You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
I've been railing against "fact checks" for years. I agree with the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto when he says:
The “fact check” is opinion journalism or criticism, masquerading as straight news. The object is not merely to report facts but to pass a judgment.
Yesterday, the Washington Post "fact checked" some statements from Herman Cain about Margaret Sanger's eugenicism, black abortion rates and Planned Parenthood's push for abortion over other means of handling unplanned pregnancies.
Whether you believe in the sanctity of human life or the sanctity of Planned Parenthood, Sanger's eugenics are on the record in great detail. She talked about "racial hygiene" in the New York Times and said her work would lead to a "cleaner race" and solve "racial problems."
But the Washington Post's "fact check" decides, and I am in no way joking, that if you look at it another way, Sanger was a "racial pioneer." What's more, her views were quite popular at the time (I hear even the head of state in Germany was a fan!).
And because of this, Cain gets the worst possible rating for a "fact check": four Pinocchios.
As I wrote over at GetReligion, just remember next time you read a story about someone talking about “cultivation of better racial elements,” “a cleaner race,” and “the solution for racial… problems,” the Washington Post will be the first to tell you that you’re probably reading about a “racial pioneer.”
And if you disagree, well then, you're the liar. Sound good?
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May '10
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
Liberals are unbelievably absolutist.
Those who promote their agenda get a pass no matter what they do or say. Those who oppose it are to be condemned for crimes no matter how trumped up or non-existent the evidence.
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
Pravda-on-the-Potomac . . . that is its proper name.
Jun '10
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
Yes, it is maddening how they get away with lying -- again and again -- about history.
Try talking about the history of the Party of Slavery, the Party of KKK, the Party of Jim Crow. This stuff just gets turned inside out or covered up.
I think that these three items, if we could get blacks to realize the history of the Dems, could have a deep influence on the elections after this. But people don't know their history.
And Europeans are even more hopeless on this stuff: Routinely, they assume that Lincoln was in the Democratic Party and that Republicans historically supported slavery.
Aug '10
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
At the local YWCA one night, chaperoning a teen dance, I spied some portraits in the lobby. One was of Margaret Sanger. The new motto of the YWCA is "Eliminating Racism, Empowering Women ". (surprised they didnt figure out how to erase the "C" in their name as well)
To a pro-lifer like me, that is fertile ground for wordplay.
Sanger was a precursor of the Nazis. Jonah Goldberg is spot-on, Liberal Fascism.
Apr '11
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
This makes me sick to my stomach.
Apr '11
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
Seriously!! Even if you support abortion rights certainly you should not feel compelled to white wash the eugenic agenda of people back in the first half of the 20th century. The fact that eugenic thinking was popular and widely supported back then is more an indictment of that era than an excuse. The proper way to defend against such arguments against abortion is to point out that the motivations of abortion and contraception supporters in the past and the present are different. Since one invalid argument in favor of a position does not invalidate other arguments that are not dependent upon the invalid argument the claims against Mrs. Sanders eugenic racism is not a strong argument against abortion.
Feb '11
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
This is the kind of thing that continues to validate the feelings of being a complete outsider as a person attempting the practice of rational intellect in this society.
Thank you for posting this disjoint from reality, Mollie. It reminds me of this.
Mar '11
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
The Washington Post probably only used Wikipedia for the "fact checking." The Sanger entry makes her sound like a kindly old grandma who handed condoms out to the poor and/or minority kids.
Jun '10
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
Mama Toad: This is the kind of thing that continues to validate the feelings of being a complete outsider as a person attempting the practice of rational intellect in this society.
...
Isn't it the truth! I live in Seattle and I find that when I go to community meetings that I am not part of this community. The thing about the Left is that because they feel alienated, they want all who don't parrot the party line to feel low and alienated also.
It is so anti-rational, this approach that the Left takes about how to make change in society. It is always a pugnacious attitude being displayed and self-righteous and intolerance are the order of the day. Community Organizers are essentially un-democratic because they really don't give a damn about what the community wants -- instead they constantly game the system and force things down the community's throats.
How smug these people must feel when they change the obvious history of an evil woman -- just because it suits their immediate needs in the abortion industry.
Oct '10
Re: You say racist, I say racial pioneer!
“We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.” - Margaret Sanger’s December 19, 1939 letter to Dr. Clarence Gamble
How anyone could attack Herman Cain to defend Sanger is just incredible to me.
Edited on Nov 3, 2011 at 1:16pm