# Is Shaun King (Daily Kos writer & Black Lives Matter activist) really white? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 19, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271 "2015-08-19T16:39:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/221 "2015-08-21T04:10:12Z")
I’ve been seriously questioning the intelligence and/or agenda of quite a few people of this board lately. This thread is not helping. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/222 "2015-08-21T04:11:46Z")
I can’t imagine that’s a new thing, no matter what your beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/223 "2015-08-21T04:19:01Z")
Sounds to me like he’s made it all up, but again, if he identifies as black, whatever floats his boat. It does not discredit BLM, nor Shaun King himself. And these stories do seem to interest white journalists a lot more than they interest people in the NAACP or BLM. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/224 "2015-08-21T04:22:28Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It was relevant in that he was attacked as a white dude. That is, _because_ he was white. According to the family member. Who’s names you don’t even know and who’s relationship to King you’re not even certain of. You don’t even know how the gender of the person or even how close they were. For all you know this was a cousin who occasionally saw him Christmas, Thanksgiving and nowhere else. You don’t even know how much they knew of the assault. You don’t even know if they didn’t even hear of it until weeks if not months afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/225 "2015-08-21T04:27:58Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Who’s names you don’t even know and who’s relationship to King you’re not even certain of. You’re moving goalposts. You were criticizing me for mentioning Lemon’s statement because you thought I agreed that it was not a “racist” attack. I pointed out to you why I mentioned that statement - and it was not for the reason that you thought. Instead of apologizing for jumping to conclusions you decide to move the goalposts. Whether you believe that family member or not, or believe Lemon that he spoke to that family member is your problem. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/226 "2015-08-21T04:33:06Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Who’s names you don’t even know and who’s relationship to King you’re not even certain of. > > You don’t even know how the gender of the person or even how close they were. For all you know this was a cousin who occasionally saw him Christmas, Thanksgiving and nowhere else. > > You don’t even know how much they knew of the assault. > > You don’t even know if they didn’t even hear of it until weeks if not months afterwards. Why do you believe Shaun? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/227 "2015-08-21T05:02:54Z")
**ENOUGH!** There will be no more accusations of (or references to) the stupidity of any statement by a poster in this thread. The tone of this thread needs to settle down immensely. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/228 "2015-08-21T05:08:57Z")
> [@Construct](#): > > This is a common lie propagated by those who want to encourage race-mixing. [The fact is](http://www.unz.com/gnxp/american-racial-boundaries-are-quite-distinct-for-now/) that self-identified White Americans are 98.6% of European descent. Proportions are very likely higher for White people living in Europe. Evidence for miscegenation among non-African American and Hispanic populations is largely non-existent either way, but it is plausible to assume that the vast majority of people are not of mixed ancestry. So…you’re saying that 98.6% of one thing and 1.4% of another thing is not a mix? Your understanding of math is different than mine. In mine, only 100% (and 99.99999…%) is 100%. All other numbers **aren’t** 100%. Thanks for providing my cite though. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/229 "2015-08-21T05:25:59Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It was relevant in that he was attacked as a white dude. That is, _because_ he was white. According to the family member. Er… if he was attacked by white people who didn’t like him dating a white girl then wouldn’t that have made him the victim of a hate crime contrary to your post? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/230 "2015-08-21T05:29:27Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Er… if he was attacked by white people who didn’t like him dating a white girl then wouldn’t that have made him the victim of a hate crime contrary to your post? Again, if you didn’t understand it the first time - it is not “my post”. It is the reporting by Lemon of CNN. Take it up with him. The relevance of it for me is not the “hate crime” part but him being attacked as a white dude part. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/231 "2015-08-21T05:37:35Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > As the person making the claim, you need to provide the cite. I agree completely. By the by, does Shaun King’s birth certificate say he’s white? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/232 "2015-08-21T05:45:08Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Again, if you didn’t understand it the first time - it is not “my post”. It is the reporting by Lemon of CNN. Take it up with him. The relevance of it for me is not the “hate crime” part but him being attacked as a white dude part. So then you’re conceding that he was the victim of a vicious hate crime and it’s just up to us to determine how much, if any, we want to give to a “family member” who refused to identify himself or herself and who’s actual knowledge of the event or of Shaun King we have no way of knowing. You have no idea if this “family member” was a sibling who grew up in the same bedroom and saw him every day or is actually a cousin or Uncle who barely knew him and might have wanted to protect the reputation of King’s mother. Once again, thank you for your concessions. That was extremely big of you. Now, since Lemon, who’s judgement and reporting you place so much trust in seems to have decided he believes King’s claims that his mother confessed to him that his mother admitted to him that his actual biological father was a light-skinned black man she had an affair with then shouldn’t we as well? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/233 "2015-08-21T05:46:14Z")
> [@andros](#): > > I agree completely. > > By the by, does Shaun King’s birth certificate say he’s white? And what about his parents, **D’Anconia**? Does it list their race as “white”? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/234 "2015-08-21T05:57:46Z")
