Not Racist vs. Racist

(Note: This post is not about me)

Sgt. James Crowley
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/23/officer.gates.arrest/index.html?iref=newssearch

Arrested Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. after responding to a possible burglary at Gates's house. Gates wanted to see ID and was allegedly uncooperative finally being arrested for disorderly conduct. He then claims that Crowley and Cambridge PD are racists, arresting him just because he's black (ugh...it makes me sick, but that's for another time).

Not quite.

Crowley has taught a racial profiling class at the MA Police Academy for many years having been handpicked and commended by the police commissioner, himself a black man. His fellow black officers who know him stand by him and support him.

James Crowley: Not Racist

Officer Justin Barrett
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/30/gates.police.apology/index.html

Apparently a member of the National Guard who didn't like this article in the Boston Globe by columnist Yvonne Abraham. He decides a mass email to other members of the National Guard and the Boston Globe was the proper response and in it refers to Gates as a "banana eating jungle monkey" as well as calling Abraham's column "jungle monkey gibberish."

His attorney has stated that Barrett isn't at fault because his comments were taken out of context. Basically he said that he was just saying that Gates's behavior was like a jungle monkey, not that he actually was one.

Now, I'm a person who think that some people can take offense to supposed racial slurs too easily and often overreact. For the record I don't think this situation is one of those times, but more importantly I know that just because that's what I think doesn't mean it's okay to be throwing around slurs and name-calling constantly. You can't toss around terms like that willy-nilly and pretend like everything's okay.

But my favorite part was the Story Highlights section of the article on CNN.com:

• Police officer sends mass e-mail criticizing Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.
  
• Officer Justin Barrett uses phrase "jungle monkey" four times in e-mail
  
• Barrett issues apology, says his friends are diverse and he's not a racist
  
• Police commissioner suspends Barrett pending termination hearing

The 3rd bullet in particular is a gem. The classic "I'm not racist because I have black/Asian/Mexican/etc friends." That's right up there with the "I'm not racist because I'm black" statements in the inane and irrelevant hall of fame. Just because you know one black guy doesn't mean you can be calling another black person a jungle monkey (or saying his actions were like one of a jungle monkey, whatever). It's crazy what the logical thought process of some people must be like. I just don't get it.

EDIT: Ah yes, here's the magic quote. "I have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name. I am not a racist."
...Yeah.

And yes, part of the reason I posted this was because I think Barrett's picture on CNN kind of makes him look like a dbag.

Justin Barrett: Racist