With that nickel-slick rascal Herman Cain lying by the minute about sexually harassing white women and seemingly getting away with it, Emmitt Till must be spinning in his grave.
As you probably know, Emmitt Till was a 14-year-old black boy who was murdered by two white men in Mississippi in 1955 because he allegedly flirted with a white woman. Who knows what actually happened, but in all likelihood what Till did or didn't do pales in comparision to what I believe Cain did. Yet, Till lies in his grave and Cain is on the threshhold of being the Republican nominee for President of the United States of America.
The unfairness and irony of it all is truly mind-boggling.
According to an article in Wikipedia, although local newspapers and law enforcement officials initially decried the violence against Till and called for justice, they soon began responding to national criticism by defending Mississippians, which eventually transformed into support for the killers. The trial attracted a vast amount of press attention. The suspects, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were acquitted of Till's kidnapping and murder by an all-white jury. Months later, protected by double jeopardy, they admitted to killing him in a magazine interview.
As for Cain, at last count there were two women, both white, who have come forward publicly to say he mistreated them while harassing them for sex...even pulling one of their heads down toward his "family jewels" inside a parked car while he callously mocked, "You want a job don't you?"
The way Cain is carrying himself is a slap in the face to the memory of Emmitt Till and dozens (if not hundreds) of other decent black men who were murdered because they were suspected and/or accused of misconduct with white women in America. It's an insult because Cain is guilty as sin yet enjoys the support of the angry mob, while Till and the others were victims of the angry mob. Did you hear how the moderator of the most recent Republican debate was booed when she brought up the sexual harassment allegations against Cain? And how dare he use the term "lynching" in any shape, form or fashion to defend himself when the angry right-wing lynch mob is clearly on his side?!
Here you have a black man who made it to the top of corporate America, who is one of the leading contenders for the office of the President who disrespects women in the most disgusting way. Yet, when these white women come forward, the staunchest defenders of this vile man are other whites, including the likes of Rush Limbaugh. Wow!
You'd think a black man, especially one who has risen to the heights Cain has, would be extra mindful of our painful racial history and thus be very careful with his words and deeds. You'd think Cain would do everything in his power to honor those like Till, not make a mockery of what happened to them.
It's quite the paradox that many of the descendants, relatives and defenders of the cowards who murdered Emmitt and the other victims of lynch mobs are probably among those who believe and support Cain over the two women.
When these allegations of sexual misconduct by Cain came out, I figured that if any of the accusers turned out to be white, Cain's white support would dry up quicker than free beer at a frat party. But so far, it looks like I was wrong and am left wondering: "Why not?"
Are these conservatives and tea baggers really not the racists many of us think they are? Or are they so bat sh!t crazy that somehow they think supporting Cain absolves them of any racial baggage from their pasts or proves they're not prejudiced? To me, it's a facade designed to provide cover for their racism, but I didn't think it would go as far as throwing white women under the bus for the likes of Herman Cain.
Whatever the case, America remains a house divided and as usual, race is smack dab in the middle of it. In the words of an actor on an old episode of the Three Stooges: "This house done sho' gone crazy!"