending the rights of, and providing opportunities for, all Americans.
Now, let's move on to talk about hassle-free health care, university scholarships for gifted students, infrastructure, gun control, climate change, and the other real issues that affect the lives of Americans.
3
Exactly! Thank you, Bret Stephens.
2
“Ever told — or laughed at — a bigoted joke? Ever used one of the more common ethnic or sexist slurs...”
Actually, no I haven’t. I am not one to be holier than thou, but at the same time, I have not told a bigoted joke, or used an ethnic or sexist slur. I also have spoken up recently when someone started making a racist joke and said it was offensive. It was not easy, and it made a few uncomfortable while others said they were relieved I spoke up. Things change when we speak up and say something.
A lot of people are praising Stephens here. I think there is a lot of soul searching going on. And that’s a good thing.
This is the motto I live by (attributed to various people):
Watch your thoughts for they become words.
Watch your words for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
What we think, we become.
While I totally agree with Bret Stephens main thesis I felt his inclusion of Joe Biden's comment was unfair in that it was taken out of context. Biden was not saying Obama was the first articulate .... African American but the first main stream presidential candidate with these attributes. One can still be upset with that statement but there is a chasm betwéen "first articulate African American" and the first main stream african American candidate with these discriptors.
Bret stephens has shown by example. Many of his columns in the past have been inaccurate or irresponsible - then he redeems himself with this one.
Yes, Mr Northam should beg forgiveness for his past insensitivity and move on as Governor of Virginia.
Northam has baggage, he did not commit a crime as you indicated early on your opinion.
Northam should be judged by what he has done in his public life, not judged on weaponized baggage. Based on that, every.Democrat, every thinking person, should support him and celebrate his achievements.
2
So sick of untoward politicians.
Just because Donald Trump has gotten away with whatever he wants, does not make everything ok.
Democrats should rise above.......So should everyone else.
Don’t run for office if your past is clouded. It also angers us healthcare providers that recognize our colleagues participate in discriminatory activities. Do no harm. Stand for no harm. No harm for anyone.
The F.B.I. does not allow employees who have smoked pot so many times in their lives, right? Well, the whole US govt should have no room for tainted pasts either.
It seems weird to have these occurrences made public AFTER elections, though.
If Virginia gets turned over to Republicans, a lesson. Sad lesson.
A lesson with everlasting impact. Investigations yes, but so much money and so many distractions.... again.
A lesson to just behave. Barack Obama has never looked so good. Well, yes he has. A moral man who took so much unnecessary guff. Think about it.
1
Am I really that much better than the people Bret Stephens is acquainted with? I don't regret laughing at "bigoted" jokes because no one I have associated with socially ever made any. I have never used a racial or sexual slur, and I don't think any of my social associates ever has, either. I went to college in the 1980s, which actually doesn't seem that long ago, and in our annual air guitar contest the black students dressed up as Michael Jackson. We didn't need to put on blackface, because we had actual black students, many of whom were our friends. We lip synched to white artists' songs. These controversies are revelatory to me because they show me the ugly side of America that I've managed to avoid much of my life but is apparently considered mainstream by Bret Stephens.
Indeed, Bret, we should not judge people only by their most shameful moments. Kavenaugh is now a Justice of the Supreme Court. And the Donald is President.
1
During the press conference Mr. Ralph Northam has insulted the intelligence of the people like me tag has voted for his victory in a Governor's recent election.He doesn't show any kid of respect for the people that has voted him thinking of a person that is not, What a deceiving representation!
What is the moral and the ethical learning to the next generation of young Americans.
I firmly believe that we shouldn't allow this person to represent the State of Virginia and the value of a Democratic Party. How can you trust and work with somebody that is only interested to keep the chair for the power and his personal advantage.This is absolutely inconceivable !!
I am sick to death of single 40 year old incidences being dredged up to take valuable people down, particularly when the alledged incident contradicts the entire body of a person's work and existence since. Governor Northam may or may not be in the year book picture and the photo may or may not have just been plugged in by the yearbook staff to fill space.. But either way it doesn't matter. As for moonwalking like Michael Jackson, that points to an admiration for Jackson and a desire to emulate his dance moves, rather the opposite of racism. No racist would be caught dead moonwalking.
Stand your ground, Governor Northam. My experience in life is that lasting IS the battle in these situations and that this incident will largely be forgotten as the silly small thing it is. You ate doing the right thing. You have done much good already in your public service, and have much more to do.
2
Well stated, Brett. This is the most sensible treatment on this issue that I have seen to date. Since there is NOTHING in the 35 years since the incident occurred to indicate that Northam is a racist, the man ought to be forgiven for him past indiscretions, and go one with his life of public service. After all, going "black face" is not the same as making a noose for a lynching. Come on people-- let's show a bit of common sense. Let he/she who is without sin caste the the first stone. All this proves that the mindless "zero tolerance" strategy reflects out basest instincts and show the lack of a mature judgement.
2
In other words, youthful indiscretions should be forgiven:
"Racism and sexism are not good, but most of us, as Stephens points out, are guilty of thinking and sometimes even saying racist and sexist things."
Unless, of course, those youthful indiscretions were committed by someone whose political beliefs you don't share.
2
I agree Northam should not resign. And, if he acted like a jerk in explaining his actions, that should be addressed in the ballot box but not impeachment. I do have one question though: Why is the medical school being given a pass for putting a photo with that content in its yearbook’s pages? If Northam is held responsible for his callous judgment, shouldn’t the medical school too?
2
I'm not sure that Northam should step down, and I'm glad he hasn't (yet). It seems to me that the media is serving as judge and jury in this matter and there hasn't been any effort here to discover the facts of the case. It isn't even established yet that Northam was in that KKK photo, yet people are lining up to pressure him to resign. No-one looks at his positive political achievements, which appear from what I have read to be as anti-racist as could be. While his dressing in blackface and possibly appearing in the KKK photo were crude and insensitive, he has apologized. I don't see how they disqualify him from acting as governor, especially when his record reveals nothing of the nastiness one might fear from his ill-considered youthful pranks.
It is pleasantly surprising to hear a self-identified Republican such as Stephens articulate these reasonable views, but it does call into question his allegiance to a party that has come to be associated with bigotry, nativism, hatred, intolerance, and political repression. Why, Mr. Stephens, do you advocate tolerance and fairness and still align yourself with the party that has been at the vanguard of the desecration of human rights?
3
"Their most shameful moments"? Is this the new Moral Majority? The tone of moral righteousness from the left is as lame as it was from the right in the 80s. Is the Scarlet R coming next? Moral McCarthyism is not a good thing, and it's creating a backlash.
3
So well stated. And I shall not cast the first stone....
Excellent article! I really appreciate your level perspective on this.
I was raised in (mostly white) blue-collar suburbs. As a younger man, I lived for many years in black and Latino neighborhoods, even while building a home-services business with a very affluent, educated client base.
Disparaging "the other" is a near-universal phenomenon.
The levels of crudeness/sophistication vary, and not everyone is as guilty as everyone else; but few would hold up clean and spanky if the entire history of our thoughts, utterances and actions were to be known. For me, the take away was the eye-opening lesson that having a certain skin pigmentation does not equal virtue or its opposite. It really does come down to the individual. That said, Governor Northam seems to be too slow on the draw to be governor, even without the year book scandal. And the chain of ascendants behind him don't exactly inspire confidence, either. The media driven garment-tearing over the blackface stunt was gearing us up for a national catharsis, a "cleansing" of Virginia, if you will. And it was satisfyingly simple: white, secretly racist ("aren't they all?"),southern governor, now exposed, should resign. And a (presumably) virtuous black man should replace him! Until, we see that when stereotypes do ring true, the sound goes in all directions.
These are tough times for those in power who have ugly incidents and beliefs in their past. That's not the total issue however. It is that none of these guys (usually guys) stand up and say I did this or believed that, and I am asking you to look at me NOW and understand that I and all the other people who have these issues can unlearn those bad attitudes and actions and become allies. It is 2019, after all!
That was the trouble with Kavanaugh and the trouble with this gang in Virginia. Secrecy. That state would do well to throw them all out and hold elections for people who will continue to bring Virginia out of that past into the present. Look ahead, not back all the time! Get rid of the confederate statues in public squares and get real!
Northam has another career. He just shouldn't be in a position of public trust after betraying the blacks, for example, who supported him.
1
And while we’re at it, no big deal that Brett Kavanaugh may have sexually assaulted a girl in high school...just another youthful indiscretion, right? Well, obviously not. There are clearly lines that can be crossed, in terms of the awful behavior in question and the age at which, and spirit in which, it was perpetrated. Moreover, no doubt there are plenty of Virginians with upstanding careers devoted to public service who definitely did NOT participate in racist acts or antics in the 80s, or when they were in their 20s. Northam should point this out in his resignation speech.
1
Thank you for publicly articulating my feelings. Context counts, and people can make bad short-term decisions but go one to live good and just lives.
If you spent your entire life in an all white community (which still exists to this day), would you know what was offensive to non-whites or other ethnicities? Would you believe all Italians are the Soprano's?
Fortunately, most of us (but not all) move about the world as we grow and learn beyond our upbringing. Those who don't remain in are ignorant of, or in fear of "otherness."
Somewhere there is a photo album of me in Halloween dress throughout my childhood. A few might be considered somewhat offensive by today's standards, as my choices leaned toward other cultures. I would hate to be judged now on those choices.
I’d like to meet that person. You know, the one who has never done anything stupid, or insensitive, or rude ... use whatever adjective you want. What Governor Northam did was all of those things. And it would matter, it would matter a great deal, if, in the intervening 35 years he had continued his tasteless behavior. But he didn’t. He served in the military, he became a doctor, he treated children and then entered a different form of public service.
At the moment, there is a sitting President who has been accused by no fewer than 12 women of heinous behavior toward them. There are two Supreme Court Justices who have similarly been accused.
The President is known to have systematically tried to prevent African Americans from renting his properties. He is known to have cheated on multiple wives. There is no obvious indication that he has changed his thinking. But he’s still President and they are still Supreme Court Justices.
I do not condone what Northam did. I do not make light of it. But I accept that he has matured in those 35 years. I believe that his thinking and his behavior have evolved. As has mine.
It’s called being human.
i appreciate this column for describing the dilemma Democrats face moving forward. Be the party of zero tolerance and face extinction. As distasteful as the thoughtless stunt the Governor was involved in, no crime was committed. Bret Kavanaugh was accused of a crime. There is a big difference. Sorry but there is. The Republicans push thru their candidates I.e., Roy Moore even though a criminal act was involved. Or presumed criminal act. In any case, the immediate reaction of calling for the Governor’s resignation shows me again how easy the Democrats are played by the opposition. I fear this kind of (kill your own or cut your nose to spite your face) reaction gives Trump another term. Be careful how you play this game. Because immediate takedown of your own may be a tactical win but it is not a strategic one. The shaming of Americans and their past indiscretions may be great sound bites on CNN and MSNBC but killing your own leaves you nothing. In the words of Barack Obama “don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.”
1
When Herring stepped forward and admitted a blackface incident in his own past, he had already a) called for the governor’s resignation and b) learned from the general reaction to the governor’s press conference how NOT to admit to long-ago racist behavior.
It would have been appropriate for him in the circumstances either to withdraw his demand that Northam resign, or to resign himself to show how serious the offense is.
