# Charlton Heston: Racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2006, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110 "2006-11-12T15:35:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/21 "2006-11-12T23:29:19Z")
[QUOTE=Duke of Rat] He had an interracial relationship with Rosalind Cash in \* The Omega Man\*, a 1971 film. Sure, that was just acting, but I doubt a dyed in the wool racist would have kissed a black women on screen in 1971. [/QUOTE] Exactly, like how Mark Fuhrman proved he wasn’t a racist because he’d slept with black women. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/22 "2006-11-13T00:17:10Z")
The bar for “He’s a racist!” has been set so low that pretty much anybody qualifies. Unless he’s an apologist for lynching or slavery, this line of inquiry is misguided. ---
**Author:** ![RhapsodyInBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RhapsodyInBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RhapsodyInBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/23 "2006-11-13T01:23:38Z")
Personally, I don’t think he is/was a racist. In fact, he seems to have rather liberal and progessive views on race for someone of his generation. In 1963 it _meant_ something when someone like Charlton Heston lent his name and prestige to a cause. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/24 "2006-11-13T02:49:27Z")
[QUOTE=Revtim] Fair enough. But is saying that it does cause violence (gun or otherwise), racist? Or just wrong? I still don’t see how what he said is racist. Perhaps wrong, but not racist. [/QUOTE] Well its certainly wrong. The US isn’t the only country in the world with a diverse ethnic / racial mix, but it has a much worse problem with gun violence than any other country in the developed world. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/25 "2006-11-13T04:51:18Z")
Charlton Heston was out doing the civil rights thing before it became a popular, trendy Hollywood cause. It’s clear that he’s a big advocate of it. So unless he’s changed, which seems unlikely (how many people go from non-racist to racist?) He was trying to say that homogenous cultures tend to have less violence than heterogeneous cultures - is that factually true? I don’t find it hard to believe - but he didn’t state it well. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/26 "2006-11-13T05:07:59Z")
Using Bowling for Columbine for anything other than entertainment is the first mistake. A google search revealed this which seems to tear into Moore’s treatment of heston. [http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth\_About\_Bowling.html](http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html) ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/27 "2006-11-13T08:51:03Z")
Just an FYI. I had the pleasure of working (briefly) with Charlton Heston. I disagree with 99.9% of his political views, but the man was gracious, very intelligent, and for a “Hollywood star”, he did not have the usual ego that went along with it. He was also great to his fans back stage. He signed every poster and piece of paper and didn’t leave until every fan got their autograph. He also exited from the public eye in a very sad, but dignified and timely manner. As I said, I disagree with almost all of his political views, but I would find it hard to believe he was a racist. He simply had too much class. He knew I was Gay and though he certainly was not a Gay rights advocate by any stretch of the imagination, he asked to meet my partner and was once again gracious in every respect. There are many celebrities, both liberal and conservative, who could learn a lot from Mr. Heston, and I will never speak a bad word about him. ---
**Author:** ![gredbioz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6a8cbe/32.png) [@gredbioz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gredbioz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/28 "2006-11-13T10:41:23Z")
[QUOTE=Lochdale] Using Bowling for Columbine for anything other than entertainment is the first mistake. A google search revealed this which seems to tear into Moore’s treatment of heston. [http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth\_About\_Bowling.html](http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html) [/QUOTE] Using that Hardylaw link for anything other than demagoguery is a mistake. About all that it reveals is that right wingers don’t like Michael Moore, which is not particularly revelatory. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/29 "2006-11-13T11:02:19Z")
[QUOTE=RikWriter] Charlton Heston is not a racist. People who would label him so have a political axe to grind and have, IMHO, no credibility whatsoever. [/QUOTE] Oi. Especially people who show up at his home, execute a Mike Wallace-esque ambush interview, and then edit together various parts of different speeches in a fashion that takes comment out of context (or worse, intentionally puts them in a deceptive context) and then sells this as a “documentary”. I think Heston’s “not a racist” credentials stand on their own, as already (if briefly) elucidated by others. He was one of the first white celebrities to add his stature to the Civil Rights movement. [QUOTE=Larry Borgia] He held pretty strong anti-ape views. [/QUOTE] That’s _speciest_, not racist. Besides, would you want some damned, dirty ape putting his paws on you? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/30 "2006-11-13T15:50:21Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] . That’s _speciest_, not racist. Besides, would you want some damned, dirty ape putting his paws on you? Stranger [/QUOTE] But… but he Kissed Zira at the end of Planet of the Apes… I know he’s an actor but he wouldn’t do that if he was a speciest! ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/31 "2006-11-13T17:43:33Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] Exactly, like how Mark Fuhrman proved he wasn’t a racist because he’d slept with black women. [/QUOTE] Precisely the same thing, since Fuhrman did it on a public stage in front of millions of people and his entire career could have been affected based on how his fan base viewed his actions. You got me. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/32 "2006-11-13T17:56:23Z")
