Tush Covering and Southern Bashing

So Brooks Simpson, true to form, makes a post about me at his anti-Southern flog titled, An About-Face on Diversity. It is apparently his somewhat twisted version of parody or satire, because there has been no about face by me. I still believe diversity (i.e., difference) is simply what IS but the leftist concept of diversity (aka multiculturalism) comprises a draconian agenda to radically change, even destroy, western culture.

The primary point of posting this phony information is actually to defend himself from perfectly legitimate criticism of the highly white faculty he is a member of. The secondary point is to get in  yet another dig at the Virginia Flaggers, whom he hates.

I have a few comments to make about his post. I'll embed them in red italics.

 After denouncing diversity and multiculturalism for years, it appears that Connie Chastain and several of her commenters (including one who seems rather afraid to reveal his identity) (kinda like LibertyLamp at your flog, Simpson?) are now in favor of it. Indeed, over the last week there’s been a tidal wave of tirades over at cacklin’ Connie’s blog, in which I’m taken to task for various institutional hiring practices not in my purview (it is now conceded that ASU has a fairly diverse student body).

Translation: "Make the faculty at ASU more diverse? Ees not my chob, mang." This tush-covering, btw, is the real reason for this whole hit-piece -- aside from the fact, of course, that he just loves to denigrate and lie about Southern heritage folks.

I think this is all to the good. We certainly can support this turnabout in favor of toleration and equality. But there are ways that Connie can advance her cause even more with the usual fervor of the new-found convert.

First, Connie and her cohort claim that because the faculty at ASU is 75% white (so they assert, once more confusing race and ethnicity), (leftists like Simpson are masters at "confusing" -- deliberately -- race and ethnicity, when doing so is useful in the service of lying about and drumming up hatred for people by pasting the "racist" and "white supremacist" label on them) that’s not diverse enough (especially in math and the sciences, where diversity in terms of race and gender has long been a problem in higher education). Fair enough. However, where are the non-white people in Connie’s extensive body of fiction?  Um... ASU = reality. My novels = fiction. Anybody see the utter intellectual bankruptcy of equating the two for the purpose of comparison? Besides, there ARE people of color in my novels. Why are all the “sweet southern boys” white? Why are the characters in Toni Morrison's novels black? Heck, by Connie’s own criteria, she’s a racist writer! Heck, by Simpson's accusation, Toni Morrison is a racist writer! Surely her South ought to have people of color in it, if it is to be about the South, and not some fantasy lily-white supremacist paradise. It does have people of color in it. This is what you get for trashing novels you haven't read based on your hatred of the author.

Second, what about the Virginia Flaggers? They have exactly one person of color marching with them … far below the percentage of African Americans in Virginia (indeed, according to some of them, far below the percentage of blacks who “served” [with] the Confederate army)! Again, by the criteria of Connie and her cohort, the Virginia Flaggers are a racist organization! Ah, but they aren't the ones complaining about "racism" and then living a lie. That's Simpson and his ilk.

We are glad to see that Connie Chastain’s leading the fight for diversity, and we ask simply that she practices what she preaches. We ask the same of her identity-challenged commenter “Austin,” who places Hofstra University in New Jersey (although a team that once trained at Hofstra now plays in New Jersey). Actually, those who complain about racism, and love to slander others with the "racist" label should be the ones to lead the charge for "diversity" -- and overcome their malodorous hypocrisy in the bargain.

When it comes to joining the continuing struggle for human dignity, pride, and equality, I say of Connie Chastain, the on-again, off-again spokesperson for the Virginia Flaggers: better late than never! Simpson talking about human dignity, pride, and equality when he demonstrates over and over, his commitment to, nay his obsession with, trashing, lying about, denigrating, harassing and persecuting people he doesn't even know, and who have done nothing to him creates a breathtaking level of cognitive dissonance, doesn't it?   We assume that she’ll withhold her services from the Flaggers until they comply with her interest in diversity. Perhaps I'll consider it after he resigns from ASU for for its paucity of faculty diversity. Don’t worry: we can check the progress weekly as we look at pictures of flagging the VMFA. Cyberstalking Southern heritage folks. Simpson has been at it a long time -- he even admitted it. He calls it "tiptoeing through the Internet" or some such false cover.   Since we are on the eve of Black History Month, we can rest assured that Connie is committed to the cry, “We will overcome!” And we can rest assured that Simpson will continue attacking, lying about, denigrating, harrassing, persecuting, and drumming up hatred for the VaFlaggers (who have done absolutely nothing to him), and inciting others to the same.