Lucky 13
In a not bad story by Richard Miniter about dinner with Clarence Thomas, we get this:
At a gathering of black lawyers, Thomas, from the podium, could see a man in the front row, with his arms crossed and his face cross. Naturally, he shot his hand up as soon as the question session began. A long speech in lieu of a question followed, essentially asking how he can interpret the law by relying so heavily on the Founding Fathers when they did not recognize the rights of blacks?
“The 13th amendment,” Thomas said, citing the constitutional amendment that freed the slaves and provided for their equal rights under law.
I don't know who made the mistake (I doubt it was Thomas) but, of course, it's the 14th amendment that provides equal rights.
posted by LAGuy @ 1:52 PM
3 Comments:
Well, he was half right -- the lucky thirteenth did free the slaves. I saw it as more than a bit of a puff piece. The entire article be summed up by his one sentence, "I believed him." He makes a point of noting Thomas' misquote (to give an impression of unbiased reporting?), but then takes at complete face value Thomas' assertion that everyone loves him, especially black people, with the exception of some liberal law professors. Sure, maybe that's the impression Thomas always walks away with, but I'd love to see a bit of, you know, reporting, to confirm it. Speaking of which, the author's reference to the "elite media" struck me as funny. Do even Freepers use that term anymore?
I'm reminded years ago of a statement by Howard Cosell. He said everyone claims they hate him, but the only people he meets tell him how great he is.
That's the way it works. You can be loathed by millions, as Cosell no doubt was, but most people aren't going to say it to your face.
I have no idea how popular Thomas is (most Americans probably aren't even that aware of him), but there's no question there's a serious gap between the fire-breathing monster many (probably most) law professors view him as, and the general view. Also, I have no doubt much of the animus is due to what should be irrelevant--his skin color.
This last comment by LAGuy reminds me of an incident in an AA restaurant. The food was so bad that I was writing "This food sucks" with tomato sauce on the plate when the waitress approached with the perfunctory, "Is everything alright with your meal?" Of course I replied sheepishly, "It's great!"
AAGuy
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