1
I agree life is a learning process and we all have done wrong, embarrassing, or insensitive things. We white Americans love to assuage our racial insensitivity with claims that it's really not so bad and it could be much worse if we were "really" racist. After all, aren't we all "ordinary, decent people, aware of [our] shame" according to Mr. Stephens. Childish counter arguments sprout like fungi about what some famous black person has said or done. This is not the way to excuse what Northam has done. In order to come to terms with our horrific history, we need to take strong stances about just the type of thing that Northam has done. Racism is about more than denying someone a job based on skin color. It is an insidious system of beliefs so deep in the American psyche that we don't even see them when they are right in front of us. Racism is alive and well and well preserved in America. I guarantee if Northam starts pushing for stronger social justice in Virginia there will be major blowback. He needs to step aside and let the voters determine their own way forward.
This commenter nails it:
"Frankly, there was never a moment in my life when I thought blackface or a white robe was remotely funny or appropriate."
I don't fault Northam at all for first "admitting" he was in the infamous photo and later insisting he was not. I can easily understand that. What bothers me is that he thereupon confessed to wearing a "black-face" costume at a party. As this commenter points out -- though I recognize that I grew up in the North and he probably did too, whereas Northam grew up in the South -- I never, ever "thought blackface or a white robe was remotely funny or appropriate" -- not even when I was 8 years old, much less when I was old enough to be in medical school.
1
@MyThreeCents...
I guess that you did not appreciate Orsen Welles' fine performance as the lead character in Shakespeare's Othello.
And I would also have to assume that you're are willing to excoriate The Bard for writing a play, the lead character of which at the time of writing was likely going to be played by one slathered in black make-up to match the nature of the character.
How sad you have become, Three Cents...How sad.
2
I wholeheartedly agree with the notion that a person's entire history should be taken into account when judgement is passed of that person. Even that of murderers is being taken into account at the time of sentencing, so why not that of someone who did something stupid, okay, racist, as he was making his way to full-fledged maturity and adulthood. As a black person (and Democrat), I am, therefore, willing to forgive Mr. Northam for that indiscretion. Here's, though, why I think he should resign: first he said the person in the picture was him, only to retract that confirmation less than 24 hours later. Given the grave accusation leveled against him, shouldn't he have (had) conducted an in-depth investigation of the matter first before saying "Yay" or "Nay"? Now we are left wondering what to believe, resulting in Mr. Northam losing his credibility. This, in turn, may put into question any and every decision he makes as governor from here on in, and that is why I think it would be best if he were to resign.
2
Sometimes, though rarely, does sexual abuse occur in public. (The former Stanford student comes to mind-- the one who abused his victim in some bushes visible to the passers-by who captured him.) Almost always, though, sexual abuse occurs in private, usually in someone's bedroom, and the only two people present are the accuser and the accused. In those situations, it boils down to "Whom do you believe?" Some say we should always believe the accuser since, after all, she almost never has anything to gain, and much to lose, by coming forward; ergo, what she claims must be be true. Others say the accused must be presumed innocent unless proven guilty -- which, of course, is almost never possible.
And there you have it! Well, not quite. There is the matter of political beliefs. If the accused shares your political beliefs, you accept his version of the event and emphasize that our society observes the "rule of law." Conversely, if the accused does not share your political beliefs, you reject his version of events and insist it's time that we "believe the women."
THERE we have it!
1
I wish he owned the mistake more strongly, but is there anything else in his record that would leave us to believe he is racist and that his prejudices will prevent him from performing his duties fairly?
Sounds like a no.
This may be. Last straw type thing, but it shouldn’t be the sole basis for his dismissal.
1
I never did anything racist, but I'd be terribly embarrassed if some of my actions when I was young were to come to the attention of my friends. I think all of us did stupid things when we were young (or even not so young). But hopefully we grow up and become productive citizens. I think Mr. Northam has proven by his actions and accomplishments that he no longer exemplifies the person in that photo.
I am writing this as a 74 year old white gay man who throughout my life has been called every name in the book. To save space and time (I have to get back to playing FreeCell) I will just say that we all know what those words are but it seems to me everybody involved in this manufactured fiasco have forgotten the time worn saying "Sticks and stones may hurt my bones but words will never hurt me".
@J. David Burch oops, that should have been "sticks and stones my break my bones, but words will never hurt me"
Second comment. I apologize to the moderators, but another point is missing from this discussion.
No person is suggesting that Northam should be help criminally or civilly liable for his clear racist past. I suppose that he might have evolved since 1984, although his response to this revelation has been clumsy and doesn't indicate a nuanced commitment to anti-racism.
But my larger point is that a Governor is more than just an elected official managing the affairs of the state. Some 20% of Virginia residents are people of color. It is, and will continue to be, a sharp sting when they, particularly young folks, view a man in authority who was either in blackface or KKK garb and thought it "cute" enough to feature on his yearbook page as an adult.
Why should they bear this reminder of the past and present racism that pervades the state? Why should they accommodate his "not so youthful" racist indiscretions, just because he's allegedly a better person now?
To the contrary, it is a powerful statement to Virginia's children of color for us all to say, "It was deeply wrong then and it's intolerable now." If Northam remains in office it is just one more example to them of how little they matter.
1
Bret, while I understand your point, there is a much larger issue to consider and that issue is Donald Trump, his enablers and how this will play out in 2020 if Ralph Northam does not resign.
Assuming Trump is not impeached, both he and his enablers will make Northam and our confusing, tepid response a major issue in 2020 and the very last thing we need are distractions like this.
These are not normal times Bret and we simply cannot afford to give the appearance of hypocrisy, especially when dealing with the likes of a Donald Trump.
In the aftermath of Charlottesville, Northam went to a local church there and told the congregation following:
“When you look into a baby’s eyes, you don’t see the hatred and the bigotry that we saw come to Charlottesville yesterday,” he said. “And we have to ask, ‘Where does it come from? Who taught these people?’”
Perhaps Northam needs to ask himself the very same question and then resign for the good of his party and country.
@TE...
You have a point, sir. Trump is going to turn this into a weapon if Northam doesn't resign.
But don't blame Trump for taking advantage of the excesses to which the social-justice warrior has gone to achieve his ends, and the convenient amnesia that he gets when one who supports the SJW's political aims is the one in the crosshairs.
I think the term best suit is "hoisted on their own petard".
To which I would respond "Amen".
2
It’s truly stunning to see someone so consistently on the wrong side of everything. Imagine how galling it must be for Mr. Stephens to have to make the choice between defending a Democrat and admitting racism is bad.
Lyndon Johnson was a crass, horrible person who spewed racial epithets. He was also the only person in the country who could have pushed through the civil rights legislation. If he'd been cast aside because of his racist language, would we have those laws? Would we have Medicare?
The accusations against Fairfax are crimes, so he might have to step down. However, the accusations against Northam and Heller are offenses from decades ago that can be forgiven. Some prominent African Americans could publicly accept their apologies and urge the country to move on.
The stakes are high--just as high as they were in the 1960's. Let's not hand Virginia to the Republicans.
2
Hat tip to fellow reader Michael of Providence: We take little issue with Northam’s (or ultimately our own) racist conduct. However, he should not be able to serve as Virginia’s highest elected official, he should be held to a higher standard.
As Mark Shields has noted, the Democrats are adept at forming a circular firing squad. Kristen Gillibrand, who distinguished herself by driving an effective senator, Al Franken, from office for a lesser offense, orders the execution. Elizabeth Warren, who incredibly self-identified as Native American to advance her career, takes aim. Joining the ranks are nearly all of the herd of presidential contenders. It appears that Virginia’s African American leadership, who would have more reason to be offended, are acting more sensibly.
1
There are so many sides to the Northam story.
Knowing my own father (an MD), he would likely not have purchased a yearbook or looked at his page.
I think Northam doesn't get the magnitude of what he's said and done.
African-Americans don't use whiteface.
It was racist in 1980 to use blackface and Northam likely knew this, but maybe not. But probably...
He's been a solid, steady leader for his state.
He may not have even known the guy in white next to him in the photo, but maybe he did. And maybe his claim of not being in the photo is true...we may never know.
Can the nation withstand another mess in a time of constant bombardment of horrors and illegalities?
What has Northam done right since 1980? What have I done right since 1980? What has Trump done right since 1980? Ok, I just had to throw that in.
1
Perhaps the person Ralph Northam can engage in enough self-reflection to realign his heart and soul and purge his racist past. However, the Governor of Virginia has business to do. The governor’s time cannot be caught up in a quest for personal redemption. He should resign, and mend himself and the damage he’s done to so many others on his own time, not his constituents’.
A person who, not only blackens their face, but also whitens their mouth and dresses as a 19th century minstrel performer, is dressed in what I understand as "blackface". It is an archetypal character that has long been used to make fun of African-Americans.
On the other hand, until recent times, it has been a common practice for white actors who are playing the small number of roles who's character is African to use makeup to darken their faces. The classic example is Othello. This role was never, as far as I know, used to make fun of African-Americans.
What was the nature of Northam's blackening his face to portray a popular singer (who, ironically, was then in the process of whitening his own visage) in a skit? I don't know. But while one can make a case that doing so was, in it's context, racist, it is inaccurate to describe it as being "blackface" and serves to pre-judge its nature completely.
The people of Virginia voted a Democrat into the governorship and a Democrat they should have. The question should be, what are Governor Northam's attitudes to racism today- not what they were 35 years ago.
A more important question to my mind is what kind of law school would permit such a racist photo to be printed in one of it's communications in the first place? Hopefully, the racial attitudes of the law school have also "advanced."
If distant transgressions should be forgiven by atonement and an exemplary life over subsequent years, it’s too bad that Al Franken had to be so summarily run out of Washington.
1
Good piece. The governor seems like a good guy who engaged in a forgettable misdemeanor decades ago. There is a public record that is fresh to judge this man on. That he goes to a predominantly black church with a black preacher tells me about who he is and that whatever happened in the past is best left in the past.
There are things I've done decades ago that, while not anything like a crime, I wouldn't want to revisit in the light of day. I, as a democrat, have less regard for the national party leadership calling for his resignation than I hold for this gov. To me, they're cowards. Move on people...
1
Purging the ranks of all the stained regardless of their redemptive actions since is a “holier-than-thou” approach that leaves no path to inclusion. If you are not one of the anointed, the door is shut.
Very self defeating and likely to turn off and dismay many. Not an invitation to thought or empathy or recognizing one’s own shortcomings. No path to acceptance, but also no reason to follow any such path. Who wants to be one of this hidebound chosen few?
1
I think there is an important point about the photo itself, that Northam chose for his year book: both figures are ridiculous. As such it makes fun of a grotesque epoch.
Of course there is no comparison to be made between the lived experience of the two represented groups, but it is important to note they are both being ridiculed which adds up to making fun of a grotesque epoch. Which is different than if one or other of the representations was absent or less ridiculous.
1
I do not judge Stephens by his most shameful
Moment but on his history his habit his character of carefully laboriously doing the same ol song and dance every time to justify his gang in the name of opposing a straw man opponent constructed out of the twisted ids of his gang.
@In deed Of all NYT contributors, I admire Mr. Stephens the most for his rationality, his moral compass, and his ability to write proper English - all qualities regrettably absent in his partisan detractors. And no, I am not a Trump supporter.
1
I question whether Jesse Jackson is entitled to our forgiveness for his past “Hymietown” sins. He quite recently shared the stage with Louis Farrakahn, a prominent anti-semite at Aretha Franklin’s funeral service. If redemption is ever permitted, and I think in many cases it should be, I would think one should show some level of personal remorse and evolution. Sharing the stage with the most prominent anti-semite in the African American community, if not the country, shows a general lack of self-awareness, at least, and continuing anti-semitic feelings, at most. Mr. Jackson’s retirement from the public stage is not enough. What is really in his heart?