> [@Gent](#): > > You’ve gotta do some better research If you wish to remain the authority on facts. > > Breitbart’s report on the scholarship Mr. King received came from King’s own words. He thanked Oprah for the scholarship to Morehouse, for which a bevy of minorities were given. If there’s an indiscrepancy, it just serves as more proof of Mr. King’s deceptive ways. Modern conservatives have always had difficulty with the concept of _manners_: it’s what the PC stuff is about after all. Most scholarship recipients thank their benefactors. It’s called being polite. King referring to himself as a brother doesn’t sound like a big deal to me. Hell, I had a friend who referred to me as brother using the same slang and he wasn’t claiming I was black. Admittedly I wasn’t sure what the hell he was talking about. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > And you genuinely think this group would come through with the 25K without a protracted and nasty court battle that would occupy a great deal of his time? > > They’re not worth dignifying with a response. Yes. I think the,“You have 24 hours”, bit was the tell. If they were serious, they would have put the money in escrow and gotten a big five accounting firm involved. They also would have negotiated the offer with the targeted group. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I disagree that King looks black or particularly biracial even now, let alone as a kid. ISTM that the perception is entirely created by the close-cropped haircut and facial hairstyle. For me it varies. His [grinning profile pic](https://twitter.com/ShaunKing) at twitter doesn’t look especially African American. The somewhat grisly [hospital shot](http://dailyentertainmentnews.com/wpgo/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Shaun_King_car_accident_2003-300x151.jpg) does. The pic from when he was 14 is somewhere in between. I don’t see a lot of phoniness and affectation involved. To me kicking around a guy because of the indiscretions of his mother is in pretty poor taste. Judging from their choices in media consumption, modern conservatives feel differently. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/235 "2015-08-21T06:38:19Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > So then you’re conceding that he was the victim of a vicious hate crime He was beaten up. If he was beaten up because he was a white guy dating a black girl, then yes that was a hate crime. You seem to be dubious about that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/236 "2015-08-21T07:03:20Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > He was beaten up. If he was beaten up because he was a white guy dating a black girl, then yes that was a hate crime. You seem to be dubious about that, though. I am? Why do you think he was savagely beaten and what race were those that did it do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/237 "2015-08-21T07:41:23Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > What proof do you think he could offer, beyond the multiple character witnesses linked to in his blog post, in 24 hours? > > A buccal swab. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > And you genuinely think this group would come through with the 25K without a protracted and nasty court battle that would occupy a great deal of his time? > > They’re not worth dignifying with a response. I have no idea. I doubt their offer is enforceable, actually. But my post was intended only to answer your specific question, “What proof do you think he could offer, beyond the multiple character witnesses linked to in his blog post, in 24 hours?” ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/238 "2015-08-21T07:44:44Z")
The Vox article has a number of interesting eyewitness accounts. Shea Gold: [INDENT] I was a senior in high school and had just walked out of the band room when I saw Shaun walking towards me in the hall. For my entire high school career, I cannot recall saying anything more than ‘hello’ to him. However, this day no such exchange took place. Before it could happen, Shaun was quite literally ambushed by a large group of large people. ``` He never saw what hit him. He never had a chance. I didn't stop to count how many attacked him, but the number was easily in the neighborhood of a dozen. They were big white farm boys, all members of the FFA. Immediately a crowd formed while they stomped the life right out of Shaun, who couldn't have weighed much more than 100 pounds, if at all. [/INDENT] Willis Polk, who was a longtime friend, wrote the following: [INDENT] And to question his race? Since the third grade, Shaun has had to deal with whispers as to his racial make-up. Whispers that no adult helped him deal with or process. Yes, that includes his mother. ``` Shaun got called “Nigger” just as much, if not more, than myself or any of my black friends and family while growing up in Versailles. Do you think an 8 year old would volunteer for that type of treatment? A funny colored, wavy haired child just trying to navigate life? [/INDENT] Well, I’ve heard of worse treatment: this isn’t Bosnia. It does however indicate a certain lack of character among those who regularly and uncritically consume right wing media sources that can’t handle rudimentary journalistic sourcing or ethics. Once there was a day when conservatives prided themselves on their piety and potential for shame. Those days are past. More eyewitness testimony: [The Shaun King controversy, explained - Vox](http://www.vox.com/2015/8/19/9180389/the-shaun-king-controversy-explained) ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/239 "2015-08-21T07:51:43Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I have no idea. I doubt their offer is enforceable, actually. But my post was intended only to answer your specific question, “What proof do you think he could offer, beyond the multiple character witnesses linked to in his blog post, in 24 hours?” Ookay. I gotta say I wouldn’t be too keen to pass on my DNA or medical history to a hostile party unencumbered by privacy laws. Methinks your response was a overly narrow. (Thanks for the speculation about enforceability though: I had wondered about the same.) ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/240 "2015-08-21T09:30:41Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Ookay. I gotta say I wouldn’t be too keen to pass on my DNA or medical history to a hostile party unencumbered by privacy laws. Methinks your response was a overly narrow. > > (Thanks for the speculation about enforceability though: I had wondered about the same.) My response was to the specific question asked. I agree that, from a broader strategic perspective, there are many good arguments to NOT provide such a sample. I simply disagreed that there was no possible way to respond inside 24 hours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271.md?page=13)