Ralph Northam yearbook page shows men in blackface and KKK robe

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I dont think he needs to resign. It was a different time 35 years ago and I believe people can evolve and change in the meantime.



He just learned it was wrong! Do you think he can evolve enough in 3 days? He had 35 yrs to figure this stuff out.

Do you believe he was a racist until 3 days ago then?

[Anonymous]

He needs to go.

[Anonymous]

Is there a test for racism? Who is the judge of racism? Should doctors, police, and teachers take some sort of a test to see if they are racist? I think we go down a huge rabbit hole when we start judging people, especially based on what they did 35 years ago.

Northam has done a lot of good in his life as evidenced by his military service, career as a doctor, and in political life so far. Judging him based on a picture from long ago seems a bit too far to me. I live in Virginia and I don't want this decision to be made in haste. Al Franken should not have been forced out either.

I really don't like all this calling people "racists." No question--blackface is a racist action, though. I didn't like on the talk shows today how so many were calling him an out and out racist--except for the fact that Northam, himself, tweeted during his campaign that Gillespie is a racist--which I do not believe to be true.

I guess I don't like calling children "bad." I taught school and would tell kids when they did something bad--but I never called a child "bad." I apply the same thing here.

And, yes, I do know that some people are racist--but this is being used far too often and takes away from the accusation when it is used so readily.

And, frankly, i do not believe that Trump is a racist--I believe that he is an Equal Opportunity Offender.

[Anonymous]

People are being unfair. Governor Northam admitted that he used a photo of himself in blackface on his yearbook page and he apologized for it. Then he remembered that, actually, it wasn't him in that photo because he had appeared in blackface another time (not the one in the photo) and he wanted to clear that up. And he only went by the nickname Coonman because when his "voice broke" he sounded like a goose, so he was called Goose. Why are people being so critical?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I dont think he needs to resign. It was a different time 35 years ago and I believe people can evolve and change in the meantime.



He just learned it was wrong! Do you think he can evolve enough in 3 days? He had 35 yrs to figure this stuff out.

Do you believe he was a racist until 3 days ago then?

I think he probably still is racist, as evidenced by his refusal to step down. He truly thinks this is not a big deal. He only apologized because he was caught.

Here is a video of him refusing to shake the hand of E.W. Jackson, who was a candidate for lt governor at the time, and happens to be African American.
https://www.wnd.com/2019/02/coonman-northam-refused-to-shake-hands-with-black-man/

Plus, his nickname was COONMAN! WTH.

I can't believe we have to have this conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This should now be a time of reflection, healing, and moving on.

The governor apologized for the picture, as he should have.

Fellow Democrats need to lay off of Northam. It does no good to pile on one of our own at such an important time.

We need to come together and heal. This is a prime example of a teachable moment.

Finally, we need to move on. Governor Northam has so much to offer in terms of gun control, secure abortions and other items important to us. His slip up should not be made into such a spectacle that the party is humiliated. We need to move on and govern!

Unless Trump and Kavanaugh resign there is no need for Northam to resign.

Conservatives get away with so much sexist and racist crap simply because they fight and fight and refuse to resign. Northam is not the same man now, and needs to beat the GOP at their own game.

Guess he’s got to beat his own party at its own game since so very many Demicrats want him to resign. If he was actually one of the people in the pictures, why would you recommend not resigning? What moral authority would he have to govern?

Because it was THIRTY FIVE TEARS AGO, decades before he was governor.

Why do people need to have a “moral authority” to govern?!
That rubs me the wrong way.
I reject the idea that we must only have elected officials who have lived pure and moral lives.
I accept the idea of redemption and grace and believe very strongly in “change.”
For those of you who don’t, I think you should examine what you’re willing to scarifice in order to have a “pure” governor or president.
Because I know very few who have gotten to adulthood without lapses in judgment or immoral decisions.

I tend to agree with you. I believe in redemption and that we shouldn't be punishing people for acts from 35 years ago.
However, the way he has handled this scandal is horrible. He has shown horrible judgment and his words have rung pretty hollow.
His comm team needs to find a different line of work, IMO.

