Things Declared “Racist” in 2017

From the National Post in Canada, a list of things that somebody declared to be “racist.”

We will simply list them, and you can click through (if you wish) to see the details.

• Hoop earrings
• Casting a black woman as a Star Trek lead
• Quoting Beyoncé lyrics
• Dr. Seuss
• Having sex with immigrants
• Making fun of Southerners
• Justin Trudeau
• Steve Martin’s King Tut sketch
• Dunkirk
• Shooting Nazis in video games
• Get Out!
• This Dove ad
• A German anti-litter campaign
• Wearing latex gloves
• The word “clan”
• Taco Bell not serving fries

The whole notion of “racism” may be the best illustration of Marx’s dictum that history repeats itself “first as tragedy, then as farce.” First you get the tragedy of real racism. Then you get the tragedy of liberals polluting discourse by labeling a whole range of legitimate political opinions as “racist.” Oppose affirmative action, and you are a “racist.” Believe the U.S. should control its southern border, and you are “racist.” Deny that cops are wantonly shooting down a huge number of innocent blacks and you are “racist.” Vote for Donald Trump and you are “racist.”

And then, of course, you get the farcical situations above.

But since convincing the yahoos to restrain themselves and use the word only for genuine racism is a hopeless task, perhaps it is good that it be devalued and recognized for the useless slur that it has become.