Who can blame him for hanging around black people? Of course he supports Obama. SLJ made a wrong, reckless and unjustified attack on KTLA entertainment reporter Sam Rubin which, incredibly, continues to be misrepresented by most of the news media, internet and social media. Rubin was forced into making a gratuitous and needless apology.
To briefly recap: Rubin’s celebrity guest, Samuel L. Jackson, falsely and obnoxiously accused Rubin of confusing him with another black actor, Laurence Fishburne, thus asserting that Rubin 1) thought all blacks looked alike 2) was therefore a bigot or racist as a result. Rubin apologized twice, first during Jackson’s unprovoked rant (for Rubin had not confused him with Fishburne, and it was Jackson who was confused and unprepared for the interview), and later, to everyone else, after headlines that his “racist mistake” had justly provoked Jackson were being repeated everywhere. Rubin was correct that SLJ was in a commercial during the Super Bowl as was Lawrence Fishburn. SLJ was wrong and his own bigoted ideas came to the fore. Apologizing for genuine harm, mistakes or misconduct is a sign of character, accountability, courage, respect and fairness. Rubin was not guilty of making a mistake, SLJ was. Rubin was forced by his employer to apologize for something he didn’t do. SLJ was graceless in his initial mistaken race-based bigoted rant and especially in his failure to apologize to Rubin for making a mistake. But Jackson is not a man who would ever be accused of being graceful. Jackson is being a jackass.
This is an example not unlike the mentally broken prisoner of war, bowing to his torturers.
“Rubin capitulated to Jackson’s race-bullying, thus standing for the popular and unethical proposition that any race-based complaint from a black man must be respected.
Rubin Endorsed the central fallacy of political correctness and the plague of offense-mongers who argue that as long as anyone is offended, the one giving offense is at fault and should apologize whether there was an actual cause of the offense or not.
Rubin bowed to America’s sick celebrity culture hierarchy, in which fame trumps merit, and modeled the resulting warped values for his young viewers.
Rubin agreed to being used by the race-baiters who see everything white peole do as evidence of the continuing racist climate in the U.S., where even entertainment reporters so marginalize African-Americans that they treat them as monolithic and fungible—“Remember that reporter on TV who couldn’t tell Samuel L. Jackson from Laurence Fishburne? Typical white guy.”
Rubin advertised cowardice as a virtue, and by his actions showed that keeping one’s job trumps all other considerations, including personal integrity and one’s right to fair treatment and justice.
Finally, Rubin established he will allow himself to be misrepresented and mistreated, even in public, because that is easier and safer than insisting on his dignity and human rights.
What should Rubin have done? He should have refused to apologize. He should have defended himself and demanded an apology from Jackson. If his employers wouldn’t back him, he should have quit. Every act, no matter how trivial, that allows unethical conduct, habits or practices to prevail undermines our culture. It was Rubin’s turn to stand up for fairness and for himself, and he failed.
The contention that every white is a closet racist has become cant in Obama’s America, and Jackson shares the blame for it.
In this instance, apologizing showed Rubin’s weakness of character and proved to those of us who know better that Samuel L. Jackson is a bigoted despot.
This is an example not unlike the mentally broken prisoner of war, bowing to his torturers.
Rubin Endorsed the central fallacy of political correctness and the plague of offense-mongers who argue that as long as anyone is offended, the one giving offense is at fault and should apologize whether there was an actual cause of the offense or not.
Rubin bowed to America’s sick celebrity culture hierarchy, in which fame trumps merit, and modeled the resulting warped values for his young viewers.
Rubin agreed to being used by the race-baiters who see everything white peole do as evidence of the continuing racist climate in the U.S., where even entertainment reporters so marginalize African-Americans that they treat them as monolithic and fungible—“Remember that reporter on TV who couldn’t tell Samuel L. Jackson from Laurence Fishburne? Typical white guy.”
Rubin advertised cowardice as a virtue, and by his actions showed that keeping one’s job trumps all other considerations, including personal integrity and one’s right to fair treatment and justice.
Finally, Rubin established he will allow himself to be misrepresented and mistreated, even in public, because that is easier and safer than insisting on his dignity and human rights.
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