• Home
  • Archive
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • March 24, 2023

The Madison Times

The Paper That's More Than Black and White

  • News
    • Local News
    • National News
    • International News
    • Sports News
    • Education News
  • Columns
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Life Lessons with Alex Gee
  • Events
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Lifestyle
  • Classifieds
  • Community
    • Middle Spread
  • Milwaukee
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES

The Double Standards Make You Want to Double Over!

January 29, 2022

Legislatively Speaking

By Senator Lena C. Taylor

Lena C. Taylor

This week, I couldn’t stop shaking my head at the double standards that plague our politics, social norms and outright behavior in this country. In the state legislature, I listened to either ill-informed comments or intentional misrepresentations about Critical Race Theory (CRT). I couldn’t help but note that it all felt like the making of a new version of the Willie Horton ad. It might take a minute, but think back to George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaign in 1988. Willie Horton, a Black man serving time for murder, committed rape, robbery and assault after he escaped while on a temporary furlough.

Many felt that Bush used pictures of Horton, in his campaign, to assert that he would be tough on crime. Most Black people understood that Horton’s image (insert Black face) was being used to scare white voters. CRT is being used, albeit nuanced, in much the same way. It isn’t about history, it’s about fear. Ironically, Blacks have lived in varying forms of fear over much of their existence in this country. Double standard.

I was reminded of the anniversary of the death of Milwaukee Public School lobbyist Ceasar Stinson. Stinson was killed in a car crash caused by an inattentive on-duty Milwaukee County Sheriff Deputy, on Jan. 25, 2020. The deputy received a six-month jail sentence, with work release privileges, as a part of a two-year probation agreement. He was actually fitted with a GPS monitoring system and allowed to go home immediately. He had never spent a night in jail, that is until Stinson’s family found out. After it was all said and done, the deputy who had a similar accident just two years before he killed Stinson, spent just four months in jail. The deputy involved is now at home. Many in the community have opined that had the players been switched, and Stinson had hit and killed the deputy it would have played out very differently. Double Standard.

In the background, there is all the noise generated by the recent retirement announcement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Bryer. President Joe Biden made it clear that he planned to nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court should the opportunity present itself, during his tenure. True to his word, he has said that he intends to honor that campaign promise.

In the history of the highest court in the land, there have only been six people of color to ever sit on the U. S. Supreme Court. There have been 107 White men to hold those seats in the 230 plus years of the court’s existence. Five names have risen to the surface as likely nominees. Sexism and racism have also been floated in these initial days of discussion. A Fox News anchor, who will remain nameless for no other reason than he should remain nameless, called Biden’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion “identity politics.” No one cared when it was always white men. Double Standard.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Double Standards, Legislatively Speaking, Lena C. Taylor

Read More - Related Articles

  • Check Yo’ Self, Before You Wreck Yo’ Self
  • Women Anywhere Equals Equity Everywhere
  • A Bill to Teach Children, Before They Become Adults, How to Interact with the Police……. Really?
  • In Every Facet of the Capitol, Representation Matters
  • I Will Always Lift Every Voice and Sing





Connect With Us

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Karma Chavez
Amanda Zhang
Julianne Malveaux
Benjamin Chavis
George Curry

Journalists

Jacklin Bolduan
Brianna Rae
Aarushi Agni
Rob Franklin
Claire Miller

Topics

Brown Girl Green $
Young Gifted & Black
Universally Speaking
Ask Progress
Civil Rights

Topics

Police Shooting
Police Brutality
Black Lives Matter
NAACP
Racism

Politicians

Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Gwen Moore
Paul Soglin
Scott Walker

Contact Us

The Madison Times
313 West Beltline Hwy
Suite 132
Madison, WI 53713
608-270-9470

Copyright © 2023 Courier Communications. All Rights Reserved.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.