Gov. Ralph Northam ‘deeply sorry’ after photo emerges from his 1984 yearbook...

[BmorePat87]

(02-08-2019, 09:46 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Not sure why you went with LGBTQ when the direct comparison would be women, but whatever.

I think the reason why there is more sensitivity to the idea of blackface is because of the history of minstrel shows. It is nigh impossible to look at a modern occurrence of blackface without separating it from that history, which is not that long ago to be honest. Minstrel shows, while they declined in popularity, existed around the country (including in northern states) well into the '60s.

I'm still in the mindset that if there is a revelation about something like this in a public figure's past, it isn't grounds for an immediate excommunication from public life. I said before that my knee-jerk call on Northam was more for political reasons. However, it has to be handled well. With Northam in particular, his changing story and abysmal press conference performance really sealed the deal for me on him and is why I don't have the same reaction for Herring. Herring has handled things well.

In this cluster-**** of a situation, my stance as a Virginia Democratic voter is:
Northam--resign
Fairfax--investigate the claims and proceed as necessary
Herring--move on

It's 100% about the historical context of blackface and its use to advance racist stereotypes.