2
Meanwhile, Trump's overtly and conciously indecent behavior is very much a reflection of who he is NOW (and has always been). So shouldn't he resign?
On the surface, this is very reasonable, indeed. However, blackface is not an off the cuff remark, it is not laughing at a racist joke when in the company of racists. Blackface is a premeditated act that requires thought and action to get the make-up and complete the act.
I'm sorry, but we live in a world that has replaced the overt racism of previous centuries with a post-Civil Rights era form of covert, colorblind racism. We continue to maintain systemic racism, from our governments to the resegregation of our schools - not school by school although the funding mechanisms insure that urban schools serving students of color are poorly funded due to funding mechanisms - but through the use of in-school programs. We offer 'diversity' training that only insures that those who have been Othered are 'included' in a white supremacist system that is still embedded within the systemic racism that underlies all our structures from schools to government to whatever. White people never reveal or accept the fact that they are raced - they are white.
And what lies beneath all this is whiteness - an all encompassing form of white supremacy that is so pervasive and hegemonic, that we need not even mention race when talking about white people or institutions. Consider this: "It's probably for the best the Ralph Northam, the white governor ..."
1
Should we judge people by shameful moments? No. Should we judge Governors that way? Oh yes, certainly.
@James So we should elect Governors who are not people. Got it.
1
You know, Mr. Stephens, if we liberals are going to be able to continue to use you as our reference point for conservative Republican thinking, you are going to have to stop with this type of thoughtful commentary. Your usefulness to us dropped dramatically when we could no longer say "Well, Stephens just said such and such in the Wall Street Journal". Your conservative bona fides dropped precipitously when you joined the failing New York Times. One more column like this and you'll be right down there with FOX's Chris Wallace. (But I think I might agree with you.)
2
Good column. I’m sure Al Franken, for one, would agree.
1
Excellent commentary. If you need to be ruled by Mother Teresa, go ahead and look for her. On the other hand, it is said that the Reverend Mother took a lot of cash, set up medically unfit facilities, and went around in limousines, so...
Northam"s greatest blunder is he really hasn't done much for his constituents
In this case, I *am* judging Northam on his current behavior.
He never fully admitted or took ownership of his error in judgement. He could have said,
"Yes, it was wrong to do in 1984. I should have known better. It was a great error in judgement. I believe I am a different person than I was in 1984. I can understand if you don't immediately believe me when I say that. I know I have broken your trust in me. I hope that I can earn it back in time to be an effective governor."
The fact that he is trying to say he is not in the photograph on his yearbook page is irrelevant. It was *his* yearbook page. *He* submitted the photographs for his page to the yearbook editor. So, *he* was ok having the picture of a pair of guys, one in blackface, one in KKK garb, as something he'd like his fellow students to remember him by.
He has not manned-up, or personed-up. What I tell my own children is that the world will treat them far less harshly if they take full ownership of their mistakes. Northam has not done that. He has shown himself to be of weak character *in the present*.
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Hmmm...well...whatever. I’m a year younger than Northam and went to school in Oklahoma. In the late 70s and early 80s, I knew it was wrong to dress in blackface, so I didn’t. My classmates also didn’t pose in Klan hoods or think of submitting such pictures to the yearbook (no matter who the student was). What is the “statute of limitations”? I don’t know. Do we hold someone accountable for their actions in the 60s or 70s or 80s today? By 1984, I would have also known to not put shoe polish anywhere on my face to win a dance contest as Michael Jackson (plenty of folks just stuck with the glove and the moonwalking). I will say that most conservative commentators who have taken a minute with this story seem to be much more forgiving, I guess out of a sense of consistency with their positions on the current administration.
Does any of this mean Ralph Northam is, today, the person he was then? No. But it appears that the Attorney General has more guts than the Governor to admit that he did what he did and consider stepping down (though I notice he hasn’t yet). Were I in the VA Legislature, I would want Gov Northam to stay. A weakened chief executive is much more attractive to lawmaking than someone who still commands the bully pulpit. But, spare me the “what’s done is done and let’s move on” argument.
Bravo.
Go after the kingpins of racism. The ones who have a stake in dividing us. The ones who use racism as a convenient tool to sow discord and confusion.
Like the ones controlling the current resident of the White House. The ones hooting and clapping during the State of the Union while he pushed his racist theories about rapists and killers.
These are the people with real "skin" in the game. And racism is one of the ways they maintain their power.
They have spent generations refining the "art" of racism.
It is time to stop them.
Northam is a distraction from the real work that needs to be done.
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How many of us did something embarrassing or just plan stupid in our younger days, especially during our college years? I remember making a racist comment (intended to be in jest) in 1975 while walking down the street with a friend. He called me out on the comment. It was an awakening for me. I remember the incident clearly. We drifted apart after that and I have not talked with him in years. If I could find him today, this person would probably not remember the incident.
Are 35 years of accomplishments wiped out by this one act? If they are, I agree with Bret Stephens that we are headed down the wrong road. The Florida Secretary of State recently resigned over a blackface incident. What is the difference? His incident was in 2005. Some of these indiscretions need to be viewed in the context of the time period when they occurred.
" If we are going to embrace a politics where that’s not enough to save a sitting governor accused of no crime, we’re headed toward a dark place."
Amen
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Thanks Brett. The zero-tolerance litmus test being invoked by the left is self-defeating. I came of age at the same time as Gov. Northam. We grew up in a largely segregated society in which the boundaries of what constituted casual racism where not well understood. I am reminded of the song “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” from the Tony Award winning show Avenue Q which includes the lyrics:
If we all could
Just admit
That we are racist
A little bit,
Even though we all
Know that it's wrong,
Maybe it would help
Us get along!
1
I've repeatedly stated that you don't seem to care to employ the power of persuasion, and I never agree with you on anything, in part because while you don't like Trump very much, you've shown a broad authoritarian streak and the need to find a way to blame the political left for almost everything. However, here you are, using persuasion (as opposed to bullying) to make a cogent case for repentance.
If someone has lived an upstanding life without a hint of racial bias for 35 years, perhaps he shouldn't be defined by something he did which was unquestionably ugly. However, here it was well beyond ugly. That is a truly horrific photograph. What in the world are we to make of a person who poses for such a nauseating photo and calls himself "Coonman"? Further, let's be clear that none of this exonerates Ed Gillespie who did use "racist rhetoric," had many racist supporters, and never apologized for any of it.
Still, I remember the picture of Prince Harry dressed as Nazi. He did it just as his grandmother, the queen, was commemorating the Holocaust and 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and invited survivors of the Nazi death camps and British World War II veterans who liberated them to a reception at St. James' Palace.
The passage of time sometime offers strange things. This past December a violent neo-Nazi group, the Sonnenkrieg Division, called for Prince Prince Harry's assassination claiming he's a "race traitor" for marrying Meghan Markle, who is biracial.
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On the issue of Gov. Northam’s despicable moment Mr. Stephens is right – it should indeed be judged, but not as a sufficient condition for ending a political career. However, the sum of his or hers worst deeds should define a person’s moral standing and if he or she are public figures whether they should be counted as belonging to the forces for good or to the forces of evil in history and politics – that is if by worst we mean not merely “shameful moment” but a calculated and vicious act against humanity and humans.
Mr. Stephens, for example, was exceptionally vehement in his rape of truth and warmongering when he incited for the world-order-shattering invasion of Iraq (“Or Saddam may unveil, to an astonished world, the Arab’s world first nuclear bomb.” The Jerusalem Post, 11/15/02) and claimed that the signing of an Iran Nuclear Deal will be remembered in history as “worse” than the Munich Agreement (The WSJ, 11/25/13). And lo and behold, not only were Mr. Stephens' past “worst moments” utterly forgiven but he was raised to a position as a columnist from which he may be readying himself to applaud Netanyahu when he’ll, quite probably, reveal to the world that Teheran is on the verge of an operative H-Bomb and push for a war against Iran.
When the “worst moments” amount to pontificating for war crimes and crimes against humanity they should and must be judged and sentenced accordingly.
Not only should Northam resign, the medical school he went to should be forced to close its doors.
"That’s because we believe that our worst moments and dumbest utterances shouldn’t define us." This is an example of the old common sense that one once heard articulated on the front porches of Americans, male and female, black and white, from Boston to Los Angeles. This new hysteria has gotten way out of control. Bret, you are the voice of reason. Mr. Northam has, evidently, shown himself to be a decent man, even if he is a Democrat. lol. We deplore his youthful indiscretion. So does he. Let's move on.
1
About 40 years ago 3 of my friends and I dressed as Hasidic Jews for Holloween. Religious disrespect? I think not. It was the availability of dark suits at the Goodwill store for $3 each and then a hat and beard at the costume store. $15 and we were done. Another one of my friends dressed as a police officer, disrespect? How about the one who dressed as a shop vac? Or how about the toga? Disrespect for early Romans? I could go on.
How many of us did foolish things when we we’re young? I would say virtually every honest adult would say they did something foolish when they were young. Particularly if the were under the influence of alcohol.
He shouldn’t resign, it appears he has grown up a bit since 1984.
1
@Jim, oh dear! Remember what a big deal they made out of the Yale Halloween saga!
1
Northam has showed a lack of credibility (and, quite frankly, competence). Had he simply apologized right off the bat, I think that would have been enough. Instead, he back tracked, doubled down on the back track, admitted to doing black face at a DIFFERENT time and then tried to moonwalk across the stage.
The guy is clearly in over his head and has no business being in charge of an entire state.
I agree with with what I take to be a core assertion of this column: People should be assessed on the totality of their behavior, not just selective low points. And yes, we all have them.
However, I think something should be added: No Republican who continues to defend President Trump in spite of his absurd record of lying, manifest racism, sexism and general offenses against civilized behavior should ever have the gall to call for a Democrat to resign over a past offense such as Governor Northam's. Really, no narrative specificity should be required here, the list of Trump's offenses is too long and grows by the day. Hypocrisy isn't a strong enough word. Perhaps irrational hyper-hypocrisy.
Would Ralph Northam have been elected if his yearbook page went public before the election? No.
Thank you, Bret Stephens! This needed to be said by a republican, whose motives wouldn't be suspect
I agree--leave Governor Northam alone. He's distracting us from the far more important task of purging Elizabeth Warren for having her DNA tested.
I certainly hope that grainy nude photo my parents took of me with a Kodak camera minutes after I was born doesn’t somehow come back to derail my life life as a college professor.
I largely agree with the argument that everyone's done ill-considered things and those things shouldn't define us. But there's little evidence Northram's photo was ill-considered. It wason his yearbook page, the place where you have limited space and choose what 3-4 things you WANT to define you. Anyone less than 150 years old should know that defining yourself in part with a photo of a KKK hood is sending, at best, a signal of indifference to the powerful historical offense it causes.
I struggle, trying not to overreact, as I inventory my own bad behavior. And yet, is it a very big leap, if we simply are going to excuse each person’s worst behavior, to arriving at “their are many fine people on both sides”? We cannot judge the white supremicists marching in Charlottesville? After all, they are mostly young men. Thirty years from now, will it just be their “worst moment”? If it will be unfair to hold them to account 30 years from now, why do we have any right to express disdain in the present? I admit, this is all very confusing to me, as I find both “holding people to account for past behavior” and “not judging people by their worst moments” to be slippery slopes.
I Changed My Mind, when I read his accomplishments in Civil Rights and other accomplishments he had - so he should spend Pertinent Time with black Americans to help heal the most understandable Distress and Shock he caused them...
