David Clark is the black Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He was in a desperate primary race for re-election. He lost favor with the Liberal base because he came out in support of the 2nd Amendment. His opponent, Chris Meows, was white. Chris Meows biggest supporters were multimillionaire Chris Abele, and billionaire Michael Bloomberg, both white. So why didn’t Sheriff Clark do what so many other political figures do to further their campaign and play the Race Card? It was the perfect opportunity.
I think it’s because he’s not a racist. He doesn’t see himself as a black sheriff, just the sheriff. When Barrack Obama was elected in 2008, local news outlets sent reporters scurrying around to interview the State’s first black judge, first black mayor, first black State representative, etc. Almost to a person, they all stated they did not want to be remembered as the State’s first black judge, mayor or State representative. They wanted to be remembered as the State’s BEST judge, the town’s HARDEST-WORKING mayor or an HONEST State representative. They took race out of the equation. Maybe they wanted to “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
So who does play the race card? Could it be those that want to be judged by the color of their skin, not by the content of their character; or their performance, or their abilities, or their accomplishments, or their integrity, or their deeds.
Addendum:
Before posting this, I had a discussion with my personal Diversity Officer. She made a case that there are times when playing the Race Card is appropriate. If a clearly inferior applicant gets the position over a clearly superior applicant who happens to be a minority, then it’s okay to play the Race Card. My thoughts in brief:
Do you really want to work for a company that may harbor racism?
Were you looking for a job or looking to uncover racism in the workplace?
Will playing the Race Card change anything?
Will playing the Race Card make you more or less desirable as an employee?
Will playing the Race Card help you in the future?
If an individual opens that door, can it ever be closed?
On the other hand, if true racism isn’t pointed out, will it ever change?
Is there anybody who doesn’t know somebody who didn’t get a position because of nepotism, or favoritism? Is there a Nepotism Card.
How about the person with years of hands-on experience, but no college degree?
Or employees that are never considered for a higher level position, but are expected to train the person that gets that position?
What about the reverse situation, where minorities of lessor ability are given opportunities just to improve the diversity appearance within a business?
I’m not a real minority (Veterans are only 1% of the population, therefore a minority) so I’ll never know how it feels to not be considered because of my skin color. But I’ve seen plenty of lesser qualified people pass me by for many other unacceptable reasons. I didn’t call foul or raise the flag of unfairness. I redoubled my efforts and even though it took longer, I made it to the top of my chosen profession.