# I like that the light is shining on the racists. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 17, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337 "2009-07-17T14:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/21 "2009-07-17T16:10:38Z")
> [@Pat Buchanan](#): > > This has been a country built basically by white folks. Actually, it was built by black slaves. White people just watched. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/22 "2009-07-17T16:11:49Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > Just out of curiousity, **Biggirl** , why do \*\*you \*\*think 108 of 110 SC justices have been white? Do you know nothing of US history? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/23 "2009-07-17T16:12:33Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Actually, it was built by black slaves. White people just watched. To be fair, sometimes they administered whuppins. (What? Someone had to do that.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/24 "2009-07-17T16:13:16Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Actually, it was built by black slaves. White people just watched. Hey! Don’t forget the Chinese people - they built all the railroads. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/25 "2009-07-17T16:13:35Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Actually, it was built by black slaves. White people just watched. Asians had a big hand in it too. As did Hispanics, only they were considered white back then. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/26 "2009-07-17T16:16:13Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Hey! Don’t forget the Chinese people - they built all the railroads. Only out west. The rest were built by the Irish. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/27 "2009-07-17T16:21:42Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Only out west. The rest were built by the Irish. There were a bunch in Atlanta as well. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/28 "2009-07-17T16:21:57Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > [I like that Rachel doesn’t yell and lets Buchanan hang himself with his own words.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/17/rachel-maddow-takes-on-pa_n_237146.html) > > Rise white men! Rise up from under the oppressive thumb of Hispanic judges and Olympic track and field athletes! Take back the country you built with the sweat of other people’s brows! Remember when this country was white and good! Huh? How did Buchanan hang himself? The answer to the question about the number of SC justices is that this had been a predominantly white nation, with the next largest ethnic group (blacks) either in slavery or held down due to racist policies. Given that, it should be no surprise that virtually all SC justices have been. In more recent years, we’ve had two blacks and two women appointed. As time moves on and one would expect the mix to more closely align with the population at large, but during the past, it should be zero surprising that virtually all justices were white men. And Buchanan isn’t arguing against having a Latina on the court, just this particular one. He doesn’t think she is stellar thinker, based on her (apparent) lack of articles, opinions and books in that vein. It’s as if you think that any objection to having a Sotomayor confirmed MUST be racially motivated. Then how do you explain his strident support of Miguel Estrada? His immediate objection to Harriet Meiers…does that mean that he’s just biased against women. Oh wait, he selected Ezola Foster, a black woman, to be his running mate. And if Maddow thinks diversity on the court is such a grand thing, can I assume that she and people who are so upset at what Pat Buchanan said were fervent supporters of Miguel Estrada and Harriet Meiers? This rush to see racism whenever diversity or affirmative action aren’t blindly embraced is asinine and shows how the real shallow thinkers are. [QUOTE=Biggirl] Because until very recently, the thought of not picking a white person never entered the head of those who pick supreme court judges. A black person (or a woman) was literally (and I don’t mean literally as figuratively) inconceivable. Because of bigotry. [/QUOTE] Exactly. Do you think that Buchanan doesn’t hold that same view. I bet he does. The question is, given your answer, how should that affect SC nominations from here on out? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/29 "2009-07-17T16:22:37Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Only out west. The rest were built by the Irish. As an aside, it never, ever fails to baffle me, the extent of the racism that once was against the IRISH. I mean, what the fuck? At least we had slanty eyes or brown skin and looked different from everyone else. To us, the Irish are as white as they come, pretty much. So what was the source of all this racism? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/30 "2009-07-17T16:27:56Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > As an aside, it never, ever fails to baffle me, the extent of the racism that once was against the IRISH. I mean, what the fuck? At least we had slanty eyes or brown skin and looked different from everyone else. To us, the Irish are as white as they come, pretty much. So what was the source of all this racism? Because, uh…um, some of them were black Irish? And we can’t have that. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/31 "2009-07-17T16:28:14Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Huh? You, my friend, are a racist piece of shit who I will give the same consideration you give minorities. I will not answer any of your questions unless it is to call you names and make broad generalizations about your attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/32 "2009-07-17T16:30:04Z")