How he reminded them of Dixie Virginia - a most terrible reminder for them.
Let’s remove racist monuments, improve poor performing schools, which disproportionately impact African Americans, raise taxes on the wealthy, lower then for the poor (often African American,) lower college costs at state Universities and many other progressive ideas to acknowledge we’ve been cruel and unfair. Let’s go forward, without the nonsense.
We become absolutist members of the Past Police at our peril.
1
I am all for forgiveness and I understand that people can and do change. I am sure that every person has done or said something in the past that if revealed today would cause them some amount of shame. People do and say some really stupid things sometimes. However, I have a problem when forgiveness of past acts are seemingly only provided to partisans who share the same political leanings.
I don't remember columns about how Michael Ertels (Florida Secretary of State) should remain in office. His blackface transgression was 15 years ago. Trent Lott (former Senate Majority Leader) was run out of office because he expressed thoughts about Strom Thurmond that people found offensive.
I sincerely believe that the only reason people are now willingly deciding to become political/social contortionists is because they don't want to see three (3) Democrats be drummed out of high office in Virginia. I feel very strongly that if the same three (3) men had "R's" after the names instead of "D's" both the opinion pages and other pages would be rife with hand-wringing and talk about deplorables.
I find Mr. Stephens' essay to be measured and reasonable.
However, without admission and a sincere apology from the social justice warrior for the excess of zealotry and the countless lives that they have ruined through its exercise, I cannot agree with Stephens' prescription.
The left...and the right...must not be allowed gain from the hypocrisies of their self-righteousness.
1
It comes down to wise, even dispassionate judgement. That's how our tradition of law is supposed to work and it probably would serve each of us to employ that standard.
I, a white male, 64, said to my woman partner (girlfriend is too juvenile) the other day: "The racism, that African-Americans have had to put up with and still do - in overt and subtle ways, in public encounters with white Americans, in dealings with officialdom - is so infuriating to me… to put myself in those situations if I really envision it… how it might be… it makes me crazy with rage. No more! Enough!"
I don't blame anyone for wanting Northam's head.
But, I wonder if a man can make a terrible mistake and go forward with a life of service and rectitude.
I hope so.
True story: George Wallace, former Georgia Governor, was the most vicious racist. A hateful advocate of segregation and Jim Crow. Miserable, harmful man.
An assassination attempt left him paralyzed in 1972.
Years later he was broken and old.
He apologized for his earlier hate-filled behavior. He wanted to repent before he passed.
Was this enough?
Did he merit forgiveness?
Well, the great Jesse Jackson, who was an MLK contemporary, went to visit Wallace at his invitation.
Wallace advised Jackson on his run for president in 1984.
Jesse Jackson sitting with and making peace with the once nastiest racist George Wallace! Being advised by him.
Wallace needed redemption and Jesse helped him.
Can get past hate and hurt?
Can we?
I say that everybody gains when a good man is given a chance to redeem himself after one stupid incident that happened a long time ago. It is a slippery slope searching for bad words spoken in the past, I can loathe the bad behavior but show compassion to the man. Be generous of spirit and it will multiply in positive ways.
How do we know what his most shameful moment is?
Haven't we heard enough old white guys tell us the past transgressions should be put in context? Sorry, sir, but you've got nothing but a vague analogue to understand what it means to be governed by someone who at one point thought humor arise from the debasement of you and everyone that looks like you.
This isn't the time for yet another abstract homily about growth and change. we've got to come to terms with what it will take to build the tomorrow we need. step one is full accountability for participation and support for racist structures. step two is holding our leaders to the highest of standards.
1
There are two problems with the photo: one is that it exists and two is whether he was in it. Well I agree that people can make stupid mistakes, my issue is in his flip-flop about whether he was in the photo. How hard is it to remember whether the photo is of you or not?
1
Thank you Bret Stephens. And shame on senators and others who are crucifying an elected official with an excellent track record of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion with their "zero tolerance" approach to human beings. These pictures are decades old.
Thirty five years is a long time especially in the new digital age. Thirty five ago I am not sure of what was the socially accepted terminology used to refer to Black people, there have been many in my life time from Colored people, to people of color, to African American, to Black People, hopefully soon it will be just people. When you look at the United States it is hard to imagine how much our morality has deteriorated in the last two years, there is an enormous difference as to what was acceptable in the Presidency of Barrack Obama, and that of Donald Trump. Rape and sexual misconduct are never acceptable, but perhaps we need to try and understand the time and the norms in which and indiscretion occurred and what was the intent of the perpetrator, before we throw a good Governor off the cliff for someone who could be a terrible Governor. We all have skeletons in our closets, if we define everyone by their past then there is no now and there is no future.
“As I said, this is taking us to a dark place. It is hard enough for ordinary, decent people, aware of their shortcomings and capable of shame, to contemplate a career in politics; why would they ever do so if the statute of limitations on past indiscretions never expires? And if they won’t run, aren’t they just ceding the field to those with no shame?”
Ha ha ha, well said Bret, ordinary and decent, as opposed to the grotesque clown show that has become increasingly normal for the past 40 years or so.
First, it's far too late to "clear up just who's in the photo."
Second, letting slip a racial or ethic slur or cuss word amongst friends is one thing, but choosing a racist photo for your own yearbook page to be published and seen by the world, and thinking it’s OK, is another.
Third and most important, Mr. Stephens, you seem to believe Northam did that “ugly and dumb” thing, for which you’re asking us to forgive him; but Northam himself is not asking our forgiveness for having done it, he’s insisting he did NOT do it. So, either he lied to us when he initially confessed, or he’s lying to us now to save his skin. That’s what has rightly shaken everybody’s confidence in him.
Even unrepentant liars can be forgiven, I suppose, but they don’t deserve to hold high elected office.
In contrast to your last column, this is an outstanding piece
He had a chance to save his reputation and career at that press conference, and he blew it. He was horrible. He should’ve apologized for any insensitivity and lack of understanding of the history of blackface, talked about things he has done since then for diverse communities, asked for forgiveness and left it at that. Instead he talked about how hard it is to wash off shoe polish; he showed a complete lack of understanding of our history and the impact it still has today on communities of color. Given the overall situation in VA however he still has a chance to stay in office, and he can still hold that kind of press conference.
1
My worry is that the politics of purity will inhibit decent candidates from coming forward. Who would seek elected office if every minute of one's life is subject to scrutiny? As Stephens says, we should not be judged entirely by our most shameful moments. And it's a bit jarring that Dems are turning on Northam for mistakes of 1984 while the Molester in Chief occupies the White House.
I’ll take Governor Northman’s indiscretion as a young man 30 years ago over the recent ignorance of Congressman Gaetz of Florida any day of the week.
I can't help but think that those demanding Northam's resignation are over reacting out of exasperation with the willingness of so many to shrug off (or even chuckle about) the obscenely racist and sexist behavior of our current POTUS. Disgusted and mystified by Republicans who will apparently go along with anything to stay in power, many Democrats feel compelled to demonstrate just how seriously they take all signs of bigotry, lest they be painted as hypocrites. Sadly, we are making human sacrifices of our own flawed and fallible but remorseful--even potentially reformed?--party members in the naive hope that we might shame the other side of the isle into showing some decency. Well intended, but self defeating.
1
Northam issue was started with his abortion stance which inflamed many. Then the photos surfaced which led to his apology. The next day was the bizarre press conference where he went into denial and began to stutter and stammer as his story on being in a Micheal Jackson dance contest and ready to moonwalk was introduced. This press conference and now denial from someone who led VMI honor court has many uneasy. His explanation rivaled Epstein from Welcome Back Kotter TV show who used the dog ate his homework excuse often.
Northam political career is toast. The only reason he seeks to stay on is ego.
When the Democrats ousted Al Franken, tossing out the concept of due process and calling for zero tolerance, they violated a basic tenet of our society. It has come to haunt them. My question on Northam’s yearbook page is about how did that photo get there?
I agree, Northam should stay and Trump should go
Northam’s has destroyed his credibility with what he did last week, not decades past.
I do wish the commenters who are trashing the Democrats take the trouble to acknowledge the way in which they are immeasurably more capable than are Republicans or, for that matter, any other group I can think of: forming a circular firing squad.
1
Can you imagine if the same standards for dismissing Gov. Northam were applied to the President? One made a stupid mistake and has spent his life in the service of the people; the other continues with his racist words and actions, except when it suits him to do otherwise. Northam is so much more than his worst moment. Trump is so much less than his best moment.
How refreshing!
Thanks, Bret, for a most sensible view of this matter.
I've read a lot of the comments and really like the idea that Northam should seize this moment to discuss Virginia's racist history, not to escape the spotlight but rather to shed light on how Americans of color are treated.
Another issue comes to light as well. People have cringed and complained that I should not be disrespectful of Donald Trump, citing the need to always be respectful of the Office of the Presidency. Seriously? When an obviously delusional, narcissistic, pathological liar blasts foreign policy tweets it's awfully hard to find the respect. When the leader of the still free world mocks a reporter with a disability, does the man occupying the Oval Office deserve respect? I say NO to each because the actions of THIS man is so patently disgraceful that the office itself has been badly degraded. Okay. End of rant!
Exactly:
"I don't think it could have even occurred to me that it was okay ... to put on 'blackface'. ... I find it hard to imagine that so many people think this is just so 'normal' and 'everyone's done it'."
Wearing "blackface" doesn't strike me as "normal." It strikes me as blatantly racist, and I would never have considered doing it -- at any age, and certainly not when I was old enough to be in medical school.
Maybe what's "normal" among Southern whites is different, but Northam at the very least shouldn't have tried to tar his opponent as a "racist." He should have found some other basis on which to distinguish himself.
Governor Northam’s lack of understanding that his actions have EVERYTHING to do with racism, and that many Virginians (read: Americans) racial stance was something that happened “at the time” and not on this very day represents white peoples’ lack of understanding of racial issues in a nut shell. The South is still fighting the Civil War, and Northerners are still just as racist as their Southern neighbors. The problem is not in our stars, but in ourselves.
America has a deep problem dealing with its racist past and present, and this article is a case in point. When confronted with it, the first response from mainstream, white dominated media is denial. If it is Fox News, it will be flat denial. If it is more 'sophisticated', like the NY Times, this will include denial of the denial. A kind of denial sandwich, for the smart set.
I suggest re-reading this column in this light. Note the use of language and argumentative moves. Wearing black face is 'ugly and dumb', rather than morally wrong. Note the 'I'm not a Democrat', in an attempt to signal impartiality. Note the attempt to neutralize past wrongdoing with a slippery slope argument. Note how the slippery slope argument changes if you insert 'morally wrong' for 'ugly and dumb', and apply it to a political representative of the people, not just anyone. Note the use of 'non-criminal', which suggests that if something is not illegal, it is not to be taken seriously.
Is it too high of a moral bar to ask public officials not to have been in blackface during college? Can we start there? In short, this Northam issue is not 'taking us to a dark place'. We are already there. And the machinery of denial is keeping us there.
83
@jimmy That still not working for me. It was morally wrong, but that still doesn't make it infinitely wrong forever.
34
@jimmy "Is it too high of a moral bar to ask public officials not to have been in blackface during college?"
What if the blackface was used for singing the role of Othello?
How about catcalling women in the street? Or making homophobic jokes? Should anyone who worked at National Lampoon be disqualified from holding public office?
Where is the line in terms of behavior and the date that that behavior occurred?
I don't think being in blackface during college in 1980 should be grounds for not being allowed to hold public office.
22
@jimmy Thank you for your comments. I think you've made important points.
