The Obfuscation of "#YouAintBlack"
Fake racial outrage from Republicans, and the outrage of the hoodwinked, looks to fulfill strategic goals
Publisher’s Riff
Mainstream news outlets and the entire social media universe is going apoplectic over what was clearly Joe Biden’s attempt at satire: “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.” And, if you are Black and grew up in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (where Biden hails from), you know that old White dudes saying such things in jest is really nothing new or special.
Some thoughts missed in the larger conversation …
First off: what about this statement doesn’t, on some level, ring true? It’s generally considered an insult to call a Black person a Trump or “MAGA” supporter …. so, what, now it’s an insult to suggest the vast majority of Black people are not Trump supporters? And, is Charlemagne taking offense to the comment a subtle admission that he’s planning to vote for Trump? See how confusing the reaction is to this?
Biden really didn’t need to do “The Breakfast Club” interview. It’s not like the Democratic Primary is still happening, Biden is presumptive. Some strategists are getting way too pressed and desperate in their need to draw in the perpetually elusive young Black voter - which, in 2020, will be a mix of first-time Gen Z voters and, now, aging Milennials. And it’s safe to assume that either the BC producers have not yet reached out to Trump for an interview or, if they did, they’ve been ignored. So, why was this exercise necessary knowing Charlemagne da God’s penchant for infotainment buffoonery trying to pass for serious and insightful journalism? The Black media space should also ask itself some deep questions about how we arrived here in a time like this.
The Republican attempt to immediately grab at those comments and twist them out of context is, clearly, hypocrisy of the highest order. It’s especially sinister considering the GOP’s unapologetic anti-Blackness or rejection of public policy that even remotely benefits Black communities. That’s another conversation.
Modern Black Republicans such as Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Trump surrogate Katrina Pierson build entire careers distancing themselves from Blackness … until it becomes convenient for the strategic or tactical benefit of their White conservative friends. Scott cries foul on Biden, suddenly becoming a guru on Blackness … but, yet, he publicly refused an invitation to join the Congressional Black Caucus because his election to the Senate “was never about race.”
Republicans, under their own normal circumstances, either promote “tough on crime” policies that squarely focus on jailing Black people or they are providing rationalizations for White people who kill unarmed Black people in cold blood. Let’s not even get into the destruction of environmental protections, anything resembling a safety net and basic access to healthcare. But, let Biden make a chummy quip about Black folks and, suddenly, Republicans are Guardians of all things Black and freeing thousands of Black men from prison.
The goal of over-the-top distortion here is to trip-wire inept DJs posing as seasoned political commentators (or “thought leaders”) to sell unknowing audiences on the broken record that is the “1994 crime bill” conversation. Charlemagne fell for the hook and sinker, and a lot of other people are, too.
Republicans want younger Black voters angry at Biden so they’ll do this again: become the only young voter demographic that dramatically drops their participation in a crucial election cycle …
Meanwhile, under the current administration, this is what’s happening to Black people …