Firefighter Jeremy Norton wins a Spotty ™
For his terrific op-ed in the Minnesota Star Tribune (gift link), Jeremy Norton wins a Spotty™. Keenly observed and brilliantly written by the paramedic first responder who was called to minister to the lifeless body of George Floyd.
Just a couple grafs here, but you must read it in its entirety.
The claim that Chauvin is innocent only resonates within the framework of a contrived white innocence by which both citizens and police abdicate responsibility. Too many white Americans, including this president, have been unable to let go of their anger, inchoate or explicit, that — for once — they could not simply dismiss the police killing of an unarmed Black man. There is no acceptable way to protest America’s deep racial imbalance without aggravating white people who prefer not to think about it. As Beyoncé said, “It’s been said that racism is so American, that when we protest racism, some assume we are protesting America.”
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I’ve been chastised for failing to “Back the Blue,” for besmirching the police by speaking out, by testifying. How dare I rat out fellow badged brothers? How dare I go public?
Essentially, I’ve been called a race traitor.
If I must condone abusive, unthinking violence in order to keep my — what? white-man bonafides? my brotherhood badge? — I choose Huck Finn’s path: “All right, then, I’ll go to hell.”
Remember, a Spotty™ is awarded for an article, op-ed, or letter to the editor that I wish I had written myself.
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