No Defense Against ‘Racism’

If you are white, there is no defense against charges of racism. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) learned that two weeks ago.

Rep. Meadows had a fiery exchange with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI and a Palestinian) during the House testimony of former Donald Trump aide, Michael Cohen. The North Carolina Republican brought out a black employee of Mr. Trump, Lynne Patton, to refute Mr. Cohen’s claims that the president is racist.

Rep. Tlaib scoffed at Rep. Meadows’ stunt: “The fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman, in this chamber, in this committee, is, alone, racist.” Mr. Meadows erupted. He argued that having nieces who are “people of color” and his friendships with non-whites proved he was not prejudiced.

Rep. Tlaib backed down at the prompting of Rep. Elijah Cummings, and later hugged Mr. Meadows as a sign she did not think him a racist. Others would not forgive. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted: “Total bravery from @RashidaTlaib as she reminds the nation that tokenism *is* racism.” A Washington Post analysis concluded, “No, Mark Meadows. Having a black friend doesn’t mean you’re not racist.” The Post quoted a study that found that the vast majority of whites who had black friends still had “racist” views.

Rep. Mark Meadows directs questions to Michael Cohen during Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee. (Credit Image: © Jeff Malet/Newscom via ZUMA Press)

The New York Times, Rolling Stone, CNN, and New York Magazine, all blasted Rep. Meadows’ “racism.” The Rolling Stone’s conclusion was typical: Rep. Meadows’ comments showed that whites think “mere proximity to or relationships with black and brown folks had somehow, over time, immunized [them] from committing racism.”

Many whites do try to deflect charges of racism by pointing to non-white relatives. It rarely works. Trump campaign adviser Gina Loudon argued on CNN last August that she understood the problems of racism because she has an adopted a “minority” child. Liberal CNN commentator Angela Rye rolled her eyes and said Miss Loudon should be ashamed of using her child to dismiss accusations against the president.

The media called a Proud Boy arrested for assault, John Kinsman, a white supremacist even though his supporters claimed that his black wife and mixed-race children proved otherwise. “Perfect example of how white people can have Black wives, kids, and friends and be EXTREMELY racist,” countered journalist George Johnson in a tweet that earned over 25,000 retweets and 67,000 likes. If marrying a black woman and having mulatto children doesn’t shelter you from charges of white supremacy, nothing will.

Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes has a Ho-Chunk wife and children, but the Village Voice called this a “cliché” attempt to prove innocence. Mr. McInnes and his family now face harassment from their Brooklyn neighbors.

Internet provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos paraded his black lovers and even married a black man. The Anti-Defamation League still calls him a racist. Popular liberal writer Judd Legum agreed: “To all the people who are tweeting at me that Milo can’t be white nationalist because he has a black boyfriend: This is a very dumb argument.” It’s hard to imagine what would be a better argument.

Former Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp was fond of showing off his adopted black children to refute charges he might be a racist. Liberals would sometimes laugh at this and wonder if he “borrowed” the children for photos.

Many whites adopt non-white children, but to some extent, this is a supply-and-demand problem since 77 percent of parents who adopt are white but only 39 percent of adopted children are. Many lefties seem to think non-white orphans should stay that way. The National Association of Black Social Workers has complained since 1972 that transracial adoption is “cultural genocide.” Some African countries say that when whites adopt their children it is “imperialism.”

Non-whites love to complain about being adopted by whites. “Transracial adoptees live with the lifelong impact of cultural erasure, exploitation and tokenism, cultural and linguistic theft, and abandonment and familial trauma,” writes Lydia X. Z. Brown, a Chinese woman adopted by whites. Mariama Lockington, a black adoptee raised by white parents, wrote in Buzzfeed that her parents erased her identity through their “colorblindness.”

Whites are “racist” even if they welcome non-whites into their families. In the past, being “racist” meant you didn’t want to associate with non-whites at all. Now, not even marrying a black is a defense. Slowly, even the best-intentioned whites are learning that the “all whites are racist” rule can never be broken. Whites can never win.