The key question you asked, "Is it too high of a moral bar to ask public officials not to have been in blackface during college?", is well-stated.
I notice and appreciate that you said "ask", not "demand".
It is not too much to ask that. All else being equal, I would prefer someone who hasn't [insert transgression] than someone who has.
There is no perfect solution because there are no perfect people. All of us vote for candidates who have done things we don't like because none of us (voters and candidates) is perfect.
Wearing blackface in college (or other transgressions) is bad, but it is not as bad, in my opinion, as supporting the KKK now or voting, as an elected official, against reducing carbon emissions.
Wearing blackface in college is not as bad as wearing blackface today.
Wearing blackface in college and apologizing for it is not as bad as wearing blackface in college and not apologizing for it.
If I've understood you correctly (and please excuse me if I don't), I agree that we should have high moral bars. We should do that for ourselves, as well as others.
I would just like to add, and I hope you will agree, that we recognize that culture changes, and that WE change and grow, and that there is more than one moral bar.
Thank you.
28
Mr. Stephens, if governor Northam would've been as eloquent and thoughtful as you are here, maybe this story would have moved differently.
1
@DAT, exactly. On hindsight we all think if Hillary was upfront about her emails, just saying she was sorry for the overlook on her part, story would have finished instead of it being brought up by republicans as recently as last week. Head slap. Truth is the biggest release of suffering.
1
What Stephens leaves out is that in our political culture where opponents are determined to go through a politician's life with a fine toothed comb, the most qualified men and women do not go into politics, and we are left with the current mediocre crop of political hacks. FDR, Eisenhower, Kennedy and a host of others would not make it in this culture, and we are left with the epigones, a sorry state of affairs.
3
Though I’m not a huge fan of Stephens’s writing in general, I think you’re doing him a bit of an injustice here; I think that this was precisely his point, that nobody would ever be willing to go into politics again if everything they had ever done would be scrutinized incessantly...
Thank you, Bret. I would also like to add that when it comes to shameful moments, we are piling them up pretty quickly in the here and now with our simultaneously mindless and cruel zero-tolerance reactions towards anyone who's ever actually been caught being less than perfect. Our call-out culture and those who participate in the shaming are themselves committing shameful acts, and I guarantee you history will not judge them kindly. What these people need to ask themselves is if 30 years down the road, when we presumably will have moved well on past this madness, do they want to be judged and ostracized for their efforts in 2019 to shame and destroy others?
Or would they maybe like the benefit of the doubt that they were only doing something that seemed perfectly acceptable at the time?
8
I want a lot of readers out there to remember what it was like growing up. Most of us were taught that people who were not of the same cultural, racial, ethnic, or sexual orientation were at the least different and and at the worst violently hated, but in time, our views changed.
A great many of the Founding Farthers were Free Masons. I am not a Mason but I believe that one of their basic tenets is to be a better man today then yesterday. That is admirable.
If all of us are to be judged every day for all of our failures and mistakes, how are we to grow. I have learned more from my mistakes then my successes. Most of us have.
Those who have not learned from history are doomed to repeat it.
6
The question will always be, "Well, where do we draw the line" in passing judgment. Stephens, himself, draws what I'm sure he considers a very reasonable one when he includes as possibly redeemable acts only those which are "non-criminal." Nowadays, of course, there are many out there who would criminalize a whole lot more conduct and some who are just permanently outraged.
Personally, I'm waiting for the time when no-ones secrets can be hidden not just those of the rich, famous or politically powerful. Then, no doubt, there'd be a whole lot less judgment being passed as hypocrisy is a whole lot harder to sustain when it is so glaring.
3
Introspection is good and in a normal culture among sensible people it’s valuable and worthy. Politics however is different. Democrats long ago shredded their right for introspection when they regularly demanded the head of any offending Republican on a platter like John the Baptist. Bork, Thomas & Kavanaugh come to mind.
Such disclosure among Republicans is considered mortal sin and the offender is summarily run out of town. Democrats are reaping what they have sown. All the top VA Democrats should resign immediately.
2
And yet Trump is President and Kavanaugh sits on the SCOTUS, while Al Franken sits at home. While Democrats may at times have difficulty parsing their standards, for Republicans it’s easy, for they apparently have none.
14
And Bork never got to the Supreme Court and Democrats almost succeeded in putting the Clinton’s back in the WH. Your Party is considering Biden for 2020 even tho he thinks you need a slight Indian accent to enter a Dunkin or 7-Eleven. Warren is a star for your party despite repeatedly lying about her ethnicity. Please - save the ‘standards’ lecture for someone more easily duped.
I find myself agreeing with Bret Stephens this time. There has to be latitude for growth and redemption, and people who have personally experienced the other side are sometimes better stewards of propriety.
Also, norms change as we raise our standards and become better people. That's how learning happens.
19
If you asked most Americans whether they would rather live in a country where there is some give and take on racial or gender issues, where people get cut some slack on their forms of self expression, or to live in Mr. Rogers Neighborhood where everyone has to walk on eggshells out of fear of offending some historically oppressed part of the population I think most people would choose the former.
Especially since the ban on offending people across racial lines doesn't seem to protect White people from being criticized (and insulted) regularly for crimes committed many years before they were ever born.
5
@Carl Hultberg, ha that explains why my kids are so so PC abs hypersensitive! They were raised on Mister Roger’s Neighborhpod!
2
Yeah, I always knew better. Using derogatory terms may be common among conservatives like Stephens, but not among liberals.
1
The double standard is mind boggling. If Northam shoud resign because of something he did as a college student, then Trump should resign many many times over.
13
@Linda, Trump has a lifetime worth of bad behavior, yet his followers voted him to office and Bret here will make excuses for him, you know cuz ...party before morality.
2
Much as I despise the offensive and inexcusable behavior that Northam is accused of, this is a reasonable, well-thought out and welcomed column that responds, rather than simply reacts, to the events in which he was accused of participating. We live in a country that is prone to instantly and emotionally react, rather than carefully and thoughtfully respond to any provocation. It's who we have become.
In a sense, outrage has become as instant as Ramen (ooops!), replacing the joy of humor as something to avoid under threat of ostracism or loss of job. At the same time, the the outrage is not necessarily misplaced.
It wasn't all that long ago that America tuned in to openly racist and discriminatory"humor" disguised as "All In the Family." Several decades earlier, we were "entertained" by "Amos 'n Andy," two white dudes in blackface, who we can still watch on YouTube, should we wish to do so. More recently, "Blaine and Twan" of "In Living Color" fame masqueraded as uber-effeminate movie critics. And who can forget "Jorge and Yortuk Fenstrunk" of "Saturday Night Live" fame, who skewered eastern European immigrants.
Discrimination is embedded in our culture, and in many others. It's nothing new. What we're lacking is consistency in how we deal with it. Just ask the President.
8
In "Ask Me," poet William Stafford writes, "Ask me whether / what I have done is my life." We are more than what we have done.
7
@William Palmer A voice of reason, Mr. Palmer. Thank you.
4
And yet, what we’ve done is all there actually is.
Excusing nothing, but... better a flawed but capable person in office or in surgery than one who is little more than politically correct. If the best or only evidence for disqualification is from many years ago, we need to consider it in perspective.
We have become a culture which chooses to take offense where offense was neither intended nor given. Those who choose to take offense often deprive themselves of what might serve them well.
17
I agree on the “statute of limitations” argument. Lost in this melee about the governor is: what has he done lately? as though his life ended at 25.
Obviously people who have skeletons in their closet should just preemptively out themselves. In this society and day and age that would look far better, and people are acquiring thicker skins. I’m reminded that the line between good and evil goes through every individual.
8
Thirty-five years ago I, at the time a 40 year old While male, participated in a summer-long interactive group sessions entitled "Unlearning Racism," at the University of California Berkeley. I was reluctant to do it because thought I was beyond that. Yet, the hard and often painful sessions were enlightening and liberating. Since then, I have tried to continue to confront the varied levels of overt and subtle racism that were and may still be part of my life and society due to its prevalence in our country's past. Overt racism, may be less prevalent but our racist tendencies can continue in more implicit ways.
We cannot excuse racist acts, attitudes, and treatment but, hopefully, as individuals and a country we can confront them and be more free to embrace the growing diversity in all aspects of our lives. Consequently, I agree with the tone of this article.
13
Do you live in Virginia? If not, then please do not offer your unsolicited advice on whether Governor Northam should resign. I am a Virginia resident. And I voted for Mr. Northam in the general election. However, I feel that he has lost all credibility when it comes to explaining his past conduct so he should the right thing and step down. If he really cares about healing the racial divide in this country, then he will dedicate the rest of life (as a private citizen) to that laudable goal.
4
@Zareen
Given that what people say and do has consequences and implications outside their own local area, it’s entirely appropriate for others to weigh in. That was the point of this well thought and well written column.
1
What is this, states' rights? Should the Freedom Riders from elsewhere not have helped black people register to vote?
We are the United States, a republic, not a confederacy of states.
As if people from everywhere in these threads do not weigh in on what happens in New York City.
1
Thanks to Bret for his column. Who has not said or done something - especially in their youth - that they would not be proud of, and likely be ashamed of, years later. People who change their ways and views for the better should be supported - not castigated for life. Stephen Colbert - whom I admire and enjoy - had Kevin Hart on the other week showing support of him to be the emcee for the Oscars (ie he had apologized for homophobic statements some years ago) - yet Colbert showed double standards slamming Northam and pushing him to resign...come-on, Stephen and others - have a backbone and better judgment!
8
Imagine if Governor Northam (and Justice Cavanaugh, and so many others) had - at the outset - owned their repellant behavior or lack of memory with a sincere acknowledgement that their memory could be in error - as all of our memories can be. Owned that they had been - as we all were - living in a time and place where current norms of decency were not sufficiently taught, modeled, or upheld. Apologized with sincerity for pain inflicted - then and now - and gave a humble accounting of how and when they learned better, how they grew as human beings - which is all any of us came hope to do. Provided assurances and a concrete accounting of how they, in public office, will combat the ignorance and bigotry they once promoted, wittingly or not. It is the kneejerk denial - whining, impatient, haughty - that offends, as if they - past or present - could ever be above poor judgement and the need to reflect, learn, and change.
11
The page in the yearbook, whether Northam is in it or not, is truly offensive. But what has the governor done since he was a student: become a member of a predominantly black church, crusaded actively to remove statues of Confederate civil war from prominent public display and placed in museums, and generally championed the cause of minority rights in his state.
So is there such a thing as repentance, which etymological roots come from "to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life"? Northam has repented, not just in word but in deed, just as the AG Mark Herring has in outing himself for a costume party when he was 19, the time when a lot of people make bad choices. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater here. The predominance of evidence supports these two men staying in office. Fairfax should undergo an impeachment process and if found guilty based on evidence, must be removed.
16
I consider that to be OK:
"My husband dressed as James Brown ... We thought it was a tribute as we loved James Brown."
That's not what happened, though. The caricatured black man in the infamous photo was not any recognizable figure; he was just Black Everyman. In other words, the photo mocked black people in general; it didn't purport to be any black person in particular -- James Brown or anyone else. I'd forgive Northam because a great deal of time has passed, but not because the photo wasn't racist; it was.
2
I seldom agree with Bret Stephens, but I agree with him that we need to focus on who people are today, not who they were. Nevertheless, introspection into our own limitations should not inhibit us from recognizing individuals who remain racist, sexist, and dishonest to the core as is the current resident of the White House.
17
Why must you involve Trump in this? Our current president is not racist, sexist or dishonest. Like it or not, he is merely trying to keep the promises he made to us.
