A Cleveland news anchor named Kristi Capel is in hot water right now for describing Lady Gaga’s performance at the Oscars as “jigaboo.” For those of you who don’t know, “jigaboo” is a derogatory term used to describe African Americans. Capel claims that she wasn’t aware of the term’s racial meaning and has since apologized, but that hasn’t slowed the firestorm of angry tweets being sent her way.
Maybe Kristi Capel is racist, maybe she isn’t. The story of a local news anchor using a racially insensitive term to describe Lady Gaga’s Oscars performance interests me about as much as President Obama’s State of the Union speech interests Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (spoiler: she fell asleep). The really interesting story here is the political viewpoint that critics automatically attributed to Capel. One woman called Capel racist and asserted that she was taught to be racist by her Republican father. Another woman then responded by claiming that FOX (Capel works at FOX 8 in Cleveland) is filled with “conservative racist f***s.”
Setting aside the fact that social media is a hotbed for ignorant people to say hateful things about people they don’t even know, it is interesting that these critics equivocate being a racist with being a Republican or a conservative. In fact, I would venture to say that many Americans believe that Republicans are more likely to be racist than Democrats. After all, Republicans only care about rich, old, white people, right? Not exactly. Time for a history lesson that Al Sharpton won’t teach you.
While Republicans have done a terrible job lately of explaining why conservative policies are best able to solve problems currently plaguing the African-American community (high unemployment and lack of educational opportunities, to name a few), the GOP has a long tradition of being the party of civil rights and racial equality. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. Republicans passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution, officially ending slavery in the United States. It was the Republican Party that passed the first Civil Rights Act in 1957. A higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats voted for LBJ’s famous Civil Rights Act of 1964.
At this point in American political discourse, it should be obvious that racism is not limited to one party or ideology. Racism can come from a Republican or a Democrat. It can even come from someone serving in the US Congress (shocking, I know). Back when he was a Senator from Delaware, Joe Biden remarked that “you cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.” Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) was a recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan during his 20s and 30s. Harry Truman was also briefly a member of the KKK, and Woodrow Wilson was open about his racist beliefs.
For some reason, though, Americans seem to not remember or notice when a Democrat makes a racist comment. The remarks are just dismissed as a mistake. Conservatives never get the benefit of the doubt from the media, and I don’t expect that will change anytime soon. But shouldn’t liberals be held to the same standards of acceptable conduct and speech as conservatives? I don’t remember Martin Luther King saying “I have a dream that one day this nation will disavow racism as long as it comes from Republicans.”
Kristi Capel should face some form of disciplinary action for her comments, even if she truly didn’t know what the word meant. If she had used the N-word, she would rightfully be fired instantly even if she truly didn’t know what the word meant. But racism should be strongly condemned no matter who it comes from. How many people who are calling for Capel’s resignation will also demand that the Vice President resign due to his racially insensitive remarks? Cue the crickets.
John Kurtz is the President of Student PAC at NYU.
Maybe Kristi Capel is racist, maybe she isn’t. The story of a local news anchor using a racially insensitive term to describe Lady Gaga’s Oscars performance interests me about as much as President Obama’s State of the Union speech interests Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (spoiler: she fell asleep). The really interesting story here is the political viewpoint that critics automatically attributed to Capel. One woman called Capel racist and asserted that she was taught to be racist by her Republican father. Another woman then responded by claiming that FOX (Capel works at FOX 8 in Cleveland) is filled with “conservative racist f***s.”
Setting aside the fact that social media is a hotbed for ignorant people to say hateful things about people they don’t even know, it is interesting that these critics equivocate being a racist with being a Republican or a conservative. In fact, I would venture to say that many Americans believe that Republicans are more likely to be racist than Democrats. After all, Republicans only care about rich, old, white people, right? Not exactly. Time for a history lesson that Al Sharpton won’t teach you.
While Republicans have done a terrible job lately of explaining why conservative policies are best able to solve problems currently plaguing the African-American community (high unemployment and lack of educational opportunities, to name a few), the GOP has a long tradition of being the party of civil rights and racial equality. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. Republicans passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution, officially ending slavery in the United States. It was the Republican Party that passed the first Civil Rights Act in 1957. A higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats voted for LBJ’s famous Civil Rights Act of 1964.
At this point in American political discourse, it should be obvious that racism is not limited to one party or ideology. Racism can come from a Republican or a Democrat. It can even come from someone serving in the US Congress (shocking, I know). Back when he was a Senator from Delaware, Joe Biden remarked that “you cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.” Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) was a recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan during his 20s and 30s. Harry Truman was also briefly a member of the KKK, and Woodrow Wilson was open about his racist beliefs.
For some reason, though, Americans seem to not remember or notice when a Democrat makes a racist comment. The remarks are just dismissed as a mistake. Conservatives never get the benefit of the doubt from the media, and I don’t expect that will change anytime soon. But shouldn’t liberals be held to the same standards of acceptable conduct and speech as conservatives? I don’t remember Martin Luther King saying “I have a dream that one day this nation will disavow racism as long as it comes from Republicans.”
Kristi Capel should face some form of disciplinary action for her comments, even if she truly didn’t know what the word meant. If she had used the N-word, she would rightfully be fired instantly even if she truly didn’t know what the word meant. But racism should be strongly condemned no matter who it comes from. How many people who are calling for Capel’s resignation will also demand that the Vice President resign due to his racially insensitive remarks? Cue the crickets.
John Kurtz is the President of Student PAC at NYU.