Turns Out Racist Jokes Have Consequences This week in

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Turns Out Racist Jokes Have Consequences

This week in the laboratories of democracy .

By Charles P. Pierce

Oct 6, 2016



(Permanent Musical Accompaniment To This Post https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzqGq6jiorg )

Being our semi-regular weekly survey of what's goin' down in the several states where, as we know, the real work of governmentin' gets done, and where sorrow covers you up like a cape.

We are occasionally told that we are unfair in our criticisms of Donald Trump's campaign for having loosed some noxious forces into our politics that were best left in the partly dormant state they were in for a couple of decades now. There is more to Trump's campaign than racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. So our tour begins this week with a survey of how many interesting and varied demonstrations of economic anxiety are manifesting themselves as we get closer to the election.


Let's begin in Georgia where, as The Washington Post found, economic anxiety showed itself through some innovative pedagogical techniques.

In them, the aide, Jane Wood Allen, called first lady Michelle Obama a "gorilla" repeatedly and said she is a "disgrace to America!" according to images of the now-deleted posts obtained by local media.

She got fired.

Meanwhile, over in Kentucky, economic anxiety demonstrated its utility as a campaign technique. Show us, CNN.


Dan Johnson, the bishop of Heart of Fire Church in Louisville, posted an edited image of the President and first lady Michelle Obama with ape-like features. He also labeled a photo of a chimpanzee a baby picture of Obama. "It wasn't meant to be racist. I can tell you that. My history's good there. I can see how people would be offended in that. I wasn't trying to offend anybody, but, I think Facebook's entertaining," Johnson told WDRB, the Louisville TV station that found the images and confronted him with them.

Johnson did not immediately return a request for comment. However, Johnson would not admit to WDRB that the photos crossed a line. "I looked this up. There has been no president that hasn't had that scrutiny. Not one," he said. "I think it would be racist not to do the same for President Obama as we've done for every other president."

I have to hand it to Bishop Dan. I have never heard the You're The Real Racist! Argument expressed with such care and such lunatic detail. However, I think his "history on that" is probably not as good as he thinks it is. He probably misspoke, being overwhelmed by economic anxiety.

(He does share at least one characteristic with the Republican presidential candidate. In both cases, their foul babbling is said to have been meant to be "entertainment." Me? I still like a good romantic comedy.)

Let's skip up to West Virginia, where America's Favorite Corporate Thug Don Blankenship is still making the case that he is the victim of unseen forces out to destroy the coal industry and its ability to kill its workers and get away with it. Don is self-publishing a booklet proclaiming his obvious kinship to Nelson Mandela and Gandhi.

From The Wall Street Journal, via ThinkProgress:

Blankenship is currently awaiting a hearing, set for October 26, on his appeal to overturn the misdemeanor conviction. "Politicians put me in prison for political and self-serving reasons, he writes in a statement (posted on his website, which also refers to him as an American Competitionist). "I am an American Political Prisoner."

This guy is appealing a misdemeanor conviction and he's proclaiming himself a political prisoner. Don Siegelman must be amused.

Before we touch down in Oregon, let me state quite clearly that I have no relatives who are called "Bud." Thank you. We continue, with some help from Oregon Public Broadcasting:


But Pierce came under fire when he focused on what he saw as solutions to those problems. "A woman that has a great education and training and a great job is not susceptible to this kind of abuse by men, women or anyone," Pierce said. The crowd at the Portland City Club gasped at the remark. Brown was quick to respond.

Quick, "Bud," bail out, man!

Uh-oh, 'chute didn't open.

"I grew up in a middle-class family. I went to law school," she said. "I know what it feels like to be paid less—substantially less—than the male lawyer in the office next to me."

Let's go back to Georgia where economic anxiety claimed more victims, this time in uniform. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains the efficacy of economic anxiety in police work.

The two officers—both former McIntosh County sheriff's deputies—served on the department's special traffic unit that patrols I-95 in South Georgia. The two officers sent offensive jokes back and forth through the Facebook's messaging service and used texting shorthand "lol" to indicate laughter.

One joke referred to "colored people" and another used the word "n—— ," according to records reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Another showed an image of Martin Luther King Jr. and denigrated his most famous speech. "I have a dream. That one day my people will not act like animals," posted Brant Gaither, the McIntosh deputy who was terminated July 25… "This case goes deeper than two officers caught using racist language on their personal social media pages," Geraghty said.

"The messages reference an explicit intent by these law enforcement officials to 'get' black motorists. Our investigation to date suggests that this may be the tip of the iceberg."

If Bill Clinton hadn't signed NAFTA, these guys would be marching with Black Lives Matter.

And we conclude, as is our custom, in the great state of Oklahoma, where Blog Official Burrowing Owl Translator Friedman of the Plains brings us a plaintive appeal to the Almighty from Governor Mary Fallin, a longtime favorite here at the shebeen who apparently believes that God is a driller, blessed be His mighty rigs. Via The Week:


Gov. Mary Fallin declared the prayer day with an executive proclamation. "Whereas Oklahoma is blessed with an abundance of oil and natural gas ... [and] Christians acknowledge such natural resources are created by God," it says, "Christians are invited to thank God for the blessings created by the oil and natural gas industry and to seek His wisdom and ask for protection."

Rev. Tom Beddow of Ada, Oklahoma, who coordinates the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma's Oil Patch Chaplains ministry, supports the initiative. "The oil field is hurting right now," he told The Oklahoman. "We're asking churches all over Oklahoma to open their doors, put on a pot of coffee and pray for the oil field, and not only for the oil field but the state, because the economy of our state is so connected to the oil field."

I guess fracking would consist of the Reformed branch of the First Church Of Christ, Wildcatter. Go ahead and laugh, but when lightning strikes every windmill in America at the same time, and when every solar panel in the country turns to blood, you'll be sorry.

This is your democracy, America. Cherish it.