Let the voters decide in the next election. Meanwhile he should stay. From what I've read it appears that his policies and actions have been for the benefit of low income minorities.
16
Brett — I couldn't agree with you more. Very well stated, as usual. Republicans, more than Democrats, seem to get the the point you are making. Is this part of the contagion of political correctness?
4
What is the best way to fight institutional racism? If the Governor resigns it sets a precedent that politicians will pay a price for their participation in our racist institutions and they can only be "forgiven" if they repent and disavow their participation in the racist culture before they are caught not after. If the Governor stays in office, he sets a precedent of having no serious consequences for past actions and therefore less imperative to change.
If a desire to repent was all it took to wipe the slate of past misdeeds clean, we could empty half the jails right now.
5
And all of those consequences you describe are good outcomes. Recognition of a mistake is the first step to change.
@Chris Pratt
There’s a difference between sexual assault and racial insensitivity; there’s a difference between being deliberately offensive and being thoughtless; there’s a difference between being a cad your entire life and committing a youthful indiscretion.
Whatever happened to proportionate response? — really the point of this sensible column.
This column handles this fraught issue with nuance and sensitivity. I just don’t know if the governor should stay in office or resign. His apology and subsequent reversal don’t sit well. Our culture now seems to be in hyperdrive to find fault in everything people say and do. Humans are imperfect. Duh. What has happened in our times to genuine contrition and sincere forgiveness?
3
This article basically makes the claim, time and again, that we are all guilty of something like Northam's racist behavior, so get over it. Sensibly argued in places, but not where it claims that Northam led an exemplary career without a hint of racial bias, and in the next paragraph describes his divisive use of racial issues in his most recent campaign.
One can agree with many of Mr. Stephens assertions but still be convinced that Mr. Northam should go. Here's why.
The article totally avoids the dynamic that is costing Northam his job, namely that he has lost the respect, support and legitimacy a governor needs to perform his job. Bret Stephens' support and respect is not going to help Northam function in a capitol where his political capital is no longer sufficient to the job of governing.
This is an article proclaiming an opinion about what should be, while ignoring what is. The eggshell is broken, and arguments about whether that's fair or not fail put it back together again. Nor will stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that it is broken help the situation.
9
Moral outrage—amplified by social media—is the addictive poison of our time. There is a time and a place for outrage. But before Twitter, it wasn’t 280 characters and a click away from global dissemination. Online outrage mobs are in fashion now and sadly drive media coverage. One mistake in a person’s past draws thousands of condemnations in mere minutes. Or worse, nefarious actors intentionally incite people online to further divide our country. The Northam scandal is a case study of this problem. For the sake of the nation and our collective sanity, it must stop.
12
The deeper issue is "Public Shaming" which started long before stockades in the public square and likely before crucifixions or stoning in Roman days. Those in power have long used public shaming to punish their subjects, perhaps only more recently have the tables been turned somewhat. Certainly, the Internet and social media have sped the process up and perhaps there will be a day when virtually everyone will wear one scarlet letter or another.
5
So right. How many of us would want some of the things we did or said in our high school or college days to surface and impact our lives or livelihoods today? Joy Reid? Wow!
I think Stephens is right. The governor should stay.
David Brooks, on the PBS NewsHour, teasingly mentioned that Democrats are prone to forming circular firing squads. This is something they should do a little soul searching about before pulling the trigger.
12
The Republican party seem to have unlimited tolerance for bad deeds and the Democratic party seems to want Zero tolerance. Neither policy actually actually tries to look at the person and decide their merit and their ability to represent their constituents.
The unlimited tolerance results in lack of belief that anything they preach must be tainted. I think the pro-life movement has been discredited as they clearly do not care what people do when they are alive. How can they expect me to believe anything they say.
The Democratic policy of zero policy is just as bad as our culture has always believed in giving someone a second chance.
7
There is a famous piano piece called "Le Petit Negre," by the great French composer, Claude Debussy. Should we abandon all the musical compositions, the enormous talent and contribution this one composer made, for the sake of making some statement on racism about the title of this work and what was implied? It feels like overreach.
During the time, with minstrel shows depicting African people, they were commonly caricatured in this way. While it was wrong, the fallibility of human beings to make this kind of stereotype is a reality. But when taken against the entire work of this gifted composer, when taken in the context of his large contribution, it seems petty and ridiculous to hold an attitude of the time to be an eternal sin.
6
Well, James Levine's recordings were wiped from the Met's website. Along with the great singers who sang in them.
Pretty disgusting. We are headed nowhere good.
1
My own memory of blackface was with a minstrel show of the local Lions Club. My father was on stage with his fellow members in the comedy routine. I looked around the audience to see that no dark skinned janitors or kitchen staff were present. I knew at the age of 6 or 7 in early 1960’s what this sort of routine was. Though my parents had not specifically told me this was going to happen, they gave me a sense of right and wrong that to this day accepts other by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. I see this too with the governor. He made a boneheaded decision as a student. That he should pay for it with his loss of position makes us a nation of men, not a nation of laws. His detractors who found and leaked the yearbook page would be interesting to put put under the same microscope, one could say what’s good for the gander is good for the goose.
My high school yearbook from 1974 shows one senior with 3 cans of Pam on a shelf behind him. That was as negative as we were able to slip through then. Nitrous oxide was the propellant.
A curious aspect of the governor’s yearbook is the lapse was bipartisan with student and student editor.
3
Spoiler alert: there is racism in America, even in this bluest of blue states. But there are also good honest people who work intentionally to overcome the past, foster equality and continue to improve the communities where they live. Judging Northam for past acts without taking into consideration his decades of contributions means that we do not believe that people can learn and change for the better and that we do not believe in the possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness. That being said, how he and his team handled this is concerning—as others have noted, some of this mess is of his own making.
5
Why doesn’t he explain how he can be better and what he will do to correct this - enough pride we love redemption
1
Thank you for a voice of sanity. Your essay, Brett, was measured, and thoughtful, on issues which need honesty, clarity, and compassion, not a bumper sticker moment.
9
I would feel better about Mr. Northam's attempt to stay in power if he would just admit his guilt, apologize, and show by his actions that he was trying to make up for the damage he caused. But those with political aspirations, to say nothing of existing politicians, are taught to deny, deny, deny, then turn the blame on their accusers with even greater strength. What would be so bad about admitting his mistake?
6
@Mark Lebow You must have missed his press conference.
1
I deeply appreciate that Mr. Stephens makes a case for forgiving and allowing for emotional and spiritual growth in public officials. Who among us did not say something or do something in early adulthood (college) that we regret today. The thought that sticks with me most is that we may be colluding, by our reaction to actions like Governor Northam's, in electing officials who have no shame.
1
Your column, as always, hits the nail on the head.
In Northam's situation, I also am reminded of Federalist 10, which warns us against the power of faction and the mob. While this current situation is not about governance but seemingly all about governance, the power of the mob remains just as dangerous.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
2
Being young and misguided should not blight a life but it often does with young adult offenders, particularly minority young adult offenders who are branded for life. Ralph Northam is a victim of time and place and he'll, likely, be voted out. That he should be hounded out of office is as wrong as the hue and cry against Al Franken or Elliot Spitzer that forced principled pubic servants from office while the Steve Kings and Louis Gohmerts stay on.
4
Just a point of interest--the governor of Virginia cannot serve consecutive terms, so being voted out is not an issue for Northam.
I do think there was a man, who may have lived about 2000 years ago, whose words may be at the base of Mr. Stephens advice.
They were, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone."
4
I think this is a very accurate and truthful column. Many of the comments are likewise. I think the danger is that if us Democrats are too stringent and unforgiving, we will have a very small party and very little appeal to the independent center. And I don’t think I’m asking for a grievous crime to be eluded over, but a youthful mistake derived from inexperience and the culture of the time. If a guy like Northam can’t redeem himself in the left’s eyes and must be held accountable to every last mistake he’s made, no matter how many decades ago, the Democratic Party will be a very small boat.
6
@Boxengo I agree with your comments. In addition, I think it is very telling that at a time when many white Democrats were changing their affiliations to Republican because of the Democratic Party's progressive stance on race and civil rights, Northram changed his political affiliation from Republican to Democratic. I think this is prima facie evidence of his change of heart from the kind of attitudes he may have had as a young man.
1
As a Democrat, I continue to be appalled at the moralistic stance of those who call for Northam’s resignation, while asking everyone else in America to learn and evolve. Evolve into what, if the low points of one’s past will always be the defining aspect of a person’s character? Can no ex-convict ever resume normal social interaction? Can no one who understands and regrets past racism or sexism hold public office as a matured champion of equality and respect? And how about the de facto condemnation to permanent unemployment that results from massive public opprobrium of well known figures in the media and the arts? No court of law would mete out such a sentence if there were a conviction for a crime, which is virtually never the case for these individuals. Many fair-minded individuals who wish to see society improve through education, persuasion and changing attitudes won’t keep Democratic politicians in power who are so radically puritanical. Better to reward good behavior for people who grew up into constructive, enlightened citizens, or a lot of good folks will just be scared off from ever participating in the process.
12
Bravo. Well said. Defer immediate judgment to analysis. Weigh the circumstances. Resist reflex reaction. The seeming moral high ground can quickly become a quagmire of undesirable outcomes.
5
So if the photo were of two men dressed as Hitler and a Jew would you have the same reaction?
Or is dressing in Black face and a Ku Klux Klan outfit just good ole '80's Southern fun?
Where I came from no one ever considered wearing such outfits during the '80's. No one.
8
You were lucky to have been brought up in a more enlightened and responsible atmosphere. Northam obviously was not.
The other three pictures on his year book page are immature and not what you would expect/want from an aspiring doctor. He was certainly a knucklehead!
But he has managed to grow up and do some very good things.
I agree with Bret. We must allow for redemption.
1
@ScottW Or in the '70s, for that matter. Or the '60s. Frankly, I can't imagine that dressing in blackface was ever considered OK.
Even so, I'd forgive Northam for that. What bothers me is that he reportedly accused his electoral opponent of racism. He should be forgiven -- I agree with that -- but he should not be allowed to seek political advantage by accusing someone else of being exactly what he himself once was. That, to me, was a step too far.
I am a progressive white male and I totally agree with Bret. I would like to add that social awareness from 1960 to today regarding all most all social justice issues has been enormous.
I would like to see more discussion on our growth as a nation regarding the awareness of social justice issues.
Rich DiGeorgio
Washington Crossing, PA
4
I agree wholeheartedly. I would also argue that we need to distinguish between symbolic actions and actually harmful policymaking.
Brian Kemp was elected Governor of Georgia thanks in part to voter disenfranchisement (disproportionately of minorities) he engineered as Secretary of State. Kris Kobach nearly did the same in Kansas.
Jon Cornyn either abetted or at least failed to renounce as Texas AG the framing of black residents of Tula for a bogus cocaine trafficking operation.
Republican majorities in many state legislatures have both engaged in extreme gerrymandering (cracking and packing) and imposed voter ID requirements that, while not explicitly racist, have the effect of diminishing the political power of minorities.
These are all actions by existing policymakers that harm African-Americans. None of them are threatened with the loss of office.
