NYU Professor On Spokane NAACP Controversy: Some People Can Be Trans-Racial
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/CBS News) — The president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP is being accused of falsely portraying herself as a black woman, but an NYU professor said some people can, in fact, identify with a race other than their own.
As CBS2’s Weijia Jiang reported Friday night, Rachel Dolezal was asked in an interview if she was African-American, and was clearly taken aback as she answered, with the remark, “I don’t understand the question.”
In a different interview, with Spokane CBS affiliate KREM-TV, she said: “Actually, I don’t like the term African-American; I prefer black. So, if asked, I would say, yes, I consider myself to be black.”
But her biological parents say that is not true. Her birth certificate lists her parents as Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal, who said their daughter has been estranged from their family and has been misrepresenting herself.
“Our daughter is primarily German and Czech and of European descent,” Ruthanne Dolezal said. “She’s white.”
The couple said their daughter is pretending to be someone she’s not, CBS News reported.
“Rachel has wanted to be somebody she’s not. She’s chosen not to just be herself but to represent herself as an African-American woman or a biracial person,” Ruthanne said.
But NYU sociology professor Ann Morning told CBS2’s Jiang that just like some people are transgender, others may be trans-racial – identifying more with a race other than their own.
Dolezal grew up with four adopted black siblings, and was briefly married to a black man.
“We’re getting more and more used to the idea that people’s racial affiliation and identity and sense of belonging can change, or can vary, with different circumstances,” Morning said.
Dolezal said the only ones questioning her identity are Larry and Ruthanne.
“I don’t give two (expletive) what they think,” Dolezal said.
“It’s more important for me to clarify that with the black community and my executive board than with people who don’t understand,” she said.
In the past, Dolezal has identified herself as a mix of black, white and Native American. She dismisses the controversy as little more than an ugly byproduct of family dysfunction, CBS News reported.
In a statement, the NAACP said, “One’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership.” The organization said it stands behind her.
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Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I grabbed from the wrong file. This is two verbatim excerpts of a CBS News article from June 12, 2015, "NYU Professor On Spokane NAACP Controversy: Some People Can Be Trans-Racial." My apologies. Sometimes it's hard to tell the reductio ad absurdams I'm inventing from the ones that are actually happening.
Comments (4)
Wow. I knew you could be way out there in front of the trends. I didn't know you could also predict the past with such accuracy! Kudos to you.
Next stop: Ms. Sebelius, after running HHS, announces her taking up the reins of being Pope. She refers us to King Anthony Kennedy, and his dictum in Planned Parenthood vs. Casey
and simply chooses to define her existence that way. This way, she can "fix the abortion nonsense in the Church".
Posted by Tony | June 15, 2015 6:35 PM
I steal unapologetically from James Taranto's Best of the Web column on Friday:
Posted by Jake Freivald | June 15, 2015 8:53 PM
No fair, she left out Eskimo.
Posted by johnt | June 16, 2015 11:24 AM
I want to add that these recent developments remind me of why I have always fought so fiercely against postmodernism. Transgenderism is the eruption into the public square of pure postmodernism, the pure denial of reality and the insane demand that everyone else play along. The "transracialism" of Dolezal looks silly and is silly, but it is also part of the Orwellian evil that is postmodernism transferred from the halls of academe to the public square.
There have always been some Christians within both Protestant and Catholic circles (I've seen them more in Protestant circles myself) who flirt with postmodernism, who say it isn't so bad, who say it is good because it undermines the scientism of secularism, blah, blah. Without hesitation, I say that these are fools and useful idiots. Postmodernism must be opposed without quarter and with a clear-eyed understanding that it is an all-out attack on objective reality, with disastrous consequences. It isn't just a clever academic game. An Internet associate once contrasted himself with me by saying, humorously, that he doesn't "reflexively chamber a round" when postmodernism is mentioned. It was an amusing observation, and ever since then I have proudly taken to myself that description: I reflexively chamber a round when postmodernism is mentioned, and everyone else should, too.
Posted by Lydia | June 20, 2015 9:43 AM