This. He has acted like a total idiot since the photo was published. First, he releases a video that says so sorry, I’m in the photo, but won’t say which one. Then next day second, he says, oh never mind, I’m not in the photo, I didn’t have time to examine the photo yesterday before I made the video (because I guess he doesn’t have the internet like the rest of the world) so I take back what I said, it wasn’t me, the yearbook made a mistake. Then third, he has a goofy and weird press conference where he says again he isn’t in the photo but he did put black shoe polish on his face in the same year (1984) and entered a Michael Jackson dance contest, he confirms he won that contest, and confirms he can do the moonwalk, and fourth, at that press conference he starts laughing and almost tries to do the moonwalk before his wife (because in political scandals the wife always has to be standing there) stops him and says it’s not an appropriate time to do the mom walk. FFS what is going on?

Look, he might be a fine pediatrician, and he may be a swell guy, but sweet baby Jesus this guy is a nightmare. Even if he wasn’t in the picture, he wasn’t sure at first, meaning, well maybe I was in blackface or in a KKK robe. And he rushed to release that video. Then he flipped a switch and thinks it’s a o-k to change positions, that everyone makes mistakes, like lying or just saying whatever in a video to make people happy or make a scandal go away. He has zero credibility, he has zero tact, the party has zero faith in him now, he looks like he has zero intelligence, and that isn’t even touching the horrible racist aspect. It wasn’t one photo that is the problem anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Is there a test for racism? Who is the judge of racism? Should doctors, police, and teachers take some sort of a test to see if they are racist? I think we go down a huge rabbit hole when we start judging people, especially based on what they did 35 years ago.

Northam has done a lot of good in his life as evidenced by his military service, career as a doctor, and in political life so far. Judging him based on a picture from long ago seems a bit too far to me. I live in Virginia and I don't want this decision to be made in haste. Al Franken should not have been forced out either.

I really don't like all this calling people "racists." No question--blackface is a racist action, though. I didn't like on the talk shows today how so many were calling him an out and out racist--except for the fact that Northam, himself, tweeted during his campaign that Gillespie is a racist--which I do not believe to be true.

I guess I don't like calling children "bad." I taught school and would tell kids when they did something bad--but I never called a child "bad." I apply the same thing here.

And, yes, I do know that some people are racist--but this is being used far too often and takes away from the accusation when it is used so readily.

And, frankly, i do not believe that Trump is a racist--I believe that he is an Equal Opportunity Offender.

Just in case you missed it, Trump refused to let his properties be rented to African Americans. He is on record as saying that African Americans are lazy. He is not an equal opportunity offender, but he is an ass to many people. That doesn't make him less racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Is there a test for racism? Who is the judge of racism? Should doctors, police, and teachers take some sort of a test to see if they are racist? I think we go down a huge rabbit hole when we start judging people, especially based on what they did 35 years ago.

Northam has done a lot of good in his life as evidenced by his military service, career as a doctor, and in political life so far. Judging him based on a picture from long ago seems a bit too far to me. I live in Virginia and I don't want this decision to be made in haste. Al Franken should not have been forced out either.

I really don't like all this calling people "racists." No question--blackface is a racist action, though. I didn't like on the talk shows today how so many were calling him an out and out racist--except for the fact that Northam, himself, tweeted during his campaign that Gillespie is a racist--which I do not believe to be true.

I guess I don't like calling children "bad." I taught school and would tell kids when they did something bad--but I never called a child "bad." I apply the same thing here.

And, yes, I do know that some people are racist--but this is being used far too often and takes away from the accusation when it is used so readily.

And, frankly, i do not believe that Trump is a racist--I believe that he is an Equal Opportunity Offender.

I agree with you about not calling children bad, but I urge you to think more about this.

When people murder other people, they are murderers. We have a problem in our language now where the move to word things more sensitively lets the perpetrator off the hook. We say "so and so was raped" and put the emphasis on the victim. We don't call the person who raped out as being a rapist.

It is the same for saying "racially charged" - we say that to minimize it and it doesn't put responsibility where it should be. We say "XYZ has made a racially charged statement."

Language has power, and as a former teacher you already know it. That is exactly why you didn't call kids bad. But when someone makes "racially charged statements" they are, in fact being racist.

Language is power.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like Northam wasn’t alone in his racial views at medical school:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6663311/Multiple-men-dressed-blackface-Gov-Ralph-Northams-yearbook.html

Is this an accredited medical school?

Yes..EVMS in Norfolk. Eastern and southeastern VA were racist places back then, and some parts even now. I'm from there and lived there in the 80s.