I don’t believe he’s a racist, simply someone who has some outdated ideas. He’s simply a product perhaps, of his generation. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/33 "2006-11-13T18:34:43Z")
[QUOTE=gredbioz] Using that Hardylaw link for anything other than demagoguery is a mistake. About all that it reveals is that right wingers don’t like Michael Moore, which is not particularly revelatory. [/QUOTE] It’s not a bad website insofar as it does point out some glaring errors in Moore’s film. More importantly, it does highlight Moore’s use of clever editing to discredit Heston. Lastly, showing up at his house under false pretenses and then leaving the picture of the child was classless. Maybe Heston is a racist but I wouldn’t take Moore’s word for it. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/34 "2006-11-13T18:47:44Z")
[QUOTE=gredbioz] Using that Hardylaw link for anything other than demagoguery is a mistake. About all that it reveals is that right wingers don’t like Michael Moore, which is not particularly revelatory. [/QUOTE] Uh, what? I only skimmed through it, but it seemed to do stuff like quote the original source of deceptive quote rearrangements and such. Moore’s “documentary” is deliberately false and misleading - it points out when this is the case. Why should it be treated with skepticism when it’s just trying to tell the truth about something else that’s a deliberate lie? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/35 "2006-11-13T19:35:39Z")
Anyone who uses _Bowling for Columbine_ as a cite has immediately torpedoed their case. Michael Moore is simply biased, and makes no bones about it. But he cuts and quotes like the master he is. ---
**Author:** ![leisha2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@leisha2010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leisha2010)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/36 "2015-09-19T21:29:42Z")
…during that Bowling for Columbine interview with Mike Moore he was definitely being racially prejudice. And that is just as bad as being a racist. And he also appeared to be in his right mind too.\*\*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/37 "2015-09-19T21:54:51Z")
> [@leisha2010](#): > > …during that Bowling for Columbine interview with Mike Moore he was definitely being racially prejudice. And that is just as bad as being a racist. And he also appeared to be in his right mind too.\*\*\*\* He’s been dead for seven years, and this thread has been dead for nine years. I’d say game over. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/38 "2015-09-19T22:32:04Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > If what you say about him is true, then that makes what he said in “Bowling For Columbine” all the more confusing. Did you happen to see that movie? In it, he blamed racial/ethnic diversity for the high incidence of violence in America. Maybe it was just the Alzheimer’s talking? I don’t think blaming racial/ethnic diversity for the high incidence of violence would make him racist. Unless he was blaming it all on one particular ethnic/racial group which I don’t remember him doing in the movie. There’s some evidence to suggest that people living in areas with a lot of diversity tend to trust their fellow human beings less, including members of their own group, are less likely to vote, volunteer, give to charities, or otherwise engage meaningfully with their communities. Though I could certainly see someone pointing to diversity as the cause when he really means brown people or Pokemon fan ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110/39 "2015-09-20T06:12:00Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t think blaming racial/ethnic diversity for the high incidence of violence would make him racist. Unless he was blaming it all on one particular ethnic/racial group which I don’t remember him doing in the movie. There’s some evidence to suggest that people living in areas with a lot of diversity tend to trust their fellow human beings less, including members of their own group, are less likely to vote, volunteer, give to charities, or otherwise engage meaningfully with their communities. > > Though I could certainly see someone pointing to diversity as the cause when he really means brown people or Pokemon fan There’s a difference between noting the correlation and creating a causal effect. The cause in that situation would be people’s inherent racism, not diversity. It’s not a matter of code words. It’s a matter of the implication that we could fix the problem by getting rid of diversity, when the solution is actually to get rid of the prejudice. It’s a racist statement, whether Heston himself is racist or not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlton-heston-racist/380110.md?page=1)