15
I completely agree with Mr. Stephens. Although I am a liberal and he is a conservative I can also think of a cringe worthy moment, halloween party of yore. My husband dressed as James Brown and I one of the famous flames. He darkened his face, I did not. We thought it was a tribute as we loved James Brown. Perceptions of what is acceptable change over time. I am a 74 year old white woman and I sometimes get frustrated at the degree to which things have changed for both women and minorities for the better and no one seems to recognize it. The arc of history is long and change seems slow at times and grows by inches. I am not writing an article so I won't go into the changes I have experienced. Lastly I would like to shout that I am absolutely sick of hearing about how truly awful white men are or have been. These beliefs are too hurtful to too many decent white men who have contributed so much to this country. This history cannot be erased. More history needs to be added. It was Jeremiah Crotser who inspired me to comment. If it weren't for Sam Houston and all the other "white male conquistador types" you wouldn't be living in Houston but Boston and 350,000,000 people can't fit into Boston; my ancestors would still be in Sweden, England and Ireland. Is that the way it should have been?
People of Virginia, if you are pure of heart and deed Northam goes, if not he should stay.
7
Right on Bret. Proportionality and context must be part of the discussion. The Governor’s response has been abysmal but the calls for him to resign from public officials are mainly political. Meanwhile those same politicians, who ran Franken out of the Senate for far less, are silent on Fairfax. More politics.
6
Thanks for this article, Bret. It is time for others to begin speaking out against the overreach of "zero tolerance" and "me too" and allow politicians the explanations and hearings to which they are entitled. They should not be immediately hooted out of office by the "holier than thou" mob. I still wish that Senator Al Franken had been allowed the hearing that he had wished for.
13
Bret's thoughts are entirely reasonable, and I agree with them in principle. And while I am not happy about this, I do believe Northam should resign. The left has cynically used racial and sexual identity politics to clobber conservatives over the past few years, and to settle scores inside its own ranks. As Bret helpfully points out, Northam despicably allowed a radical left wing PAC to air a divisive and horrifying commercial against his GOP opponent last year. And the Kavanaugh debacle, where the Democrats abandoned all precepts of civility and due process, is still fresh in our minds. The left has tried to bring back the Terror for years now. It must consume so they learn to stop using these tactics against their opponents, and inflaming divisions in the nation. Let Northam resign, and let the Democrats be reminded that when you sew the wind, you reap the whirlwind.
4
@Achilles 'Kavanaugh debacle....' - where sniveling and snark became good qualities for a S.C. Justice??
1
I am glad Stephens acknowledges the invidious nature of the term "gypped." For those not familiar with the context: "gyp" comes from "Gypsy", in itself derived from "Egyptian", from whence European anthropologists thought the Roma people originated.
Essentially, using the term "Gypsy", still allowed in these pages, is equivalent to using the N-word, the non-euphemism not allowed here. As well, using "gyp" is equivalent to using "jew" as a verb.
93
@Steve Fankuchen
Read Peter Maas' King of the Gypsies. European anthropologists never believed that the Roma originated in Egypt. In much the same way that mixed race people in some parts of the American south sometimes described themselves as Turks or Portogee (Portuguese) because doing so was simpler and likely more socially acceptable, many Roma simplified their origins when explaining to persons outside of their group.
12
@Steve Fankuchen Lets simply revise the language and come up with a 21st Century Newspeak. In the long run the fewer words and the dumbingdown of means of expression ends Orwellian conformity -- a form of mindlessness that those in the "inner party" will use to enslave.
13
@Steve Fankuchen I rather doubt gypsy is the equivalent to the n word. Never, in decades, have I heard it used in any way other than to describe something free spirited and lovely. A gypsy soul. A gypsy lifestyle -unencumbered by the need for stuff and more stuff. My wife's horse was named Gypsy, because of her extraordinary beauty and sense of independence. I could go on. Please show me where and how this word is an ugly one. The gypsies may have been an oppressed group, as are the Roma today. But so were the Irish, and today things Irish can represent the desirable. The n word? Never, not once, when used by anyone with a white skin.
23
Like "gypped," the word "barbarian" --- a native of the Berber coast of North Africa--- has mutated into respectable speech, but its origins as an ethnic slur are there for anyone who cares to see.
2
@Richard C
"Barbarian" did not originate as an ethnic slur. It derives from the ancient Greek word "barbaros," which meant anybody who does not or cannot speak Greek--in other words, somebody whose speech sounds nonsensically like "bar, bar, bar, bar" (at its origin, in other words, the word was onomatopoetic). True, it amounted to linguistic chauvinism and but was not directed at any particular ethnicity. Its use to refer to a native of the Barbary coast has nothing to do with its origins. That use came much later and is obsolete anyway according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
As long as we're wallowing in guilt, what about the use of Neanderthal to mean a stupid person? After all, recent research has revealed that they were actually pretty smart in their own way.
Anyone who could not speak (ancient) Greek sounded like a sheep or goat -- baa, baa -- hence βάρβαρος.
Barbarian.
Elitist, not particularly racist.
I agree with you whole-heartedly. Maybe this is the discussion that can begin to bring people back to the middle.
4
Stephens has articulated the essence of the most meaningful underlying issue: if we berate and exclude all people who have fairly teeny skeletons floating through their past and if we ignore conscious development in people --- we will have no one left to govern and no one left to be governed.
Save the people who walk on water to run the 'churches'. The rest of us can attend, and try to do better. Leaders? I prefer mine to be real humans.
15
We've seen this with Al Franken as well as Ralph Northam. Behavior has context. People evolve; they take on different roles. Predators who take advantage of the appearance of weakness and fail to recognize the strength of character required to grow.
9
As a man of color I have to say I agree with Bret. Wouldn’t it be best for people of color to have him stay and prove he is not that person anymore? For the remainder of his term he would be obliged to atone for the mistakes of his youth. We will never have a pure candidate who has lived a flawless life. We can allow people to make amends and prove they have changed. LBJ was a politician from the Deep South who passed the Civil Rights Act. If The Governor stays he has to prove he not what he looked like in his yearbook.
27
Mr. Stephens views the story of Ralph Norton through Republican eyes. Democratic eyes see racism and bigotry as forces that are alive and well in America. Republican eyes see racism as a lamentable chapter in American history that ended 50 years ago. They see bigotry as alive and exploitable. This difference reflects the core constituencies of the two parties.
Since the election of Richard Nixon in 1968, Republicans have followed a campaign practice of condemning abusive racist actions, appealing to bigotry and tolerating systemic racism. That was apparent in the 1980 campaign when Reagan opened his campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi. spoke of states rights, characterized welfare recipients as welfare queens arriving in Cadillacs to pick up their welfare checks and emigrated black men as big strapping bucks. Attempts to address systemic racism have been a dead letter whenever Republicans have controlled the Senate or the White House. Over the last 40 years the core constituency of the Republican Party has become ever whiter and increasingly responsive to racist appeals.
The Democratic Party sees the Ralph Norton story through the eyes of brown and black skinned Democrats whose daily lives have been affected by systemic racism and bigotry.
Ralph Norton's service as Governor is an honor, a privilege and a duty. Mr. Norton's conduct as a young man calls into question his views on racism and bigotry. Mr. Norton owes Virginia a candid explanation and an apology.
6
I believe he has given both.
I'm betting that virtually every single person calling for Northam's head on a plate has committed an act which is both illegal and morally worse than appearing in that photo. Most Americans have driven over the posted speed limit - often way over it. And many have driven when distracted or impaired, whether they were caught or not. Those acts place lives at risk -- tens of thousands are killed annually due to that behavior. Yet our shoulders collectively shrug because they're so commonplace.
I endorse Bret's suggestion that we all do a self-audit and save the self-righteous outrage for behavior that warrants it.
9
While this Stephens piece focuses on redemption, it misses an equally, if not more important point about transparency. People who aspire to public office should audit their past and share with the public who they are (good and bad) and allow the public to pass judgement on the totality of their fitness for office. Material omission of facts is a breach of that implied covenant. As the election of the current POTUS demonstrates, the electorate does not require its elected officials to be perfect or angelic. They are forgiving and will reward authenticity.
1
Thank you for this! I voted for him in 2017 and don't regret it. He's done great things for the state. I don't want him to resign!
7
I agree with Mr. Stephens’s reasoning.
I would like to add that Gov. Northam is an elected official who is not accused of a crime. In a couple of years the people of Virginia will have their say.
But the other hand, Supreme Court nominees need more scrutiny.
13
Thank you. I wouldn't want to be held to task for things I did or said 40 years ago. I want to be thought of as the intelligent and open-minded woman I am now and the good work I have done since then.
21
Judge people based on the standards of their time, while pointing out that those actions are not acceptable by today's standards.
I would assume that Thomas Jefferson would not be advocating for slavery if he were alive today. True, many people knew better in his time, but you cannot condemn a life of good for following societal norms.
Has Northam shown any sign of racism in his public life? If not, move on, provided that he is truthful regarding his past.
14
Except that it was in no way the “standard of his time”. That anyone could make this argument about something that happened in 1984, shows more about their own views on race than what was culturally acceptable. And by the way- it was never an acceptable “standard” for POCs.. so your argument also needs to completely ignore how they might have felt, in order to hold water...
As a retired educator, I well know and have often used classroom situations as “teachable moments.” This counts as one for Virginia and our nation. And Northam is at the podium. Stay and teach.
11
Presumably well-intended mea culpas aside as to Governor Northam and others so situated, the "bare" facts role-model Donald J. Trump is still in office and likely-renomination by his "party" for re-election. Presumably as well, the ballot box doesn't lie. From that we may conclude the voters and electoral college "system" are the real testament to our majority beliefs.
3
Northam should not resign. Virginia is not the only state that had an insensitive culture 35 years ago; how about the other 49 states? And what about today?
Virginia’s last Republican administration refused Medicaid expansion to 300,000 of our citizens and they offered internal ultrasound exams to women seeking abortions. Wasn’t that thoughty of them? Under Northam we now have Medicaid expansion and are working towards sensible reproductive laws, not punitive ones. He is bringing Virginia into the 21-st century.
If he steps down before Trump and McConnell do, I’ll believe that All Is Lost.
12
You are wrong Mr. Stephens, that Governor Northam has shown no hint of racial bias. He has shown more than a hit as recently as the past three months. Do your research: use the following search words: Northam, Buckingham County, Union Hill, Dominion Energy, Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Air Pollution Control Board.
Northam interfered with the regulatory process to make sure a permit was issued for a fracked gas air compressor station in a majority African American community founded by freed slaves. In doing so he removed from their positions on the Air Pollution Control Board two members who had strongly voiced concerns over racism and environmental justice before they could vote. He was callously dismissive of the people of Union Hill and dismissed the reports and pleas of the Virginia NAACP and the Advisory Council on Environmental Justice.
The people of Union Hill and their supporters, including the Rev. Paul Wilson, have been protesting Northam since before last Friday's revelations and have been among those demanding his resignation.
Please end this fiction that Governor Northam has an exemplary civil rights record.
4
Then THOSE are the issues that should be called into question. I agree with you, these are very serious issues.
No one should be condemned for a lifetime over a single photograph unless it's evidence of a crime. The point is: how far (and how far back) are we willing to go to condemn a public servant? And what will that cost us in the long run?
Perhaps this episode will expose Northam's fragility and cause him to at least regret & reflect on those decisions made in office.
1
@Country Girl
"a majority African American community founded by freed slaves"
We're never going to get past tribalism (racism) when your entire argument is based on race, not principles.
America ascribes to a principle of moral purity that's rarely justified and enforced only as a public embarrassment for very selective purposes.
If we truly believed that moral rectitude was important, Trump would never have been elected and his Cabinet nominees would never have been confirmed.
Our moral litmus tests appear to be as hypocritical as the "Christian" notion of personal redemption. Northam's judgement 35 years ago was appalling, regardless of the cultural norms of the day, but to afford him the assumption of redemption is not politically expedient. His transgression isn't as egregious, or perhaps criminal, like Roy Moore or Bret Kavanaugh, yet there was no shortage of people supporting both of them.
