So, The Amazing Atheist Asked Me Not To Call Him Racist…

TJ’S DISCUSSION OF MELISSA HARRIS-PERRY, GAP, AND THE OSCARS

I’d also like to make another note. TJ Kirk notes that Melissa Harris-Perry said the term “Hard Worker” was racist as a way to show black people were part of a victim cult. She did say that. But she used it in a context TJ Kirk missed. The context is that Paul Ryan was demanding some personal family time in his role in Congress, and the conservative on Harris-Perry’s show was arguing that he deserved it because of how hard he was working.

Now coming from a Republican, that sounds a bit hypocritical to a lot of us leftists, especially when so many hard-working Americans are deemed as not deserving family time by Republicans, and are deemed as “sucking off the system” in taking advantage of food stamps and welfare by a lot of conservatives. And so, she is trying to show the double standard:

You may not characterize the Republican Party that way, but to a lot of us that’s a clear double standard. It’s not an argument against the words “hard worker.” It’s an argument against how Republicans tend to have a double standard as to what hard workers deserve “family time” and which ones do not; this argument would not have applied to a liberal. You may disagree with it, but she has a point, right?

In TJ’s video criticizing the above video, he cuts her off before she gets her full explanation in, at the 47 second mark of the above video (after a 2-minute-plus diatribe about how horrific this scene is):

Another thing his above video shows is her saying, “…in the context of the Republican Party” at the beginning. She is actually stating that saying Paul Ryan deserves family time is a hypocritical argument in the context of the Republican Party…and then afterwards criticizes those remarks.

But the reader is left with the misleading impression that she is criticizing just the two words “hard worker.” That wasn’t the point. If she was talking to someone who was in a party that, in her mind, didn’t have a double standard as to what a hard worker deserved, she wouldn’t have made the statement.

But TJ Kirk follows this cut-off clip with an 8-minute diatribe about how words are offensive to SJWs. When it’s not the word that’s offensive, but the context of the word that seemed hypocritical to Melissa Harris-Perry.

Here’s the thing: That video has been viewed 450,000 times. It is upvoted highly and the comments pontificate about how awful Melissa Harris-Perry is. It really damaged her reputation. And I really think that any fair-minded viewer would see that this is really, really unfair.

Why did TJ cut her off? Why do this much damage to someone’s reputation, having hundreds of thousands of people see her as a laughingstock for a quote clearly taken out of context? Is it because he’s racist and assuming that black women probably don’t know what they’re talking about? Am I allowed to ask that question, even, or am I offensive for even bringing it up?

I’ll leave it alone, because that’s not the important point here. The point is that he simply did not know what he was talking about, and this should damage your confidence in him when he talks about such matters.  Atheism? Awesome commentary. SJW stuff? His opinions should be taken with an ocean of salt.

The other things…I see differently. The fact that the people in a Gap ad that has a black child being used as an armrest are sisters does not change the fact that the pose looks really racist. It’s even worse that Gap positioned the two sisters to pose that way — it seems clear to me that one is clearly positioned in a more subservient role (an armrest, for crying out loud) than the other three white children in the picture.

I mean, please. There were a zillion ads that most black people in American society didn’t say a peep about.  This one was disturbing because…well…duh. And of course we’re not saying the sister is racist. Obviously. But someone arranged those kids that way, and they should have been a good bit more thoughtful and respectful. Just saying.

And then the Oscar snubs. OK…there were no black men nominated for ANYTHING in the Oscars (let alone win anything). Which was pretty damn outrageous, because black actors were in some good movies. Critics RAVED about Michael B. Jordan in Creed, but Sylvester Stallone was nominated. Straight Outta Compton had outstanding black actors and a black director, and you had to give it something to avoid being an embarrassment, as it got rave reviews. But the nomination went to its two white screenwriters. Will Smith got rave reviews for Concussion and no nomination. Idris Elba got outstanding reviews for Beasts of No Nation and no nomination. These were all movies the critics said were good, movies where they all said the black actors shined, movies that were at the top of the heap last year. Not a nomination for a single black actor. And for the second year in a row. Like, we nearly let the last year slide.

This wasn’t just something small. It was a big deal. It was shocking. We were expecting a whole lot more, and we had, according to all the critics before the nominations were announced, earned it. Seeing those movies and seeing who was nominated in previous years, I was dumbfounded. And for complaining about this a peep, we’re suddenly a “victim cult”? Really?

I just think that you should give people what they earned, and I doubt any objective observer would agree that NO Oscar nominations for those black individuals were earned last year. I really do.

Why does TJ have a different opinion here and seem so determined to paint people like me as victim cult members for stating what seems so blatantly obvious?

I mean, not just here. Just…frequently, it seems as if he’s intent on saying black people are exaggerating, where it seems clear they are not and have honest points and grievances.

It seems to be happening on a fairly consistent basis these days. And not just with TJ, but with his fans, as well.

Maybe the “why” isn’t important; it’s a red herring. Maybe it’s not so much who he is underneath, but what he does that’s important.

And in looking at what he does, I think we can draw one conclusion:

The Amazing Atheist is not a reliable source these days for conversations on racial issues. In fact, in many cases, we should do the exact opposite of his advice.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I have a Patreon, if you want to help me do what I do.

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CLICK HERE FOR A CRITIQUE OF TJ’S STATEMENTS ON PROPERTY-BASED RACISM AGAINST BLACKS