# 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:** 19
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/361 "2015-08-22T06:46:01Z")
_shrug_ More than unnamed family members and speculation based on checkboxes, anyway. Put it this way: it’s been a long thread. Why don’t you list the evidence you believe is compelling enough to doubt King’s word, and we can take it from there? Because obviously that’s where the disconnect lies. ---
**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 22, 2015, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/362 "2015-08-22T06:53:43Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > _shrug_ More than unnamed family members and speculation based on checkboxes, anyway. > > Put it this way: it’s been a long thread. Why don’t you list the evidence you believe is compelling enough to doubt King’s word, and we can take it from there? Because obviously that’s where the disconnect lies. Ms. Pate has a birth certificate, arrest records, school records, and photos. Shaun has nothing. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/363 "2015-08-22T07:11:48Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > What’s the difference between fraudulent claims and non-fraudulent claims? If you think back to the lawsuit the Asian students filed against Harvard, wouldn’t it be easier to just tick a different ethnicity box? And not just at Harvard, at a lot of schools that have higher or lower admission criteria for various check boxes in the race section of the application. > > If a ethnic Irishman who was lily white like Conan O’Brien claims they are black for the purposes of college admission, is that okay? Here’s a NY Times article from 2011 that explains the process: [**On College Forms, a Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex**](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/us/14admissions.html) In interviews, admissions officers at Rice, Stanford, Emory and Carleton, as well as other highly selective colleges and universities, said they were grappling with the imperative to give students greater freedom to describe their backgrounds while also being on the lookout for manipulation by those seeking to stretch their ties to particular races or ethnicities. The onus of determining racial makeup is almost entirely on the students; the colleges do not typically seek out guidance counselors or other adults in the students’ lives for corroboration. “You know kids are gaming the system every way they possibly can, from private counselors who write essays to massaging their statistics,” said Scott White, a college counselor at Montclair High School in New Jersey. Some minority scholarship applications ask for photographs to be submitted, but these college admission apps rely on self identification, and the content of the essays applicants submit about their cultural background. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/364 "2015-08-22T07:22:44Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Ms. Pate has a birth certificate, arrest records, school records, and photos. > > Shaun has nothing. You’re going back to saying he was arrested? The police officer who filled out the _victim_ data explained everything in an interview linked in this thread. Do you doubt his word as well? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. It’s not as though anyone who still doubts he is telling the truth - and prefers to accept the claims of a known racist blogger with an agenda - was a supporter of BLM in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/365 "2015-08-22T13:42:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > and this from that:\*“The only conceivable reason to target him is because he’s an easily identifiable figure in the Black Lives Matter movement, and Breitbart would like him to be rendered somehow illegitimate.” > \* > > Why are we still debating this- when there is really no such thing as race? When t\*here is no one single definition or test which says a man is 'black"? \* > > If you say you are black, you are. Agreed. How is being black an advantage? For scholarship? To legitimize a movement in which both black and white want to see justice for the unjust treatment by police? The sad truth about the fascists stemming from the extreme right is their whole order of society is based on race. It was crystallized during Nazi Germany. There is nothing more heinous or more polarizing than finding out how much white or black is running through your blood. That’s why you have white supremacists still spewing their bile and people taking it seriously. That’s why you have a Birther movement whose sole mission was to under mind the President on the basis of race, since another Presidential candidate (Ted Cruz)whose father was born elsewhere was not held to the same scrutiny. Nobody in their world is as important as a white man. Everyone else has to line up on the whiteness scale. It was part of the world in 1939, it seems it still is today. So when a seemingly “white” man appears to identify with black society, he’s viewed as some how trying to cash in on a movement because in their view who the hell would choose to be black unless it was for ill gotten gain. It is all perception from a very narrow point of view, since how this man views himself and his family history can be distorted to satisfy the narrative. That ugly notion to attack family is still the most racist part of the struggle for justice. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/366 "2015-08-22T13:55:58Z")
> [@theR](#): > > Yes, exactly. D’Anconia made the following comment earlier: > > So D’Anconia won’t believe King blogging about himself, as shown with the comment above about King’s blog, but has no problem believing a racist blogger who doesn’t know anything about King other than what she Googled. It’s pretty rich to see people write off his words about his own experiences while believing anonymous whisper campaigns that have no evidence. Unfortunately we can’t change the inherent racism of people. We can only shine the light on the hypocrisy of their point of view. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/367 "2015-08-22T14:11:51Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Good lord. I know nothing about this case but I have a good friend. She’s African American. Her husband is caucasian. She’s got dark skin and dark hair. He’s got blue eyes and very white skin. They have twins. The girl looks exactly like the mom with dark features. The boy looks like the dad with blue eyes and white skin. Yet both are biracial. Yet you can also tell that the boy looks like the mom and the girl looks like the dad. I’m not sure why some people seem to find it hard to believe that you can look really white but have close black relatives. And vise versa. Is anyone in this thread saying you can’t be look white but have close black relatives? If anything, I’m seeing people claiming SK must be black because he “looks black”. It’s also possible, you know, to look black but be white. > [@Bone](#): > > What’s the difference between fraudulent claims and non-fraudulent claims? If you think back to the lawsuit the Asian students filed against Harvard, wouldn’t it be easier to just tick a different ethnicity box? And not just at Harvard, at a lot of schools that have higher or lower admission criteria for various check boxes in the race section of the application. > > If a ethnic Irishman who was lily white like Conan O’Brien claims they are black for the purposes of college admission, is that okay? I think the whole system assumes that this is an insignificant problem. If masses of people organized to cheat the system, it would probably fall apart pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/368 "2015-08-22T14:16:52Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I think part of it might be because of how massive a part of American history and culture various white supremacist ideals have been, and in some cases still are. To some degree, American society still operates on the “one drop” rule. That makes no sense. The “one drop rule” is exactly what creates a situation where someone can look really white but actually be black, not to mention have close relatives who are black. ---
**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 22, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/369 "2015-08-22T14:21:59Z")
> [@camille](#): > > Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. It’s not as though anyone who still doubts he is telling the truth - and prefers to accept the claims of a known racist blogger with an agenda - was a supporter of BLM in the first place. Cite that she is a “racist” blogger. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/370 "2015-08-22T14:28:38Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > That makes no sense. The “one drop rule” is exactly what creates a situation where someone can look really white but actually be black, not to mention have close relatives who are black. Yes – this is a remnant of white supremacism that still functions to some degree. This whole discussion is partially a remnant of white supremacism, I think. ---
**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 22, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/371 "2015-08-22T14:32:09Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > This whole discussion is partially a remnant of white supremacism, I think. That’s not an over-the-top characterization now, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/372 "2015-08-22T14:33:49Z")
Cite? You still haven’t read Shaun King’s blog, so there’s not much I can do to help you. However Salon states this: > [@](#): > > Breitbart’s “scoop” about King came from Vicki Pate, a blogger who runs a truly startling website called “Re-NewsIt!” The site is the kind of typo-ridden bile factory that would normally be dismissed without a second glance. Its sole aim appears to be to “expose the truth” about the nefarious charlatans at the heart of the Black Lives Matter Movement, as well as to smear any black victims of crime. > > Pate has had multiple Twitter accounts suspended. When she still had access to Twitter, she used the platform to do things like harass the mother of Kendrick Johnson, a black teenager whose dead body was found rolled up in a gym mat at his high school. For good measure, Pate also posted leaked autopsy photos of Johnson on her website and accused his father of “trying to win the race-hoax lottery.” > > Pate has also been obsessively trying to take Shaun King down for sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/373 "2015-08-22T14:35:06Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > That’s not an over-the-top characterization now, is it? Not at all. ---
**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 22, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/374 "2015-08-22T14:38:16Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > Cite? You still haven’t read Shaun King’s blog, so there’s not much I can do to help you. For the millionth time, Shaun King’s blog (or anybody else’s) IS NOT A CITE. It doesn’t prove anything. Don’t they teach the difference between opinion and fact anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/375 "2015-08-22T14:38:51Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Is anyone in this thread saying you can’t be look white but have close black relatives? Yes. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Here are baby pics and childhood pics of King with mother and brother. > > [http://louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Screen-Shot-2015-08-19-at-1.56.44-PM.png](http://louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Screen-Shot-2015-08-19-at-1.56.44-PM.png) > > Looks like a white kid to me. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/376 "2015-08-22T14:40:57Z")
[quote=“D\_Anconia, post:358, topic:728271”] No one has answered this. Why do you believe Shaun, and why should the rest of us? I saw it on the internet, it must be true! Doesn’t cut it. [/QUOTE] Oh Christ. You obviously don’t care that Shaun King is a voice in a movement that is having traction in political discourse. The work is truth and important, and it makes racists very nervous. ---
**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 22, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/377 "2015-08-22T14:45:11Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > That’s a pretty low standard, don’t you think? The point is that your sources cannot even meet this “pretty low standard”. ---
**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 22, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/378 "2015-08-22T14:46:24Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > Oh Christ. You obviously don’t care that Shaun King is a voice in a movement that is having traction in political discourse. The work is truth and important, and it makes racists very nervous. The work is truth? What does that mean? And who are these nervous racists you are referring to? ---
**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 22, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/379 "2015-08-22T14:47:02Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Ms. Pate has a birth certificate, arrest records, school records, and photos. Cite? ---
**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 22, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271/380 "2015-08-22T14:49:36Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The point is that your sources cannot even meet this “pretty low standard”. Yes, they do. Read the thread. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a legitimate source. So is the police record. So is the CNN interview. All Shaun has is his freaking blog. Which anyone can do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shaun-king-daily-kos-writer-black-lives-matter-activist-really-white/728271.md?page=20)