Let's either practice what we preach or get off our high horses. We can't have it both ways.
12
Putting on black face takes considerably more time than blurting an insensitive comment. It thus provides lots of opportunity to think about what you're doing and the effect it might have. I think we have to make some distinctions, and although I appreciate Louise Barnett's example, I don't think we need to excuse everything that isn't cross burning. If all is forgiven, we lose the chance to discourage some thoughtless young man from putting on black face today. Because that is still happening.
9
@A Gibbs Elizabeth Warren used an undeserved advantage to get ahead in life over someone who could have used the break. That is actual harm. How many here are calling for her resignation?
2
Before DNA testing, all we had was family lore. Generations of tall tales, half truths and cover-ups have suddenly become verifyable. I am willing to give Sen Warren a pass (and I do not even like her). I know some of my family history in false, I just don't know which parts, and I'm too old to care.
2
This is why we should´ve left old Nazis alone. Should we have judged those old men living in South America peacefully by their most shameful acts.
You may think, well, they killed people, Virginia´s politicians didn´t. Sure. Yet, they engaged in behavior emblematic of the treatment of Blacks that led to how many deaths? And still does. About five years ago, at the university where I teach, a History professor shared that one of her students told the class he had been taken to a Black man’s lynching by his family, when he was nine. They took a picnic into the Western Appalachian woods where the lynching took place. The entire class was abhorred. The student shared the information as an example that deadly racism is not as far away from now as we like to pretend (aside from police shooting unarmed Black men). The student further shared in a later class that he phoned his family and asked them when the last lynching in the area, that they knew about, had taken place. 2009.
This is why these men must resign, as well as the Lt. Governor. Progress must involve atonement and accountability. Mr. Stephens argues against it because of fear of who far that accountability may go. It’s fine to shed some light into the past, there can be some apologizing, but White men must remain in power. Right Mr. Stephens?
2
@A.L. GROSSI
There is absolutely no equivalent between Nazis who were instruments of murder (and likewise Klan members who organized and acted in racist/violent ways) and people who said something stupid or did something in a joking way that is racist. That is not to excuse stupidity- many/most people knew better, but participating in genocide or lynching is not the same as simply being dumb or insensitive.
1
I have a friend who is a renowned criminal defense lawyer who tests the veracity of potential jurors during by asking them if they have ever said particular words and used certain phrases to describe minorities, gays and women. He says the ones who admit to any of this are few and far between and he gets rid of them as the law allows because they probably are lying. Those who admit to doing this are honest, usually contrite and make good jurors.
An intelligent column, Mr. Stephens.
11
If there were a camera that could take photos of your every thought as well as your body, I fear no one would be left standing.
10
This is the most amazing piece I have read in awhile. Every single point you made articulates so clearly the dangers of unforgiveness and digging up the worst moment in someones life. If something you said as a child, or as a dumb college student can rip away all the good you have done in your life or scare you from running for political office we truly are in trouble. If you can identify that moment and be scared of what that moment represents that is someone I want running for office.
7
I agree wholeheartedly with this column. We must judge past behaviour in the context of the prevailing attitudes and beliefs of the day. They may be seen as wrong today but were widely, and often wrongly, tolerated then.
It's also important to consider who was harmed by the past behaviour being judged. A politician who supported or even promoted laws and regulations that did harm to minorities, that prevented them from getting the benefits and respect they deserved, surely is to be judged much more seriously than an individual who personally behaved in an ignorant manner while he or she was still young butwhos ebehaviour had little effect..
What is more important is what an individual who is guilty of stupid behaviour in the past has accomplished on behalf of minorities or women in his or her recent years.
One other observation. Have people noticed that it's mainly Democratic or progressive politicians who are being pressed to resign for these past behaviours while conservative politicians who are often unsympathetic to minorities or women simply refuse to do so and somehow manage to stay in power.
Take the case of Al Franken. I think most people would agree that he has been and remains a strong supporter of women's causes. Yet he was forced to resign while the serial adulterer and groper Donald Trump stays firmly in place, absurdly it seems because he has quite simply rejected the accusations against him.
Very weird world we live in.
10
@D. Boudrot
I've always been struck that so many of the Southern
Democrats who were moderates on the Civil Rights (ie Leroy Collins) were thrown out of office while their staunch segregationists peers continued their careers and retired pillars of the establishment. I have to believe this lesson was internalized by many and explains why so many people voted for DOMA. I don't know many people on either side of the aisle who would defend DOMA now. People and society can evolve and grow.
1
How much of a slippery slope are we one? Because there's a photo of my spouse in his 1980 yearbook wearing a sombrero and tiny mustache for a costume party. He grew up on the border, speaks fluent Spanish, and now works tirelessly as a physician, devoting many of his nights providing care to poor and indigent patients in emergency rooms. But never mind all that! Should he resign from the hospital board on which he now serves? Should he quit his job entirely? Would that be enough to atone for doing something stupid 40 years ago? What's next? The fashion police throwing me out of my classroom when my students find that hideous circa '80s photo of me in shoulder pads and a Farrah Fawcett haircut? (Because that should've been downright illegal.) We've lost our collective minds.
23
This is one reason I will never support Kirsten Gillibrand for President. She hounded Al Franken into resigning as Senator over a posed gag photograph, taken when he was a comedian, years before he became a Senator. And Gillibrand refused to allow time for a thorough investigation of the incident. Her self righteousness & moral certitude deprived us of an excellent Senator, who had been a consistent advocate for women & women's rights.
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@downeast60
I wholeheartedly agree with you re Gillibrand and her self-serving, destructive virtue signaling in the Franken case.
5
I like your phrase, the Cast-the-first-Stone coalition ( though I’d have made the last word, cabal or even, better, confederacy). Whichever, they are truly voracious predators and carrion-feeders, their hunger fuelled by every new opportunity to inflate their own worth by devaluing someone else’s.
7
I can forgive Northam's 1984 behavior. It's his 2019 apology/non-apology that rankles. Exoneration can come after he owns up to his past actions.
11
Having lived and come of age in Virginia from1960 through the middle 1970s, I have witnessed the state change profoundly from the days with casual racism seething form every white pore and murderous racism lurking just below the surface. I can see how today's Virginia politicians who came of age in that time could in their youth try on roles reflecting what was then the common culture. But shortly after I left, Doug Wilder was elected governor, it was as if someone pulled a switch and slowly but surely, the words and ways changed. So the question is whether the Ralph Northams have changed? Have they lived their professional lives believing in the line from the Declaration that all men are created equal? And if they have, maybe its time to bury the stinking corpse of racism along with those shameful memorials to the leaders who put their own personal prerogatives and chattel slavery over national ideals. If Governor Northam is offered another chance, I hope he makes the best of it and leads where only a man haunted by the ghosts he must vanquish can know the way.
6
When you are in the political spotlight the long knives are out for you. With the internet data about everyone can be mined and used against virtually anyone. It is worth remembering "Let he who has not sinned throw the first rock". Close scrutiny of everyone will reveal something, somewhere, sometime that can be used against them. FDR tried to pack the Supreme Court, Ronald Reagan was guilty in Iran-Contra, Churchill made a grave error in Gallipoli. The common thread is we all make mistakes and a person's entire life should not be ruined because of ancient history. The Governor of Virginia should stay the course and he will have made a large contribution to fairness.
3
We live in a society now where the prevailing and presumptively higher morality of this moment means anyone who gets identified as doing something "out of line" gets an immediate target on their chest. Done. Finished. Over. This is itself a form of gross injustice.
We go after politicians with such speed and glee because...they can be had. Their lives are hanging out there like a big meatball and they serve at our pleasure. We are not curing racism by shaming them into private life, we are instead satisfying our own need to hold ourselves as morally superior when, truth be known, we are not, at least not in our randomized, day by day thoughts. As Dylan said long ago early in his career: "If my thought dreams could be seen/they'd probably put my head in a guillotine"
I grew up around people with a shattered understanding of humanity that came out verbally as gross racism. In the normal course, people follow those around them, but fortunately for me, I didn't buy into it. In my early teen years I began the long process of purging these sickening notions from my brain and memory. Guess what? You can't ever declare yourself 100% "cured", but, with work, you can get very close.
We change socially and politically by incorporating those who do not actively pursue racial exclusion (and worse) into our lives.
Speak out against racism. Don't tolerate it from family, friends or when out for a drink. Stop it cold. Bit by bit, it will die. The burial is up to coming generations.
7
If Northam should resign, what about Liz Warren? Her self identifying as a Native American didn't happen when she was 12 or 20 but when she was in her 30's. It wasn't done as a joke but to help her career. Anyone who thinks different isn't thinking clearly. And surprisingly, when she suddenly had this epiphany about her race, her career took off. Coincidence? Who knows.
And she has continued to identify as Native American until as fortune would have it, she ran into Trump.
It is shocking to me that the same people who are virtue signalling by calling for Northam to resign are ignoring what Warren did. What Warren did wasn't a single incident back in the mostly forgotten past, but an ongoing charade.
So yes. We should not go after Northam. We all have moments of idiocy and we should all take a deep breath and stop looking for scandals in the lives of politicians that occurred long ago.
However. That doesn't give Warren a pass.
8
The responsibility for the dark age we are entering rests squarely with the rabid intolerance bred by Democrats.
They can’t get it into their heads that they are the ones who brought us Trump.
They continue to be his most reliable supporters by splitting the country more effectively than Trump can.
5
One of the things I appreciate most about you, Mr. Stephens, is that in this column you said what Governor Northam did not: that the memory of what you have done and said fills you with shame and remorse. It is not enough to regret the pain one has caused others. That dodges accountability and puts the onus on the injured party: if others were not offended, I would not be in trouble. And it denies the very thing you talk about here: recognition, contrition, genuine change and growth. In these fevered times of revelations, it seems that no politician/comedian/candidate for Supreme Court Justice can simply say, "I am appalled when I look back at my behavior. I am filled with shame and regret. I cringe at the memory and have sought (or will seek) to live a very different life since coming to recognize how wrong I was."
So good for you! But not quite a pass yet for the others.
5
Well, dear commenter, that depends!
"The beautiful thing about our species is our capacity to change, to learn, to grow, to become more loving, kind, and wise."
Whether or not a member of our species can change as he grows up depends entirely on whether he shares your political beliefs. If he does, what he did as a teenager should be forgiven because he's "changed" since then; he's become "more loving, kind, and wise."
On the other hand, if that member of our species does not share your political beliefs, what he did as a teenager should not be forgiven because he hasn't "changed" since then. Just because no misconduct has been reported since his teenage years doesn't mean he's become "more loving, kind, and wise."
All that matters, in other words, is whether the accused shares your political beliefs -- not what he actually did as a teenager, nor how much time has passed since he was last accused of doing something wrong.
Understand now, dear commenter?
1
When bad acts from the past emerge, we should expect honesty and sincere repentance sought from the persons offended. Northam's changing story casts doubt on his claim to both. If I were him, tomorrow I would betake myself to the most prominent African-American church in Richmond. With the minister's permission, I would humbly tell the congregation the whole truth about the photos, admit my shame and humiliation, explain how my life experiences after medical school changed me for the better and made me realize how deeply wrong what I had done was, promise to fight for racial justice ever more strongly, apologize individually and collectively to the African-American community, and humbly ask for forgiveness and reconciliation. Let the politicians be silent, let the white columnists lay down their pens, so that the only people who truly have the right and power to condemn or forgive may have their voices heard.
5