We Need to Talk About the GOP's 'Black Friends' by Elie Mystal of The Nation

[Beringia]

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/rnc-black-republicans/


The Republican National Convention has been all about using Black people to convince white people it’s OK to vote for a bigot.

There’s a word for what Republicans are doing—tokenism—and there are a lot of definitions of the term floating around. So, at the risk of sounding as intellectually constrained as Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, I’ll use the dictionary definition of the term:

tokenism | noun | the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.

It is important to understand that tokenism is not done to benefit minorities, not even the token minorities used in the scheme. Tokenism is done for the benefit of white people, to make them feel more comfortable and less complicit in the prejudice and bias of their institutions, schools, and workplaces. It’s done to shield white endeavors from accusations of discrimination. It is, quite literally, a cosmetic adjustment: a mere lacquer of Black faces gilded onto the same old white spaces.

The astute reader will notice that I haven’t been particularly critical of the Black and brown people who have allowed themselves to be used as tokens by the Trump administration this week. People have tried to use me as a token before. Don’t let these Black Republicans fool you: We know it when it’s happening. We notice when people don’t give a damn about us until it’s school picture day. All tokens have a choice to smile for white people in exchange for the opportunities and prestige they can provide or to tell white people the truth and risk retribution and being kicked out of the club. I try not to begrudge Black people who consent to be used: It’s shameful, but Black people like money, too. Getting to the point where you can consistently tell white people where they can stick it, and live to tell the tale, is itself a form of privilege. This week, I’ve found myself regarding the Black bodies dancing for Trump with as much pity as disgust.

What anger I have for this particular crop of Black tokens comes from the fact that so many of them volunteered. These were not schoolboys trying to get by at prep school or single moms trying to hang onto their jobs. These were grown-ass adults, predominantly men, who could have sat this grift out but raised their hands to confirm white bias and quote scripture while doing it. We know Trump doesn’t like to pay his debts, so I hope they got their 30 pieces of silver up front.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. I am guilty of using the T word as well when I see that on display.

When Trump is on tape calling Black NFL Athletes "Sons of Bitches" in reference to their kneeling to protest police shootings and treatment of African-Americans.

Trump calling African-Americans "Animals" at his rallies to the roar of the crowd he needs.

I know that there are African-Americans who happen to be Republican, but they are few in number.

[Maraya1969]

2. I'm a pasty white woman but a black friend told me they were like "Uncle Toms" so I've used that

words to describe them. Black people in slavery days turn in other slaves for doing something wrong in order to ingratiate themselves to the white slaveholders.

I hope this word is not offensive. These black people infuriate me also.

[flibbitygiblets]

3. Important message that needed to be said.

Most of us who are thinking individuals are watching these Black people shilling for Trump with a mixture of pity, confusion and anger. Mostly confusion on my part.

Do these people actually believe what they're saying?
Don't they realize that they're effectively oppressing entire races of people including their own?
Do they think we're all ignorant of the fact that the White House is infected with racists and there are literally NO black people in the cabinet (OK Ben Carson, but seriously that guy is addled and everybody knows it.)

[ChazInAz]

9. "Quisling" is the term I use.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Great article, great explanation of the RNC's blatant tokenism.

The most interesting point was that Black GOPers (or GOP tokens) never seem to want to point out the fact that PoC are the most usual victims of police violence, or of job discrimination, or of doing something harmless while black; or even the very existence of systemic racism. They have no agenda except to express their gratitude toward white people. No wonder it's so hard to root out racism when the GOP ignores reality and instead parades out for the cameras those few who are either willing to be used or, like the new citizens, didn't know they were going to be used.

[NewDayOranges]

5. Dr Jason Johnson calls these people "Bojanglers" and the

act mollifying bigots as "Bojangling"...

I rather like these terms even tho I have the utmost respect for Dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson...

[AmyStrange]

6. Thank you...

-

This is exactly the kind of thing I wanted to know, and I appreciate that you posted this.

You can't ask right wingers, because, well, they're answers are based on beliefs and not facts.

I'd say more, but I'm not in the mood to get banned just yet.
===============

[Beringia]

7. Ya, it really bothered me to see all those black people at the RNC

So I was happy to see Elie Mystal write about it.

It is like an upside-down world for the republicans to be trying to tout diversity.

[czarjak]

8. Elie gets it. As usual.

[BeckyDem]

10. They are guilty of refusing solidarity BUT, they are trying to survive in what white people

ultimately created and continue to control. A percentage of black people relate to the whole nutty Christian thing too, it can be a driving motivator for some. None of that excuses Trump and the GOP, and it never will.