Yes, and that's what people fail to understand. Once you leave NOVA, the rest of VA has always been less diverse and less liberal and a lot more racist. As a life long Virginian, It didn't shock me that he participated in such a photo and I absolutely believe it is him in the photo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is there a test for racism? Who is the judge of racism? Should doctors, police, and teachers take some sort of a test to see if they are racist? I think we go down a huge rabbit hole when we start judging people, especially based on what they did 35 years ago.

Northam has done a lot of good in his life as evidenced by his military service, career as a doctor, and in political life so far. Judging him based on a picture from long ago seems a bit too far to me. I live in Virginia and I don't want this decision to be made in haste. Al Franken should not have been forced out either.

I really don't like all this calling people "racists." No question--blackface is a racist action, though. I didn't like on the talk shows today how so many were calling him an out and out racist--except for the fact that Northam, himself, tweeted during his campaign that Gillespie is a racist--which I do not believe to be true.

I guess I don't like calling children "bad." I taught school and would tell kids when they did something bad--but I never called a child "bad." I apply the same thing here.

And, yes, I do know that some people are racist--but this is being used far too often and takes away from the accusation when it is used so readily.

And, frankly, i do not believe that Trump is a racist--I believe that he is an Equal Opportunity Offender.

Just in case you missed it, Trump refused to let his properties be rented to African Americans. He is on record as saying that African Americans are lazy. He is not an equal opportunity offender, but he is an ass to many people. That doesn't make him less racist.

You should read up on the claims you are making. He was accused of not renting.... but there was never any trial and there is no hard evidence that this is the case.
https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/02/trump-fbi-files-discrimination-case-235067

Your second claim is rumor. Just like most of the rumors passed around by the left-wing media.

[Anonymous]

If Northam resigns, his political career is finished.

Who would want to see him as a doctor??

Northam better learn how to code

[Anonymous]

Well, if he did not know why he was called "coonman," it surely shows a supreme lack of intellectual curiosity not to ask why.......he said only a couple of upperclassmen used it--and, yet, it made it into his senior yearbook at VMI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Northam resigns, his political career is finished.

Who would want to see him as a doctor??

Northam better learn how to code

LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is there a test for racism? Who is the judge of racism? Should doctors, police, and teachers take some sort of a test to see if they are racist? I think we go down a huge rabbit hole when we start judging people, especially based on what they did 35 years ago.

Northam has done a lot of good in his life as evidenced by his military service, career as a doctor, and in political life so far. Judging him based on a picture from long ago seems a bit too far to me. I live in Virginia and I don't want this decision to be made in haste. Al Franken should not have been forced out either.

I really don't like all this calling people "racists." No question--blackface is a racist action, though. I didn't like on the talk shows today how so many were calling him an out and out racist--except for the fact that Northam, himself, tweeted during his campaign that Gillespie is a racist--which I do not believe to be true.

I guess I don't like calling children "bad." I taught school and would tell kids when they did something bad--but I never called a child "bad." I apply the same thing here.

And, yes, I do know that some people are racist--but this is being used far too often and takes away from the accusation when it is used so readily.

And, frankly, i do not believe that Trump is a racist--I believe that he is an Equal Opportunity Offender.

Just in case you missed it, Trump refused to let his properties be rented to African Americans. He is on record as saying that African Americans are lazy. He is not an equal opportunity offender, but he is an ass to many people. That doesn't make him less racist.

You should read up on the claims you are making. He was accused of not renting.... but there was never any trial and there is no hard evidence that this is the case.
https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/02/trump-fbi-files-discrimination-case-235067

Your second claim is rumor. Just like most of the rumors passed around by the left-wing media.

you are crazy. The FBI released 400 pages and trump countersued for 100 milliion. That they settled doesn't mean there was no hard evidence.

https://www.newsweek.com/fair-housing-acts-50th-anniversary-look-back-investigation-trump-familys-879437

And as an example of what happens when people who are racist are put in charge of important things:

https://observer.com/2018/05/new-york-to-sue-trump-for-defying-anti-discrimination-housing-rule/

If you think he isn't racist then you just have your head in the sand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People are being unfair. Governor Northam admitted that he used a photo of himself in blackface on his yearbook page and he apologized for it. Then he remembered that, actually, it wasn't him in that photo because he had appeared in blackface another time (not the one in the photo) and he wanted to clear that up. And he only went by the nickname Coonman because when his "voice broke" he sounded like a goose, so he was called Goose. Why are people being so critical?