Jonah Goldberg On The Diluted Charge Of Racism In America
The charge of racism is something Americans take very seriously. It’s one of the worst things you can be called by another person and there’s a reason for that… most Americans abhor racism.
Conservative author and political analyst Jonah Goldberg has an informative piece in the LA Times today where he points out the diluted effect of the term “that’s racist” in today’s America.
The charge, so overused by the left in politics and pop culture, has become little more than a punchline…
“That’s racist.”
It’s a comedic catchphrase these days, popularized by an online clip from a 2005 TV show “Wonder Showzen” on MTV2. It’s not as iconic as Gary Coleman’s “What ‘chu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” or Fonzie’s “Ayyyyyy” or even Bart Simpson’s “Don’t have a cow, man.” But what it lacks in pedigree, it makes up for in ubiquity and social relevance.
Across the country, it’s a staple of schoolyards, Internet discussion groups, Twitter and sitcoms.
For instance, when a character on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” explains to a co-worker how to do laundry, he says, “OK, so you always separate your lights from your darks.”
She responds, “That’s racist.”
Perhaps the greatest sign that the punch line has gone mainstream came last week when NPR’s “All Things Considered” reported on “that’s racist.” Correspondent Neda Ulaby explored how a phrase once considered one of the most serious accusations possible has become a gag line. The only problem? It’s not clear she actually gets the joke.
UPDATE I: On a related note, William Jacobson of Legal Insurrection reports that desperate liberals at the Daily Beast are already trotting out the old all-Republicans-are-white-supremacists-card. Pathetic.
UPDATE II: Ace notes another Jonah Goldberg column on that whole “Obama is like Reagan” thing.