> [@Enfant Terrible](#): > > May I ask you the same question, **Sinaijon**? No snark intended at all. It seems to me be a fairly obvious answer but I’d like to see what you think. I’d be happy to share my view as well. Sure. White people have dominated the power structure of the US since it’s inception, and that includes the Supreme Court. That domination was a result of a combination of being the majority (close to 90%, like Biggirl cited), and discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/33 "2009-07-17T16:35:48Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Huh? How did Buchanan hang himself? The answer to the question about the number of SC justices is that this had been a predominantly white nation, with the next largest ethnic group (blacks) either in slavery or held down due to racist policies. Given that, it should be no surprise that virtually all SC justices have been. In more recent years, we’ve had two blacks and two women appointed. As time moves on and one would expect the mix to more closely align with the population at large, but during the past, it should be zero surprising that virtually all justices were white men. He’s “forgetting” that black people played a huge part in creating this nation. Yeah, white people got to write the Constitution and do a lot of great things. Obviously, when we had slavery and women couldn’t even vote, we wouldn’t have had any non white male S.C. Justices. But Buchanan is making it sound as though this is a country for and about white males. As if everyone else is just incidental. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/34 "2009-07-17T16:40:25Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > So what was the source of all this racism? The Irish had a couple of strikes against them. First, they were Catholic. Second, they were Irish, and there were centuries of prejudice against them behind the English and Scots-Irish who made up most of the power structure. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/35 "2009-07-17T16:40:42Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > You, my friend, are a racist piece of shit who I will give the same consideration you give minorities. I will not answer any of your questions unless it is to call you names and make broad generalizations about your attitude. :rolleyes: Thank you, Lord. Thank you for delivering us **Biggirl** and demonstrating just how weak a mind it takes to offer up a knee-jerk, ill-conceived OP like the one that began this thread. And thank you for confirming that weakness by having her reply to my analysis in the manner that she has, proving just how pathetic that weakness is. And I commend you, Lord on having a sense of humor, in that you made the weakness of her mind so profound that she doesn’t see that her response to my analysis proves and advertises the very shallowness of thinking I pointed out earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/36 "2009-07-17T16:47:15Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > The Irish had a couple of strikes against them. First, they were Catholic. Second, they were Irish, and there were centuries of prejudice against them behind the English and Scots-Irish who made up most of the power structure. Oh, right, the Catholic thing. I did know that. It just seems so bizarre to the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/37 "2009-07-17T16:52:25Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > He’s “forgetting” that black people played a huge part in creating this nation. Yeah, white people got to write the Constitution and do a lot of great things. Obviously, when we had slavery and women couldn’t even vote, we wouldn’t have had any non white male S.C. Justices. But Buchanan is making it sound as though this is a country for and about white males. As if everyone else is just incidental. How do you know he’s forgetting that? Seriously. The question was about the Supreme Court. He ran through a litany of things that would similarly be unsurprising in a predominantly white nation in which the next largest ethnic group was subjugated in slavery and further discriminated against in overt ways. If the flap is that he overlooked the relatively few blacks that **E-Sabbath** correctly points out, that seems to me like nitpicking in this context. He was obviously making a much larger point. As far as the end of your post, I take it that he was pointing out that for a long time this country had, in fact, been a country for and about white males. I don’t see him saying or implying that that was a good thing. He even points out that the 10% of blacks that were here were discriminated against. This was a deeply racist country for many, many years. Blacks had no shot to achieve anything of means, never mind the highest bench in the land. I would think that _everyone_ would agree with that. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/38 "2009-07-17T16:53:31Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > There are like, nine hundred threads about racism going on right now…there comes a point when it’s just overkill. Nobody likes racism. Pitting it is pointless; it’s like pitting an earthquake. Why you so racist, Earthquake? ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/39 "2009-07-17T16:55:00Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > The Irish had a couple of strikes against them. First, they were Catholic. Second, they were Irish, and there were centuries of prejudice against them behind the English and Scots-Irish who made up most of the power structure. And they were _poor_. Really, really poor. They were also entering the United States in great waves, year after year. Sure they weren’t “colored”, but they weren’t moneyed, either. They were willing to do the shittiest work for the shittiest pay because they had no money, and thus, were no better than the “colored.” Also, don’t forget it wasn’t just the Irish! There was a serious debate in the country over whether or not Italians were colored (the answer was “yes” for a good many years), and people didn’t really like the Eastern Europeans too much, either. Especially the Jewish ones. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337/40 "2009-07-17T17:03:29Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > :rolleyes: > Thank you, Lord. The Lord doesn’t take kindly to your type, **mags**. He dislikes racists. And since He’s to polite to tell you himself: Fuck you and the White Supremacist dildo you rode in on. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, search out our friendly neighborhood racists posts in The Pit. I don’t have the stomach for it right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-that-the-light-is-shining-on-the-racists/503337.md?page=3)