Thomas, Clinton, and Me Too

Thomas, Clinton, and Me Too   

Thomas

In the early 1990s Justice Clarence Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court of the United States. He had after his graduation from the College of the Holy Cross married a Black women from Worcester MA and they had a son. 

At the time of his nomination. Justice Thomas had divorced his wife and married a White woman. This was not unusual and some Black people would say that he had the “fever”. A term that meant that some Black men preferred White woman. Although many think it is a loving marriage, other thought it to be a sign of his rejection of the aspirations of Black people.

While at Holy Cross Thomas was very respectful of Black women. He had a theory that Black women became lesbians in reaction to being mistreated by Black men. Because of this I was surprised when Anita Hill complained that she was the victim of sexual harassment by Thomas. 

What convinced me she was telling the truth was her testimony that Thomas jokingly said “Isn’t that pubic hair on that coke can?”.  He had said the same to me and others while at Holy Cross.  Ms. Hill also testified that Mr. Thomas would talk of about large penises. Mr. Thomas at Holy Cross used to say that Black men from Georgia who ate ham had penises so long that they had to strap them to their legs.

It was something of an irony when Mr. Thomas played the race card in his defense against Ms. Hill.

Clinton

There is no doubt that Bill Clinton was a cheat, a womanizer, and a liar. Clinton’s victims, Flowers, Lewinsky, and other are looked down upon by many in society. I would like to hear arguments that President Clinton is not a narcissist, using the pretense of helping poor people to further his fame and fortune. His real legacy is mass incarceration of Black people and adversely reducing the safety net of the unemployed, the poor, and the homeless.

 I voted for him in 1992 and again in 1996. My vote was motivated by the concept that “It is the economy, stupid”. I have not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate subsequently.

Curiously Charles Barkley, a former professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers, got it right. Shortly after Doug Jones won the senate seat in Alabama, Barkley said that the Democratic Party should no longer take Black working people and the poor for granted.

It is ironic that presidential candidate  Al Gore, about whom I have heard nothing bad, lost his presidential bid due in large part to the impeachment of President Clinton for his role in the Monica Lewinsky affair. Clinton like Nixon should have resigned and allowed Gore to be President before the 2000 election.

Also ironic is how Secretary Hilary Clinton came to be seen as an enabler of a asexual harasser, instead of a “good wife”. President Clinton’s actions negatively impacted many people he should have protected.

Such a resignation was never in the character of a narcissist womanizer.

Me Too

The “Me Too” movement has brought weight to the complaints by women of sexual harassment. Women had little credibility before the “Me Too” movement. Even when women were believed very few people cared, Just ask Paula Jones and Anita Hill. This trend of not caring, upsettingly was continued by many Trump supporters. President Trump has many accusers and a taped admission of his intentions to wrongfully sexually harass women.

Conclusion

The “Me Too “movement success will be measured by its success against Presidents, such as President Trump and President Clinton. Another measure of its success will be how seriously society takes the complaints of sexual harassment, especially the allegations made by dark skin women.